Wellbeing…More than just a healthy body!

06 March 2017

My health journey is ever evolving, and I love sharing my new learnings with all of you. I really believe that we are all students of life – not matter how much we know now, there is always more to learn, whether it be solidifying old knowledge, unlearning stale concepts to make way for fresh ones, discovering something completely new, or viewing that which you already know in a different light. There is something truly magical about continuous learning…It means we are forever growing, discovering, understanding and evolving.  And this very much applies to our health too!

As I delve deeper into my own journey of wellbeing, I realise more and more how deeply interconnected the mind and body really are. I know I have said this a million times, but I am going to say it again….health is so much more than just what you eat and how much you exercise…it’s about how you think too!

Your wellbeing encompasses your philosophies, your beliefs, the thoughts you contemplate daily, and the words you speak…it is the reality you create for yourself in totality which is informed by all of these aspects of yourself, and of life. Its how you deal with adversity, how you treat others, how you see yourself, the energy you bring to your own life, how you view others within your personal world, and how your subjective personal world interacts with the objective, physical world around you.

This is the essence of what I mean when I say health, or wellbeing,  is holistic – it’s a very deep rabbit hole to travel down, because the more you acquaint yourself with it, the deeper it seems to go – and you begin to realise how your wellbeing and your life in its entirety are inextricably interlinked.

Think about this picture for a second – Jane wants to work on her health and wellbeing (Go Jane!) She makes the decision to clean out her kitchen, and replaces all the junk with good clean, nourishing food; she makes time to exercise 5 times per week, and is sure to be in bed by 10pm every evening. She’s even begun a daily meditation practice.

If I stopped here, we could agree that Jane appears to be applying a very holistic approach to her wellbeing right?

BUT

What if I told you that Jane is also a high powered executive - her employees are deeply scared of her, she is very abrupt with virtually anyone she speaks to, treats everyone around her as if they are beneath her, and constantly runs others down. She complains constantly and has no interest in engaging with anyone who won’t serve her own interests.

Would you still say that Jane is applying a holistic approach to health?

You see, if you really break us (or the whole world for that matter) down into our most essential component parts, we are vibrating particles that exert a force or energy- and this energy can either be positive, or negative. What makes us as humans different, is that we have consciousness, or an awareness that we are alive, and this in turn gives us both great power and great responsibility over the type of energy we put out there.

Our consciousness exists way beyond our physical body, and this applies to our wellbeing too. The type of energy we exert into the world is very much a determinant of our own wellbeing – if our energy is toxic and dark, no matter how healthy we eat or how often we exercise, our health as a whole will never be good.

In order to truly apply the principle of holistic health, this needs to run through every aspect of you, how you eat, how you move, how you think, the words you speak, the way you treat others, your ethics, your honesty, authenticity, how you help others.  

Do all of these aspects of yourself align?

Do you practice what you preach?

Are you a person of your word?

Do you respect your body?

Do you respect your mind?

Do you fill your mind with positive thoughts?

These are the kind of questions we need to be asking ourselves when looking at our wellbeing as a whole. The body cannot exist in a healthy state if the mind is riddled with toxicity, and vice versa. There is constant effect and recoil from each avenue of our lives, whether the impact be direct or indirect. We cannot separate out segments of ourselves without considering how our behaviours within in each of these segment create a ripple effect into other areas. You cannot address the whole without turning your attention to its component parts  - the foundations that make the whole, well, whole!

We always have to keep reminding ourselves, that it’s all about the bigger picture- if we are consistent in how we approach each domain of our lives, then we are truly applying a holistic approach to health – and this is when our true wellbeing is realised.

This is no small feat…it takes plenty of work, it’s never quite done and you have to work on it constantly, but that in itself is why health and wellbeing is a journey…it continues way beyond the physical body and requires constant self-inquiry and reflection. There will be days when we fall or falter, but its how we get up that counts the most!

Yours in Health Always

Cara-Lisa

@caralishious

www.caralishious.com