What is a Holistic Lifestyle?
Healthful Vitality | 03/06/2022 | What is a Holistic Lifestyle?
A holistic lifestyle is not a new concept, but it is gaining popularity. Traditional medicine practitioners to sages have long been saying to have a broader outlook towards health. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, but an unhealthy mind also results in an unhealthy body. Thus, everything is interconnected. A holistic approach is about appreciating this interconnectivity between various elements influencing our wellbeing.
A holistic lifestyle is not just about focusing on physical wellbeing but also on mental and spiritual wellbeing. There is an increasing interest in a holistic lifestyle, as people realize that most individuals are not feeling well despite improved physical health. Thus, focusing on one thing, like just eating well, will not help.
However, there are specific challenges in practicing a holistic lifestyle: one size does not fit all. It means that individuals would need to explore what works for them in most cases. Thus, for some, dietary changes along with resistance training may work. While for others, dietary changes and yoga, using natural supplements may work better.
A simplistic approach to understanding holistic lifestyle
Researchers recommend paying particular attention to three elements: mind, body, and soul.
Mind is about having the right expectation. It means looking inside and trying to explore what makes you happy and feel well. Besides, it is about understanding what causes more severe stress in your life. It is also about taking mental breaks, taking a break from social media, sleeping well, and so on. Not only that, but it is also about engaging in mental exercises like engaging in some creative tasks.
The body is the next vital element to take care of. It means keeping it well-nourished with healthy foods, exercise, improving sleep. It is also about preventing physical problems rather than trying to fix them up.
The third element, the soul, is more complex to understand. It is more about realizing your place and purpose in the world. It may mean engaging in spirituality. Improving spiritual health is challenging. For some, engaging in charity work may help. For others practicing religion may be the better option.
How to practice holistic living?
It is vital to understand that no single thing works for all. Therefore, the process should start with introspection. One should be honest with oneself in understanding what brings happiness to a person and what one can do.
Next could be to create a holistic action plan. However, try to focus on one activity at a time. For example, one may start with dietary changes or exercise and slowly progress to taking care of mind and soul.
One of the vital elements of a holistic lifestyle is doing your research. Each individual is a unique and complex being. Thus others may not be able to help much in many cases. Thus, a holistic approach is also about taking control of your life. It means studying, reading, doing research.
Finally, it would be a good idea to set specific achievable goals. Like, stop feeling anxious, learning to control anxiety. As already mentioned, the goals could be multiple, but try to handle one thing at a time.
Related Article: Holistic Stress Management for Managing Stress.