Learn more about what a holistic lifestyle is and how you can start holistic living in order to improve your health, create balance in your life, and achieve the highest potential of wellbeing for yourself body, mind, and soul.
What is Holistic Health?
When it comes to living a holistic lifestyle, one guiding principle reigns true: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
First coined by the philosopher Aristotle, this phrase defines the modern concept of synergy and touches on how there needs to be harmony between all of the moving pieces of our lives.
There are four recognized aspects of wellbeing: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. It is believed that what happens to one aspect of wellbeing can affect all other aspects.
A holistic health care approach takes into account all four aspects and focuses on how they work together to make us whole, and healthy, as a person.
Define Holistic:
Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
A holistic perspective understands that the background of sickness can be mental or emotional, not just physical and that there are a variety of different ways to approach the treatment of that individual.
How Do You Live a Holistic Lifestyle?
Before getting started, I want you to remember that we all have our own definitions of health.
Holistic lifestyles are as unique as fingerprints, taking into account all of the beautiful differences that make up our lives.
As you make your way through this Essential Guide to Living a Holistic Lifestyle, I want you know that there is no right or wrong way to approach holistic health, there is just your own unique way that works for you.
With that understanding, there are guiding principles for living a holistic lifestyle, defined by my 7 Pillars of Holistic Wellness:
- Individualized Nutrition
- Plant-Based Medicine
- Restful Sleep
- Joyful Movement
- Compassionate Self-Care
- A Practice of Gratitude
- Social Support
As we explore my 7 Pillars of Holistic Wellness, I want you to take them and make them your own.
Work them into your own life, and adopt them in positive and healthy ways that will help to improve your overall wellbeing.
Individualized Nutrition
No matter how you maintain the other components of a holistic lifestyle, it can be difficult to begin to feel better if food, eating habits, and good nutrition is ignored.
Individualized nutrition understands that each body is biologically unique, so the diets we need to care for them need to be unique as well.
There are so many different ways of eating that can be right for each individual, but we can all benefit from more food that's local, organic, and in season.
Food that doesn't have to travel long or be stored is more nutritious and has more beneficial enzymes. If you live in a food desert like I do, I believe frozen is the next best option.
Plant-Based Medicine
As a trained healthcare practitioner, I have seen firsthand the power of Western Medicine and the ability it has to save lives every day.
As an individual living with a chronic illness, I have seen firsthand the power of Eastern Medicine and the ability it has to save lives every day.
Living a holistic lifestyle allows for the intersection of both Western and Eastern medicine for the best outcome possible.
Holistic living simply means that you know when it is appropriate to reach for a natural remedy to cure a common ailment, while also knowing when it is appropriate to consult with a physician for a more serious, potentially life-threatening condition.
Living a holistic lifestyle means you appreciate the synergy of using both Eastern and Western medicine approaches to give you and your family the safest, most sensible, care possible.
As a trained Holistic Cannabis Practitioner, utilizing cannabis as plant-based medicine to achieve better health for my clients is my specialty.
From CBD to THC, hemp to cannabis, there are a variety of ways that the cannabis plant can improve and support a happy & healthy holistic lifestyle.
You can also build a nutritive tea. You can learn to create your own tea blends that support your health in all the right ways in every season.
It's a daily practice that really rounds out your wellness strategy. Here's how to create a blend that's right for you.
Restful Sleep
Sleep is an important part of any holistic lifestyle, although, for so many Americans, it can be difficult to find restful sleep.
In my practice, I use a combination of plant-based nutrition and plant-based medicine to help you biologically prepare your body for a restful night's sleep.
We then layer on additional holistic lifestyle interventions that can further enhance your sleep experience in order to get you the most restful night's sleep possible.
To get started, check out these 10 Natural Bedtime Rituals for Better Sleep or my Lavender Chamomile Sleepy Time Linen Spray.
Joyful Movement
Often times women come to me with the misconception that a holistic lifestyle is simply about drinking green smoothies, practicing yoga all day long, and rejecting conventional medicine - but that couldn't be further from the truth.
If practicing yoga helps to balance your mental, spiritual, and physical health, then you should no doubt practice yoga.
But if you dread practicing yoga and gives you anxiety just rolling out the mat, it is best for your health to find a new activity that makes you look forward to moving your body in a positive and realistic way.
Adopting a holistic lifestyle is not a fad or a trend, but a life-long journey of choices that we make to create balance in our lives and to achieve the highest potential of well-being for our body, mind, and soul.
That means it may take you some time to learn what joyful movement truly means to you. Feel confident in experimenting with various physical activities, from yoga to boxing class, to discover what makes moving your body most enjoyable.
Compassionate Self-Care
There's a reason this topic is so popular and it's because people too often neglect their self care. Self care is the foundation of a well-lived life. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't be a positive impact on others. (Not for long, anyway!)
Self-care refers to the activities and practices that we engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain and enhance our short and long-term health and well-being.
Good health is the result of a healthy mind, body, and soul, and self-care serves as the balance between these three forces. I believe that self-care is not optional, but essential, to the creation of a happy, healthy holistic lifestyle.
When we work together, we explore which self-care practices work best for you, and set goals around utilizing self-care to help improve your health.
From incorporating CBD into your self-care routine to taking time to spend in your garden, we will discover what self-care means to you. Here are 20 ways to care for yourself even if life is busy.
A Practice of Gratitude
Many people believe that good health will lead to increased happiness, but in my practice, I believe that increased happiness leads to good health.
Research also suggests that a conscious focus on blessings may have many emotional and interpersonal benefits that can boost your happiness throughout the year.
Beyond making people feel good, the experience of positive emotions such as joy, happiness, and contentment holds numerous social, intellectual, and physical benefits for the individual.
A gratitude journal, a happiness journal, a positivity journal, a diary, whatever you want to call it, there is impressive evidence pointing to the many benefits you will see as a result of practicing gratitude daily.
And don't forget about mindfulness. So often we can actually step right out of negative experiences by observing what's happening in our mind.
Meditation is a wonderful practice, even if it's only for 5-10 minutes a day.
Social Support
Health is so much more than just a doctor's appointment. Health is more than just the food that we eat. It is a result of our genetics, hormones, environment, and the state of your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
And it is also a result of the social support we have in our lives. Whether your social support comes from your husband and kids, mother and sister, friends, and family, having strong social connections can help support your holistic lifestyle.
In Conclusion
A one-size-fits-all approach will never work when it comes to wellness. Even when it comes to holistic practices.
“What herbs will give me more energy? What should I be eating? What oils should I use on my skin?”
The truth is, it's so different for everyone because we're all so unique.
If you want to improve your your energy, your outlook, and just feel better, find a few practices you can start implementing in a way that's right for you.
Kristy, Life-n-Reflection
"A one-size-fits-all approach will never work when it comes to wellness." you're absolutely right and often we need to try new things, pinning to share!