SurTHRIVE Dec.2013 | Seite 6

Hey- YOU!

Dear Reader,

What's the first three things that pops into your mind when you think the word "health"? Good eating habits, exercise, happiness, nutrition? Or do you think about your spirituality, mental mindset, and social wellness? Regardless of what strikes you as healthy, your wellbeing is very important to me, and I would like to help answer your questions about different issues regarding the six components of health.

Physical health is the component of health that defines how healthy your body is. This means healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and being the recommended weight for your body. Our sections on sleep, the effects of dangerous habits, and nutrition will hopefully give you a better idea of what physical wellbeing is.

The next component, emotional health, regards the stability of your emotions. This includes the ability to manage your anger, depression, and your happiness. Emotions are what affects the way you live today, and we want to help you live through the tough spots with a little more ease. Hopefully, the tips in our section on grieving and suicide awareness will be able to help you out.

Mental health is very important because it can define your way of life. Stress, the way you handle situations, your attitude towards others, all depends on the your mental state. Everything from setting goals to conflict and stress are all linked to mental health, and we have no shortage of sections addressing these problems in this issue.

Social health is all about your relationships, how you interact with others, the way you make friends, etc. The state of your social life is very important because the people around you affect your lifestyle too. You may not realize, but their influence over the choices you make is much larger than you think.

Peer pressure can also be contributed to social wellbeing, and your peers most likely have a very large influence on whether or not you have healthy habits.

Environmental health is the state of the environment around you. This is the pollution levels, the carbon footprints, and the amount of resources you use on a regular basis. Reducing, reusing, and recycling resources such as plastics, paper, and aluminum can help save your environment. It also includes the atmosphere you live in- your neighborhood, the support. However, environmental health doesn't just stop there. It also includes the atmosphere you live in, the neighborhood and the influence of your surroundings on your life. Even the hygienic standards of the food you consume are part of your environmental wellbeing! We'll clarify what this is in this magazine, and hopefully, you'll have a better understanding of it at the end of the day.

Spiritual health, the sixth component, is the state of your spirituality. Although you may not be a Christian, spiritual health is how open you are to a relationship with God. Your relationship with Him can affect all the other areas of health, as He is the rock you can depend on no matter what. He can heal you in all sickness, and His love is everlasting.

You see, all six components of health are all interrelated- it's like a pool, and every drop in each area of heath will cause ripples in the others. That is why you should take very good care of yourself in all areas of health, so that you can be healthy inside and out. In order to help you do so, the magazine is here to help you out. So take your time and enjoy this magazine, and I sincerely hope that you will learn more about health and how you can deal with different situations with what you learn here.

Blessings,

Lucia

3