The importance of the holy trinity

The importance of the holy trinity. No – not the holy spirit, father and son exactly, but the mind body and soul. When it comes to wellbeing the importance of these three elements are at the forefront.

The ‘correct’ approach to life is no secret. We know that there are things that make us greater and some that do the opposite. The role of the trio of mind, body and soul has been known to man for many centuries.

If we look back in time, we can clearly pinpoint times when society as a whole has attempted to treat the three with the care and admiration they are all due.

For the mind: In 2005 game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi gifted us with the Nintendo DS video game, Brain Training. They demonstrated with their hit video game that even if it’s a small amount, repeatedly training the mind is as beneficial as training any other part of the body.

For the body: Which millennial could possibly forget the dreaded day Jamie Oliver’s ‘Feed me better’ campaign took to schools? Replacing your favourite sprinkle topped sponge and custard for an apple instead. Yeah, well contrary to what you may think this was again in an attempt to highlight the importance of nutrition and improve the health of young people’s bodies.

For the soul: One of the earliest forms of religious practice is evident via the historical scripts created by the ancient Egyptians. Since then there are hundreds of religions and ways of seeking spiritual contentment.

All these things clearly demonstrate that the awareness of the components that we’re made up of (mind, body and soul) is not lacking. What is, is the level of importance we put on them. It would appear that currently the individuals in society most impacted by a lack of control over their mind, bodies and souls are young people.

According to the Youth Foundation Organisation: “Young people feel anxious about their futures and crippled with anxiety about their self-image.”

In an age where knowledge is quite literally at our fingertips, it’s incredibly confusing that a deeper understanding of how to maintain control of this power trio seems to place so lowly on our scale.

The 21st Century marks the first of its kind where people are susceptible to the harsh realities of life far earlier than previous years. This suggests that they also need to be more aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with all parts of themselves if they are to avoid falling into a place where they feel lost and without control. Even more importantly, if we are to reduce the number of young people who are burdened with mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Mind, body and soul isn’t something that’s often discussed openly in my own experience. Especially not amongst the younger generation. So I set out to enter conversation surrounding it with a variety of individuals who all have particularly interesting perceptions of the importance of this trio…

First off to be part of this conversation was Michael Sedze, 24-year-old graduate. Being vegan is one of the ways Michael attempts to keep reigns on his mental and physical health, maintaining his mind and body. He is also of the opinion that “the trinity all work together, once one fails they all do, and it’s a downward slope”.

Michael also says that “You have to find something that works for you and stick to it”. His last point is particularly interesting, humans are so intricate that there is rarely ever a ‘one size fits all’ type of remedy in these cases.

One of the hardest things to do is figure out what works for you, but quite honestly as you can read for yourself in spiritual self-help books like The Secret and The Alchemist the journey to finding the personal pacifier of your individual mind, body and soul is quite possibly the greatest lesson there is to learn.

In the 1980s and 90s, we saw a breakthrough in scientific research into the correlation between exercise, physical activity, and a healthy body. Although each element is important the body seems to play a role which is easier to measure the progress of visually.

Your body is quite literally the vehicle for the other elements. In 2018 we continue to learn more about our bodies. We spoke to Albara, a 21-year-old student, personal trainer, and award-winning martial artist (the guy does a lot, looking after your body clearly has its benefits!)

The phrase mind, body, and soul: “I feel like it’s a balance. If one aspect is off slightly, or you only focus on one, then as a person you’re not one and won’t feel whole.”

Talking more specifically about the ‘body,’ a great starting point in attempting to improve your body is routine. “I wake up and work out!”. Don’t be confused in thinking that’s enough though as Albara elaborates “You also have to focus a lot on what you put into your body because you can be lifting weights but it’s not making you healthier when you’re overeating and fuelling your body with the wrong things. Fitness is meant to improve your life.”

Improvement is the key thing to keep in mind. Not everyone is born to be a sporty person or join a jogging squad, and that’s ok. Even someone as physically active as Albara who has “always been active” doesn’t always get it right.

“There was a point when I could get big quick. So I became fixated on the physical benefits of a healthy body. As a result, I then couldn’t run for as long and became physically constrained, and I didn’t like that. So I decided to do things right; take my time, because there’s no such thing as a quick fix.”

Scrolling down my Instagram feed, I saw numerous posts that resembled the one on the right. Images like this are a reminder of what I mentioned previously; there’s no one size fits all.  It’s important to focus on your growth and not be swayed by how others appear outwardly, that can be very misleading.

Albara: “Immediate gratification… again what comes quick will not stay” and it’s so true.

You have to be focused to better your well being. If you go to the gym just to post about it on social media your dedication is likely to be lacking and therefore your results will not be long lasting. It requires a discipline which comes from a place within, only you can inspire yourself to be a better you!

I also see things like this….

Despite it being funny, people take things like this seriously. Not really understanding that focusing on one aspect of the pyramid is not enough.

The whole pyramid will NOT stand strong if all sides aren’t at equal strength. Focusing more so on youth, this is a big lesson the younger generation need to learn when considering wellness. Your personal well being isn’t like the fleeting fashion trends or memes that circulate the internet. It is long standing; and the journey is a long one, so putting in the research for what works for you from now is what will be most beneficial.

Albara reminds us that “All aspects of self are interconnected, but training your mind is separate. For example, jogging won’t cure your demons. You can learn how to do it through physical activity however, the mind is very delicate it requires a lot of care.”

Spirituality is the last thing to touch up on and as you may have begun to gather by now I could never give you a full understanding on the meaning of mind body and soul

1. Because these subject matters are just too large and could be researched and discussed to no end and;
2. Because I’m not you. I can only advise you methods to try; our make ups are all wildly different, if you only take one thing from this whole article then let it be that.

I’ve repeatedly stated how intrinsically linked these features are and I feel like spirituality can be easiest to neglect. Automatically when we hear spirituality we begin to make ties with religion and though they can be associated they are not parallel. If I’m honest, I had to do a lot of research on this before being ready to share as it’s a side of myself I’m not all the way familiar with… yet!

I sought out the assistance of Amanda Thomas. A wife, mother and founder of The House of Harmony. Where the mission is to: “Restore the natural sense of self-love and self-worth that women are born with, by supporting and empowering them on a journey of self-healing and re-discovery, to ultimately live a more harmonious life they love, as their beautiful authentic self.”

The spiritual side of one’s self carries a focus more largely on healing. We all experience life in different ways. Coming to terms with past traumas or things that don’t sit well with us are essential.

Amanda tells me: “maintaining harmony of mind, body and soul is essential and the key to keeping my health and well-being at an optimal level, so that I can live life to my fullest potential and be the best version of myself. Without this harmony, my health, wellbeing, relationships and business would suffer and I could not support others to develop, heal and grow, if I myself do not walk my talk and practice the art of daily self-care, and self love, in order to achieve this.”

This is a prompt about how important being asserted in your well being is. Amanda’s role means she’s very familiar with her own spirituality. “I have a strong sense of purpose  of myself and surround myself with people who keep that fire burning. I use tarot and oracle cards and have a strong connection to the spirit world, animal kingdom, nature and the angelic realm.”

For those of you who have no idea what these things are then visit The House of Harmony where you can learn more. I do suggest you do your proper research, The House of Harmony is a great place to start, and you can receive support and encouragement whilst learning from an expert.

“I strongly believe that children should be taught skills from a young age in schools, on how to maintain the health and harmony of body, mind and soul. Things like stress management, strong emotional intelligence and resilience, mindfulness, gratitude and meditation, would all help immensely with maintaining the health and well being of the generations to come,” Amanda tells us.

This leads be back to the idea of being more openly educated on wellness. I was pleasantly surprised to see posters within my uni promoting just that.

Which was a small reminder that although the familiarity with self still seems behind the shadows and a little taboo slowly its receiving he acknowledgement it requires.

The importance of an awareness of self is integral. Don’t wait to be taught though, there are many places you can turn to become more informed and make a start to living the best version of life with all parts of you aligned.

 

 

 

 

 

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Featured image by Danieka Lafayette