The triangle is simple yet fascinating! It’s been associated with a some interesting meaning throughout history. A shape having a depth of intellect in geometry and mathematical formulas, the triangle can aid in determining distances:
As well as the size of an object, such as a tree
And it’s shape is found throughout nature, in the mountains, throughout terrain, in plant-life and animal-life!
The triangle, with it’s three sides, is connected to the number three (3), a number in and of itself having great meaning to it. Known to represent true wisdom, it has also been used to represent Intellect, Love, and Power; Emotion, Feeling, and Thought. In religion it can symbolize the Father, Mother and Child.
It can also hold symbolism of achieving dreams and ambitions, representing rising up! And can represent balance and creativity.
To begin where my idea for My Whole Well-Being Triangle came from, while camping in highschool I learned from my dad about the Fire Triangle. It’s a model, using a triangle, to understand the ingredients necessary to keep a fire sustained. There are three elements a fire needs: heat, fuel, and oxygen. If just one of these elements is missing… the fire will go out. No heat source, no fire. No fuel to burn, no fire. No oxygen, no fire. It’s a useful model so you know how to keep a fire going, but more so to put a fire out if one gets started.
While working in broadcast meteorology, often there’d be wildfires and if such fire became a threat to local communities, we’d go live to cover them on-air. During one fire coverage, while I was on-air reciting the fire triangle, I realized then that my own fire for a fulfilling and whole, happy life had gone out. Some element or elements important to keeping my fire for life were missing. That’s when I came up with my own healthy, happy, whole triangle. It’s a somewhat similar concept to the fire triangle but I’ve made it my own, rearranging the location of the elements, redefining them, renaming them each an important Wellness as a part of living a Whole Healthy Happy Lifestyle and I’ve given each side a color. It’s a model of one’s Whole Well-Being.
On the left side is Well-Fed. It’s our fuel. Our fuel is our food. We need food, to sustain ourselves. We cannot thrive without food. To have a complete whole healthy and happy life, we need healthy fuel, thus healthy natural food. This side, the Well-Fed side, represents healthy eating and a well-nourished living. A healthy, happy diet. Not going hungry by limiting oneself on a very strict and unrealistic diet but one that is real and wholesome. I won’t define a specific diet but throughout my blog you’ll see I am inspired very much so by the Paleo diet. I have found some great recipes from many different paleo websites and I will always post the recipe source when using some foodspiration from another site, however many of the recipes I will share on this site are my own; regular dinner ideas just made healthier. I am not an extremist with the Paleo way of life, for example I love peanut butter and beans, both of which are considered toxic in the Paleo diet. I have realized lately, that my husband and I follow more along the Wild diet. We eat tons of vegetables, making sure we eat natural meats and local farm fresh eggs, we do not eat fast food (at all). We do our absolute best to choose local, organic, farm-to-table foods! We don’t count calories or carbs but we do strive for a healthy balance with high protein and limit our sugar intake; even when consuming it from fruits, but we still enjoy them! Basically if it’s from the earth, go for it! Well-Fed is the healthy eating, healthy nutritious side of the triangle and I’ve given it the color GREEN; the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy. Green is associated with growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment.
On the right side of the triangle is the Well-Fit side. It’s the heat or exercise! Any activity! To feel good and aid in a healthy, happy, whole life we need to get our bodies moving, our heart-rates up and we need to do it in whatever form that is right for you, for your body! I love to run, but some people loathe running, and that’s ok! There are so many different ways to get yourself going, to feel good inside, getting your endorphins moving. You owe it to your body to show it respect and pay attention to it! LOVE it! Getting outside is a part of this too, soaking in some needed sunshine, fresh air and unplugging from electronics! This will all help you gain a ton of confidence! In addition, when we work-out it aids in helping us get a good sleep routine, so this side also incorporates sleep and rest! The Well-Fit side is the physical activity, whether it be working out, leisure outdoor fun, running, yoga, playing with kids. I assigned it BLUE, the color of trust and responsibility, honesty and loyalty. This all because by working out and taking care of your body, you’re being truthful and loyal to your body. It’s a work of art! Be honest with your workouts and exercise, push yourself and challenge yourself but don’t over do it! Blue also represents inner security and confidence, exactly what you’ll get from exercising! The color Blue also promotes both physical and mental relaxation, helping to reduce stress and allow for a sense of calmness. We need a good night’s rest just as we need activity in our lives to be a Whole Well-Being.
The base, the foundation, is Well-Defined. It’s our oxygen; it’s our purpose and our love. Without this we can’t breathe. This side of the Well-Being Triangle represents our healthy mind and our healthy soul. What defines us! Not simply our family, our friends but also the goals we set in our lives that give us our motivation, something that gives us ambition. That could be anything from a career or a hobby to spiritual beliefs or our at home lives. I know some may think it’s odd that these are all put together in the same “category” but I have a lot of reasons for doing so. For starters, obviously we need family for our own comfort, our send of belonging and our safety. Perhaps you think you have no “family”, maybe they’ve passed away or you’ve distanced yourself from them; your dear close friends are more than likely your family. Friends DO become family. My husband was my friend (boyfriend) at one point, then we became husband and wife and had our children. Be honest with yourself and with the people in your life, those who lift you up and encourage you to be your best! Those who support you and perhaps challenge you as well but genuinely love you. Titles can be deceiving; good friends, coworkers, neighbors, they can be family just as your biological family is family.
Now talking about the friends we have who aren’t that close to be called family, but are those whom you have a good time with and you’re able to cut loose when you get together, those deep true belly laughs we enjoy and the comfort to just be oneself, we need those times in our lives! We need those friends!
I combined friends, family, hobbies, spiritual beliefs with career because I know one may outweigh the other. And thus what keeps the base stable, what keeps us stable, is everything about who we are. For example, we don’t need to have a career that is our “dream job” to have a whole healthy life. Sometimes we find a great job, and it fits perfect to support out livelihoods, and we’re so happy! I don’t believe a whole healthy lifestyle is only achievable if our job that supports our life is our actual dream job. That’s definitely not the case, and not what I want to preach. And if our job is good, but perhaps we’ve had a bad day or bad year, our family and our friends can be what keeps our base strong! If we’re having hard times at home, struggling in our personal lives, sometimes our work keeps us moving! Or it’s spiritual beliefs that keep our well-defined base stable.
In addition, when we’re happy with our job and our family and friends are great, the qualities that define us; our hobbies, our passions, what motivates us, often flourish as well and even more so, making the base super stable and strong! You might be a teacher but love to paint! Make room for everything that defines YOU!
If we don’t have some part of this Well-Defined side fulfilled, another part will help keep it going. Our family can keep us going strong when we’ve lost friends. A strong belief in God, or the Universe, or Nature can help when we don’t have motivation for something. And therefore if you’ve alienated yourself, lost your friends, abandoned family, lost the will to do anything… the Well-Defined part of the triangle is no way going to be fulfilled! That would take a lot but it is what I envision happens to those with drug addictions. Their Well-Defined side of the triangle, all of what defines themselves, is broken down and gone.
I assigned the Well-Defined part of the Well-Being Triangle YELLOW. The color of sunshine, hope, and happiness; positivity, clarity, energy and optimism! Yellow is also the color of intellect, new ideas and joy! All of what we can feel when we think of our hobbies, our friends, our family, our goals! Yellow is also uplifting and illuminating, inspiring cheerfulness and fun! Yellow is the best color to create enthusiasm for life and promotes confidence! Everything a strong foundation should do!
I chose them in a natural earthy hue because all of this should be natural. Nothing forced, arrogant or sharp. It should all come naturally. Be honest with yourself about each wellness side!
When each element is fulfilled, the Triangle is Whole and one’s Well-Being, the state of being healthy, happy, fit and therefore flourishing, is fulfilled!
The goal is to see how you can fulfill each wellness side as often as possible! Having fun while doing so! That’s what you’ll see throughout my blog. Obviously I’m not perfect and I have my days where I struggle but overall I’m healthier and happier than I’ve ever been! It’s because I’m always striving to fulfill the triangle. It helps me tremendously. And it’s a moment-by-moment thing. If I eat unhealthy while at a party with friends, that’s ok! Beer and tacos fall into my well-defined part of life, there’s no reason to skip what makes our lives full and meaningful. I just go back to my healthy well-fed self, eating natural and healthy and that allows me to fulfill my well-fed side. I’ll then be sure to do a work-out of some sort allowing the well-fit side to be complete! No harm done, as long as that beer and tacos didn’t destroy any aspect of my family, friends, my soul or my job. I’m a whole well-being! It’s easy and again should come natural!
If an element is missing or lacking, then the triangle won’t be complete and toxins will be able to get in, allowing your life to be drawn down and your health, physical and mental, to be compromised. That’s what happened to me. Just stopping my exercise was one thing, it dragged me down, but I also didn’t eat healthy. My triangle was completely non-existent except maybe a bit of the base thanks to my family and friends. My career was there, but it was also dragging me down just as well.
And so, toxins were able to break down my Well-Being and I felt sick and exhausted. 
But by rebuilding the triangle, one step at a time beginning with living Nutritiously Well-Fed, then working out again to be Happily Well-Fit, I bounced back quickly as my Well-Being Triangle was coming back together, becoming Whole once again!
Today I have been living the best life I have ever lived and have been doing so for the past few years now! And I can help YOU live the absolute best version of yourself! Send me an email at jamieszapka@gmail.com
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