If you’re like most people, you started this year with well-intentioned resolutions, most likely around your health. From weight loss to healthy eating to quitting smoking, most of us want to improve our health in 2022 and beyond.
Unfortunately, almost 80% of people ditch those resolutions by February every year. When it comes to health goals, this may not be a surprise: having anything less than a holistic approach to health can sometimes make it hard to manage your overall wellness.
What is holistic health, and why does it matter? Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Holistic Health?
In the Western world, we tend to equate “health” with “physical health.” However, an absence of disease or illness shouldn’t be the whole story, especially because so many factors contribute to our overall wellness.
In contrast, holistic health does what its name suggests: it considers many different components of a person’s health as part of a single whole. The key aspects of holistic health include physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and mental health. By working to improve each aspect of your health, you can improve your overall wellness.
Why Do We Need It?
As mentioned above, in addition to physical health, research shows that many factors of holistic health can impact our lives. One of the most obvious examples is stress, an emotional component of our lifestyle that can impact our physical wellness. After all, stress is associated with many conditions, including everything from depression to heartburn to a low sex drive!
Another great example is our social relationships. Having strong social relationships can have a profound positive effect on our mental, emotional, and even physical health. Studies even show that being connected can even help us live longer!
How Can You Get Started?
If you want to start taking better care of yourself, there are plenty of ways to better manage each aspect of holistic health.
- Physical health: eat well, get enough sleep, exercise
- Emotional health: seek therapy, journal, practice mindfulness
- Social: connect with friends and family, volunteer
- Spiritual: spend time in nature, meditate, practice your faith if religious
- Mental: challenge yourself, learn and grow, read
In essence, there’s no right or wrong answer—except that you should do whatever you can to take a whole-person approach to your wellness.
Some people find that working with a holistic health coach can help them better see connections between areas of holistic health. Consider working with a holistic health blog expert at https://wholisticwanders.com/trouvaille. In the beginning stages of your journey, this can help you learn to understand your health as multi-faceted and unique.
Make the Most of Your Health
Living your healthiest and most fulfilling life is easier when you consider holistic health. It’s true that taking time for whole-person wellness can be hard to learn, especially if you’re used to focusing only on your physical health. However, working to understand connections between your physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being can have a huge impact on your life and future!
Want more tips on a healthier, happier, and more productive lifestyle, wherever you roam? Check out our other content for additional insights.
