Recovering from anxiety is rarely straightforward. Medication helps some people, but many find they need a broader approach to feel truly balanced. The six dimensions of health offer a practical framework for understanding your anxiety and building long-term relief.
Traditional Anxiety Treatment Options
Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are the most common treatments for anxiety, and for good reason — both have strong evidence behind them. Exercise is another well-established tool. But these approaches work best when combined with a broader look at your overall wellbeing. That’s where the six dimensions of health come in.
The Six Dimensions of Health
There are at least six dimensions of health that affect your wellbeing. They cover every aspect of your life and provide checkpoints to personal wellness. You can easily reflect on them and determine where your mental health needs more support. The six dimensions are:
- Physical needs
- Intellectual processes
- Emotional needs
- Social experiences
- Spirituality
- Occupational wellness
These dimensions are all interconnected and influence one another. For instance, stress in your occupational life can easily impact your emotional state and even lead to physical tension. By viewing your health through these six lenses, you can better pinpoint the sources of your anxiety and create a more balanced, intentional approach to feeling better.
Using the Six Dimensions of Health for Anxiety
You can use the six-dimensional method to improve your mental health with a few simple steps. Consider which areas would provide the most immediate benefit to get started.
Try Gentle Exercises
Physical movement can ease some anxiety symptoms, like tension building in your muscles. Add gentle movement to your routine to keep your workouts from being overwhelming. You could go for a walk or do some gentle stretching at home to improve your wellbeing, without paying for a gym membership. Doing yoga is another option that might make your body feel better.
Challenge Your Negative Thoughts
Anxious thoughts can reduce your quality of life if you can’t get control of them. Try to catch a negative thought when it happens and ask if it’s true. You can also ask how that thought is trying to help or hurt you. Your answers will help unpack the feeling so you can set it aside. For a better understanding of which thoughts might be cognitive distortions, schedule a therapy appointment with someone who specializes in anxiety treatment.
Journal Your Feelings
Once you understand the six dimensions of health, you can start a powerful habit like journaling. A Family Medicine and Community Health article found that journaling reduced anxiety scores by 9% for study participants. You can manage the emotional part of your six-dimensional treatment by writing about your feelings to prevent them from overwhelming you.
Arrange a Low-Key Friend Visit
The social side of your life is important, but it can also play into your anxiety. Think about how you could socialize with loved ones without making yourself feel tense. You could ask a friend to watch a movie together during a video call or try a two-player video game. If you find a way to nurture your relationships without exacerbating any social anxiety triggers, you’ll improve your social life and your mental health.
Meditate With Videos
Research suggests that mindfulness meditation can be as effective as medication for reducing anxiety. You can learn how to do the daily practice by bookmarking helpful videos. They’ll coach you through breathing patterns while you sit with your eyes closed. Calming your mind and body will ease you into a better mindset for the spiritual practices that empower you.
Adapt Your Work Environment
Your occupational wellbeing may require a slight change of scenery. Consider whether you might feel more at ease by wearing noise-canceling headphones when you’re not in meetings. If your office has an open floor plan, try reserving a quiet meeting room for focused work when the noise and activity around you feels overwhelming. You can lower your anxiety without changing jobs by understanding which part of your occupational stress stems from factors within your control.
Recover With the Dimensions of Health
Using a six-dimensional approach to recover from anxiety can help you feel better and create a life you love. If you practice reflecting on each aspect of your life and develop simple changes for your most common triggers, you’ll keep your anxiety low alongside any traditional methods you might incorporate.
If you’re struggling with anxiety and need additional support, a mental health professional can help you build on these strategies and find the right combination of treatments for you.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with anxiety, our Resource Specialists can help you find the right mental health services and support in your community. Contact us now for more information on this free service.
About the Author: Beth Rush is a mental health journalist specializing in mindfulness-based approaches to managing ADHD and chronic illness. Her writing helps readers navigate the intersection of mental health and physical health.
Image by Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-friends-walking-on-beach-shore-7148443/
The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios.
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