A holistic lifestyle aims to balance and include all the elements of health and wellness. Mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Living a holistic lifestyle means finding a way to incorporate all the different pillars of wellness.
Maybe you work out and eat healthy but lack a spiritual practice or connection. Perhaps you meditate and go to therapy but don’t exercise or eat well so you feel as good as you could.
When living a holistic lifestyle it quickly becomes apparent that these factors are all connected and boosting one up helps to boost another.
Here we’ll go over some options to live your life more holistically. Take one, some, or all of these ideas as you see fit. Mix and match so that you can live a full, well-balanced, and holistic lifestyle that will help you live up to your fullest potential.
Mental
Positive Affirmations-
Begin each day by saying, writing, or thinking about the positive affirmation of your choice. Repeat it 5-10 times until it sinks in. Say it in a mirror if that helps you to believe it.
You might not believe it’s true right away, but repeating it will trick your mind into believing it’s true. Do things during the day to prove to yourself that what you say is true. Sometimes you gotta fake it till you make it.
Challenge your Brain-
Test yourself and do challenging things more often. Tell yourself that you can do hard things and find a way to do them. The more you push yourself to the limit and succeed, the more you’ll build trust in yourself that you’re capable of overcoming tough tasks.
Whether it’s cold plunges, running a marathon, acing your exam, or public speaking, know that you can do whatever you set your mind to.
Watch your Self-Talk-
Your mental state can make or break you. When entering a cold plunge tub it’s that first second or two that decides how you’ll brave the plunge. Or with anything else for that matter.
Having a healthy mindset is crucial for how you navigate your way through life. Although life can be very challenging and throw curveballs, having a solid and healthy mindset can help you to navigate challenges from a slightly better place.
We’d all be rich if everyone got paid $1 for every negative thing they said or thought about themselves daily. Unfortunately, negative self-talk becomes normal to the point you might not realize you’re doing it.
Be mindful and notice the things you say to yourself. If it’s negative, challenge that thought and wonder if it’s actually true. Your negative self-talk often is so far off from the truth.
Reframe those negative thoughts into something more neutral or positive. While it can be tough to flip from negative to positive thought you can try neutral if that’s more realistic.
Start your Day Phone Free-
Having a good mindset throughout the day is easier to attain right after you wake up than trying to switch it mid-day.
When you first wake up, spend at least 30-60 minutes doing something other than scrolling through your phone.
Whether that’s reading, showering, meditating, working out, making a healthy breakfast, or slowly savouring your coffee. Make your life easier and give yourself a head start on the day. Give your mindset a chance by starting your day away from your phone.
Emotional
Journal-
Emotions are complex and difficult to put your finger on. One day you might feel one thing and the next day another thing. Or you might feel two things simultaneously which can also be confusing.
Start journaling as a way to process your feelings. A morning pages practice is where you write out 3 single-spaced long hand-automatic writing pages. Do this first thing in the morning if you can.
Don’t think about what to write just let the words flow through you even if it’s silly. After a while, you might come up with some interesting revelations.
Therapy-
Working with a trained and licensed mental health practitioner is a great way to help you process your thoughts and emotions. Almost like dating, finding the right match for you might take some time so feel free to test out different ones until someone feels right.
Depending on your current financial situation apps like BetterHelp offer more affordable therapy options. Check your insurance plans if you are a student or an employee. Certain practitioners completing their practicum offer lower rates as well as therapists who offer a sliding scale rate.
Physical
Exercise-
As annoying as it is, physical exercise will make you feel better overall. As much as we deny it, it works. It floods your body with feel-good hormones and makes your body more resilient.
There are endless forms of exercise so there’s bound to be something out there for everyone—walking, yoga, pilates, HIIT, boxing, spin, weight training, etc.
Test out and mix up different exercise styles to find something you can stick to. Depending on your lifestyle and fitness goals aim to include physical activity at least 4-5x per week.
Be Active-
Physical activity doesn’t solely mean intense workouts. Become more active in general. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk instead of driving for shorter distances. Use the health app on your phone or check your Fitbit to track your daily steps. Aim to hit a certain number of steps in a week.
Something as simple as stretching your body for 5 or 10 minutes every day is great. Incorporate movement as much as possible even if it’s something small and low-impact.
Connect-
Living a fulfilled life is hard when you feel disconnected from those around you. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Hug the ones you love, and join a club with like-minded people.
Although we’re connected via social media, humans are more disconnected than ever. Try to find people who suit your lifestyle or foster the good relationships you have in your life already.
Spiritual
Meditate-
Spend 10-20 minutes daily if you can in meditation. Learn to quiet that chatter in your mind so that your inner guidance has space to come through for you.
Sit in complete silence, chant a mantra, listen to a sound bath, or find a guided meditation. Focus on taking deep, slow breaths. If your mind wanders and your brain starts ruminating notice it without judgment and return your focus to the breath. Some days this will be easier than others.
Mindfulness-
Practice mindfulness daily. Pay attention to the small details. Notice how you feel one day and what could be the cause. Don’t spend all day on your phone, pause and notice things.
Notice what you feel and sense at the moment without judgment. Not everything will be sunshine and roses. Things that will make you grow will also make you uncomfortable. Learn to be okay with that.
Connect To a Higher Power-
If you have absolutely no connection to a spiritual or religious practice read up on some you have zero idea about out of sheer curiosity. Try to learn at least the principles of different religions or spiritual practices.
Something may ring a bell in you or it may not and that’s okay too. Life is hard. Believing in something bigger than yourself can help you at times when you feel that your burdens are too big to bear or you feel completely lost or alone.
You don’t necessarily need to believe in one thing or another, you can take your favourite parts of different theories and mash them together in a way that makes sense to you. A spiritual or religious practice is very personal so as long as you feel a connection to what you believe is what matters most.
Conclusion-
Living a holistic lifestyle is easy when you’re committed to taking care of your mind, body, and soul. Your complete health and wellness requires a balance of all facets of your well-being: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
If you have one but are lacking the others you’ll feel that something is missing. Aim to improve all areas to experience optimum well-being.
Challenge yourself, watch your self-talk, and start your day phone-free to boost your mindset. Journal down your thoughts and find a therapist to talk to so that you can process your emotions. Find a form or different forms of exercise for you to reach peak physical wellness. Practice meditation, and mindfulness and find a spiritual or religious practice that speaks to your soul.
By covering all of these areas of your life you’ll feel more whole. You can live a holistic lifestyle when you aim to improve all areas of your well-being together. Hopefully, this inspires you to begin to live a more holistic lifestyle where you can thrive and reach your highest potential.
