What comes to mind when you hear the word “wellness?”
Do you view each aspect of your being—physical, mental, and spiritual—separately and care for it in a disjoint way?
Though your body, mind, and spirit may seem to be separate entities at first glance, deep down, they all connect together. In this article, we’ll introduce you to this interconnectedness and how to utilize it for holistic health and wellness.
Let’s get started!
What Is the Holistic Approach to Wellness?
A holistic wellness approach is a way of living that collectively engages your body, mind, and spirit and helps you improve on different fronts of life. By doing so, it promotes physical and mental health and spiritual growth, enabling you to be a better version of yourself.
You not only improve the quality of your own life but also help others. The holistic approach to wellness involves eight mutually interconnected areas, which are:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Spiritual
- Social
- Vocational
- Financial
- Environmental
Now, you may be wondering: How does one go about the holistic approach?
Keep reading to find out.
Designing Holistic Approach to Wellness
As we all have different aspirations and our own definitions of living “meaningfully,” the approach to holistic wellness also varies from person to person. You’ll have to balance the various dimensions of holistic wellness to make an effective plan for yourself.
Due to their interconnected nature, neglecting one or more of the eight dimensions of holistic wellness can negatively impact the rest of them. For example, if you aren’t emotionally healthy, you may lack the motivation to eat healthy and interact positively with others, affecting your physical and social wellness.
So, what should your holistic approach to wellness include?
Here we’ll briefly cover the 8 dimensions of wellness and how you can work to improve each one of them.
1. Physical Wellness
Physical wellness starts with developing a basic understanding of how your body works and what is good or bad for it. With good physical health, you are more likely to cultivate physical strength and agility and avoid or overcome diseases. This, in turn, will boost your mental health, as you’ll feel positive about your body and yourself.
Attaining physical wellness requires a disciplined approach to your daily activities. Choose a healthy and balanced diet that can provide you with essential nourishment. Including fruits, vegetables, coarse cereals, lean meats, eggs, etc. in your meals and avoiding highly processed foods can be your starting point.
Also, ensure your daily calorie intake is in line with the physical activities you do and your weight-related goals. For example, if you are a woman and would like to maintain your weight, your daily calorie intake should be limited to 2000.
Ensure that you get adequate sleep each day and follow sleep hygiene practices. Adults aged between 18 and 60 should get at least 7 hours of sleep out of 24 hours.
Another important factor is regular exercise to help you improve your muscular strength, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and weight loss.
Making physical activity an integral part of your daily routine can prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, preferably spread over 4-5 days.
To get the best outcomes from your diet and physical exercise-related changes, it is important that you minimize your alcohol and caffeine intake. Also, make conscious efforts to quit smoking.
2. Emotional Wellness
Coming to the next pillar of our holistic approach to wellness, let’s first define what emotional wellness is. To be emotionally healthy means to be able to face various situations that life throws at you and come out of difficult experiences through healthy coping mechanisms.
Your approach to attaining emotional wellness should include building emotional resilience. To cultivate mental toughness, or resilience, you will need to approach a given problem from various perspectives.
For example, overcoming something that you have been frightened of can be seen as an opportunity for growth. Read what great minds have said about emotional resilience and try to implement their thoughts for improving your life. An example of this can be found in the Stoic philosophy of self-control.
Another crucial part is reducing stress. Some stress is inevitable in our lives; however, things can go downhill if it turns into a chronic situation. Working towards achieving work-life balance and taking out some time for your hobbies can be an effective stress management technique. Practicing yoga and meditation can also help you overcome debilitating stress.
3. Intellectual Wellness
What is intellectual wellness?
Is it something only academicians and intellectuals should worry about?
Intellectual health isn’t limited to academic circles; it affects all of us in every walk of life, directly or indirectly. It is about being creative, having a keenness to learn new things, and exercising common sense. Signs of intellectual wellness include the ability to entertain opinions different from your own, manage time, and critically analyze things.
If you want to improve on the intellectual plane, interacting with people with diverse opinions can help. Also, not limiting yourself to a comfort zone and positively learning from different life experiences can expand your intellect.
Again, exposing yourself to the ideas of great thinkers through reading their works will broaden your understanding of the world and life in general. Lastly, remember that intellectual wellness doesn’t exist in a bubble distant from other aspects of holistic wellness. Taking this into account, stay healthy physically and mentally while you work toward improving your intellectual health.
4. Spiritual Wellness
Spirituality deals with knowing yourself, finding meaning in your life, and attaining inner peace and contentment. To ensure holistic health and wellness, spiritual development is important.
How do you grow spiritually?
You can work toward spiritual wellness by reflecting on your life and experiences. Ask yourself: Do you believe in certain values, and what is the main driving force in your life? Here, meditation can help you to slow down and explore your inner self.
5. Social Wellness
Social wellness allows you to develop healthy relationships with others and care for them. It also helps you by providing company in difficult times. Furthermore, a positive social network can help you get rid of social anxiety and improve your self-esteem.
To attain social wellness, certain qualities, such as being a good listener and empathy, can help. Take some time to be with your friends or family members. You can also join a group of like-minded people who share your hobbies or interests. Your goal should be to build meaningful relationships based on mutual understanding and care.
6. Vocational Wellness
Do you love your work and find meaning in it?
If your answer is yes, you are enjoying vocational wellness. If not, there are a few things you need to consider to improve your situation. Ask yourself what interests and professional skills you have and whether they align with the values you care for. What would it take to bring about change, and how will you achieve that?
Vocational wellness is the foundation on which excellence in any field of work or study is based. It helps you realize your highest potential in the area of your expertise.
7. Financial Wellness
Good financial health enables you to follow your interests and sustain a desirable lifestyle. However, remember that financial wellness can be relative, and you shouldn’t feel obliged to meet the standards set by others but to work according to your own values and aspirations.
You may need to pause and ask yourself if the things you spend money on are actually useful. Making investments as a well-informed decision, financially planning for your future, and setting aside funds for emergencies are practices that can improve your financial health.
8. Environmental Wellness
The environment in which you live or work can affect your physical and mental health. Environmental wellness focuses on improving the environment around you to make it more conducive to good health.
Examples of environmental wellness practices include keeping your home and workplace clean and well-ventilated, avoiding exposure to harmful pollutants and allergens, following basic hygiene standards in public places such as in swimming pools, etc.
Improve the Quality of Life Through a Holistic Wellness Approach
As good overall health is a combination of different dimensions of wellness, maintaining balance between them is important. This is where holistic health and wellness come into the picture.
You can design your own holistic wellness program using the tips covered in this article. However, if you find that difficult, joining a holistic approach center for health and wellness can help. These centers provide you with various therapies based on the holistic wellness approach, for example, yoga, meditation, nutritional counseling, etc.
So, what’s holding you back?
Explore new ways for healthy living through the holistic wellness program and watch yourself transform positively.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I assess my current wellness across these eight dimensions?
To evaluate your wellness, you might want to do a self-assessment for each measure. Think about things like, “How do I feel physically?” Am I able to handle my feelings? Do I have ties that help me? Wellness surveys and journals are the best tools that can help you figure out what needs work and keep track of your progress over time.
2. What practical steps can I take to enhance my physical wellness?
Eating a healthy diet, working out regularly, getting enough sleep, and dealing with stress are all ways to improve physical wellness. Integrating things you enjoy, like dancing or camping, into your fitness routine can make it more fun. Also, getting regular check-ups is important for keeping an eye on your general health.
3. In what ways does emotional wellness influence my mental health?
Emotional wellness is important for mental health because it means being able to understand and control your feelings. You can deal with worry, become more resilient, and keep a good attitude if you have a strong mental base. Emotional wellness can be improved by practicing awareness, going to therapy, or doing creative things.
4. How can I cultivate social wellness and strengthen my relationships?
To improve your social health, you need to make an effort to make and keep important relationships. Do things in your neighborhood; join clubs or groups that interest you, and make time for spending quality time with family and friends. To keep these ties strong, you need to talk to each other and listen.
5. What strategies can I employ to improve my environmental wellness and create a healthier living space?
Being aware of your surroundings and making choices to improve your living area are part of improving environmental health. Get rid of unnecessary things, add plants, and make sure your house has enough air flow. To make the environment healthier and more sustainable, you might also want to cut down on trash, recycle, and use items that are good for the environment.
Sources
- https://www.nih.gov/health-information/environmental-wellness-toolkit
- https://www.unomaha.edu/student-life/presidents-wellness-committee/social-wellness.php
- https://www.se.edu/student-wellness/intellectual-wellness/
- https://www.unh.edu/health/spiritual-wellness
- https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit
- https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
- https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499909/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/