Live Well with Healthy Habits: The Three Pillars of Wellness - Blog 2
- livewellwithcancer
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
Author: Ben Elliott
Hi, I’m Ben Elliott from Transformational Learning and Live Well with Cancer, perhaps best known as the world’s leading expert in The Wellbeing 9-a-Day.
For the past four years, I’ve been developing a way of wellness that can empower anyone to improve their health and wellbeing. My personal and professional experiences have shown me that there are nine habits of a healthy lifestyle, which are best understood as the Three Pillars of Wellness.
The Three Pillars of Wellness
My Journey | My health | My relationships |
My journey from the past, through the present and into the future | My mental, physical and emotional health. | My relationships with others, my self and my diet. |
By building habits that strengthen my Pillars of Wellness, I move forward on my journey, improve my overall health and strengthen my relationships so that I am ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Journey – Past, present and future
To help me progress on my journey in life, I like to think of myself as three different people.
Past Me is who I have been, all my strengths and weaknesses. I cannot change anything about Past Me… all I can do is learn from him and try to let go of his bad habits. Releasing parts of the past that no longer serve me helps to make space and save time and energy for healthy habits.
Present Me is who I am in each passing moment. This is the only version of me who can make positive changes for my wellbeing. By practising how to be present each day, I learn to live in the now and connect with the only moment I will ever truly experience… this one!
Future Me is who I am becoming. If I keep building good habits, I can ensure that I continue to improve every day. When I set intentions that propel me forward on my journey in life, I empower myself to aim for a better future and make it a reality.
When I let go of the past, be present in the moment, and set intentions for the future, I learn from yesterday, live more consciously today and move towards a better tomorrow.
Health – Mind, body and emotions
Building habits that benefit my mind, body and emotions help me prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Good mental health is beneficial for my overall wellbeing. Expanding my mind with learning increases my ability to transform myself and the world around me. When I learn new skills and knowledge, I become capable of more than I was before.
My physical fitness has direct links with my mental health and emotional wellbeing. The best way to improve my fitness is to move my body and encourage the energy to flow. By building a daily habit of moving my body, I recover quicker and prevent issues from occurring.
Building healthy habits improves my emotional wellbeing. While I cannot control how I feel, I can increase my positive emotions by doing what I enjoy. By consciously recognising what brings me joy, I build habits that relieve tension and increase gratitude for the things I love.
When i learn, move and enjoy, I improve my mental health, physical fitness and emotional wellbeing so that my mind, body and emotions are ready for the journey ahead.
Relationships – People, self and diet
My relationships with others, my self and the things I consume have a direct bearing on our health and wellness.
As humans, we cannot live in isolation, and so it is important to cultivate better relationships with people who are good for us. When consciously improve how you connect with the people and pets in your life, you increase companionship and strengthen your support network.
The most important relationship we have is the one we have with our self. When we tend to our wants and needs with self-care, we allow time to recover, recharge and rehabilitate, helping to address current issues and prevent future problems from occurring.
Good quality nutrition is the fuel of a healthy lifestyle. By drinking plenty of water, developing a balanced diet and improving our nutrition, we provide the hydration, energy and essential nutrients that our minds and bodies need to perform each day.
When I connect with others, self-care and consume good nutrition, I cultivate better relationships, tend to my needs and develop a healthier diet.
Call to Action
The Three Pillars of Wellness focus on your journey in life, your health and your relationships. Consider these in relation to your own life. Which currently needs the most attention? What habits could you build to strengthen your pillars?
Live Well with Healthy Habits was created by Ben Elliott from Transformational Learning and Live Well with Cancer to help anyone improve their health and wellness. Get in touch at transformation@livewellwithcancer.co.uk to learn more about this innovative project.
Subscribe to our blog to learn how you can build the nine habits of a healthy lifestyle.
Read the story of Live Well with Healthy Habits here.