Building a Framework of Sunshine!

What about if we all concentrate on building a Framework of Sunshine? A lifestyle that leads to an anti-inflammatory existence? That framework exists within the philosophy of Holistic Health.

One of the 8 pillars to balance is your social existence. The social dimension of Holistic Health encompasses what it means to function ideally in a Eudaimonic state, have a purpose, find meaning in one’s life, and just plain well-being. With well-being come a lot of benefits.

Through the ages, it has been known, and certainly in my field of Holistic Health, that peering into and finding balance in the Social aspects of our existence and its dimensions: the Personal, Romantic, Familial, and Professional contribute to a positive twist to a society’s psyche as a whole.  

In today’s world, Dignity and Grace, again and again, seem to have taken a back seat to the chaos and twisted moral philosophies. Life may seem chaotic and this nagging feeling could be the result of a lack of consistency in the perceived well-being within our communities. And well-being thrives within a community where positivity is a driving force; a key to a steady, forward-moving society. 

“quotidiano convictu, auctoritas minuitur.”

The Spanish translation: “Con la convivencia cotidiana, disminuye la autoridad,”  brings meaning as to what being idle in society’s affairs can lead to and affect us as a whole.

 In English, the literal translation is: When “mingling,” authority diminishes.” Or “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

If we stick together, things get done, when we drift apart anxiety and stress seep in, and well-being all-of-a-sudden seems lost. Eudaimonia just flew right out the window!

So what is Eudaimonia?  Eudaimonia is a Greek word that means living well (well-being) or personally flourishing (not just feeling happy or content) in and around the world around us. A Eudaimonic existence refers to what is intrinsically important in one’s life and the interpretation of that purpose and serving that purpose. Note: well-being is subjective, in other words, it means to imply that feeling good about the way things are going for us is not all-encompassing since Eudaimonia is also affected by everyday life situations, over which we have no control or random events that do not contribute to our experience of happiness or living well (well-being) and flourishing.

Aristotle points out that “a eudaimonic life that is objectively desirable and involves living well is not saying very much.” Everyone wants to be eudaimonic, and everyone agrees that being eudaimonic is related to faring well and to an individual’s well-being. However, often the elephant in the room is what type of activities enable one to live well?

The capacity to integrate into a healthy social existence seems to be a modern (American) malaise and loneliness, or lack of social graces is a major factor. Within the philosophy of Holistic Health, we explore the Social pillar and delve into how it presents itself to us and consequently to the Universe at a micro and macro level. Here are the Social pillar’s four dimensions: Personal, Romantic, Familial, and Professional.

1. Personal- The integration of self with others and communicating well seems like a no-brainer yet after covid, the world may have become a little bit more isolated and “in their head.” Life is still in session and resilience was tested, now it is time to evaluate healthy coping and how to attain better mental health outcomes. We align beliefs with reality.
2. Romantic- From the Initial stage where we perceive (Similarity) an attraction to a person to starting an initial communication can be tricky especially if FOMS (fear of meeting strangers) kicks in if virtual reality is your style. Exploring, seeing if there is interest and Communication is the next stage where we may become enthralled in the situation, hormones gone wild! When those initial highs taper out, we revise our thoughts and gain a more realistic perspective of the relationship, leading to Commitment and maintenance. How good are we at navigating the highs and lows and revising our communication and ways of interacting to reflect the changing needs of each person?
3. Familial- Familial love is where it all happens. We are born with a blank slate where experiences get hard-coded into our subconscious for us to live with for the rest of our lives (between ages 0 to 14). We are basically children in adult bodies. Building healthy bonds within a family is important since it is within the family that we look for support to get us through the best and worst of times. And family is not just blood family, yet a chosen family as well as friends who help fulfill the nurturing, loving, and supportive environments that contribute to healthy emotions and behavior.
4. Professional- This is where learning to be social and aware of others enables better work relations, builds strong team players, and changes attitudes towards embracing other people’s ideals. In other words, being a positive influence on those around you. Stepping outside of the Self and effectively integrating the norms, the shared values, and embracing the cultural practices that an organization operates under. This is also true for the self-employed where communicating with the outside world helps establish and understand the needs of customers and what is expected in return.

Interacting with others, being shown how to obey rules, being rewarded for good deeds, and being taught how to behave in public places are all examples of socialization that enable a person to function within his or her culture. We define social connection as a person’s relationships with those around them. One
can glean the importance of social connection from the fact that every branch of psychological research, from developmental through clinical, social, and personality research, has produced copious amounts of research on the topic in the last decades. Psychological theorists and practitioners have empirically demonstrated that social connection is a critically important human need, echoing the theories of one of the founding fathers of personality psychology, Abraham Maslow (1943, 370-396), who famously theorized that when basic physiological and safety requirements are met, a person’s primary psychological need is a sense of affectionate and loving connection to others.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says the most common pathology he saw during his years of service “was not heart disease or diabetes; it was loneliness.” Chronic loneliness, some say, is like “smoking 15 cigarettes a day.” It “kills more people than obesity.” Because loneliness is now considered a public health – and even an epidemic – people are exploring its causes and trying to find solutions.¹

Despite its importance, sociological research suggests that social connection is waning at an alarming rate in modern American society. Household sizes are decreasing and biological family and friends are more geographically and emotionally disconnected from one another than ever before.² Consequently, loneliness, isolation, and alienation are rising, and represent one of the leading reasons people seek psychological counseling.³

The Stoics had a niche for what it takes to live a centered life. Separate feelings from facts and whatever judgments may arise from that conflict. In other words, live a copacetic existence with nature, let life be, “que te resbale” (let it go), and strive to be in the present moment, the zone.

For further information on how you or a loved one could benefit from a Holistic Wellness, Whole Health path, please do not hesitate to contact me at sixto@drsixto.me.

To your Whole Health and Wellness, naturally!

Dr. Sixto J. Sicilia

Holistic Health & Nutrition Practioner

Founder, issimoUSA

¹ (Hobbs and Stoops 2002, 33; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Brashears 2006, 358; Putnam 2001, 541).

² (Lee and Robbins 1995, 232-241)

³ So Lonely I Could Die. (2017, August 5). Accessed: March 20, 2023. https://apa.org/news/press/releases/1017/08/lonely-die