What’s Holistic Health and Why Does It Matter?
Have you heard of holistic health? Holistic health means seeing health as multidimensional rather than being without illness or injury.
Instead of focusing on a single illness or physical health problem, holistic health means treating the person as a whole. This means considering their physical health, but also their mental, emotional, social, and even spiritual health.
Holistic health can include things like alternative therapy and meditation but also means thinking about what goes into your body, your stress levels, and your home life.
In this article, we’ll cover the core principles of holistic health, what this means in practice, and a few small changes you can make to support your health in a more holistic way.
The Pillars of Holistic Health
Holistic health can be broken down into several different “pillars” or topics. All these pillars contribute to a person’s health and wellbeing.
Physical Health
Physical health is the most obvious aspect of health.
Most of us know that physical health is important and can recognise it’s time to visit the doctor if we’ve physically injured ourselves or are feeling unwell.
But treating a physical illness or injury is just one way to look after our health. At this point, things have already started to go wrong. Looking after our physical health at an earlier stage can help our bodies to function at their best and reduce the risk of developing illnesses later on.
Some of the most important ways to look after your health include:
- Balanced nutrition
- Regular physical exercise
- Getting enough good-quality sleep
Let’s find out more about each.
Nutrition
What you eat is essential for good health, but with so many ultra-processed, high-fat, and high-sugar foods, eating healthily can be a challenge.
Your diet provides your body with all the nutrients it needs to power itself and stay healthy which not only impacts your energy levels and mental health, it also affects your long-term risk of developing health problems.
Eating a diet rich in whole, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats is a great way to support your health.
Exercise
Regular movement benefits both your physical and mental health. Both resistance and aerobic exercise help keep your body healthy and reduce the risk of health problems like arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, bowel cancer, and even dementia.
Exercise is also great for your mood as it releases hormones called endorphins that can make you feel happier and relaxed. Working out is a good way to cope with stress, increase your energy levels, and to sleep better at night too.
Sleep
Sleep is the time when your body rests and recovers. Most of us need between 7-9 hours of sleep but 1 in 5 of us aren’t getting enough of it.
Both lack of sleep and poor-quality sleep can negatively affect your mood, immune system, metabolism, and your concentration. It’s easy to brush off a lack of sleep as part of modern life, but it’s an important aspect of health.
To improve both the quality and quantity of your sleep, aim to get into a consistent bedtime routine where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Try to stay off your phone and other screens in the hour before sleep, and keep your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet.
Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Mental health has received more attention in recent years, and society is beginning to better prioritise mental health, but there’s still a way to go.
Mental health and wellbeing allows people to deal with the stresses of life, make decisions, and function as a member of society. There’s more to mental health than not having a mental health disorder. It’s about how you cope with stress, build relationships, and deal with your emotions.
Managing Stress
Stress is an inevitable fact of life, but how you deal with your stress can massively impact your health.
Some people manage stress by turning to smoking, drinking, or drugs, but this can lead to health problems. Finding healthy ways to cope with stress, like working out, meditation, or discussing it with your social support system, can really help your wellbeing long-term.
Social Connections
Connecting with others and forming meaningful relationships is an essential aspect of health and wellbeing that can be overlooked.
Your support system is there when things get tough, but your social network also helps you to live a rich, happy life. Several studies have connected social connections to health and happiness, so even though meeting people and maintaining relationships can be tiring, it’s usually worth the effort.
Intellectual Wellbeing
Another part of emotional and mental wellbeing is engaging your mind. This means stimulating your brain by learning new skills, engaging in intellectually stimulating conversation, challenging yourself at work, or keeping your mind sharp with puzzles or games. Scientific theory suggests intellectual wellbeing is important for a positive sense of self and emotional wellbeing.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness looks different to everyone because it is so personal.
The word spiritual may make you think of religion, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Although some people find that religion and a religious community are an important part of their wellbeing, spirituality also covers how you find meaning in life.
Whether you believe in a higher being or not, finding purpose, feeling gratitude, connecting with nature, and living in the moment all contribute to spiritual wellness.
Environmental Factors
Your surroundings can really impact your overall health. Your environment includes your immediate surroundings, like your workspace or area of the home, but also the area you live in and your wider community.
Although environmental factors aren’t always things you can change due to financial or practical reasons, there are usually small changes to be made.
Some studies suggest that an environment that is more “natural” triggers creativity and can even reduce anxiety. Adding more natural elements to your environment, like adding some plants, or spending more time in nature may be an easy way to support your health and wellbeing.
Toxins and pollution can negatively affect both your physical and mental health. Although you may not be able to change what’s going on outside your home, you can control what happens inside it. It might be worth thinking about the chemicals you use to clean, whether you’re using a gas hob to cook on, and pesticides you use in the garden, amongst other things.
Holistic Health and Complementary/Alternative Therapies
We’ve talked about what holistic health is and some of the ways to look after the different aspects of your health. But some people choose to support their health and wellness with complementary and alternative therapies.
Complementary and alternative medicine falls outside of the mainstream healthcare system provided by the NHS. Sometimes these therapies are used to maintain health (like yoga or meditation), but they can also be used as a treatment for a specific problem (like acupuncture).
Although some people experience real benefits from these treatments, there often isn’t enough scientific evidence to say that they definitely help. These therapies often take a holistic approach to treatment which can be helpful, but they shouldn’t be used to replace evidence-based treatment from a regulated healthcare professional.
Let’s break down some of the most common complementary treatments.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness involves being present in the moment without judgement. It might involve you focusing on your body or your environment, and it can help people maintain their daily wellbeing. Some studies suggest that mindfulness can help people manage their depression, anxiety, and stress.
Meditation shares some similarities with mindfulness, as it also aims to quieten and calm the mind, and can help with depression, anxiety, and stress management. Although there are different types of meditation, they try to focus the wandering mind on stillness.
Yoga
A popular alternative therapy, yoga traditionally has both a physical and a spiritual aspect to it. It focuses on flexibility, breathing, and often includes some meditation too. Studies suggest that yoga can help people with managing stress, regulating their mood and emotions, and improve overall health and wellbeing.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves inserting tiny needles into parts of the body to stimulate the nerves and muscles. This technique is used to improve chronic pain, sleep, anxiety, and depression.
There’s limited evidence as to how effective acupuncture is for mental health problems and research is ongoing, but it is recommended by the NHS for migraines and chronic pain in some cases.
Why Does Holistic Health Matter?
Holistic health takes a different approach to health and wellbeing.
By viewing the body and mind holistically, the aim is to treat the whole person rather than focusing on one specific condition. The purpose is to achieve long-term health and wellness and to prevent health problems as well as treat them.
Physical health is important, but it’s only part of the story. Thinking holistically means also considering the role your mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and even intellectual health play in your overall health and wellbeing.