Integrating Holistic Strategies into your Mental Wellness
Improving your mental and emotional wellness is something that can positively impact your life in many ways. The key is to focus on integrating holistic strategies into your mental “repertoire.”
The traits and characteristics of a person all work together to create that person, right? They have physical characteristics, emotional traits, particular ways of thinking, and other unique identifiers.
Therefore, it makes sense to say that all of these parts of a person are interconnected. Oftentimes, changes in one affect another. For example, if a person experiences an emotionally traumatic event (a mental change) and then turns to alcohol to cope, physical changes like liver failure can eventually take hold.
Negative changes aren’t the only changes that affect a “whole person.” Positive changes have an impact, too. This is where taking a holistic approach to mental health comes in.
What Does “Holistic” Mean?
But, what does “holistic strategies” mean? The best way to remember the definition of “holistic” is to think: “holistic” = “whole” person.
Holistic treatment, holistic strategies, and anything else that is “holistic” have to do with the entire person, and not just one aspect of them. For example, a person who is recovering from a substance use disorder has a better chance of making a full recovery when a holistic approach to treatment is taken. In other words, it’s when treatment focuses on treating the mind, body, and spirit instead of only the physical addiction.
Holistic Strategies for Mental Wellness
Taking a holistic approach to mental health helps people identify functional and emotional challenges they face, which makes dealing with them easier, less stressful, and more effective.
Basically, holistic strategies are those that can be done that impact all “parts” of a person, not just one. Everyone has different likes and dislikes when it comes to activities they enjoy. What one person finds helpful for relieving stress someone else may find to be stressful.
However, some of the most popular and effective holistic strategies for mental health include things like:
● Sleeping well
● Doing yoga
● Practicing meditation
● Getting regular physical activity
● Ensuring good nutrition
These holistic activities improve a person’s overall well-being.
Sleeping Well
Sleeping well has an enormous number of positive effects on a person’s mental, physical, and emotional health. It reduces stress and improves your mood, helps you think more clearly, boosts the immune system, promotes a healthy weight, and sharpens focus.
Doing Yoga
Yoga is a powerful holistic strategy for taking care of yourself because it’s a blend of physical exercise, breathwork, and mindfulness all rolled into one. There are several different types of yoga that are available, too.
Practicing Meditation
Meditation has long been an effective way of helping the mind enter a relaxed state to reduce stress and anxiety. When stress and anxiety are high, they increase heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and many other physical functions. Meditation can help keep the mind and body in check.
Getting Regular Physical Activity
Physical activity delivers many benefits to the body, but it also has many mental benefits, as well. These include distracting your brain from worry and giving it a break from negative thoughts, improving sleep, enhancing self-esteem, and boosting concentration, to name a few.
Ensuring Good Nutrition
Studies have shown many times that what we eat affects how we think, how we feel, and how we deal with daily life. A balanced diet boosts brain health and regulates moods, especially things like fruits and vegetables, oily fish, whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy, and others.
Incorporating some holistic strategies into your life will not only boost your mental health but also your physical, spiritual, and emotional health, too. Working with a mental health professional can help you devise holistic strategies for your life; contact us at South Cove Counseling today to book a consultation.