I spent my New Year’s eve quietly at home in Kailua listening to the rain. After it was over, it seemed incredible that just three blocks away houses were being flooded in. I never saw any of it. What impressed me the most were the reactions of some flood victims to their losses. Some people took it with such strength and equanimity; a large part of their life was taken, but they could keep their chins up and forge ahead.
So what does this have to do with areas of life? Well, everything has to do with areas of life because something is always in some area of life. An area of life is an aspect of life that is assumed common to everyone. I have divided life into five main areas. They are: 1) the mind, 2) the body, 3) money, 4) sex, and 5) love.
The floods deal with a loss of material possessions. I place them in the area of money which also has to do with the means to acquire material possessions. Money, of course, covers one’s livelihood, hobbies, interests, or pursuits. Success in this area means being forever pre-occupied in exciting and fulfilling endeavors. Distress in this area manifests as boredom, burnout, escapism, absenteeism, and unemployment.
What the areas of life insure is that you have a definite number of areas to face and you are not lost wondering why your life is not working. One of these areas is surely mismanaged when you are in a jam. You will have to deal with each of these areas inevitably. We will all have to face degrees of loss in terms of money, love, or health. If we see this clearly now, then we can begin now to work towards ways to deal with them. When a crisis occurs, we are prepared to deal with it. Consideration of areas of life leads to a balanced life because if you deal with all the areas of life, then you become well-rounded.
As for the other areas, the mind has to do with our emotions, where we put our mental energy, and how we express our mentations. It covers our thoughts, our fantasies, our ideals, our aspirations, and our mental health. Despite the usual trichotomy of mind, body, and spirit, I usually include spirit in with the area of the mind because all of it is intangible. If you study either the mind or the body deeply, you inevitably engage the spirit.
The body has to do with physical health and the physical structure that supports the mind. Two subareas of the body are nutrition and exercise. Another subarea that deserves focus is body therapy. This has to do with therapy aimed at developing more awareness in the body just as psychotherapy helps awareness of one’s personality.
Love has to do with tribulations of romance, and our overall relationships with people, family, friends, and associates.
Sex is included as a separate area of life because this area promises an increasing level of awareness as shown by Dr. Ruth’s success. Although some of sex comes under the area of the body and many sexual issues have to do with love, I have decided to give sex a category of its own because it is usually a hidden and avoided issue.
This is a perfect time of year to look at areas of life because you can formulate your New Year’s resolutions based on the various areas. If you approach life fully, life automatically becomes fulfilling.