The 5 Beings of a Human

“Beings,” Not “Doings”

You may have heard some variation of the phrase, “we’re human beings, not human doings.” This concept is an important one. Society gets hyper-focused on doing, achieving, starting, finishing, and accumulating. In our most natural state, however, while we may be doing these things, we are simply being. We are existing from moment to moment and taking the actions that we feel are appropriate at that time. It is critical to realize this and to give ourselves grace when we don’t live “up to” whatever standards we may be comparing ourselves to. 

Back to the idea of “being.” It is a state of existence; it is who you are and what you are, where you are. The human being is the human in a state of existence. When we look closer at what this “human being” is, we discover that there are several components of human existence that are both present and necessary in our lives. I call these The 5 Beings of a Human.

The 5 Beings

The 5 Beings of a Human are: physical being, mental being, emotional being, spiritual being, and social being. Like in a pie chart, these five different pieces of humanity can be of different magnitudes, depending on how much focus and attention we place on each one. None of us is perfectly balanced, so everyone’s pie will look different, and may change from day to day, week to week, and so forth. 

The ideal would be to have a “balanced” pie, in which each piece or state of being of the human is in harmony with the next, with no single piece taking too much energy. However, we will often find that there are one or two parts that are very large, that we find energizing and interesting, and perhaps that there are one or two that are smaller (the ones we struggle with or are averse to). 

Once we can become more aware of these areas of being, we can be more mindful of how we balance them, growing and creating a fuller experience of being human. Each of The 5 Beings affects the others and is affected by them in return. Let’s go over each:

Physical Being

This is the human body. With so many complex interconnected systems (the organs, the muscles, the bones, the connective tissues, the nerves), there is much we can do to promote a sense of health, growth, development, and fulfillment from the physical standpoint alone. For example, getting into “peak state” (the activated state in which your brain releases powerful neurochemicals) greatly facilitates higher states in the other four beings as well. 

Mental Being

This is our state of mind. It is how we think, what we believe in, and our perspectives on life in general. The mental state has strong effects on all of the other beings. With a strong mental frame alone, humans have shown the ability to transcend unimaginable challenges (this is sometimes expressed as “the power of positive thinking” or “mind over matter”).

Emotional Being

This is our “heart center.” It is our feelings and how we express these feelings. Our emotional state affects how we behave in all areas of life, and it is informed by those areas as well. The ability to be mindful and compassionately aware of our emotions and how to express them fully is one of the major areas of self-development that can be truly transformative (sign up for my upcoming course, FACE Your Fears, to work on developing and strengthening your emotional being).

Spiritual Being

This is the soul. It is who we are in this life and beyond. It is the guiding point toward what our purpose is and how we’re engaging with ourselves, a power greater than ourselves, and others. The spiritual being gives us a true sense of fulfillment in life and allows us to achieve a sense of deep satisfaction, happiness, and relief from existential crises. 

Social Being

This is our human interaction. It is connecting with others, whether that be face-to-face individually and in groups, through social media, on a phone or video call, or even through email or the less common “snail mail.” As our society moves more and more into the digital realm of interacting with each other, there is a real need for in-person contact and communication. As you may know from your own social experiences, the impact of truly connecting with other humans can be incredibly significant.

Your Own Beings

Now that we’ve gone over each “being” and some examples of how one affects the others, take a moment to think about how each of your 5 Beings affects each other. This is a really helpful exercise in order to detect which ones are more challenging than others, and which may be very strong and natural for you. Feel free to send the insights that you discover on to me at connect@noelneu.com, as I’d love to hear how the 5 Beings show up in your life.

I will leave you with this small, but important piece of advice: Connect with each part of yourself daily. When you do this, your life will align with who you are, how you’re doing, and who you’re with. To me, that’s a life well lived.

Much Love,
Noel Neu, The Songwriting Therapist™