Things that Matter

So for the Five minute Friday prompt (which I'm writing on Tuesday..hmmm) is Matter. And the reason I delayed in writing is because this gave me an idea to write about the things that matter. And specifically the things that matter to our well being. My blog is mental health focused, but since I believe that we are whole beings comprised of systems that impact each other. I don't thing you can separate your mental health from your physical health or spiritual health. Or to take it further emotional health, and relational health. Where we take care of one area, we positively impact the other areas, because we are whole beings with interconnected systems. Think of your body. If your digestive system is off, it impacts the health of the other systems of your body as well. All systems impact all other systems.

I recently became recertified as an Integrative Mental Health Professional. I chose to focus on this area of Mental Health because when it comes to Mental Health every other aspect of your life matters. How you are taking care of the important areas of your life will often indicate your level of well-being.

We are always bombarded with what not to do- don't drink too much, don't smoke, don't spend too much time on social media, dont binge on food or on Netflix! When we try to stop doing the things we are not supposed to do, we often end up with a void. A void that wants to be filled with something!

So this 30 day challenge will focus you on what you can add to your life to gain a sense of well-being, not on what you need to take away. People often find that when they start to incorporate new healthy habits, old bad habits often get crowded out. We only have 24 hours in a day. If we are living those intentionally, doing the things that matter, the things that don't may just cease to hold the importance they once did.

So what does integrative health look like? It is taking care of all the important aspects of your life.

Taking care of your mind means- Your thoughts matter, the content your consume matters.

Taking care of your body, means nutrition matters, exercise matters, and sleep matters,

Taking care of relationships means that our relationship with and to others matter, both friends and family and community matters.

Taking care of your Spirit means your faith matters, your Spiritual practices matters, creativity, adventure and curiousity matter. As well as a sense of living purposeful, value oriented lives.

So thus begins a serious of exploring these things and why they matter as well as what you can start to do to take inventory of your own life and find out if you are filling it with what matters as well as strategies to implement the things that matter most or focus on areas that need some adjustment.

As you start to put the things that matter into your life, notice the impact on your overall sense of well being.

Notice if there is more motivation, less anxiety and depression. Notice if there is more of a sense of connection and compassion for yourself and your fellow humans. Hopefully the benefits will be the reward that creates a contiuous loop of taking care of your whole being.

This post was promted by the prompt of the FMF writing community! For more information and to see how others answered the prompt- check them out at the link above!