SOAR Method
What are the 8 areas of health and wellness?
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness involves having a set of beliefs and values that help us expand our sense of meaning and purpose in life. Spiritual wellness is rooted in a belief that we are all spiritual beings that are capable of having a relationship with God or a Higher Power in a way that provides us a place of rest in knowing we do not have to be in control or carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. The beliefs we have about God, faith, and suffering in this world can all play a role in our overall sense of spiritual well-being or dissatisfaction in this area of life.
Occupational
Occupational wellness involves knowing what gifts, talents, and skills you have that come naturally to you, and then using them to contribute to the betterment of the world. Knowing we have something to offer to others is essential to our well-being, and can bring us personal satisfaction and enrichment in our lives as we serve others through our work. Occupational wellness can include being willing to make an investment in receiving training in a vocational area that best suits your gifts, passions, and creative abilities so that you are better positioned to serve others in ways that are meaningful to you.
Anatomical
Anatomical wellness involves having an awareness that all parts of our body have a purpose, yet are inextricably connected. The health of our cells and our minds greatly impact the health of our physical body. Anatomical wellness therefore includes being open to receiving help and support in order to create new lifestyle habits that lead to engaging in healthy physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, as well as learning to abstain from addictions that harm our bodies, including drugs, smoking, eating disorders and alcohol abuse. Physical well-being is meant to help us feel confident in our bodies and to have the energy and vitality we desire.
Relational
Relational wellness involves living in such a way that we are consistently connecting with others in healthy and life-giving ways that enrich our lives and give us a sense of belonging. We are not meant to live lives that are isolated and disconnected from those around us. Rather, we are meant to be in relationships that mutually offer love, support and safety, yet demonstrate healthy and appropriate boundaries. Forgiveness is the deeper virtue of relational wellness, as it enables us to be released from being bound to those who have wounded us, so that we are not stuck in a pattern of withholding love and affection, but are able to freely give to and receive from others.
Emotional
Emotional wellness involves having the ability to feel and express your emotions in healthy ways. It involves understanding that emotions can be important sources of information to learn from, versus an aspect of our lives that we have learned to distrust or fear, and therefore our goal with emotions is to stuff, suppress, avoid, and numb them at all cost. Often, our physical unhealth shows the signs of this kind of emotional dysregulation. Therefore, emotional health involves learning how to label, understand, and regulate our emotions so that we can effectively cope with the challenges of life and have satisfying relationships.
Intellectual
Intellectual wellness involves having an open-minded belief that we are all life-long learners that can benefit from learning from one another. It also includes demonstrating the independence to seek out and use the resources available to us to expand our knowledge and improve our skills. Intellectual health encourages creative and stimulating mental activities, conversations, and new experiences that will help us grow and evolve into the person we desire to be. Often, our intellectual wellness can flourish in the context of team work, where our minds are mutually inspired in ways that then give back to the community.
Financial
Financial wellness involves proactively managing your money in ways that ensure you have enough money to cover your reoccurring expenses, as well as to be able to save money for the future. Financial health is linked to feeling at peace with how you made your money and how you choose to spend your money. Wellness in this area is reflected by knowing how we manage our money aligns with our own unique values, morals, future goals and intention to live within our means. Financial wellness can come from learning how to develop and keep a budget, and get out of and stay out of debt in a way that is satisfying.
Environmental
Environmental wellness involves the ability to make a positive impact on the quality of our environment, whether that is our home, our community, or the earth as a whole. Environmental wellness is contributing to the health of our planet by being open to learn and make changes that lead to minimizing harm and maximizing harmony with the earth so as to help protect it. Environmental health can also include making changes in our home or work environment that lead to decreasing a visually chaotic or overly negative, toxic environment, and thus increasing our sense of well-being that naturally flows from occupying a pleasant environment.
Why are the 8 areas of wellness important to invest in?
Wellness is the state of being in good health, but this is not a stagnant state or one that we arrive at and no longer have to actively pursue. Wellness is an active, lifelong journey and process of making decisions in our daily living to invest in the different dimensions of wellness, so as to live with a sense of well-being and fulfillment.
Research has shown that neglect of any one dimension of wellness over time has adverse effects on our health. Maybe you have experienced this. Perhaps you are in a job you dread going to because it is not reflective of your deeper passions, personality and skill set. To make matters worse, it barely pays enough for you to cover the bills, which creates a lot of internal anxiety and fear for you. You don’t know what other job you could do well, so you stick it out at this job for years. For some, even decades. Meanwhile, something inside of you is dying, crying out for more, for change, for help, but you push it down and attempt to keep plodding forward. Can you see how neglect of one or two dimensions truly does impact all areas of health and wellness? Or, perhaps for you, you love your job, you are financially stable, but you struggle with depression and anxiety in ways that are rooted in past trauma, but you don’t know how to heal or what to do to truly help you connect with your past faith in God. You perceive Him to be angry with you, so you push aside the faith you had as a youth, for you have learned to cope with your struggles alone, often turning to food and alcohol for comfort and as a way to regulate your emotions. Your physical health has deteriorated over time due to these destructive habits.
The possible scenarios are endless, for we all struggle with and thrive in different areas of wellness. All areas of wellness are not separate aspects of our lives, but they intricately overlap, interact, and influence each other in both negative and positive ways. Therefore, it is important to invest in the dimensions of wellness, for reflection on your own satisfaction or dissatisfaction in each dimension can lead to reaching out to receive help and support, as well as to finally deciding to take time to prioritize your own health.
At Rise Studios, we offer a place of conversation and assessment, both of which will provide you with feedback and guidance on what area or areas of wellness you decide you want to set goals in, so that you can move forward with the help and accountability you need. We offer services that can help you grow, learn, heal and gain traction in ways that will positively impact the areas of wellness in your life.
We have created a wellness collective, which is a unique way of offering help and guidance to each person who chooses to invest in their own health and well-being. SOAR method is an intentional look at 4 of the 8 areas of wellness: Spiritual, Occupational, Anatomical, and Relational. The process begins with an assessment of your level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in each area of wellness, as well as a more detailed look at your physical health and nutritional needs. The assessment will provide insight into your unique results, which will lead to offering you guidance towards what services will most help you move towards health and wellness.
We offer spiritual direction, occupational assessments and guidance, support groups, yoga classes, and Ayurveda services that offer help and guidance with healing your body and gaining traction in learning to live in ways that will increase your energy and vitality. All of these services for you will be in the context of relationships, as our staff surround you with support and encouragement as you take baby steps or wide jumps forward in your own unique journey towards greater health and wellness.