Apr 07
The World Health Day is held to mark WHO’s founding, and is seen as an opportunity by the organization to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year.
When we look for spiritual or personal or professional growth in life, if we go to the ancient scripts or take cue from our ancestors, they all say one same thing, health. Without health, nothing can be built up. No matter what we learn and practice, without health, it is a battle already lost.
Health can be measured in many ways and is often broken down into a variety of numbers and diagnoses that don’t often provide the best picture of what a truly healthy body and mind look like.
While modern-day western medicine has brought many wonderful and life-saving advancements, one of the downfalls of western medicine is the often siloed approach to health, which looks at the body in sections of individual symptoms and pieces rather than the whole system it is.
This is why holistic health is so important because to truly achieve optimal wellness in the physical, mental, and spiritual sense we have to be viewing and supporting the body as the incredible system it is.
WHAT IS HOLISTIC HEALTH?
Holistic health or holistic healing is often defined as a form of healing that looks at the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. This kind of holistic healing often involves multiple complementary medicines and alternative healthcare practices that can overlap with modern-day western medicine but will go beyond the singular treatment of symptoms to support more than just the body.
THE 5 ASPECTS OF HOLISTIC HEALTH: PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL, SPIRITUAL, AND MENTAL
When it comes to holistic health we are looking beyond the physical body and are addressing physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. All of these 5 aspects of holistic health are what enable a person to truly live each day in the healthiest, happiest way possible and if one area is compromised, most likely other areas will be as well.
PHYSICAL
Our physical health is what most people think about when they think of health. This is mostly because it is the physical body that often shows us physical signs and symptoms of either optimal or suboptimal health. These physical signs and symptoms are also easier to track and measure, versus other non-physical signs and symptoms that can feel more abstract.
EMOTIONAL
While often overlooked, our emotional health is just as important as our physical health — especially because our emotional health can affect our physical health if it is not prioritized.
SOCIAL
Research has shown that the happiest people on earth have deep connections with their friends, family, and community. This is often why religion is connected with happiness as it can provide a deep sense of community and support, no matter what faith a person chooses.
SPIRITUAL
Spiritual wellness does not necessarily mean that you need to become religious, although the two often have overlapping practices and principles. Instead, your spiritual health should focus on how you are connecting with your inner soul and the greater world around you.
MENTAL
The last aspect of holistic health is our mental health, which often overlaps with both our emotional and physical health. The big distinction between our mental and emotional health though is that while our emotional health refers mostly to our daily mood and emotions, our mental health refers to our cognitive abilities that affect how our brain functions.
On this day we at HLP Community urge you to keep health as the top priority in life. Remember the key to health is lifestyle. Today is the right day, the time is now! Start little by little daily. It is doable, many parents have done it and are following today. You can also do it. If you are facing any challenges, Please open up, we will help you.
Wishing you all a sound health!
Author: Gayatri Khanna