Five Aspects of Being Human
At Center for Mindfulness and Wellbeing, we believe there are five essential aspects
that determine the quality of our lives: the thinking mind, the physical being, the emotional being, the spiritual being, and the relational being. It is important to recognize that these do not exist only as distinct aspects, but as interconnected and interdependent forces. An imbalance in one aspect will unhelpfully impact the other aspects as well. The Five Aspects offer a basic framework from which to engage in life.
Thinking Mind
The thinking mind refers to the intellect, our ability to do concrete and abstract problem solving. The thinking mind has very real strengths. It can do calculations, assess situations, identify problems, and arrive at responses and solutions to problems. And it has some limitations. Because it is a problem solving force, it tends to see everything as a problem that needs a solution. So the thinking mind can quite easily turn winning $30 million in the lottery into a problem that it gets caught up in. Another aspect is that it tends to be binary by nature. It's usually an either/or proposition.
In addition, the thinking mind doesn't have an "off" button. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the thinking mind is too prominent, life is nothing but a long list of problems to be solved. To make matters worse, the solutions that come from the thinking mind alone are extreme and lead to further difficulties.
Physical Being
Our physical being consists of our body in all its various aspects: including the skeletal structure,
our neuro-muscular structure, our organs, our brain, our DNA and biochemistry. When we don't appropriately care for our body, we develop what our society refers to as "symptoms" or disease. These symptoms inform us that something is out of balance with our physical being or some other aspect of our life.
We can affect our physical wellbeing by how we eat, by the kind, nature and amount of physical activity we engage in, and by sleep. When we maintain a regimen of adequate sleep, adequate exercise, and a healthy diet, we dramatically and positively tilt the odds in the direction of physical wellbeing. When we neglect or overdo one or more of those three pieces, we start to stack the odds in the direction of "dis-ease".
Emotional Being
Emotional being is that experience we often refer to as "feelings". The emotional aspect of our being can become very vulnerable and heavily impacted by the thinking mind. Thus, if our thinking mind is in constant scramble mode to solve problems, our emotional aspect of being can become fearful or worried. It can experience emotional pain, guilt, anger, fright, and despair, among others. All of these feelings are a natural part of what it is to be human. But the real dilemma is when particular emotional states become predominant.
That's when we get stuck. Emotions have very short life spans. They don't go any further unless they are fed.
Although an outside circumstance may persist, usually what feeds a particular emotion is the thinking mind.
Spiritual Being
With the spiritual self: we are not necessarily talking about religion, or religious practices. We are referring to the realm that is based on a sense of joy, awe and wonderment. This includes a deep sense of understanding what is qualitatively and quantitatively different than the understanding of the intellect. Experiencing the full colors of autumn, the panoramic view from a mountaintop, the first breath of a newborn, wildlife in their natural habitat - these events are all part of the world around us! When we take time to experience these kinds of things, we become aware of a powerful, valued, sense of connectedness within us.
That inner peace is always there. But its presence is not always felt because we become distracted by our internal struggles or by people or things around us. Connecting with one's spiritual self doesn't mean we need to live a monk's life. In many cases, the direct opposite is true. When our lives embrace the spiritual self, we live with an inner sense of gratitude, humility, and amazement. Unfortunately for many of us, the spiritual self is often removed from our daily lives.
Relational Being
There are two interconnected aspects of the relational self. The first is relationship with ourself : how all the various forces of who we are interact with each other; and how much at peace or in conflict the various aspects of our being are.
The second aspect of our relational being is how we are connected or not connected to others and the world around us. The kind of relationship we have with ourselves directly and significantly impacts the kind of relationships we have with other people as well as other aspects of the larger world.
Nature is one of the more important aspects of the world around us that can directly impact our wellbeing. There is an inherently calming effect that occurs when we are connected with nature.
At Center for Mindfulness and Wellbeing, we believe there are five essential aspects
that determine the quality of our lives: the thinking mind, the physical being, the emotional being, the spiritual being, and the relational being. It is important to recognize that these do not exist only as distinct aspects, but as interconnected and interdependent forces. An imbalance in one aspect will unhelpfully impact the other aspects as well. The Five Aspects offer a basic framework from which to engage in life.
Thinking Mind
The thinking mind refers to the intellect, our ability to do concrete and abstract problem solving. The thinking mind has very real strengths. It can do calculations, assess situations, identify problems, and arrive at responses and solutions to problems. And it has some limitations. Because it is a problem solving force, it tends to see everything as a problem that needs a solution. So the thinking mind can quite easily turn winning $30 million in the lottery into a problem that it gets caught up in. Another aspect is that it tends to be binary by nature. It's usually an either/or proposition.
In addition, the thinking mind doesn't have an "off" button. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the thinking mind is too prominent, life is nothing but a long list of problems to be solved. To make matters worse, the solutions that come from the thinking mind alone are extreme and lead to further difficulties.
Physical Being
Our physical being consists of our body in all its various aspects: including the skeletal structure,
our neuro-muscular structure, our organs, our brain, our DNA and biochemistry. When we don't appropriately care for our body, we develop what our society refers to as "symptoms" or disease. These symptoms inform us that something is out of balance with our physical being or some other aspect of our life.
We can affect our physical wellbeing by how we eat, by the kind, nature and amount of physical activity we engage in, and by sleep. When we maintain a regimen of adequate sleep, adequate exercise, and a healthy diet, we dramatically and positively tilt the odds in the direction of physical wellbeing. When we neglect or overdo one or more of those three pieces, we start to stack the odds in the direction of "dis-ease".
Emotional Being
Emotional being is that experience we often refer to as "feelings". The emotional aspect of our being can become very vulnerable and heavily impacted by the thinking mind. Thus, if our thinking mind is in constant scramble mode to solve problems, our emotional aspect of being can become fearful or worried. It can experience emotional pain, guilt, anger, fright, and despair, among others. All of these feelings are a natural part of what it is to be human. But the real dilemma is when particular emotional states become predominant.
That's when we get stuck. Emotions have very short life spans. They don't go any further unless they are fed.
Although an outside circumstance may persist, usually what feeds a particular emotion is the thinking mind.
Spiritual Being
With the spiritual self: we are not necessarily talking about religion, or religious practices. We are referring to the realm that is based on a sense of joy, awe and wonderment. This includes a deep sense of understanding what is qualitatively and quantitatively different than the understanding of the intellect. Experiencing the full colors of autumn, the panoramic view from a mountaintop, the first breath of a newborn, wildlife in their natural habitat - these events are all part of the world around us! When we take time to experience these kinds of things, we become aware of a powerful, valued, sense of connectedness within us.
That inner peace is always there. But its presence is not always felt because we become distracted by our internal struggles or by people or things around us. Connecting with one's spiritual self doesn't mean we need to live a monk's life. In many cases, the direct opposite is true. When our lives embrace the spiritual self, we live with an inner sense of gratitude, humility, and amazement. Unfortunately for many of us, the spiritual self is often removed from our daily lives.
Relational Being
There are two interconnected aspects of the relational self. The first is relationship with ourself : how all the various forces of who we are interact with each other; and how much at peace or in conflict the various aspects of our being are.
The second aspect of our relational being is how we are connected or not connected to others and the world around us. The kind of relationship we have with ourselves directly and significantly impacts the kind of relationships we have with other people as well as other aspects of the larger world.
Nature is one of the more important aspects of the world around us that can directly impact our wellbeing. There is an inherently calming effect that occurs when we are connected with nature.
......
"In each human heart are a tiger, a pig, an ass and a nightingale.
Diversity of character is due to their unequal activity."
-- Ambrose Bierce