biopsychosocial: three legs of mental health

Ever feel like your mental health is wobbling — like you’re balancing on a stool with one leg too long and the others too short? That “three-legged stool” is exactly how the Biopsychosocial Model describes mental health: biological, psychological, and social. If one leg pulls too much weight, the whole thing feels unsteady.

This idea isn’t new. Psychiatrist George Engel introduced the model in 1977, pushing back against a purely medical view of illness. At the time, most healthcare zoomed in on biology alone: diagnose the body, fix the body, end of story. Engel argued that wasn’t enough — our minds and social environments are just as central to health as our cells and organs.

And honestly? That argument is still relevant today. We live in a world that loves quick fixes, symptom trackers, and “optimize your body” culture. But our nervous systems don’t exist in isolation. Your hormones, your thought loops, your relationships - they’re braided together, constantly tugging on each other. Which means if you want to feel steadier, you have to zoom out and look at the whole braid.

The Three Domains in Action

The Biopsychosocial Model isn’t about cutting yourself into pieces. It’s about noticing how biology, psychology, and social context play off each other - usually in messier ways than we’d like.

Biological: the wiring. Think vagus nerve, hormones, sleep, sensory processing, immune responses.
Psychological: the meaning-making. Your coping strategies, inner voice, thought habits.
Social: the triggers and buffers. Relationships, cultural expectations, support systems, access to accommodations.

Here’s how imbalance shows up in daily life:

Bio-heavy examples

You obsess over hitting perfect sleep scores (bio), start bailing on late-night hangs (social), and end up lonely or disconnected (psych).
You push yourself to never miss a workout (bio), then spiral into shame if you skip (psych), and keep quiet because you don’t want anyone to see you “slip” (social).

Psych-heavy examples

You replay one awkward comment in your head all night (psych), can’t sleep (bio), and avoid people the next day because you’re convinced they think badly of you (social).
You cope with overwhelm by doomscrolling for hours (psych), cut into your rest (bio), and show up irritable with your family (social).

Social-heavy examples

You take on every committee or project to meet other people’s expectations (social), run your body on caffeine and zero rest (bio), and hear your inner critic whisper “you’ll never measure up” (psych).
You force yourself into environments that aren’t sensory-friendly (social), your body tips into overload (bio), and your self-talk gets harsh: “Why can’t I handle what everyone else can?” (psych).

See how interwoven it is? One tug pulls the others along for the ride.

The good news: you don’t need a total life overhaul to rebalance. Here are some small steps that can help shift the system back into balance.

Step 1 – Notice Which Domain Is Leading

Do a quick scan:

Bio: Am I pouring all my energy into sleep, food, hormones, or exercise?
Psych: Am I stuck in my thoughts, my inner critic, or endless coping loops?
Social: Am I saying yes to everyone, masking constantly, or overextending?

Sometimes the leading domain is obvious - like when your body is screaming from lack of sleep. Other times it’s sneakier, like realizing you’ve been masking all day just to fit in. Awareness is the doorway to change.

Step 2 – Ask How the Others Are Being Affected

Think of it like a balance check: the leading domain is in the spotlight, and the others are in shadow. Where are the shadows showing up?

If Bio is leading → Have I lost connection with people? Is my self-talk sharper than usual?
If Psych is leading → Am I ignoring what my body needs? Have I pulled back from support?
If Social is leading → Am I running my body into the ground? Have I stopped checking in with myself?

Step 3 – Pick One Small, Doable Action

This isn’t about juggling thirty things. Pick one tiny step to lift up what’s been neglected.

If Bio is hogging all your energy → text a friend, say yes to a casual hangout, or step into something fun even if it’s not “efficient.”
If Psych is running the show → bring it back to your body. Stretch, eat something nourishing, step outside for fresh air, or take a 20-minute nap.
If Social is pulling you everywhere → practice a “soft no,” build in a quiet five-minute check-in with yourself, or choose one less-demanding commitment this week.

Small steps are surprisingly powerful. They’re like nudging one domino that changes the whole line.

The Long Game

The Biopsychosocial Model isn’t about balance in the Instagram-aesthetic sense. It’s about noticing where your energy is going, spotting what’s falling off, and gently shifting toward steadier ground.

Some days one leg of the stool will wobble more than others. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed - it means you’re human. What matters is remembering you can pause, scan the domains and take one small step to support the parts of you that feel left behind.

Because your biology, psychology, and social world aren’t separate stories. They’re one nervous system, one life, and one you - doing your best to stay steady in a real wobbly world.