The human body is a complex system; it can heal without relying on prescription drugs or invasive procedures. This is the underlying principle of holistic well-being, which views the body as a whole instead of focusing on organs or ways to alleviate symptoms.
Holistic wellness is not just limited to physical health but also mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It recognizes that all these aspects are interconnected and must be balanced for optimal health.
But what exactly is holistic well-being? And what are the treatment practices associated with it? This piece will delve deeper into these questions and explore holistic wellness's guiding principles and common components.
We will also explore different holistic wellness practices and how they can help improve your own health.
What is Holistic Well-Being and Health?
Holistic well-being is a state of complete physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health balance that goes beyond the absence of illness or disease and focuses on living a fulfilling life in all areas.
Of course, this does not mean true health is not merely the absence of disease. It is just the approaches used in holistic medicine, in general, recognize that each person has unique needs to maintain true health and happiness, and they address those needs holistically.
It involves an actively holistic approach to nurturing and balancing different aspects of life, including relationships, career, spirituality, physical health, emotional well-being, and more. In short, holistic wellness is finding balance and harmony within ourselves and our surroundings to lead a happy and fulfilling life.
Why Is Holistic Wellness Important?
From the above definition, holistic wellness is a shift from how we traditionally view health. That is — health is typically the absence of illness. Fundamentally, this is just one part of the broader story. Health and wellness are two parts of a whole — these two dimensions are inextricably interconnected.
For instance, stress is widely proven to cause major health issues. We've also heard countless times how stress has a detrimental emotional impact. Therefore, stress is the best example to show how unrelated areas of your life can seemingly have a tremendous impact on your general health.
Additionally, holistic wellness is more evident when we look at work-life balance. The lines between work and home life are becoming blurry. Bringing attention to what we've always known —there can never be a "work you" and "home you"; there is simply you.
Research shows that we increase creativity, productivity, and innovation when we bring our whole selves to work. Therefore, there is no need to separate the two and, more importantly, separate aspects of holistic wellness.
Now, let's look at the components of holistic wellness.
7 Components of Holistic Health and Wellness
Holistic wellness has to do with all aspects of who you are and the environment in which you live (Peggy Swarbrick developed an 8-dimension wellness model that includes the environment). However, it is still possible to break down holistic wellness into seven main components.
1. Physical Wellness
The first thing that comes to mind when many people think about health is the physical aspect, as changes to our physical wellness can often be seen and felt. But physical wellbeing has to do much more than what is on the outside or maintaining a physique.
It encompasses the complex interplay between our cellular biology and life experiences. That is, your physical body basically holds onto all your past traumas, which are stored in your cells, and accumulation of unprocessed trauma can lead to chronic physical body complications and can even alter the way your brain functions.
So, how do we take a holistic approach to physical health? Consider your sleep patterns, hormones, nutrition, exercise, physical education, and addiction. All these are important components of physical health that can help maintain optimal well-being.
In fact, diet alone can deactivate hundreds of genes that can cause disease and activate ones that encourage health.
When we talk about physical well-being, it also encompasses your cognitive health (some scholars consider this a separate component).
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2. Emotional Wellness
Just like our physical health, our emotional wellness is also multifaceted and complicated. However, to simplify it, you can think of emotional health as our daily moods and emotions, including how we regulate them and express ourselves.
People with a healthy mind are not immune to stress but can cope appropriately in such situations and have a positive outlook on life. Holistic practices like meditation, mindfulness, therapy, and journaling can all help improve emotional health by releasing stored emotions and promoting self-awareness.
3. Mental Wellness
Mental and emotional health are closely related, but they are different. While our emotions tend to be shorter-lived and more transient, mental health involves our overall psychological state and includes cognitive processing, perception, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Simply put, it's about understanding how our brain works and thinks and how those thoughts impact us. These genetic and environmental components of mental health should be looked at. Diving at how someone learns to cope with difficulty, conceptualize, and make meaning of things in their life is also a part of the holistic health practice.
4. Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual health is not synonymous with religious beliefs; it's about finding meaning in life beyond the physical world and connecting us to something greater than ourselves. But this does not mean spiritual health doesn't utilize a person's faith and religion to help achieve optimal well-being. Many holistic practices, such as mindfulness and meditation, have roots in spirituality.
Spiritual health helps people better understand their values, beliefs, and purpose in life, which can lead to a stronger sense of fulfillment and inner peace. It also involves connecting with our inner soul and the greater world around us. This could be through practices like communing with nature or just taking time for self-reflection.
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5. Social Wellness
Humans are inherently social creatures, and our relationships contribute significantly to our well-being. We all have a basic need for love, support, and connection with others. Loneliness can harm your health by generating increased stress hormones, causing body inflammation, and weakening immune systems.
A holistic therapist may encourage social wellness by educating on nurturing healthy relationships with ourselves and others, setting boundaries, and practicing effective communication. It's also about creating a strong support system to help us through difficult times.
6. Financial Wellness
Money and work are huge stressors for many people. Financial and work-related stress can influence a person's self-esteem, relationships, and even physical well-being. Thus, it would be a disservice to holistic health and wellness if financial health is not addressed.
Practicing financial wellness helps you recognize the importance of having a healthy relationship with money and balancing spending and saving. It's not just about making money; it's also about how we manage it, our attitudes towards it, and our financial goals.
7. Occupational Wellness
Occupational wellness and work well-being involve finding fulfillment in our work and creating a healthy work-life balance. This can involve exploring career options that align with our values and passions and caring for our mental and physical well-being in workplaces.
It's particularly important to get job satisfaction from work given that we spend much of our day working. So what does that look like? It involves:
- Alignment with career purpose,
- Meaningful relationship with work,
- Utilizing unique skills, and
- Assessment of reward and recognition.
What are Common Holistic Wellness Practices?
Perhaps you're wondering what treatment modalities promote holistic wellness. Various complementary and holistic medicines can contribute to a person's overall well-being. Depending on the practitioner's training, the common types of holistic wellness practices can include:
- Mind-body therapies: These techniques involve using the mind to affect physical functioning and promote relaxation. Examples include meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, and biofeedback.
- Energy healing: This type of practice involves manipulating the energy in and around our bodies to promote healing and balance. Some examples include Reiki, acupuncture, and sound healing
- Massage therapy: This involves manipulating the body's soft tissues to promote relaxation, improve circulation, and release tension.
- Herbal remedies: These are natural plant-based medicines that can be used to support overall health and address specific ailments.
- Exercise and physical activity: Exercising regularly is crucial for maintaining optimal health. It not only benefits our physical health but also has positive effects on our mental, emotional, and social well-being.
5 Habits for Overall Well-Being: How to Achieve Holistic Wellness
Achieving holistic wellness involves finding balance in all aspects of our lives, something that should be part of our personal development plans. Although there are many more ways to achieve holistic wellness, here are a few key practices that can help promote overall well-being:
1. Prioritize Self-care
When we prioritize self-care, we are actively ensuring that our physical, emotional, and mental health needs are met. This can include getting enough sleep, self-reflecting, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, setting boundaries, and practicing relaxation techniques.
2. Make No Assumptions
Holistic wellness involves understanding that each person is unique and has their own needs. Making assumptions about someone's well-being based on outward appearances or societal norms can be damaging and dismissive of actual struggles.
The same applies to ourselves; we should not assume that our well-being is the same as others and tailor our self-care practices accordingly.
3. Engage in Activities that Bring You Joy
Making time for activities that bring us joy and positively contribute to our overall well-being is important. These could be anything from spending time with family or loved ones, engaging in a hobby or creative outlet, or simply walking in nature.
4. Take a Step Back
Do you feel overwhelmed or stressed? Take a step back and try to evaluate what may be causing these feelings. Are there any imbalances in your life that need to be addressed? If your answer is yes, then you need to take time to reflect. It will enable you to make necessary lifestyle changes that will significantly impact overall health and wellness.
5. Seek Professional Support
Sometimes, achieving holistic wellness may require seeking professional support. There are several types of professionals who can assist in different aspects of your well-being. Whether it is a naturopathic doctor, therapist, personal trainer, or life coach, these professionals are trained to help address any imbalances or underlying issues hindering well-being. They can also provide guidance and support in creating a personalized plan for achieving holistic wellness.
Take "A-Whole-Person" Approach to Wellness
While a holistic approach may focus on the whole person, it does not discredit the effectiveness of traditional medicine and scientific research. In fact, several holistic practitioners, such as naturopathic doctors, work hand in hand with conventional medicine to promote overall well-being.
However, that is not to say holistic wellness treatment modalities should be seen as an alternative medicine or in opposition to conventional treatments.
Finding a balanced approach that integrates traditional and holistic practices for optimal health and wellness is important. The goal is not to replace one with the other but to find a comprehensive approach that best suits your needs.
When you holistically approach wellness, you take care of the whole person, not just one aspect of your health in isolation — because it’s all connected!
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