The 5 Areas of Personal Development
Trying to improve, create new habits and just be better in your daily life can seem like an overwhelming, near impossible challenge.
In this blog post, I’m going to break it down and help you along your journey so that you can be your best, grow and reach your potential as an individual.
There are 5 main areas of personal development, remember some areas may need more work than others.
mental, social, spiritual, physical, emotional
Remember all five areas are connected and can impact other areas.
MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health is focused on one's emotional and psychological wellbeing. If ones mental health is not looked at as a priority it can cause stress and impact all areas of your life. Your mental state can affect your day to day life which can lead to emotions that cause stress, pain, anxiety and so on.
It is estimated that 1 in 4 individuals will experience or be affected by mental health disorders in their life. That is a high statistic! It is critical to seek help from others if you feel that your mental health is negatively affecting you! Check out our causes and support page for further information.
If you want to improve your mental health there are so many different things that you can do. Exercising and moving your body is a great start. Work on having a better sleeping routine, connect with others, take breaks, put yourself first, create healthy boundaries and seek external professional help when necessary. Remember and know that you are not alone – never be afraid to speak to others and you will often find that you are not alone.
SOCIAL WELLBEING
Social wellbeing/health is the one area of personal development that is most external and can often be out of your control as it is based on your relationships with other people.
As humans, we need and crave quality time from our tribe. The better our relationships with those in our tribe and inner circle the better our social wellbeing will be. Social wellbeing is imperative as it can help foster healthy communication habits and social skills which can help you in your personal and professional life.
To have healthy, balanced relationships with other individuals you must carve out quality time. Activities can help you bond with those you care about, be honest and work on communicating effectively.
Social wellbeing is imperative to your personal development as it can help with many social skills such as sympathy, empathy and emotional intelligence. It is our second nature to want to help other people and so by taking control of your social well-being you can fuel your oxytocin and endorphin hormones.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
Your spiritual health is connected to your beliefs – what you believe in. It can help you connect with your soul and who you really are at your core. Being spiritually healthy can help you connect with yourself and with others in your life.
To be spiritually connected means to understand yourself, take self–exploration head-on, know your needs and when necessary you can have hard conversations with yourself. When connected, balance can be created, you may find that you understand and know your life purpose which can lead to positive fulfilment.
Improving your spiritual health also takes work but can often seem harder as you may face harsh realities of who you are and as humans, it is natural for us to want to run away from taking accountability and responsibility for our own actions. It's important to think positively (affirmations), meditate, fulfil your purpose, question aspects of your life, focus on your mindset and practice gratitude.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Your body is amazing, it is what keeps you going, literally. Our bodies feel everything that affects us positively or negatively, that is why it's so important to do your best to look after your physical health. If you don’t give your body the tender loving care it needs it can lead to lack of sleep, fatigue, no concentration, brain fog, muscle twitches, burnout and so much more.
Looking after your body can have added benefits of helping your mental and emotional health. It is often attributed to creating discipline and routine into one's life which is needed when trying to reach goals and gain success.
The main way to look after your body is through exercise and diet. It's important to move your body whether it's going to the gym, home workouts, sports activities, walks – whatever you enjoy, do it! Regarding diet, the most important factor is having a healthy, balanced diet full of nutrients and vitamins through food and supplements.
It's also important to be aware of anything that can affect your health and stressors so that you can prevent health issues in your life. This can be through having boundaries, extra supplements, further intake of certain foods, more frequent health check-ups etc.
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Emotional health is in some ways similar and closely linked to your mental health but still different. It focuses mainly on understanding and being in touch with your feelings. Being emotionally connected is vital to your personal development as your emotions have a large impact on your thoughts and behaviour. If you are more in sync with your emotions and have a deep understanding of how they make you feel and how you will react. In effect you are more likely to be able to understand others' emotions – being emotionally intelligent is a great skill that can positively impact your relationships with others.
It is natural to instinctually want to run away from your emotions but it is better to feel them, accept them, process them and let them flow as new ones enter. Being able to take control of your feelings will enable you to make decisions for your benefit and be self-aware. Meditating and journaling are great ways to understand your emotions and to be able to express them in a healthy environment.
So now you know the five main areas of personal development. It's important to remember that you will continue to develop and grow as you enter new, different seasons of your life. Through your various life stages, your attention will need to focus on different areas more than others. It's important to be able to acknowledge when you need to take that time out to better yourself.
So, I ask you, what is it that you need to start focusing on today to be a better, healthier you?
If you want a challenge start the 7-day guide for personal development and wellness to get you started!
🦋 keep being a beautiful human 🦋
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