Holistic lifestyle is a journey.

Now you must be wondering where the hell have you landed on another website talking about Holistic lifestyle and telling you how to live and how to be mindful .  

Ahhh! I have tried everything and nothing works. People just write things for the sake of it . 

All these hacks and tips and tricks about holistic living are just useless.

We have lost the art of being mindful and are running behind the trend of mastering the art of multitasking, eating on the go, prioritizing our work life over our body needs and many other habits or trends we have picked up that have become an unconscious aspect of our life and now its a part of our lifestyle.

We have incorporated these aspects into our lifestyle in such a way that we cannot imagine not living this way. 

It has become the new normal but let me tell you the new normal is actually an abnormal way of living.

I assume by now you must be wondering what is the normal way of living then?

What is a holistic Lifestyle? What is Holistic living? 

SO let’s jump into answering your questions 

What is Holistic living?

If you google the meaning of “holistic” it says whole or complete – everything is interconnected.

That is exactly what holistic living means, considering each and every aspect of your life and paying equal attention to the body, mind, emotions and your soul.

Holistic living means being aware that all of these are connected and they influence each other.

Holistic living is a way of living a balanced life that is healthy and sustainable. Holistic lifestyle is a mindset and not some sort of a diet that you force yourself into.

So what is holistic lifestyle then you may ask

When you start incorporating small changes into your ways of living and they naturally become a habit which over a period of time becomes a lifestyle, this is a holistic lifestyle. 

You naturally start looking at the big picture. You just do not focus on one aspect like eating well, spirituality, personal growth etc, you focus on everything as it is all interconnected. 

Holistic lifestyle isn’t just about using herbs or natural remedies or crystals etc to heal yourself, It includes many other aspects also.

Holistic lifestyle is not one size fits all kind of thing, it is a journey and not a destination.

It’s all about exploring and finding what works for you and then trying to incorporate those thighs in your life.

For example – If you are anxious about something in your life and are restless this may lead to physical symptoms such as insomnia, headache or stomach issues.Now in this case a holistic health practitioner will not only treat the physical issues but also help you dealing with the emotional issue. The treatment may include breathing techniques, journaling, mindfulness etc.

It is because from a holistic point of view it is important to look at the big picture and understand that there are many factors that can influence each other.

Another aspect of Holistic living is being mindful about your thoughts and actions 

As our thoughts dictate how we experience the world , our thoughts impact how we interpret situations , they impact our self esteem and our happiness.

Now that you have reached so far you must be wondering 

How can one practice a holistic approach to life?

One important point is not to leave everything to your logical thinking , it’s always tempting but one should avoid.

Do not shut off your emotions even in areas like your workplace.

A holistic approach which includes the heart and the brain will always help us by making us  more aware , motivated and being satisfied. It will always help us to face different challenges in our life successfully.

For me Holistic lifestyle means

• Being more mindful about all the aspects of my life
• Keeping a check on my eating habits 
• Making sure to keep a check on the thoughts and the over thinking tendency 
• Practicing meditation and gratitude
• Sticking to my schedule and not being distracted 
• Tending to different aspects of my mind, body and health and my emotions 

But for you it can be something like not talking while you’re eating, walking to work instead of taking a taxi, pulling out some time to sit by yourself in silence, meditation, Being more mindful about your words and actions and so much more .

Holistic lifestyle can also mean 

Writing journals, expressing gratitude, working on your inner child and tending to the emotions, being mindful towards your patterns of living and so much more .

Just remember holistic living not one size fits all it’s just finding your balance and tending to your needs in a more mindful and nurturing way.

Holistic lifestyle for beginners 

 As a beginner the first thing to remember is 

We are all different individuals, our lifestyle , upbringing , belief systems and our environment everything is different. So when you start your holistic living journey never compare yourself to someone else.

Take it slowly and keep an awareness of your whole self . Making conscious efforts towards changing your patterns and being mindful of your ways.

Nurture your body with healthy food 

 For me this was the easiest thing to change and be mindful about. I started paying attention to what I ate and the quality of the food I ate. This way I managed to not eat junk and processed food and became more mindful. Thus clean eating became a natural part of my lifestyle.

Healthy eating is an important aspect towards a holistic approach to life, thus it becomes important to be mindful of our eating patterns .

Try to include healthy options and stick to food that is the closest to its natural form.

Include more whole food options and try to cook your meals – this will also help you save a lot of money.

By being mindful about our eating habits we will naturally shift towards eating clean meals that are full of minerals and vitamins. This will help us with our physical and mental health and you will also start noticing that you do not feel lethargic and are more active throughout the day.

Practicing mindfulness

Mindfulness means being fully conscious and aware of our thoughts , actions and our patterns. It means being in the moment and not trying to multitask  two or more activities at one time. Mindfulness is also a practice that one learns over time. It helps one to always be in the present moment.

How to be mindful

• Pay attention to your surrounding and moving your awareness towards the outside rather than mindlessly scrolling your device
• While you’re eating, try not to talk and focus on the food – the texture , the taste of the food, enjoy the process of eating.
• Initially taking out a few minutes of the day to focus on your breath, and then later on try to focus on your breath while you are doing some activity . Observe your breath, see how you breath when you are going through different emotions .
• Practice meditation even if  it is for 5 mins a day. You will start observing changes in yourself
• Above all try to be in the moment rather than thinking about you past or the future.

Practice self care 

Self care is something we often miss out on in the fast paced life. For some self care means eating your favorite food but one needs to understand that self care is an important aspect of holistic living.

Stop over exerting yourself , i know it is important to push yourself beyond our comfort zone but then there is a  difference between pushing ourselves and over exerting ourselves .

Learn to listen to your body when it says it needs rest, take a break and recharge yourself.

Paying attention to your needs. 

A large part of living a holistic lifestyle includes listening to your body and practicing self care.

I have been practicing self care for quite a while now , it has helped me not to over exhaust myself. 

Creating healthy habits 

Leading a holistic lifestyle also includes another aspect that we often overlook, this is creating healthy habits, sticking to a discipline.

Find habits that are enjoyable and sustainable for you. It can be anything like dancing, going for a run, joining a fitness class, enrolling yourself in a yoga class, swimming or writing or reading.  

I would always struggle with sticking to a new habit but then I found a way of mindfully incorporating it into my routine and making conscious efforts to do it.

Try creating a routine for yourself. It can be a morning routine or a bedtime routine and include healthy habits one by one.

Some of the healthy holistic lifestyle habits that i have successfully incorporated into my routine are 

• Early morning meditation
• Having a glass of lime water first thing in the morning
• Going for my swimming class regularly
• Journaling before going to bed 
• Saying a gratitude prayer every night

Try to be intentional

Being intentional means making a note of the things you like to do and doing it more often, but also during this process being mindful of your habits .

Start noticing about the things or actions that make you happy and keep you light and try incorporating more of that- it can be going out for an evening walk or something as small as listening to music .

Being intentional is an important part of holistic living 

Control stress and anxiety

Stress has become such a normal aspect of our life that we fail to realize how bad it is for our well being. Also we have got so used to being stressed that it has become a part of our identity.

Keeping a check on are you mindlessly scrolling the social media everyday or watching the television?

 Keeping a check if there are small ups and downs in your life do they ruin your entire day?

Do you find yourself always worked up and stressed about situations or things ?

Constant stress leads to anxiety and this further causes other physical health issues apart from mental disturbance.

You can practice holistic living in this situation by incorporating physical movement into your routine. Exercise plays an important role in managing stress, it is really important to move and break the pattern of thought.

Try to focus your energy on the right places by being conscious and aware of what is it that you can control and what you cannot. Then try to manage what you can and leave the rest.

Try listening to music, spend time with nature, play around with your pets or your kids or just join a laughter club.

What are the benefits of a Holistic lifestyle?

Holistic lifestyle has innumerable benefits . It helps us to be int now and when we are in the present moment half of our issues are resolved . It helps us with our mental health as we learn to be mindful and we get aware of our patterns and triggers. This helps us to deal with stress and anxiety.

Through holistic lifestyle practices we incorporate clean and healthy habits of eating over the period of time you will notice health changes and there will be more energy in your system.

Holistic living helps us to be more self aware about ourselves and slowly we start shifting towards a healthy mindset thus having a clear vision and purpose in life .

Holistic approach to life helps us to live a complete and harmonious life which empowers us on so many levels.

Parting thoughts 

Holistic lifestyle journey seems overwhelming but it is not, remember taking one step at a time like always and do not jump into it full throttle .

 As I have incorporated this lifestyle I have seen a major shift in my ways of being and doing things.

The whole aspect of holistic living is making a plan that works for yourself and that helps you be the best version of yourself which in turn helps you to vibrate on a much higher level.

One last thing that you should definitely try before starting your journey of holistic living

A small activity 

Everyone is mindlessly running after something unaware of their ways, no time to pause and take a look at themselves . 

If you keep doing this activity more often you will realize so many lifestyle patterns not only about others but about yourself also. You will start being more mindful in your own ways .

Once you start being mindful you will start moving towards other aspects of holistic living.

We all are here to break patterns and move out of the loop, the sooner we realize it the better