Holistic Health: Mind, Body, and Soul – Tips for a Balanced Life
What does holistic mean? It means looking at the whole of something, not just part of it. Holistic health care involves treating not just symptoms but causes. Pain is a symptom as it tells you something is wrong and makes you protect the part that hurts. But that isn’t necessarily the root of the pain, so we must look at the wider picture. If we take care of our mind, body, and soul, that covers everything, so it must be our overall aim.
Funding the Self-Treatment
This trip is going to cost money, and if you can’t afford it right now but you really need it, it’s time to take out a personal loan. Explain to your lender exactly what you’re doing and, if you’ve got a good track record, approval shouldn’t be a problem. A relatively small amount, repayable over a period (make sure it’s doable or you’re storing up more trouble) can keep everyone happy. Then go off and have yourself a holistic break. You deserve it.
The Body
Let’s look at this first because it is the one that we’re accustomed to treating. But, again, many people only treat the symptoms, not the causes. To keep the body functioning well, we have to maintain a good diet to provide everything the human soft machine needs, in terms of energy, nutrition, and renewal. Having a balanced diet means getting enough protein (for building and maintenance), carbohydrates (for energy) and vitamins and minerals (natural chemicals needed to help everything function). Let’s not forget hydration. We need plenty of water to keep everything clean and running, sweeping impurities out by nature’s wonderful automatic cleaning process.
It doesn’t have to be just water, but that’s the one that contains no undesirable additives. Drinks such as coffee and tea are diuretics, which encourage the body to shed water. Soft drinks are often loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. That includes fruit juices, which seem so innocent but have concentrated fructose, which is nothing but sugar. Water, which in this country is free and comes directly into every home, is essentially free of additives (and if yours has something like chlorine or a metallic taste, you can use a filter to get rid of that).
The Mind
Mental health is the new concern, the subject everyone seems to be talking about. Sports stars and other celebrities are now opening up about depression and anxiety, while as a result, the rest of us feel able to talk about such things in our own lives. We are learning to understand ourselves better and not make such unthinking demands. The act of admitting something to us and talking about it to others can take the kettle off the hob and stop it boiling.
Poor mental health can afflict everyone, from childhood to old age, and it can have any number of causes. The key, as we are increasingly coming to realize, is to acknowledge it, just as we would with a physical ailment. If something is damaged, it needs to be healed. If your mind is exhausted, it needs to be rested, just like the body does. The soul. If the body is our apparatus and the mind the computer system that controls the device, our soul is something that exists above and beyond those things. It’s who we are, and it needs to be looked after in much the same way.
Give Yourself a Break
Sometimes to boost selfcare and wellness we all need some down time, a period when we can rest the body and the mind, which in turn provides balm for the soul. Often the best way to achieve this is to have a change of scenery, and that means getting away. To give yourself a complete break, maybe you need to go hundreds or even thousands of miles, to the sea, the mountains or wherever the body, mind and soul can relax and regenerate.
Maybe for you it’s not the peace and quiet you need, but some physical activity like surfing, or even watching some motor racing. Whatever floats your boat, the first thing to do is arrange some free time. If you’ve got a week or two owed from work, get your request in and start planning. If you don’t have time owed, you can use a weekend: a couple of days away can make a big difference and feel like a lot longer.
Just that change of surroundings, the quality of the light, the smell of the air, and the absence of the mundane things in your life can make a difference. Go to a different café, eat some different food. Enjoy the luxury of having a glass of wine at a table outside, without having to worry about where you’ve got to be and what you’ve got to do in a few hours’ time. It’s the sense of freedom that is so rewarding, so healing.
