We are more than just our thoughts, emotions, and bodies. True mental wellness isn’t about fixing one part of ourselves—it’s about nurturing all the layers that make us whole. In many holistic healing traditions, the self is seen as multilayered, each layer influencing the others in powerful ways. When we understand these layers, we can begin to heal in a way that feels deep, sustainable, and true to who we are.

Layer 1: The Physical Self – Body & Relationships

Your body tells a story. It carries stress, trauma, and unspoken emotions in its bones, muscles, and nervous system. But this layer isn’t just about your physical health—it also includes your relationships and how you interact with the world around you.

The people you surround yourself with, the spaces you move through, and the way you care for your body all shape your well-being. Healing this layer means tuning into your body’s wisdom—through rest, movement, nourishing foods, and somatic practices—but also setting boundaries and fostering relationships that uplift and support you.

Layer 2: The Energetic Self – Breath & Flow

As Energy moves through us in every moment. We feel it when our breath deepens in relaxation or quickens in stress. Every inhale speeds up the heart, and every exhale slows it down. Over time, intentional breathwork can shift how we feel in our bodies, helping us regulate our nervous system, release tension, and feel more balanced.

This layer is about learning to move energy through us—through breath, movement, and awareness—so we don’t stay stuck in old patterns of stress and fatigue.

Layer 3: The Mental/Emotional Self – Feeling & Rewriting the Narrative

Emotions are energy in motion. When we suppress them, they don’t disappear—they get stuck, showing up as anxiety, burnout, or emotional numbness. But when we allow ourselves to feel, name, and process our emotions, we create space for healing.

This layer is also about the stories we tell ourselves. Many of us are carrying narratives we didn’t write—beliefs shaped by family, culture, and past experiences. Healing this layer means both feeling to heal and actively rewriting limiting beliefs into ones that empower us.

Layer 4: The Wisdom Self – Intuition & Inner Knowing

To Not everything we know comes from logic. Some truths are felt, not reasoned. The wisdom self is the deep inner knowing that goes beyond thought—it’s the gut feeling that tells you when something is right or wrong, the quiet voice inside that nudges you toward what you need.

This layer is about reconnecting with your intuition, learning to trust yourself, and honoring the wisdom that lives within you. Meditation, reflection, and time in stillness can help strengthen this connection.

Layer 5: The Spiritual Self – Connection to Something Greater

Whether it’s faith, nature, ancestral wisdom, or the belief that you are here for a reason, the spiritual self is what grounds us in something bigger than ourselves. It helps us find meaning in pain, hope in struggle, and peace in the unknown.

Tending to this layer might mean prayer, rituals, time in nature, or simply sitting in stillness and listening. It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about feeling connected.

A Holistic Healing Journey

Mental wellness isn’t just about the mind—it’s about integrating all these layers of self, tending to them with care, and allowing ourselves to be whole. Some days, that might mean resting your body. Other days, it means confronting hard emotions, reconnecting with your breath, trusting your intuition, or leaning into spiritual support. Healing isn’t linear, but every step you take is a step toward wholeness.

This is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks, we’ll dive deeper into each of these layers—exploring what they mean, how they show up in daily life, and the practices that help us nurture them. We’ll also address common fears and misconceptions about holistic mental health and why a whole-self approach to healing can be so transformative.

Which layer do you feel called to nurture today?