TA holistic lifestyle is a way of living that allows you to focus on you as a whole being. Holistic living is being connected to a wholeness. Holistic encompasses the connection between mind, body and soul. It is off the notion that what affects the mind, ultimately affects your body and your soul; for example a stress inducing job can result in anxiety and exhaustion that can manifest as headaches, tiredness and sleep deprived irritations which can affect your relationships at home or at work by being withdrawn or constantly angry or snapping at people without any underlying cause to the other’s action or outcome.
To understand holistic living a little better, is to understand the root cause of our issues. A holistic lifestyle takes into account that so many things can affect us at a root level and throw us off balance, and very often the symptom is just one small part of the whole problem. So what are the root causes that can potentially throw us off balance? We can begin by looking at how our busy lives can get in our current society and culture. We live in a rapidly evolving world where technology plays a highly significant impact in our lives, and systems have been created around supporting that technological environment and lifestyle. We move fast daily and by fast, we expose ourselves to systems that help support that fast lifestyle. Exposure to fast food, social media, constant new trends, quick fix medications and supplements …which in turn results in poor health choices, poor lifestyle choices, high level of cholesterol, and stress and anxiety that only further frustrate our relationships, our work, our health and ultimately our lives as a whole.
So how do you deal with the root causes and get yourself back on balance? Look at yourself and assess your mind, your body and your soul.
The Mind
Are you feeding and nourishing your mind with the right information and positive conversations? What are you exposed to in terms of your friendships, relationships and network? What are you nourishing in terms of information in your community, media and in your home?
Feeding our mind with a positive and nourishing outlook on life will create positive and nourishing experiences that amplify everyday living. How do we start creating a positive outlook on life? We can start by practicing mindfulness; being aware and present at that moment, allowing ourselves to control our attention, how we respond and react. We can nourish our mind by cutting out toxic situations, relationships and environments. Nourishing our minds with positive energy can be taken a step further. Often a spiritual or meditation couch or counselor can help you analyze your life, provide guidance on how you can change your current state of mind and sub conscious thoughts and overall find peace and happiness.
The Body
The difference between the body from the mind and the soul is that with the body we can see the physical manifestations of illness. Whether we are sleep deprived, overweight, dealing with an ailment or disease; we can physically see it on the human body as opposed to the mental and spiritual that requires mindfulness and intentionality. With the human body we can choose to eat better and exercise; knowing that healthier choices of activity affect the brain in the most positive way helps to attain that connected wholeness. As you choose to take care of your body through a new diet or exercise regimen, taking the holistic approach requires you to monitor your sleeping patterns, what time you are eating your meals and how many in a day, what types of products are you consuming and placing on your body and are you making the time to unwind your body to simply rest and become one with nature.
Nourishing your body does not simply require what food you eat and the amount of exercise you put in, but it requires patterns and connections that allow it to connect to your mind and your soul.
The Soul
Some people may place this in the category of religion or spirituality – whichever works or resonates for you, it all ties back to your core values and beliefs and if they tie back to who you are. Having a conversation around religion and spiritual health is different for everyone but the basis of it is having a deeper relationship with yourself by knowing who you are and what you like as you connect with the environment around you. Your soul looks at what excites you, are you practicing healthy habits that allow you to contribute to your community whether at church, social group, networks, work group – are you having positive and nourishing conversations in these spaces that make you a better person?
This area can be somewhat tricky because we live in a world bombarded with different approaches, opinions, and beliefs filtered by the media and often even friends and family. Over time we simply just adopt and run with the masses. But as you nourish this area from a holistic and honest perspective, you will have a deeper understanding of who you are, your relationships and quite possibly, what you expect from them. More importantly, you will understand what you expect of yourself, overall making you a much happier, fulfilled person.
Taking on a holistic lifestyle is simply trusting your intuition. The human body has the ability to heal but you need to know what works for you and what doesn’t. It isn’t simply enough to change your diet or take on a new hobby, but it is assessing your immediate environment by being mindful, intentional, balancing and practicing to achieve wholeness. If you feel off-balance, unhappy and simply not in sync with your life – then take a step back and evaluate your life, and assess a holistic approach to your living.