Holistic Wellness - The Elixir to Good Health And 10 Ways To Attain It

With the advancement of health technology and transformed global wellness scenarios, the world is also adopting new wellness practices. And holistic healing is one way to redefine your health goals and quality of life.

Let's say someone is in physical pain; you will find a good chance they'll be affected emotionally and intellectually. Holistic wellness aims to transform individual health and wellness conditions with alternative solutions. So, to overcome mental, physical, spiritual, and social wellness conditions more wholesomely.

In general, the paradigm of 'being-well' includes;

• Thriving
• Maintaining and improving health
• Preventive measures
• Holistic Wellness
• Awareness and lifestyle choices
• Homogenizing life

In an absolute sense, holistic wellness measures overall well-being in more of a holistic and less of a scientific way. This blog will discuss its importance and significance, especially in the corporate world.

Holistic Wellness For Employees

Don't let your mind bully your body.
– Unknown

Wellness is a multifaceted concept associated with good health and well-being. And good health implies an equilibrium of the body, mind, and spirit.

As we know, the pandemic has already caused an imbalance in people's lives. So in 2021, it is the time to rethink health and wellness by infusing holistic ideas into your practice. The everyday stress, both personal and professional, has significantly contributed to deteriorating physical and mental health.

Therefore, to overcome it and reach an optimal state of fitness, one must prioritize the components of holistic wellness, which involves lifestyle, spiritual well-being, mental well-being, and the environment.

Related: Everything About The 9 Dimensions Of Wellness At Work

Facts That Requires Attention

As mentioned, Covid-19 has already accelerated the need for health and wellness measures in corporate life more than ever. Employers today are investing most in mental and behavioral health, telemedicine, stress management, emotional agility, and mindfulness and meditation.

According to the SHRM report,

And, there is a negative impact on employees' work behavior and organizational performance. Further, leading to the following;

• Absenteeism and presenteeism
• Loss of productivity and Performance
• Lower retention
• Easy Burnout
• Negative thoughts
• Deteriorating corporate culture and environment
• A rise in personal health issues, etc

Components Of Holistic Health

The underlying notion of holistic health is broader than we think. It's not just treating the sick but keeping one's soul, mind, and body in balance.

Here are the 5 components of holistic health that you should know;

1. Physical Health

Physical health can be defined as the optimal functioning of the body at all levels. Fitness means the body's ability to adapt to the changing external environment, adjust to biological processes, balance the body's functioning, social adaptability, or absence of any disease.

It consists of the following components:

• Doing physical activity
• Focusing on nutrition and diet
• Avoiding alcohol and drugs
• Medical self-care
• Proper rest and sleep

Read: How to Set Smart Fitness Goals for 2021

2. Emotional Health

Maintaining sound mental health has become a challenge in today's world. Even at the workplace, emotional health has to contribute to better productivity, performance, and resilience. So, taking care of your emotional health is crucial.

According to the National Center for Emotional Wellness, the term refers to an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of emotions and managing effectively through change and challenges.

Cultivating positive emotions is essential to avoid negative ones that can lead to depression, mental and behavioral challenges. Therefore, prioritizing emotional health is important in the long run to attain holistic wellness.

Read: 15 Emotional Wellness Activities to Practice in the Workplace

3. Social Health

Social wellness is about nurturing healthy and supportive relationships. It helps foster a pragmatic connection with people at home, work, or outside. Building healthy relationships are crucial to maintaining a better social life.

Here are a few tips to enhance your social health at the workplace;

• Be assertive and more accepting of others
• Understand constructive criticism
• Improve your listening skills
• Work on your body language
• Inculcate positive thinking
• Show respect and be patient
• Be more empathetic
• Avoid gossiping
• Be confident
• Avoid using your phone while talking

Read: Social Wellness: A Determining Factor For Employee Wellness At Work

4. Spiritual Health

Spiritual health knows about the meaning and purpose of life. And, understanding the actions and principles of life along with values, beliefs, and morals. Spiritual wellness is about developing healthy relationships with oneself and other surrounding nature.

Spiritual wellness is important for the growth of one's body and mind. Cultivating mindfulness is one way to keep mental health on track, perform best at work, or enhance the company culture.

Read: Vibrational Energy and 9 Reasons To Encourage For Your Workplace Wellness

5. Mental Health

To dwell in good health, wholeness and vitality are pivotal to prevent illness from harming your body balance.

As we all know, stress is a major cause of mental health conditions in the workplace. Physical and mental health is inextricably connected. Therefore both must be equally prioritized to lead a healthy and happy life. And, to cure stress, anxiety, depression, etc., and bring balance in life, you can adapt to the holistic practice of wellness.

Take out at least 1 minute at the end of the day to check your mental health. Bookmark the major event or memories of the day to get a picture of how your cognitive health is responding to it.

Read: 105 Mindfulness Quotes For Employee Health And Wellness

Ways To Achieve Holistic Wellness

The precepts of wellness are both preventive and holistic. The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as, "activeness in physical and mental activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic well-being."

As we work toward excellent health and well-being, wellness is an active pursuit associated with intentions, choices, and actions. It extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions to life to work in harmony.

Here are 10 excellent ways we suggest attaining holistic wellness;

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation is a relaxation technique widely practiced in both eastern and western countries. Mindfulness originates from Buddhism's word 'sati', which implies conscious attention and calmness.

There are different mindfulness exercises that you can perform from anywhere, like; mindful walking, reading, listening, etc. Today, it has become essential to cope with modern-day stress, either due to work or health issues.

It is performed explicitly to gain control over one's mind and body most of the time. And to obtain calmness to lead a well-balanced personal and professional life.

2. Physical Activity

According to WHO, 80% of the world's adolescent population is insufficiently physically active. Physical activity refers to movements of the body, including getting to and from places during leisure time. As part of a person's work, both moderate and vigorous physical activity contributes to good health.

Physical inactivity can cause severe health problems. Also, it can lead to mental and behavioral conditions affecting work-life balance. Doing 30 minutes of regular exercise will enhance the quality of life you have living by reducing the risk of falling sick.

You can start by doing yoga or walking regularly. Track your daily activity and increase it gradually. Also, you can switch to walking or cycling instead of using the car to get to the office.

3. Switch To A Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is vital for nutrition, good health, and well-being. According to WHO, a good diet protects one against diseases like cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, etc. And, eating organic foods and consuming less salt, sugars, and saturated and trans-fats can contribute to overall health and goodness in general.

Here are the benefits of maintaining a healthy diet;

• To prevent diseases and infections. Add adequate vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to your diet.
• Help you control your weight.
• Improve mental health. Getting the right mix of nutrients can help to ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Help in growth. It is important to receive the right nutrients so that cells are built and maintained and the body grows and develops.
• A healthy balanced diet also improves your skin and hair.

4. Surround Yourself With Positivity

The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.
– Winston Churchill

Positive thinking is crucial to retain productivity and proficiency at work. An optimistic mindset can achieve the impossible and help you cross every obstacle in life. Therefore, focusing on the good in life will make you healthier, less stressed, and happy.

Besides this, negative thinking or emotions can be harmful to the mind and body. It can affect your resilience, wellness, and emotional agility at the workplace. Staying positive and motivated is essential to doing good in life.

To cultivate positive thoughts, encourage your positive emotions. The mind impacts the body, and keeping it productive is ideal for positive emotional development.

5. Cultivate Emotional Agility

It is often said that emotion and feelings have no place in the workplace. Leaders must be apathetic and confident enough to overshadow negative feelings. But is that so?

According to Harvard psychologist Susan David, this is impractical and unhealthy. Identifying and understanding some human emotions is more important than suppressing them. Suppression can lead them to feelings of ignorance and give rise to feeling guilty about it, causing stress. So, to avoid outbursts and such situations, it is better to encourage the workforce to cultivate emotional agility.

Emotional agility will generate employee happiness and productivity and fuel their performance at the workplace. Agile workplaces are built with agile employees.

6. Practice Gratitude

Gratefulness has a beneficial impact on the mind. It boosts our morale, cognitive ability, social and psychological health while promoting the goodwill of others. Especially at the workplace, appreciation plays a big role in enhancing employees' mood and well-being.

There are several benefits of gratitude; it boosts oxytocin and can make you feel at ease by eliminating them. It also can affect your mental, behavioral health, and emotional well-being.

Therefore, try to thank and appreciate people who have been there for you even in the toughest of times. It will help retain a positive culture and environment with a holistic approach.

7. Communication Is The Key

In simple words, communication is the process through which one exchanges feelings, thoughts, experiences, ideas, suggestions, feedback, etc. Some people struggle with communication problems. But as the saying goes, communication is the key; individuals need to emphasize it for overall well-being.

Effective communication fosters trust, offers clarity and direction, encourages teamwork, and strengthens employees' bonds at the workplace. It contributes to healthy social and psychological health, ensuring the well-being of individuals.

Enhancing your communication skills can help you develop and maintain confident relationships at the workplace. Connection and communication play a crucial role in maintaining holistic health.

8. Don't Become A Victim Of Substance Abuse

Addictive substances like tobacco, drugs, or alcohol can negatively impact the mind and body. Chronic drug use can lead to cardiovascular, kidney, and liver disease. It can adversely affect a person's relationships at home or work life.

It leaves behind long-term health effects such as;

• Depression
• Stress and anxiety
• Panic disorders
• Anger management issues
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations

Read: Substance Abuse in The Workplace - An Employee Health Epidemic

9. Ayurveda

Wellness does have some ancient roots; Ayurveda is one of them. As one of the oldest therapies, Ayurveda ensures a healthy lifestyle and that the body, mind, and spirit function harmoniously.

Ayurveda is a healing technique to cure health conditions, cleanse the body, and maintain good spiritual health. Holistic wellness integrates diet and lifestyle into a daily routine, and Ayurveda helps achieve one. Considering the effects of modern life complexities and lifestyle choices, one can always consider Ayurveda as an option.

10. Financial Health

Financial health can be defined as an individual's monetary wellness or affair. Good financial health includes;

• Steady income flow
• Rare changes in expenses
• Good returns on investments
• Growing cash balances, etc

We all know that financial stress can be overwhelming. Therefore, having a proper financial plan can reduce a lot of pressure. Moreover, taking care of your financial health is a part of wellness. And, keeping track of one's financial wellness is as essential as physical and mental health.

Conclusion

Most of the time, we tend to ignore symptoms such as headaches, low energy, upset stomach, tense and achy muscles, and insomnia. Or try to identify the events and situations that trigger these stressors. But, the continuum of wellness is multidimensional.

And, to achieve it at the workplace, employers must introduce employees to corporate wellness programs and health coaching. It will help them adopt the right attitude to maximize their vitality.

Changing the dynamics of organizational wellness by evolving health-promoting culture will work wonders. Transforming typical workplace culture into a modern but holistic touch will create a healthy work environment with healthy employees.

Employees' work behavior is related to improving their health and wellness. In 2021, corporations must identify the drivers of their poor health conditions to eliminate them to create a thriving company culture.