The Article is Developed in Partnership with BetterHelp.
When taking care of yourself, it can be easy to get caught up with one area of your well-being and neglect the others. For example, you may be so focused on your diet that you forget to work on your mental health. Remembering that your well-being hinges on multiple aspects of your lifestyle can be crucial to maintaining positive physical and mental wellness, and this is exactly what holistic approaches attempt to do. In this article, we’ll go over five different holistic techniques you can engage in to improve your physical and mental health.
5 Holistic Methods To Improve Physical And Mental Health
Holistic techniques are those that focus on the person as a whole, rather than just one area of well-being. The following five techniques can help you heal and grow both physically and mentally.
1. Yoga
Yoga is an ancient practice that involves contorting the body into different poses to promote physical and mental health. Engaging in different poses can improve strength, flexibility, and balance while also reducing stress, increasing focus, and boosting self-awareness.
Yoga encourages you to stay in the moment, concentrating on your breathing instead of letting your mind wander to your worries and stressors. Regularly engaging in this practice can help you find more peace and relaxation in life, even when times are difficult.
2. Massage
Getting a massage can promote physical and mental wellness whether it’s once a week or once a month. Not only do massages promote improved circulation throughout the body and less tension, pain, and inflammation in the muscles, but they also contribute to a higher quality of sleep and encourage relaxation.
When you get a massage, feel-good chemicals like oxytocin and endorphins are released, helping you feel happier, less stressed, and more optimistic. Getting enough sleep at night can help you maintain your focus and energy throughout the day while also boosting your heart health and reducing your risk of illness.
3. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation refers to the practice of staying fully present in the current moment and letting your thoughts and feelings pass without trying to judge or interpret them. Though your mind is likely to be tempted to wander, this practice is all about training it to return to the present.
Mindfulness meditation can help you develop a higher level of self-awareness, improve your attention span and sleep, boost your mood, reduce chronic pain, and help alleviate symptoms of mental disorders like anxiety and depression. When you set aside time to focus solely on being present, it can help you learn more about yourself. Likewise, bringing your concentration to something other than the pain, worry, or sadness you’re feeling can help weaken those strong sensations and emotions.
4. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a technique that evolved in ancient China and involves inserting thin needles into the skin in order to treat physical and mental health concerns. Practitioners believe that putting needles into certain areas of the skin stimulates the nervous system, causing a chemical release into the brain, muscles, spinal cord, and other parts of the body. These chemicals are what bring healing and relief.
The potential benefits of acupuncture include pain relief, stress reduction, higher energy, and more. From migraines to back and neck pain to the vomiting associated with chemotherapy, acupuncture can work wonders, helping you feel better in the short and long term.
5. Therapy
Going to therapy can be a powerful way to address different aspects of your physical and mental well-being. Meeting with a professional can give you a chance to open up about any struggles you might be facing, which your therapist can help you through. They may offer useful coping strategies, suggest lifestyle changes, or even recommend that you take medication.
A therapist can also guide you toward understanding how your physical and mental health are interconnected and provide ways for improving both. If you prefer to participate in therapy from the comfort of your own home, BetterHelp offers online therapy, with many of its providers relying on holistic techniques to bring healing to their clients.
Conclusion
Looking after yourself often means approaching health from a holistic point of view. When one area of your well-being is neglected, it can affect the other parts, making it difficult to achieve the health and happiness you desire. By engaging in activities and techniques that promote physical and mental wellness, you can nurture and grow in the areas you’re struggling with. With time, holistically caring for yourself can become one of your strongest habits, helping you become the best version of yourself.