the fire-cracker

enneagram
HEALTH GUIDE

ENNEAGRAM
TYPE
EIGHT

WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM
 welcome!
I'M ALEXA!

I'm so honored that you downloaded this guide. I must admit I'm not a true
enneagram expert, but I have done a lot of research to pair my expertise in
health with each of the nine enneagram types. If I'm honest, it's the only way
health will work. Taking the impracticality of health and making it personal to
you.

Inside each of the nine guides, I help to show you how your 'type' relates to
health and how to use your motivations and fears to create real change.
Even if you fall more on the skeptical side of the enneagram, I think you'll
see the value in creating a health plan that is not just what you're told to do
but something that flows with your natural tendencies.

If nothing else, I hope these guides give you permission to see health for
more than how you eat or how much you move and see it as an
interconnection of your mind and soul with your body. To see the value in
the whole of who you are, how you are wired, and what motivates you to
move. To see you in health.

Don't forget to listen to the podcast that explains more about your type!

alexa s.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 2

 enneagram
HEALTH GOAL:

TYPE EIGHT
TO MAKE HEALTH WHO YOU ARE, NOT WHAT YOU DO

The rules and standardized programs surrounding the health space can
repulse an eight. Nothing causes more rebellion inside you than an
external system thrown on an eight. But when you learn how to
determine what health means and what your body needs, you can make
health who you are - this is where your health shines.

Eight’s you are the protector—the champion of people, using your strength to protect, honor,
and support others. With a steady-inner drive and a ‘can-do’ attitude, you take the initiative
and make things happen with great passion. At your best, you are self-mastering, using your
power to improve the lives of others.

But your strength can be a double-edged sword as you often take your health and stamina for
granted, overlooking the health and well-being of yourself and others. In time, your strength to
be independent can lead you to rebel against basic health foundations and stand against the
‘diet norm.’

The good news is that you are keenly aware of this problem and any others you have with your
excellent personal insight and strong self-awareness. That's why choice freedom is the key to
helping you feel in control of your diet and health. Let health be something you determine.

To do this, understand what your body needs. Learn how to live with a deep sense of self-
awareness. Then build a life that supports your health outside the health-norms you reject. Use
your strength, determination, and willpower to achieve what will bring you health—allowing
you to become so confident that you can stay soft toward yourself and the world around you.

Ultimately using health as a means of coming home to yourself, living out of the whole of who
you are, mind, body, and soul.

"
i am strong
enough
to stay soft toward myself and the world around me.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 3

 YOU RESIDE IN THE:

enneagram
TYPE EIGHT
gut-triad (instinctive center)
Eights, you have a deep sense of intuition and an intense energy to
take action that can help drive you to reach your health goals.
Instead of looking at health as something that controls your life, use
your health to live your life. Let health be a way to control your
future, not let health be in control of you.

You have a resourceful "can-do" attitude and a steady inner drive as an eight. You take the
initiative and make things happen. But with that, you like to call the shots on your own life,
standing against anything threatening to control you. This is a strength, but it can sometimes get
in the way of health.

You don't like being told what to do, which is against the status norm for what healthy eating
plans are. Typically, nothing but a set of rules.

Instead of playing against the rules, what if you found freedom by being your own health boss?

Health for you is learning how to understand your body's needs, preferences, and what it is
trying to communicate to you. Instead of listening or rebelling against the healthy ways of the
world, step into owning your body and working with it to make up a unique health plan that fits
you.

Remember, there is no one perfect way to eat. The only ideal way is the way that is right for you.
And you are in charge of that - only you can make the rules.

Make plans based on your personal needs rather than anything else.

STRENGTHS TO RELY ON:

Self-confident Disciplined
Strong Have strong will power
Passionate Abundant Energy
Resourceful Persistence
Decisive Independent
Goal-oriented Assertive

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 4

 TYPE
EIGHT mindset guide
COMMON WOUND:

The wound of an eight most likely came when you saw the world as divided between the strong
and weak. In the process, you vowed never to be powerless, vulnerable, or alone. Something in
your childhood led you to grow up quickly because you felt that showing vulnerability and
softness would lead to you getting hurt, rejected, or betrayed. You took on the world, living as
protectors and putting on a front of toughness.

COMMON FEAR:

The basic fear of an eight is that you might be controlled or hurt by others. You fear falling into a
situation that leaves you helpless and powerless.

IN STRESS:
In stress, eights disintegrate to an unhealthy type five, spending more time alone with your
pessimistic thoughts. You may abandon projects, lose focus and begin to absorb more
knowledge. You start thinking more and doing less. As a result, you get tunnel vision and lose
sight of the bigger picture opting instead to live aggressively to provide immediate safety.

HOW TO HELP YOURSELF: HOW OTHERS CAN HELP YOU:

1. Get in touch with your softer side.
Spend time nurturing something else
like a pet or houseplants.
2. Make physical exercise an essential
part of your life.
3. Make a fun list of exciting activities for
when you feel blue.
4. Practice positive self-talk.
5. Allow yourself space to process life
and your emotions - learning how to
get in touch with them.
1. Check-in and help them dive below
the surface.
2. Take them on an adventure or get
them out of their regular routine.
3. Make time for them.
4. Help them celebrate every big and
small victory.
5. Work out or engage in physical activity
with them.
6. Create a safe space for them to be
vulnerable.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 5

 TYPE
EIGHT mindset guide
CORE MOTIVATION: HIDDEN MOTIVATION:

Eights want to feel strong and in control, so To gain control over your life,
you can protect themselves and those you happiness, and safety.
love.

A HEALTHY FIVE LOOKS LIKE:

Eights have a tough outer shell making you appear untouchable. But inside that shell is a
softness that needs to be fostered in a safe environment to shine. This softness offers a sense of
groundedness to an eight helping you fight for the greater good, not just for yourself. The chart
below has listed a few ways to create health and vitality in an eight. Continue filling out the chart
with practical action to create your personal vision of health.

INVEST IN
DAILY MOVEMENT A PASSION
PROJECT
START A DINNER
CLUB

SCHEDULE ALONE TIME ME TAKE A THRILLING

EVERY MORNING ADVENTURE

SET YOUR
TAKE A WEEKLY
OWN
SABBATH FOAM ROLL OR STRETCH
FOOD RULES

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 6

 HEALTH IS FOUND IN:

TYPE EIGHT
healthy honoring your bodies needs
Let the rules and standards of the health space go. They bother you
anyways. Get healthy using your deep self-awareness to understand how
your body responds and what it needs. Create your own food rules based
on what makes you feel good, energized, and healthy. Create a plan you
enjoy and one that works. Keep repeating.

Eights have a deep sense of self-awareness and intuition. But when overwhelm sets in, and stress
or threats mount, the self-awareness can become a sense of self-abandonment. Although you
wouldn't call it that, as you work diligently to protect yourself, you can lose sight of your body in
the fight to stay alive.

To get healthy, you must constantly honor your body, not suppress it or mask it to appear
strong, but trust that if it needs rest, it needs rest. Don't neglect your body to appear a certain
way, but nourish your body, knowing in the process this will make you unshakably strong.

Shift your attention from right and wrong, good and bad, and start to encompass the idea that
there are things that fill you (strengthen you) and those that drain you (weaken you). Do more
things that fill you.

ENERGY FILLS ENERGY DRAINS

Creating space to be alone A lack of a plan

Work on a passion project Unhealthy people
Journal + engage with your emotions Too many repetitive or mundane tasks
Take a weekly sabbath Too much time with other people
Unplug and get alone Eating too much or too many heavy foods
Engage with people you love Lack of sleep
Take a solo adventure Working too much
Practice yoga or foam rolling Sitting all-day
Eat lighter meals - even if that means Feeling misunderstood or going unheard
eating more often Lack of intimate connection (isolation)
Move your body, even pushing it harder Reminiscing on the past
than most - you have the energy Feeling controlled or told what to do
Do something fun

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 7

 TYPE
EIGHT health guide
Eights, you must focus on making your own plan and food rules. Don't
neglect everything you've learned but take what you love and use it as
the foundation—the starting point to build a plan that works for you.
The best news is this plan doesn't need to last forever. Find freedom in
knowing as your body changes and the seasons; your plan can continue
to evolve. Instead of stopping at the all-or-nothing, let growth continue
to fuel you and help you progress forward. ,

1. You have an abundance of energy. Try eating lighter meals, even if

that means eating more frequently.
DIET

2. Don't neglect how healthy foods can make you feel strong, safe,
and confident. Let your diet be a layer of protection for your body.
3. Stop over-analyzing the best diet and coming up with reasons to
rebel.
4. You tend to have strong urges and cravings - understand these
before you act on them.
5. Don't give in to cravings just because you think you can. Find
growth in patience.
6. Sit down and eat your food. Opt out of the fast-paced lifestyle of
eating in the car, standing up, or while you work.

Health isn't defined by what you eat, but it does play a role in how you
feel. Eat to feel strong, confident, lean, and healthy.

Eights have a lot of energy, arguably more than any other enneagram
type. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't work out. Use movement to
manage your energy, channeling it in healthy and productive ways.
MOVEMENT

1. Opt out of workout plans and choose how you want to work out.
2. Set a goal and mark off progress as you work to achieve it.
3. Push yourself and engage in harder workouts.
4. Be competitive with yourself but no one else.
5. Try new things when you feel like it. Mix things up. The variability
will offer you more pleasure and reward, keeping you coming back.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 8

 TYPE
EIGHT health guide
You want to march to the beat of your own drum. In most situations,
you will benefit the world around you if you can do it in a way that
opens you up to your softness rather than out of power to control. Fully
living means seeing the soft part of you as more powerful than the
protective side. Let yourself embrace vulnerability, using your weakness
as growth and building more strength because of it.

RELATIONSHIPS: You love to protect your people. However,

sometimes you fail to see the person you're trying to protect. Make it a
point to connect, soften, and be vulnerable, knowing this is how you
LIFESTYLE

grow with others. Find one or two people you can confide in and allow
them to help shape you.

SEXUAL WELLNESS: You're big-hearted and bold. Cutting right to the

chase, you come across as confident. In some cases, this is true, but
you need to be careful not to control too much when it comes to sexual
intimacy or feel threatened by someone else's leading. Use sexual
intimacy to be guided and gifted rather than feeling the need to
control.

PLANNING: Planning can help keep you focused. Considering you have
a lot of energy, you can quickly become distracted by a new passion or
fight. Take time to make a clear goal and plan that keeps you on track
so you're not as likely to stray from what you want.

Eights, you are passionate. A firecracker with an abundance of energy. You can easily get pulled
in directions that don't align with your big goals and vision. In the process, you tend to separate
your feelings from your work, tanking your self-assessment and leading to self-abandonment.
The art of journaling can help you stay on track.

What things might make you break down
and cry (let your guard down)?
What tension are you stuffing down
inside your body?
What is in your power today?
What is not in my power today?
What is one thing I can do to release
tension from my body?
What are three things I could do to honor
myself?

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 9

 TYPE
EIGHT lifestyle rhythms
Eights, it’s all about balancing energy. You tend to be all in or all out. But instead of the big
swings, use this list of self-care practices to find more balance in your life. Here are a few ways to
get started; engage in daily exercise, start a dinner club with friends, practice journaling, sleep in
occasionally, create something you love, take a self-retreat and create your own health rules.

USE YOUR SELF-AWARENESS

As an eight, you are highly aware of your body. Use this information to
create your own vision of what health looks like to you. Then make up
a list of rules, not controlled by anyone but yourself. Let your body run
the show.

GIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE

You are very generous in health, but this doesn’t come naturally. Take
time to invest in giving, whether through volunteering time doing what
you love or writing cards to people you love and appreciate. Give
back, knowing your giving will fill you up.

CREATE REST
Rest isn't something that comes easily to an eight, but it is important.
One of the healthiest things an eight can do is create space in your life
away from work. Set up boundaries for work and life that incorporate
rest. Put your phone away every night or take a weekly sabbatical. If
you don't create the rhythm, you may fail to engage in rest.

SEE LIFE IN COLOR NOT BLACK AND WHITE

Not everything is black or white, win or lose, strong or weak. The

middle ground is an actual thing, and compromise is not the
equivalent of defeat. Jump off the extremes and start to see the full
color of life. Ask questions to understand and try new things. Get out
of your norm to help you grow.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 10

 TYPE
EIGHT thought prompts
The best way to achieve health is to make it your own. As an eight, you love to build your own
rules and plans. Create health by choosing it. Make a list of the health rules you love and hate.
Use this as a foundation to build a healthy image of what health looks like for you.

FOOD RULES + REGULATIONS: TAKE ACTION:

Build a foundation based on history. What worked well and what didn't? Determine what
KEEP TOSS
you'll keep and what you'll toss.
IT IT

MY HEALTH RULES:
Make a list of health rules and regulations you determine. Use your discipline to live them out.

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 11

 TYPE
EIGHT action plan

MY SOLITUDE LIST If your body could talk, what would it tell you?

Rest is not something that comes

naturally to the active eight. But
it’s necessary to release the
tension that you carry in your
body. Rest doesn’t have to
consume your life, but it must be a
small part. Make a list of 5-8 ways
you could add rest to your life.
Then do it.

Make a list of health rules you can establish that

fulfill your body's needs.

Write a daily mantra to hold firm to a healthy you.

"
i am not
responsible for having
to prove my strength
to anyone

WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 12
TYPE EIGHT
 LEARN
MORE about the other types
One of the best ways to understand other people is by understanding their specific enneagram
type. Of course, the goal is always to rise above the enneagram, to grow beyond it. But in the
process, check out the guide for your family members and friends!
Click on the links below to learn more about that specific type.

1 2 3
DEVOTED HELPER MOVER / SHAKER

4 5 6
MEANING MAKER OBSERVER LOYALIST

7 8 9
ENTHUSIAST FIRE CRACKER PEACE MAKER

TYPE EIGHT WWW.THELIVINGWELL.COM 13