It is critical to assess your personal health on multiple levels to ensure that you are a healthy, whole person. Several times a year it is clarifying to take inventory of yourself in the areas of physical health, mental health, relational, emotional and spiritual health. Examine yourself as a whole person to see progress along with areas of need. Allow time to marinate, to dream and create specific steps to cultivate growth.
My motivation for personally pursuing this material is to live the life God invited me to live. Living my everyday intentionally keeps me alert for God’s best. Living thoughtfully opens me to opportunities to choose living habits that please God and give me margin to serve Him well. (I Cor 6:19, Ps 139, Gal 6:5)
Frankly, this is one of the topics that I have written and spoken on most. Over a decade ago, this topic began to generate a great deal of interest. Although I have always done this assessment because my mom taught me to practice this type of evaluation regularly. When others asked me what I did in evaluating myself in all of these areas, I shared these ideas eagerly. One of the most useful and most popular workshops I have taught repeatedly was on the Whole Child. The concept is similar to the ideas in this blog.
(This content is primarily shared in Hum of the Home which is available on Amazon. This resource can be used in a small group. It is also perfect for a ladies’ event or weekend. Author is available to guide the weekend.)
Determine a place for this thoughtfulness! Designate a notebook, a section in your planner or on your computer. Each time you come to consider your progress in these areas. Review what you wrote and reconstruct a gentle move forward. Personally, I look at these areas in the beginning of the year, before the summer and coming into the fall each year.
I love the energy and positivity generated by this type of evaluation.
It is rewarding. It is inspiring. It is life-changing.
Physical Health
Devote time regularly to consider your physical health. Being physically strong is one of the key areas to maintaining your whole person. When spending time accessing yourself regularly, start with a thorough evaluation of physical health questions such as the ones below:
- Do I need to go to the doctor for any concerns or check ups?
- Do I need to work on health maintenance?
- Am I current on yearly medical tests? blood work? heart? (If necessary, colonoscopy? mammogram? PSA?)
- Do I need to schedule a dentist appointment? Teeth cleaning?
- Orthodontist? Structural work?
- Do I need to schedule a vision test? Update my glasses? Contacts?
- Do I need to schedule massages? Other wellness appointments?
- Do I need to see a Chiropractic?
- Do I need to see a Nutritionist?
- Do I need to see a specialist?
- If it applies, go over your medications. Make sure you have the correct dosage. Are you achieving the results you need?
- Do I need to seek counseling?
- How is my mental health?
- Am I sleeping well?
- Am I giving myself enough time to rest?
- What do I need to work on to keep myself healthy? Diet changes? Weight loss?
A curious patient is a potentially healthier patient. Your health is of great importance. Focusing on current needs on a regular basis can propel you to take care of maintenance and neglected concerns. If you are the type of person to google health concerns, ask the doctors you see if there is a site that they can recommend for trustworthy information while you are waiting for your appointment. If you make that a standard question, you may locate several quality sources for data.
One question I ask is, “How many patients have you treated with this problem?” Experience is a critical feature that secures the most competent solution. Another question might be “What would you do if this was your issue?” or “What would you do if this was your wife’s medical concern?” or “Can I treat this another way? Can I treat this nutritionally?” Be sure to develop a written list of concerns when anticipating a doctor’s appointment. Sometimes when you are in an appointment, you forget a critical concern. A list prevents this lapse. Be honest with your health issues. Be proactive and not reactive. Making significant changes in lifestyle takes, first of all, mental strength. Most of this requires planning and preparation.
Frankly, staying healthy and moving toward a better place with my health requires mental resolve. For me, I imagine the place that I will be in if I don’t make needed changes.
Many doctors will respond to any issues that prompted the visit, but some will not discuss preventative ideas unless asked. Many patients just want a prescription, not a conversation about how to prevent the problem. Doctors with a goal toward the overall health of their patients will be eager to share what they know to ensure optimal well being.
If you have an ongoing issue, ask if there is anything you can do to completely heal it. Or what is the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle if it is a permanent problem? Since I have had eleven pregnancies, I struggle with swollen legs when I travel and even just driving around town transporting kids on a long day. This is a continuing problem. Since I love to travel, this needs to be addressed. So, I continue to search for a solution. In hope of new information, I often include this concern in a routine doctor’s appointment. I certainly do not want to have mobility issues because my veins in my legs could be fixed, but I failed to ask the right person. My best solution so far has come from implementing my love of yoga more regularly into my routine. Keeping my feet strong and active has almost completely eliminated the pain in my feet.
As believers in Christ Jesus, we rest assured that God created us in the glorious image of Himself. I believe that since God dwells within us, we are called to honor the body as His temple. Our bodies are worthy of care. It is through our bodies that we engage in all that God intends for us in this world. Engage in wholeness. The healthier our bodies are, the more intensely we detect the goodness of the world around us.
Pursuing a pattern of work and rest respects our humanity. Honoring the Sabbath in some form is simple obedience to God’s order of nature. Recognizing the limits of our humanness is a must. Rest invites relaxation, refreshment and replenishment. I am finite. I must live within the boundaries of my human potential. My body is made for rest.
Be empowered with working knowledge of your medical needs.
Pursue healthy choices so that you live your best life.
Mental Health
Ask if you are challenging yourself with mentally stimulating material?
(In this category consider your mental growth and stimulation. Emotional health is evaluated in another area.)
- What books are you reading? Or podcasts?
- Have I incorporated self-care time?
- What do I do with my free time?
- Does my entertainment grow me?
- Do I use much of my down time to travel time or grow?
- Am I avoiding negativity in my life?
- What am I trying to learn?
While it is awesome to play music, consider growing by listening to audio books or listening to podcasts in the car or while waiting.
Be thoughtful about what you read. Prioritize spiritual disciplines. Methodically, study the Word of God. This is the most important book you can study. Choose a book of the Bible to read over and over while studying it inductively. Work through weekly Bible studies in community at your church. Attend a Kay Arthur study or do one on your own at home. Stay involved in your local church, and in the women’s ministry. Take a Bible study together with others in your church community. Locate a quality source for online study. Discipline your time. II Timothy 2:15 (NLT) reminds us to “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” Be educated. Be a learner. Be a seeker. If reading is challenging for you, embark on a plan to consume God’s Word with an audible source. Knowing God is a lifetime journey.
Select books that grow you in spiritual ways, self-improvement, biographical sketches, skills, your career field and healthy fiction. This past year I have read two books on self-improvement, three cookbooks, a book on hospitality, another Jan Karon book, a true life story about an orphan, two biographies, numerous educational resource books along with a myriad of spiritual improvement books. Maintaining a clutter free home helps with mental health.
Other ideas for creating your best self mentally are to do crossword puzzles, play bridge and work Sudoku. Plan to be mentally healthy by working your brain. Many of us recognize how exercising our bodies is beneficial. In the same way, purposeful action mentally keeps us sharp.
Relational Health
Ask yourself who you are. What roles do you play?
- I am a woman.
- I am a wife.
- I am a mother.
- I am a mother-in-law.
- I am a sister-in-law.
- I am a daughter.
- I am a sister.
- I am an aunt.
- I am a teacher.
- I am a friend.
- I am a neighbor.
- I am a group leader.
- I am a caregiver.
- I am a mentor.
- I am a grandmother.
- I am a boss.
- I am a leader.
List the roles you play. Ask yourself if are forgetting your responsibilities or influence in any of these places. Be intentional. If you need to, take your planner and think through the opportunities that you have to make an impact on those in your path. Evaluate. Plan. Do.
“Wise people think before they act; fools don’t–and even brag about their foolishness” (Proverbs 13:16 NLT).” Choose wisdom. Plan, then act intentionally. It has been said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Some even believe that if you aim at nothing, you will hit it.
You may need to mark your calendar and make a call or do lunch on a regular basis. For me, my planner functions as my brain. Some use a digital system while others choose a paper based plan. Mine is paper. Once you determine your goals, put them into your system so that you will not forget to act on maintaining and developing the relationships in your life.
Emotional Health
Question if you are balanced emotionally. What is your emotional IQ? If you have any unsolved business with someone, if you are find- ing yourself repeating conflicts with someone you love, if you are struggling to move forward, it might be worth going to see a coselor. A truly confidential friend might also be a great option. Spend time considering these questions:
- Am I interacting in a healthy way with my family?
- Do my emotions fluctuate? What can I do to be more balanced? Do I need to seek forgiveness?
- Do I need to give forgiveness even if I am not asked? (Bitterness will not punish the wrongdoer, but it will hurt me.)
- Do I need to pay back a debt? Focus on retribution.
- Am I even tempered? If not, why not?
Pray for sensitivity to respond to anything that needs to change or adjust. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:6 ESV). This passage clearly directs me to seek God’s wisdom.”
One of the questions above was, “Am I even tempered?” It is important to work toward being stable emotionally. If I am not, I ask myself, “what needs to be done so that I am not emotionally needy?” What can I do to help myself not be emotionally drained or emotion- ally draining on those with whom I interact with every day? Sometime my emotions are affected by female problems or lack of proper food and sleep. Explore the cause and work toward a solution. Don’t be afraid to ask those who love you most how they would answer this question about you.
This goes back to asking yourself about your physical condition. You may need to go for medical testing. You may need to add or subtract medication. The struggle may be related to a need for more nutrient dense foods. Regular exercise or different food can make all the difference. While I do not have any pressing health concerns, I am working toward more physical exercise on a daily basis.
When reading Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton, this list described some spiritual disciplines that correspond to our needs. Read through it and notice any helpful suggestions.
Sins and Negative Patterns Corresponding Disciplines
Gossip/sins of speech Silence, self-examination
Anxiety and worry Breath prayer, Scripture reflection
Envy and competitiveness Solitude, self-examination
Discontent Attending to desire
Self-reliance Silence, prayer, community
Avoidance patterns Community, spiritual friendship
Over-busyness Solitude, discernment, sabbath
Anger and bitterness Silence, self-examination, confession
Feelings of inadequacy Examination of consciousness, self-
knowledge and Celebration
Guilt, shame Solitude, confession, forgiveness
Lust Attending to desire in God’s presence
Restlessness or stress Solitude, silence, breath prayer
Lethargy and/or laziness Caring for the body, exercise
Lack of faith Prayer, Scripture
Feelings of isolation Examen of consciousness, community
Selfishness and self-centeredness Prayer and worship in community
Lack of direction Discernment, listening to the body
Spiritual Health
Some of the questions that I pose to myself when evaluating my spiritual life:
- Am I reading my Bible daily and studying intensely in one area?
- Am I participating in a community of believers studying the Bible?
- Am I praying? Intentionally? Am I growing in my prayer life?
- Am I serving? (Start close to you and work out. Realize that you are one person and you can only do what your energy and time allow.)
- Am I practicing hospitality?
- Am I giving to my local church? To missions?
- Am I serving in my Christian community and outside of my church?
- Am I ministering to my family spiritually? Extended family?
- Am I investing time in discipling someone else? A group?
- Am I memorizing scripture?
- Am I trusting Christ to live His life through me?
- Am I resting in His peace?’
Since God gave me children, I take my responsibility to train them spiritually very seriously. As I consider what I need to learn, I also evaluate whether I am teaching them what is essential for them to study. My personal spiritual journey began when I was just a young girl. My parents independently determined that they wanted to invest their lives in sharing the love of Jesus with unreached people groups. So, when they met in college they found each other and decided to team up. My early years were spent on a remote island in the West Indies called St. Lucia. Each morning my mother would rise and turn on the gas stove to boil the sizable pots of water which were waiting. All water used for drinking and any cooking had to be boiled. Then she would slip off into the nearby patio and spend thirty minutes to an hour with God. Many times she would not know that I had followed her. I would listen quietly nearby as she would pray out loud. Just watching her daily apply the scripture to her life and knowing how intensely she conversed with God was ingrained in my soul. Her example inspired me to embrace a life of loving God.
All of us are more convinced by actions than words. I ask myself, “Am I living in a way that persuades others, in particular my family, to grasp the truths and blessing of life lived to love God? What do my children see in me that draws them to a lifestyle of consistent, daily growing in spiritual disciplines?” When I refer to spiritual disciplines, I mean reading the Bible daily, studying deeply on a regular basis, praying, sharing with others, hospitality and doing service outside my home.
Aim for progress, not perfection, in maintaining a healthy body, cultivating spiritual growth, maturing relationships, expanding mentally and thriving emotionally.
Celebrate Progress
Set aside time periodically to evaluate yourself as a whole person. Consider evaluations at the beginning of each season. Perhaps you could assess yourself in January, May and September. These are the times where our schedule makes adjustments. Work toward self- evaluation at least twice a year.
Join the conversation on living as a whole person by being physically, relational, mental, emotional and spiritually healthy on the Embrace Your Everyday Podcast.
This material is available for use at a ladies’ event or weekend. Inquire to schedule Leah for a speaking event to share the Hum of the Home content.
More on Feeling Your Best:
10 Morning Habits That Might Sabotage Your Morning
I See You: The Epidemic of Loneliness
20 Social Skills to Improve Your Sociability
Inspiration on Good Living in Your HOME and FAMILY
Books on Amazon:
Nurturing My Nest: Intentional Homebuilding and Custom Built Education
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