Why It Is Important to Analyze Your Physical, Occupational, and Intellectual Health
As overall wellness of the body has become a topic everyone should pay attention to, where do you begin to analyze the different aspects of your health? While the process may seem confusing, it actually is quite simple. It is important to analyze all aspects of your health to ensure you are healthy in all aspects of your life. Listed below are some ways to analyze your physical, occupational, and intellectual health.
Physical Health: The best analogy to use to analyze your physical health is to imagine your body as a car. The heart is the engine, the brain is the computer system, the spine is the chassis, the lungs are the A/C system, and the stomach is the fuel tank that turns what you put into it into energy for the body. How are you taking care of it? Remember you are a soul in a human body, here to experience, grow and progress on your spiritual journey. You have been gifted with your breath, your limbs, your sound, mind, and intellect to evolve and grow. So many problems of the body and mind can be solved through practices like Yoga, Breathing techniques, Yoga Nidra, Tai Chi, and specific Mudras.
Occupational Health: Work is necessary not just to pay your bills, but to give you purpose and connection also. So many people are unhappy with the career path they have taken. Many bemoan hours being too long, the job is boring, or they feel unfulfilled, not paid enough, unappreciated, etc Correcting this is very important. Examine your thoughts and feelings about the work you do. Make the changes you have to make, but the most important correction might be to your attitude. Whatever work you do, do your best. I feel the proper spirit of work is explained in the Bhagwat Gita: “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” (Chpt 2:47).
Intellectual Health: You know that studying, reading, and taking on challenges are good for the mind but don’t confuse knowledge with intellect. Wisdom comes when you apply intellect to knowledge. Developing intellect requires three things: thought, reason, and judgment. The Buddha teaches that nothing should be accepted as truth without careful inquiry — “Do not accept any of my words on faith, believing them because I said them. Be like an analyst buying gold, who cuts, burns, and critically examines his product for authenticity.” Examine yourself and do an honest assessment of how much you accept as truth without proper inquiry.
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