Health Wellbeing

Hauora is something related to your health. It is a four-sided Building or concept representing four dimensions of life or the Te Whare Tapa Wha.

Taha Tinana - Physical

Taha Hinengaro - Mental & Emotional

Taha Whanau - Social

Taha Wairua - Spiritual

All the dimensions of the Te Whare Tapa Wha are related in some way. Such as Taha Tinana related to Taha Hinengaro by exercising in anxiety and depression. Exercise helps to improve your energy, mood and sleep. 

Taha Tinana

Physical Wellbeing

This refers to physical wellbeing, taking care of your body, being fit and healthy. It is the dimension of health and wellbeing which cannot be separated from all others. Taha Tinana is the physical body, its growth and development. It’s also the ability to function and move. Physical activity keeps the body strong, improves mental health. It also improves performance, focus, sleep and energy levels. It is a way of caring for our body. One way to do physical wellbeing is to try yoga. Yoga improves your physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga helps reduce stress and anxiety. It additionally enhances your mood and overall feeling of wellbeing. Practising yoga leads to improving flexibility, balance, range of strength and motion. 

Taha Tinana also relates to Taha Hinengaro, Mental & Emotional wellbeing by exercising in anxiety and depression. Exercise helps to improve energy level, mood and sleep. These effects help to improve resilience and self-confidence. Exercise can reduce anxiety, improve relationships and improve body image.

Taha Hinengaro

Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

Focuses on mental wellbeing. It is to be able to understand & manage your emotions. They are able to work productively and can contribute positively to their community. It is a dimension which needs to be kept in mind. Mental & Emotional wellbeing is about your thoughts, feelings, mind and heart. It’s about how you feel, how well you think and communicate. Taha Hinengaro is important regardless if you’ve not experienced mental illness or distress. 

The most common feeling experienced by young people as children and teens is anxiety. Lots of children feel sad or upset some of the time. 

Taha Whānau

Social Wellbeing

Taha Whānau gives you a sense of belonging, who you care and who you share your life with. It’s about family, friendships, personal relationships and the people you care about. Spending time with whanau, doing things for them and getting involved gives a feeling of connection, purpose and wellbeing, it is an important role in your wellbeing. Having social support, getting well with others and being able to maintain healthy relationships. 

Relationships also means relationships with family too, parents, siblings, caregivers. Can also be learning something from a family member too. Taha Whānau also includes friends and the community. An example of friends is to spend time with a friend talking or doing things. For the community, there could be being part of the community or participating in a community event. Another example is to help someone with a problem.

Taha Wairua

Spiritual Wellbeing

Taha Wairua is the values and beliefs that means the way we live, our personal identity and self-awareness, self-esteem. Spiritual wellbeing includes our culture, religion, passions, customs, dreams and goals. It is who and what we are and where we have come from. Taha Wairua also includes kindness, believing in ‘treating others the way you want you to be treated’. 

People have different views of taha wairua. For some, taha wairua is the capacity for religious or faith beliefs. For some others, taha wairua is an internal connection to the universe or the sacred. There is no right or wrong way to think or experience spiritual wellbeing, it is also an important part of your mental wellbeing.

There are ways which can affect all dimensions in our wellbeing. I’ve chosen Scenario 1. It includes Taha Hinengaro and Taha Whānau. For Taha Hinengaro (Mental & Emotional wellbeing), being lonely. Which includes being less confident, if you don’t have friends, you are lonely, less confident and can’t express your feeling to any friends. Having friends has lots of benefits such as life challenges, if there is a challenge in life, friends can help you if you have no one else. Also, not able to understand & manage emotions and be able to communicate thoughts and feelings. The second dimension in the scenario is Taha Whānau, Social wellbeing. This also relates to Taha Hinengaro, emotions and feelings. Social wellbeing is about family, friends and relationships. Some impacts on social wellbeing are not having good relationships. It increases stress and doesn’t make us healthy. You don’t get well with others and be alone and lonely.

There are some strategies that will support wellbeing. Let’s start with Mental and Emotional wellbeing. 

1. Able to acknowledge and express thoughts and feelings
2. To be able to communicate thoughts and feelings to others
3. To be able to understand & manage your emotions

Social wellbeing is used in scenario 1 too. There are a few strategies to support Taha Wairua.

1. Feel a sense of belonging and social connection.
2. Having social support
3. Getting well with others