8 Areas of Life Every Person Should Consider.

There are Eight Fundamental Areas of Life on which we all operate, and they are: Physical, Emotional, Social, Financial, Spiritual, Mental, Occupational (or Vocational), and Environmental.

Down below is the Wheel of Life.  Each area of life is equally distributed into 8 parts and represents your life as a whole.

You might be wondering why we would define just these 8 areas of life, since each person’s background, experiences, and interests are unique.

According to a study, these categories have been identified as important areas to achieving fulfillment and balance.

Balance is not an easy thing to achieve, especially in this day and age.  There are so many things that vie for our attention, be it our jobs, kids, spouse, friends, and the list goes on and on.

If you neglect or focus too much on even one area, an imbalance can occur and create problems and issues in your life.

I’ll go over each area of life so you can decide which of the areas are of the utmost importance to you right now to make improvements in your life that will last.

How to improve each area of your life.

I’ll give you an idea of how the 8 areas of life affect you so you can improve the ones that are suboptimal to better balance and enhance your life.

1. Physical

The physical area of your life often focuses on the health and appearance of your body because it plays a big role in your overall well-being and happiness.  This is one of the most important areas we need to keep in check.

With physical areas, we should be eating healthy and exercising often.   It helps to get some physical activity, like walking, running, or swimming, on a regular basis.

It also helps to eat a well-balanced meal that gives you good energy and provides your body with nutrition.

You also need to maintain a positive body image because it affects your emotional & mental health as well as your social interactions and how you spend your money.

Therefore, investing in the physical area of your life not only improves your appearance and health but other aspects of your life, too.

2. Spiritual

The spiritual area of life is where you have all the things that help you grow and evolve as a person and connect you to yourself and to the world at large.

These are usually culturally based practices that give us a sense of meaning and connection to something greater than us.  They’re things like your religious belief, praying, meditation, rituals, and ceremonies.

Your spiritual life is essential to your well-being because it can help you navigate through life with more peace, self-confidence, resilience, and joy.

If you’re not sure what your spiritual needs are, now is a great time to explore them so they can enhance your life.  A simple way to do this is to ask yourself some questions.

What is it that gives you more energy?  What lifts up your soul?  What takes away from your energy?  What centers and grounds you?  What makes you feel free?

It can be something small, like a cup of coffee or tea.  Or it can be taking time off to rejuvenate your spirits.

3. Mental

The Mental Area of Life is where you have everything that helps keep your brain active including education, art, hobbies, entertainment, and intellectual pursuits.

Your mental health is important because it can affect every aspect of your life.  If you’re in a good mental state, the other areas of your life are easier to deal with.

If you’re not in a good mental state, then the other areas of your life can suffer, too.

Take care of your mental health by challenging your brain on a daily basis.

You can read, listen to audiobooks, attend classes or seminars, or have discussions with people who are different from you so you can grow and expand your thinking process.

Remember that it’s as important to give yourself a mental break as well as challenge yourself mentally.

There are simple ways to give yourself a mental break, like getting enough sleep each night, taking enough breaks, and doing practices like mindfulness, meditation, and yoga.

These practices are important if you want want to improve the mental aspect of your life and live a life that is fulfilling.

4. Financial

The financial area of life can be tricky for some because of the emotional aspect.  There’s also a stigma around money that some people grapple with.

It’s important to address this area of your life whether you struggle with it or not because it does affect your happiness and wellbeing to a certain point.

Not having enough money makes it difficult to access the basic necessities of life, like food, shelter, water, and clothing.  This in turn can lead to problems in other areas of your life.

This is why it’s important to take care of your finances if you want your life to be balanced and healthy.

After you’ve met your basic needs, you can become more financially robust by starting with basic budgeting skills so you can see where your money is going.

You’ll be able to allocate your money wisely, grow it, and use it to improve your life.

Clever Fox Budget Book

5. Emotional

Your emotional health is important because it can dictate your behavior, thoughts, decisions, and actions.

Emotional health relates to how you feel about yourself as well as how you feel about people around you.

It includes things like feeling happy and confident.  But it also includes things like feeling stressed out and lonely.

Emotional health is important because it is related to how you feel about yourself and other people.  Things like depression, stress, and anxiety can make it hard to live a happy life.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to improve your emotional health!

Things such as:

• Mindfulness:  being aware of yourself and your emotions in the present moment.
• Meditation:  centering and grounding yourself.
• Unplugging:  detoxing by disconnecting from digital devices to reset and rejuvenate.
• Releasing limiting beliefs:  identifying and letting go of old beliefs that hold you back.
• Facing fear:  being aware of what makes you afraid and taking action.
• Gratitude:  being thankful for the things in your life.
• Joy:  the things that give you great pleasure and happiness.

6. Occupational

The occupational areas of life are careers, professions, businesses, etc, which usually take up a large portion of our lives.

It is what provides the means for you to live.  This is why it’s important in your life because it plays a factor in your satisfaction and well-being.

For example, having a job that you love makes life feel more satisfying.  On the other hand, working at a job that you don’t like makes life feel less fulfilling.

If you’re in the latter group, then finding purpose in your work or personal life can help you find meaning in this area of life, which could curtail feelings of discontentment and dissatisfaction.

Having a purpose in life can make you feel more satisfied with your occupation and your life as a whole.

What kind of job would you like to have? What can you do outside of work that is meaningful?  These are questions you can ask yourself to help improve this area of your life.

7. Social

The social areas of your life are very important because it consists of learning how to get along with others, making friends, dealing with rejection, and understanding why you feel the way you do.

Not having any social relationships can leave one feeling alone or disconnected from others.

As a matter of fact, loneliness is as detrimental to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes or having an alcohol use disorder.

On the other hand, having friends and family that you can count on feels validating and supportive.

To strengthen this area of life, you can start small and simple like chatting with your neighbor or saying hi to your mailman.

Keep it consistent and your social life will improve over time.

8. Environmental

The environmental area of life can sometimes go unnoticed as we go about our day-to-day activities.  Yet it’s important because it can affect your overall health and wellbeing.

Environmental things that can downgrade our life are things like climate change, crime, pollution, noise, clutter, things that are in disrepair, and violence.

Our environment can also enhance our life like being out in nature, having clean spaces, living in a low-crime city, beautiful places & things, and friendly neighbors.

If you want to improve your environment, do an assessment of things that are within your control like getting rid of things you don’t need, organizing your space, surrounding your home with things you love, and getting out in green spaces as much as you can.

Closing thoughts.

“The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.” – Julius Erving

I hope you found these tips to improve areas of your life helpful.  You can use this breakdown to help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and growth opportunities in your overall life portfolio.

Remember that what matters most is that you take action and make the changes in your life that will ultimately lead you to fulfillment, happiness, and success.

If you know which area of life you need to work on and would like to take the next step, read: 48 life goals to help you reach your goals and achieve success.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!