Today we hear a lot about mind, body, holistic and wellness. What exactly does all this mean and how does it benefit your life? Holistic defined: characterised by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Mental: we can add emotional. Body: can be social or physical.
The emotional impact on our well-being can be challenging and overlooked and overwhelming. It can be embarrassing when we are losing the battle of life. If we balanced our emotional and social and physical lives what would be left? Our challenges as a species lie in learning to balance these components; the ones you can see and the ones you cannot.
Busy is a word I hear frequently from patients. I’m really busy!!! Been super busy this week! Trying to keep up at work; really busy! Full schedule at home and work, too busy! I am so busy right now and have been the last couple of months…!!!
And we wonder why we have hypertension, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, aching hips and tight backs and scrambled digestion. The busy world is winning while we clamber to keep a foot of an illness.
The truth lies in slowing down and reminding ourselves there is only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year. We are all guilty of running the rat race and when we finally crash immediate measures are taken. Whether it’s a new exercise programme, detox, diet, water binge, and a long list of vitamins and minerals to ingest. Our fragile schedules need a bit more than a booster shot.
Wellness defined: the state of being in good health, as an actively pursued goal. So this means we take action before we are completely broken or partially broken. Most humans take vitamins when they are already sick with the sniffles, exercising when our waistlines are busting, catching up on sleep with the TV blaring in the background, limping helplessly in to your chiropractor after 3 years of around the clock work.
Were all guilty and most of us already know this. Just like a good walk through the park and some deep breaths; we need reminders. Because we are the sum total of our decisions. Like someone once said to me: addiction is just a fancy word for habit. I like to agree—our habits not only define our future but shape the present moment… When this moment is over our lives will be filled with other snapshots of moments.
Our health may not define who we are but it certainly defines what we can do and what we hope to be. Having healthy limbs and functioning organs is taken for granted until there gone. And we all need to be reminded that life and our limbs and our organs keep us smiling and this is worth more than just a reminder…
