10 Holistic Ways To Heal Your Body, Mind, And Soul

Good health is often synonymous with chugging glass after glass of green juice and grunting through several sets at the gym. And although physical health is vital, what keeps many of us from truly feeling and looking our best is the fact that we overlook our mental and emotional health. The mind is intricately connected to our body and both work together towards spiritual healing and helping us feel good about ourselves. For instance, if you’ve had a long period of stress, you’re likely to feel nauseated or experience physical pain or illness, which in turn can make you feel unsettled and unhappy. Ensuring that you nourish not just your body but also your mind and soul is at the helm of wellness as well as holistic healing. If you’re confused about how you can go about doing this, we’ve got a few that will set you on the right track.

1. Get A Restful Night Of Sleep

We often take a good night’s rest for granted. But if you’ve ever woken up tired and found yourself feeling grumpy for the rest of the day, you’d know what we mean when we tell you that getting by on very little sleep can throw your physical and emotional health out of whack. Most experts will recommend 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night for adults. Anything under this amount of time over a while can lead to an increased risk of injury, physical exhaustion, and mental and physical health problems. Getting the right amount of sleep can help your body recuperate and help it function to the best of its abilities.

2. Have A Gratitude Journal

It’s easy to forget to take a moment to be thankful for what we do have the privilege of calling our own. Grab a notebook and a pen and make a note of all the people, opportunities, events, or things in your life that you’re truly grateful for. You could do this first thing in the morning or right before you head to bed.  Something as seemingly simple as this activity can help relieve stress, remind you of the people you care about, and help you have a more positive outlook on life.

3. Head Out To Exercise

What’s better than getting your everyday workout in? It’s heading outside to perform the said workout routine. Regular exercise improves your ability to sleep, stimulates the release of chemicals in the brain that help you relieve stress, and ensures that your bodily functions are working at their best. And if that’s not the formula to good health and happiness, we don’t know what is. 

However, what’s even better than just working out is to head out and get a run, cycle, or jog in. Hang from monkey bars and get innovative with playgrounds if you have one around the corner as well. If you can’t find the time to do a dedicated workout, try to walk or ride a bike to work. Plan hikes on your days off and enjoy being in nature. Getting enough sun is vital to get your vitamin D, an essential nutrient that manages mood and overall brain functioning. And being around plants and green space can help lower the risk of several neurological conditions. These combined with all the benefits exercising gives you, make for the perfect combination to nurture a healthy body, mind, and soul.

It’s always a good idea to make time for the people we care for the most. Get a conversation in every day and bond with a friend or family member at least once a week. Besides being able to catch up on how things are going for both of you, it’ll also give you a chance to talk about your worries, if any, and receive some comforting advice. Humans are social creatures and so it’s natural that keeping in touch and staying connected, in whatever capacity you can, will help you thrive.

5. Meditate Every Day

Most of you would’ve seen this one coming but we’d be remiss if we left meditation off of this comprehensive list. You don’t have to do it for too long or get it right each time, all you have to do is show up each day for your meditation practice until it becomes a habit. Meditation has been found to relieve stress, slow down the rate of cellular aging and prevent skin aging, and stave off age-related disease.  Besides this, it also improves memory and attention, lifts mood, strengthens immune functioning, and helps you stay creative. And all it takes is a few minutes a day to reap all of these benefits. Try guided meditation if you’re just starting out.

6. Find Reasons To Laugh

The best way to get to a healthier heart is to roll on the floor laughing. Studies have found that laughter can lower stress hormones, increase the levels of “good” cholesterol, and ease inflammation in the arteries. Getting a good laugh in also releases endorphins, which are natural chemicals in the body that promote a sense of well-being. And since these effects last for at least 24 hours, it’s no surprise that laughter is known as the best medicine.

7. Eat Your Greens

Another obvious bit of guidance that turns out to be not-so-obvious when you take a look at how few people follow it. The adage that you are what you eat couldn’t be more true. Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables has been found to prevent chronic disease, maintain healthy brain functioning, keep skin healthy, and improve mood. So head out to your local farmer’s market and buy fresh, seasonal produce every week. Chug some healthy green smoothies, ensure you’re getting the whole rainbow of colors of fruits and veggies in your diet every day, and try to eat foods closest to their natural state. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for it.

8. Make Time For What Makes You Happy

Life’s too short to spend it doing something that doesn’t bring joy to you. Read, self-reflect, and talk to loved ones to discover what your passions are. Visualize what it would be like to engage in these passions and set aside time each day to go about it. Work and the hustle of life can keep us from truly appreciating how happy painting, dancing, gardening, or learning a new language can make us feel. Rediscover your passions and watch as your soul begins to heal.

9. Stop Trying To Please Everyone

It’s impossible to go through life without upsetting a few people. And while it is important to be kind to everyone, if you always go out of your way to keep people happy, they’ll walk all over you. Not to mention it will leave you feeling miserable. Instead, focus on just a few people in your life that you can truly trust and appreciate and give them your time and attention. As for the others, learn to say no. There’s no bigger service that you can do for yourself.

10. Spring Clean Your Life And Relationships

Clear out all that space in your brain that’s occupied by people and relationships that are toxic. This includes any people who’ve hurt you, any jobs that drained you, and any unhealthy relationships (platonic and otherwise) that you’ve held on to all this while. Once that extra baggage is off your mind, your spirit will feel a lot more at ease. 

Nourishing your body, mind, and soul can take a bit of work but if you work on each of these, one by one, you’ll likely be leagues more content than you are at this point in time. Be sure to take it slow and steady and have patience with yourself.