There are 6 pillars that give balance to your life and contribute to your well-being, if you feel stressed and out of focus, you have surely neglected one or some of them.
As human beings, we are complex creatures, on one side we embody our mind, body and soul, but, as social beings, our emotions, relationships, environment and sense of meaning are also crucial for us to feel balance, joy and fulfilment.
I realized this years ago, when I first used the Wheel of Life, to help me discover the root cause of the sense of anguish, imbalance and dissatisfaction I felt then.
What are the pillars?
Although there are many theories about what brings us balance, joy and satisfaction, the coach Anahí Ortíz-Prieto and I believe that these are the six (6) pillars that give balance to your life: Body, Mind, Emotions, Resources, Relationships and Meaning (details in the graphic).
What if they are off-balance?
If you focus on only one or a few of these pillars, forgetting the others, your well-being suffers, even if you are not aware of what is happening.
For example, if you focus on your professional development, but neglect your sleep and rest, your relationships and your emotional balance, you may become ill, depressed or exhausted and not understand why.
When these pillars are out of balance, you tend to feel stressed, depressed, unmotivated and tired; however with more balance between them, you will feel more motivated, focused, happy and in control of your life.
If you crawl out of bed every morning, unenthusiastic about the day ahead or if you feel stuck, you may have neglected some pillars and are feeling the impact. Trust me, I know from experience.
Is your life in balance?
Taking a few minutes to evaluate their current status, considering what each one includes, will help you identify the areas that require attention and thus take intentional action to improve them and regain your well-being.
So, why don’t you take some time to evaluate your current level of satisfaction with each pillar, from 1 (dissatisfied) to 10 (fully satisfied) and find out where to make some changes would help you regain your sense of balance and well-being? You can use the circle below for this purpose.
If your circle is bumpy and you find that you’ve neglected some aspects of your life, ask yourself why is that? Have you forgotten them because you’re busy? Do some of them make you feel uncomfortable and that’s why you have neglected them?
What would your life be like if your pillars were more balanced?
What can you do today to improve your situation?
What can you change to help you regain your balance, well-being and joy?
