If we aim to live a balanced and healthy life, it is important to pay attention to all aspects of ourselves, which is the essence of holistic health, writes psychologist and author Margaret Lambert in her latest column.
Our health focus is often on the physical aspects (exercise and nutrition for example), but there is much more to us than this.
Holistic health is about balancing all aspects of our lives – body, mind and spirit and oftentimes the spirit is simply left off the health agenda.
So how do we nurture the spirit?
Firstly, a commitment to self-care is required: doing things that have us feel more peaceful and are aligned with our values.
Checking in with how we are feeling helps us to be more in touch with the non-physical part of us.
If we are often uptight and angry, we are probably not living in spiritual balance, and of course we are all thrown off balance from time to time.
If we are in a chronic state of angst, it may be helpful to check in with a professional counsellor – after all, our anxieties and difficult emotions all contribute to our state of health.
Being on the treadmill constantly is likely to leave us with little time to nurture the spirit or take notice of our spiritual health.
It is important to have time out to just be.
Nurturing our spirit involves us noticing ourselves beyond the busyness of our lives:
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.” (Taoist proverb).[/social_quote]
Many people have a spiritual connection through religious groups, though nurturing our spirit does not require us to be religious.
It does however require us to take time to be ourselves and see our reflection.
What can you do for yourself on a regular basis that will bring greater peace to your life with the added improvement in your state of health and wellbeing?
Until next time…
