A Holistic Start: Embracing All Elements Of Wellness This Year & Beyond

wellness Jan 16, 2024

As the calendar turns, many of us find ourselves working towards freshly set resolutions, feeling motivated by the #newyearnewme spirit. We set these resolutions hoping to improve an aspect of our well-being, such as our physical health. However, the problem that many of us run into is that we focus our resolutions on only this one piece of wellness. These types of singular resolutions often do not have the transformative effect we hope they will, and come February, our motivation starts to drop.

What’s crucial to recognize is that well-being is multifaceted and encompasses many elements – each of which has a big impact on how we live. Achieving true and lasting wellness means taking intentional care of the mind, body, spirit and heart from a holistic perspective. Let's look at each of these pieces, building understanding of how they interact and some simple practices that can help you feel fulfilled and balanced all year long!

The Wheel Of Wellness

Picture a car in your mind (stay with us, this will all make sense!). A car is made up of many individual parts. Each part is an essential piece of the overall machine. When even one of these parts is faulty, the operation of the entire vehicle is compromised, and soon enough the car can’t run.

Think of each part of your wellness in the same way: just like all the individual pieces of a car work together to keep the system running smoothly, our overall well-being is enhanced when all pieces of wellness are in balance. What’s great about this interconnection is that incorporating even one intentional wellness practice can benefit multiple elements of your well-being – and who doesn’t love two for the price of one?! Here are just a couple of the many ways that these four areas interact:

Mind-Body Connection: Physical activity, such as yoga or Pilates, not only improves physical fitness but also nurtures mental and emotional well-being by incorporating mindfulness and breath awareness.
Spiritual and Emotional Resilience: A strong spiritual foundation, whether religious or non-religious, can foster the emotional resilience needed to navigate life's hard moments and keep us feeling hopeful even amidst darkness.

Mental & Emotional Wellness: Nourishing the Mind & Heart

We use our minds and hearts together to make big and small decisions every day. Each deeply influences our outlook on life, our ability to manage stress and the way we connect with others. When we take care of our them, we build self-awareness and automatically set ourselves up to more confidently go after our goals and to appreciate setbacks as opportunities for growth (2 key elements of achieving long-term resolutions)!

Practices to Build Mental & Emotional Wellness:

Journaling: We know this practice can sound great in theory, but can feel difficult in reality. It’s worth it and it IS doable when you start small! Even just 5 minutes a day can be powerful in helping you build self-awareness, gain clarity and connect with your values. Keep it simple: write down your thoughts and feelings, what you’re experiencing that day, and how you are doing with your goals.
Explore A New Hobby: Maybe there’s a language, a musical instrument, art form or a sport you've wanted to explore, but have always found a reason not to. Let this be the year you lean into the discomfort and develop new passions! Not only does this build confidence, but also contributes to new connections and a new sense of purpose.
Effective Communication: Build strong, supportive relationships by practicing open and honest communication. Start by picking 2-3 close people in your circle and create a goal around strengthening your communication and connection with them throughout the year.

Physical Wellness: Nourishing the Body

This is a common area that people focus their resolutions on. But here’s the real secret to lasting wellness goals in this realm: avoid creating them out of things you dislike about yourself! Instead, challenge yourself to focus on all the things you appreciate about your body and shift your goal setting in the direction of how you can continue to build on those strengths.

Practices to Build Physical Wellness:

Functional Fitness: Incorporate exercises that mimic daily movements. This helps improve strength and coordination, contributing to overall physical fitness while also creating a higher sense of capability to move throughout your day feeling empowered.
Meal Planning: Constant grocery shopping and cooking can feel overwhelming and become a barrier to eating a balanced and fulfilling diet – trust us, we know! Once a week meal planning can help make this process more intentional and efficient. Plan your meals around foods that give your body energy to do all the amazing things you want to do.

Spiritual Wellness: Nourishing the Soul

Spiritual wellness involves finding meaning and purpose in life, connecting with something greater than ourselves and fostering inner peace. This may feel like a ‘woo-woo’ concept, but prioritizing your spiritual wellness can be simple and practical – whatever practices make you feel connected count!

Practices to Build Spiritual Wellness:

Mindful Reflection: Take time for self-reflection and introspection. This can be something you write down or just set aside a few quiet (key word: quiet!) moments to think about. Consider your values, goals, and what brings you a sense of purpose. How are your goals supporting your values? What goals support both your values and your purpose?
Yoga & Breathwork: Yoga flows and breathwork practices such as box breathing can have a positive impact on your whole wellness wheel. These practices allow us to connect with the present moment, calm our nervous systems and get in tune with our intentions.

Embracing Holistic Wellness in the New Year

As we embark on a new year, we challenge you to shift your focus from isolated resolutions to a holistic approach to wellness. Remember, these practices are not one-size-fits-all - find what resonates with you, and gradually incorporate them into your routine. Cheers to a well-rounded and purposeful new year. Let’s make this your best one yet!

Looking for a way to stay consistent on your holistic wellness resolution? Check out this guide!