Te Whare Tapa Whā – a holistic approach to health and wellness that highlights the interconnectedness of one’s wellbeing.

Though it may be somewhat easy to compartmentalise different aspects of health on paper, it is inevitable that each aspect will impact each other.

#3 - Taha Wairua – Spiritual Wellbeing

There are certain words that provoke a variety of different interpretations and feelings. Spirituality is no exception. For some, it looks like religion. For others, it can look like connecting with culture and/or nature. Whether you subscribe to a particular view or not, one aspect that seems to resonate with a lot of different understandings of spiritual health is gratitude.

Gratitude does not negate the negative aspects of life. Due to negative bias, our brains tend to focus on bad, anyway.

However, the spiritual practice of gratitude can help to offset the negative weight that we often carry.

This week’s intention: Practice gratitude.

At the end of each day or week, take some time to list down at least 3 things that you are grateful for. As some call it, a gratitude journal.

These things can be small, like a good coffee in the morning, or big, like celebrating a family member’s birthday. Not every recognition needs to be a grandiose celebration. But taking time to consistently become aware of the good things you have, can go a long way.