Te whare tapa whā

How you are feeling and how you are functioning is influenced by four dimensions of your life.

• Te taha hinengaro (mental/emotional wellbeing) - encompasses our thoughts and feelings and how we express them

• Te taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) - encompasses our personal identity, values and beliefs

• Te taha tinana (physical wellbeing) - encompasses our body; its growth, movement and care for it e.g. growth sprouts, flexibility, coordination, fitness, injuries, illness, dietary, sleep patterns etc.

• Te taha whānau (social wellbeing) - encompasses our connections, feelings of belonging, relationships with others, social interactions

  
  

Let’s pretend that hauora/wellbeing is a whare/house. If the house is stable then personal hauora is good, if the whare is unstable then personal wellbeing is poor. The four walls of the wharenui illustrate the four dimensions of hauora. Each wall is essential to the strength and stability of the building. Just as each corner of the house must be strong and balanced to hold its structure, each dimension of well-being must be balanced for health to exist. If one wall starts to fall the others become weaker too. You can’t separate the mind, body and spirit. For instance if someone really enjoys the company of their friends but they can’t see their friends due to the lockdown restrictions their taha wairua , taha hinengaro and taha whānau will all be impacted. Taha wairua - because they are not doing something they value, taha hinengaro - because they will be feeling sad and lonely and taha whānau - because they are isolated and struggling to connect.

Check this video out to better understand hauora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AemHYVVUppc

Feeling bad and/or functioning ineffectively? It’s ok to not be ok, change situations tend to shake up hauora whare walls. If your whare/personal hauora is unstable have a look through the range of activities shared here? And choose one to have a go at.

Feeling good and/or functioning well? You may notice others around you who are struggling to keep their whare stable, perhaps you could find an activity for others and support them to look after their own hauora.

Feeling ok and/or functioning ok? It’s always a good idea to take practical steps to strengthen your whare walls. Check out the activities here? Find a bunch of activities that interest you and have a go at incorporating them into your day.