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6 Ways To Live A More Holistic Lifestyle

Holistic therapy is an area of health that has seen a surge in popularity over recent years and is expected to continue this meteoric rise well into the future. While conventional and western medicine has its established place, learning how to care for your mind and spirit and achieve physical health is invaluable. 

A holistic lifestyle relates to encompassing a way of being that nourishes the mind, body, and soul. Internal balance can ensue when all three aspects are taken care of. This ultimately leads to happiness, improved well-being, health, and life outcomes. 

In these fast-paced and uncertain times, focusing solely on the external or factors outside your control can become a natural habit. Living a more holistic lifestyle can empower you to become more attentive and listen to your inner knowledge system. 

Overall, living a holistic lifestyle can mean adding and eliminating different habits in your routine. Here are six proven ways to live a more holistic lifestyle that anyone, including you, can get started with today.

1. Build a morning and evening routine building

A morning and evening routine will form a safe space to connect to your mind, emotions, body, and spirit – what holistic health is all about.

Taking this time to communicate with your inner self can be invaluable to boosting your productivity during the day. See if you can carve 30 minutes from the start and end of your day away from technology and distractions. 

Morning routines can involve any number of practices that you like. Ideally, notice how your body, emotions and mind feel after taking 

– 5 minutes to stretch on a mat or perform a guided meditation 

– 5 minutes to write a list of things that you are grateful for today or journal about whatever is on your mind

– 5 minutes to enjoy a fresh coffee paying particular attention to its smell and taste

You may prefer to set your morning routine as simply sitting in a quiet kitchen by yourself with a cup of tea, the window open and sunlight on your face. As highlighted in the best-selling novel “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, small atomic habits are part of the compound growth system. What you practice regularly will become routine. 

Also, remember that it may take some time to become fully accustomed to your morning routine. As such, it’s always best to build up the practice slowly in a way that works for you rather than trying to do too much.

2. Determine what matters to you – get in touch with values.

Notice if you can pinpoint your values – the things in life that matter most to you. Every individual has different values, which is why striving to live your life in a way that someone else does, might not necessarily make you feel complete in the same way.

Some examples of values are – freedom, adventure, intimate connection, and financial security. Living a more holistic lifestyle can be as simple as removing the things from your life that don’t align with your values and focusing more on the things that do matter. Journalling and meditation practices can be an excellent way to discover your deals. 

3. Be conscious of your thoughts.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is a treatment approach that studies how thoughts affect emotions and, in turn, behaviour (cogbtherapy.com). Adopting techniques from CBT can help you to identify how your feelings and thoughts affect your actions.

The ideas that you engage with make up your inner belief system. Therefore, situations will be filtered positively or negatively. Practising positive thinking without engaging in toxic positivity can help you to boost your emotional and physical health

4. Practice quality sleep

Getting a healthy number of hours per night of sleep can scientifically help you in your quest to live a more holistic lifestyle. A healthy number of hours of sleep is still not a universally defined term. However, you will commonly see the bar being set between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

Sleep can help you to process emotions, improve memory and gain clarity. According to John Hopkins sleep expert and neurologist Mark Wu (MD., PhD), getting a healthy amount of sleep is essential for “brain plasticity”, otherwise known as the brain’s unique ability to adapt to input.

By sleeping too little, one becomes unable to process what has been learned during the day, and it becomes harder to remember it in the future. Wu states, “When people don’t get enough sleep, their health risks rise. Symptoms of depression, seizures, high blood pressure and migraines worsen”. 

By practising meditation or journalling before bed, using essential oils, reading an easy book, or just enforcing a wind-down process, you can set yourself up to fall asleep faster. 

All these factors may play a role in creating a more holistic lifestyle.

5. Practice mindfulness

Practising mindfulness is a form of holistic therapy and can be a great way to live in the now rather than being distant and stuck in the past or future. Being mindful can be as simple as:

– Take off your shoes and notice how it feels to be barefoot in the grass or soil

– Drinking a cup of tea without distractions 

– Eating intuitively and slowly when you feel hungry as opposed to scrolling on the phone, watching tv or rushing around. 

– Being present with friends and family by genuinely listening to them without distraction. 

– Eating and tasting fresh fruit or vegetables. Remember the last time you honestly tasted tomatoes?

– Going for a walk-in nature paying particular attention to the air as well as seasons and colours 

6. Keeping active

Keeping moving and active constantly are great ways to pull closer to your holistic lifestyle goals, including boosting your overall fitness.

The World Health Organisation recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. That said, a holistic, active lifestyle goes beyond your daily workout.

Organize a reunion with some of your classmates or university acquaintances. Keep your body moving by taking the stairs, cycling instead of driving, playing with your dog, helping your friend move house, and getting up from your desk regularly.

Conclusion

There you have it! We’ve shared six great ways to get started with your holistic lifestyle. Starting all six initiatives at the same time can be complicated and daunting. We recommend starting with the easiest one for you and building your way up. 

It’s also possible that some of our initiatives to get started with a holistic lifestyle may not be the best for you. In such cases, feel free to adapt them or focus on aspects which specifically work for you.

What’s more, if you realize you aren’t getting anywhere after a while, feel free to switch the initiative and focus on a new one instead. You can also find a holistic therapist to help you get started.

Remember that living a holistic lifestyle is not an overnight process – it can take weeks, months and even years to get to a place you are more satisfied with.

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