Holistic approaches to addiction and alcoholism provide great assistance throughout the stages of the recovery program. During detoxification, therapeutic interventions, skill building, and aftercare, improving physical well-being through holistic approaches is vital in regaining personal balance.
What is Holistic Health?
Holistic health includes your body, mind, social, and spirit. As the human body is interconnected to our physical body, it depends on our mental state and vice versa. Everything is interconnected. What you think, what you feel, what you do or don’t do affects your thoughts. Accordingly, we need to approach our well-being from a holistic perspective.
What are the Aspects of Holistic Health?
Taking care of yourself holistically to achieve physical wellness also affects your mental, social, and spiritual aspects.
Physical Well-being
As the body is often described as a vessel, taking care of it is vital to maintain stability and flexibility. Taking care of it prevents diseases.
Mental Well-being
Mental well-being includes being mindful of your thoughts, emotions, and the factors influencing your interactions with others.
Social Well-being
Social support is one of the essential aspects of our well-being. It includes your connection with others and how you interact, connect, and form bonds with others. Your social support affects your mental well-being.
Spiritual Well-being
Spiritual well-being encompasses connecting to the inner self and believing in a higher power. It may help us find meaning and purpose and inspire us to move forward.
What are the Ways to Achieve Holistic Health?
There are many ways to develop holistic well-being. The goal here is to strengthen the mind-body connection. It will lead you to engage with your inner self and core.
As it is interconnected, having a healthy support system provides a healthy mind that will lead to a healthy body. Below are some ways you can achieve this:
Keep Moving
Getting enough movement will enhance your mood and help you have a good night’s rest. Your daily movements strengthen our joints and make us flexible. It helps boost the immune system.
Eat Nutritious Food
Always eat nutrient-rich food. Having a healthy diet enhances the health of our organs. Consuming adequate amounts of nutrition ensures our organs’ health. It releases essential hormones for our brain and mind.
Have Enough Rest
We live a fast-paced lifestyle, so if you feel tired more than usual, you must focus on getting enough rest. Sleeping with the right amount helps improve memory, enhance creativity, and help deal with daily stress. Sleep and rest are needed to help you physically recover.
Use of Substances
Substance abuse from tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs provides only momentary relief, but it does more harm than good in all aspects of your well-being. It is terrible for your health and may cause you to drift away from society.
Manage Your Thoughts
Our minds are part of the temple, not just our physical body. Focus on a routine or habit to help you manage your thoughts. Organizing our thoughts well requires focusing on what is helpful to you and what is not.
Express Your Emotions
As the saying goes, “Express, don’t suppress.” Suppressing our emotions creates both mental and physical stress. Experiencing frequent pains and aches may remind you that your feelings impact your body.
Build Healthy Connections
During the pandemic, it allowed us to understand the importance of having someone with us during crises. Your support system can include family, loved ones, friends, or colleagues. The suitable support systems provide a safe space to express yourself during tough times.
How Do You Integrate Holistic Health Into Your Daily Life?
As you start going on with your life during the recovery program, you may find daily life overwhelming. Due to the fast-paced lifestyle, taking care of your overall well-being can be a handful. However, planning well helps you avoid putting crucial aspects of your life on the sideline. You can prioritize your holistic well-being while having a busy life by following these simple steps:
- As soon as you wake up, plan on a goal for well-being. It can be as easy as eating a healthy breakfast, a 10-minute exercise, or a self-care activity.
- Start with baby steps. Small wins release dopamine, the reward chemical that increases your motivation. Provide even just 10 minutes of the day to your well-being.
- Get an accountability partner or supportive community. Find people who want to work on the same well-being goals as you. Having a healthy support system encourages us.
- Focus on the positives. Keep looking at small progress as it keeps you motivated and increases your chances of success.
- Trust yourself and your process.
Doing this daily will help you maintain a holistic lifestyle. Consistency enables you to stick to your overall well-being. It is a continuous, lifelong process that doesn’t happen overnight.
