In this COVID-19 reality our relationship with health has changed. Let's seize this opportunity to transform and create a new and better way of living. It's time to rethink our attitude towards health and embrace new habits of self-care and wellness.
In every situation there exists a potential for growth. How can we re-evaluate the relationship with our bodies regarding global health? Can we turn this into a positive situation and an opportunity for global betterment?
Holistic Wellness
You've probably stumbled upon multiple blogs and articles discussing the benefits of self-care and practicing a holistic approach to wellness. But what do these mean? What do they include? Where does one start?
Having a holistic approach means to consider all aspects of a situation, in this case all aspects of your health. It is important to reflect on this because focussing on only one facet of well-being neglects to consider the complexity of who you are as a person. It is the equivalent of going on a strict diet and exercise plan to loose weight while not looking at the reasons you started being an emotional eater to begin with.
In this new post-pandemic world we live in, health has become more valuable than ever, and our understanding of wellness must be expanded to be more representative of this new paradigm shift. The traditional definition of a holistic health plan normally refers to the caring of the body and mind as equal partners. Now a global self-care regime must also include considerations of the environment we live in. A crucial piece of this new vision of wellness is considering the self as part of the collective. Including global intent in our personal quest to wellness and establishing positive meaning by feeling like we are part of the solution, is also important in building our health plan.
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Establishing a plan
When starting your wellness plan it is crucial that you take time to assess your objective. A helpful trick is to envision what steps you would take to attain your ideal self (emotional, physical, spiritual, social, professional, etc.). Think of this as a road map to developing the blueprint of your ideal self. This should now be your life mission, the holistic vision of who you want to be.
A good way to see if this is the road you want to take is to investigate the renowned people you admire that have values similar to the ones you have selected for yourself. If you want to learn about energy healing, find a reiki practitioner. If you want to meditate, look for on-line talk with meditation masters. If you want to increase your body strength, get to know a personal trainer... learn how they achieved their objectives. Discover their trajectory. Was it a lifelong process or did it take a few months? This will allow you to have reasonable expectations when it comes to the time you will need for each of your own steps. For example, you may want to stop smoking within a few months, change your career, or learn a new skill in the next 5 years and master the art of zen by the time you're 60. Putting in place a timeline will allow you not to get discouraged and to understand that these are lifelong goals you are setting up for yourself today.
Integrating your goals into your sens of self is central to creating your holistic life/health plan. It implies that every decision you make about your wellness will be informed by the life/health mission you previously established. This avoids confusion and assures that you stay on the right path. It is a good idea to revisit your life/health objectives every other month to see the progress you have made and to make sure you are not steering off path . You may also find it's time to re-evaluate the initial statement you had made. This sudden change in direction may be a direct consequence of your personal growth or simply a new distraction. Then you can, according to your finding, re-define your objective or re-focus on your original mission.
we are responsable for our own health. Just like wearing a protective face mask in public, our healthy practices and choices can protect our environment by promoting good habits, reducing stress, building lasting connections and inspiring people all around us to do the same.
It doesn't mean we need to aim to transform into monks, master stillness, become super athletes and levitate in a full lotus position! The important thing is to set goals and objectives that fit with your personal values. Remember you are responsible for your own health and you know what works best for you. Get inspired by people around you and inspire others in return to start a new and better life.
Just like wearing a protective face mask in public, our healthy practices and choices can protect our environment by promoting good habits, reducing stress, building lasting connections and inspiring people all around us to do the same. Positively influencing the world we live in by the choices we make and the actions we take is the best way to feel like you matter in this world and that you have a positive lasting influence on it.
Goal setting
You've probably noticed that I tend to inter-change the words life and health a lot. This is simply because the quality of your health informs the quality of your life. There is no doubt that a personal lifestyle has a very direct impact on health. To realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment are all life objectives that are possible because of good health hygiene. Having a holistic health plan gives meaning to your life, contributes to a clear life path, and allows you to be healthy enough to enjoy it.
When starting, it is helpful to set clear short term goals or objectives. For example, you could say I would like to loose 20 pounds or stop smoking or eat less red meat within the next 2 months. Setting clear realistic short term goals and objectives will allow you to evaluate the progress you have made and stay motivated. When you have a clear vision you can also include your health practitioners in your plan. They can assist you in setting reasonable goals together.
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When you establish your life/health plan don't neglect any aspect of your life, such as the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental, and be sure to include all aspects to truly have a holistic life vision. As long as you have a plan and take all the aspects of your life into consideration you are on the right track.
Let's Get Started
Here is a list of all the aspects that should be included in your health plan regimen. When planning how you're going to approach your life/health mission consider each of these aspects and find a specific technique or have a practitioner assist you in your journey.
PHYSICAL: Physical health is taking care of your body, respecting and honouring the greatness of you; all 30 trillion cells that constitute this wonder of life.
exercise, diet, sleep, breath-work, see a general practitioner, dentist and other traditional health practitioners on a regular yearly basis, massages, osteopathy, acupuncture, and avoid substance abuse like drugs and alcohol.
MENTAL: The ability to enjoy life, to create a balance between life activities and efforts necessary for psychological resilience. Maintaining good relationships with close family members, friends, and others. Avoiding seeing crises or stressful events as unbearable problems, look for opportunities for self-discovery, developing self-confidence, maintaining a hopeful outlook, expect good things, and enjoy a rich and satisfying circle of friends to share life with.
Read, stay mentally active and curious, expand your horizons, travell, learn a new language, receive Reiki healing , hypnosis, traditional therapies, meditate, practice social activities, practice visualization.
EMOTIONAL: The focus on being in tune with your emotions, vulnerability, and authenticity, Having good emotional health is a fundamental aspect of fostering resilience, self-awareness, and overall contentment. Letting go of past trauma or challenging events. Coping with negative emotions like shame, guilt, sadness in a healthy way. Being able to express emotions clearly and objectively.
Seek the support of a therapist or friends and family to help you gain perspective on difficult issues . Strengthen social connections, exercise, meditate, journal , receive Reiki, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnosis, mindfulness, art therapy.
SPIRITUAL: This refers to feeling like we have purpose in life and believing in our capacities as human beings. Spiritual health creates a balance between physical, psychological, and social aspects of human life. Spiritual health is about the connection with self (personal dimension), others (social dimension), nature (the environment) and God (transcendental dimension). Spiritual health also creates deep connections with others and acts as a moral compass. Having good moral character and decent beliefs. Knowing that we are part of something bigger then ourselves, that we are supported, that our actions have consequences.
Meditate, engage in community service or volunteer, practice political consumerism, learn about different faith systems, kriya Yoga, breath-work, establish a strong connection with nature, do art in all of its forms, mindfulness, traveling, energy medicine, prayer, pilgrimage, sponsoring.
ENVIRONMENTAL: Environmental health addresses all the factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviours. It includes the political decisions we make and our consuming habits. Its main focus is to create and promote health-supportive environments, including social and cultural spheres.
Encourage the use of environmentally friendly technologies, practice zero-waste, buy local, recycle, plant trees, volunteer, travel, promote local culture and economies.
You are Ready!
You are now ready to start your new adventure! Keep track of your progress, stay curious, try new things and explore avenues you would not have considered before. You will be surprised how easy and fluid life is when you have a global vision and plan.
These are difficult but exciting times. COVID-19 has taught us how fragile our life can be and how rapidly everything can change. I had to learn to let go of the past and to re-assess my life priorities, letting go of my old self and devoting all my energy and resources to being a full time certified reiki practitioner. From my practice in Montreal, I am now sending live distant reiki sessions all over the world. This new understanding of our inter-connectedness and this paradigm shift we are experiencing motivates me to be the best version of myself and to live by the principle of my holistic life/health plan.
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