What’s the Buzz About “Holistic?”
Similar to how I’m feeling about sitting here and writing my first blog post, jumping into a “Holistic Lifestyle” can feel…overwhelming. Where to begin? While this particular post is not going to answer the specifics of how to holisti-fy your life, it might pique your curiosity. And most importantly, calm your insecurities about where to start.
See, becoming holistic isn’t something that just happens overnight. In fact, it first must occur to you that your life is somehow not holistic, which honestly for me started with the feeling of “I really don’t want to go to the store right now, can I just make that myself?” For others, it’s more of an abrupt wake up call when they get some concerning news at the doctor, and wonder if there is a different solution than a pill. The majority of us were born into what we now define as modern civilization which for all its wondrous and life-changing inventions, has created a bit of a disconnect from our basic human needs. We can see it in the way we socialize, the way we earn money, the way we feel about ourselves, and- whether we want to admit it or not- our absolute reliance on the technological devices that have become intertwined with our every moment. As an occupational therapist, where I see it affect us the most is as we age. Longevity, quality of life, and aging well are being affected by our modern lifestyle, and I believe some of it is linked to living a less holistic life than our predecessors. Not that they listened to health podcasts and read holistic living books, but what we define today as “holistic” was just “life” to them. To put it simply: we live a vastly different reality than our not-so-distant ancestors but our basic human needs haven’t deviated much from who those people were and what they needed.
Despite those robust statements, adding holistic changes to our lives actually isn’t as intimidating as I know it feels. We’ve been a little duped by modern conveniences to feel that the only way to have things (i.e. food, clothing, cleaning products, furniture, etc.) is to go and buy them. And before you click the “x” in the right hand corner, I am absolutely NOT telling you to go MAKE all of those things yourself. Precisely the opposite.
In my experience, sometimes the holistic community can actually be a little, um…not holistically welcoming to all. I have felt, at times, that it is an “all or nothing” mentality. That if you aren’t doing ALL of the holistic things, together, right now, then you’re doomed and stupid and might as well start digging your grave now. So here’s an olive branch. A different approach to holistic living: You get to choose. You get to start as small as you want. Holistic living is like the world’s most diverse charcuterie board that you get to peruse, and poke with a toothpick, and learn about, and maybe even nibble on. Then fill your plate with what works for you. Add some more next time, throw away something that isn’t working. Your holistic life is worth curating and it is the highest act of self-love to wonder and explore how to make your life better than it was yesterday for who you will be tomorrow.
My journey has been empowering, invigorating, and has definitely improved my health. The next part of my holistic living journey is to share it with others. There is a lot of information out there, some of it even contradictory to each other, and I aim to demystify what it means to live holistically healthy and most importantly- improve your longevity and help you age well. If you’re still reading, you’re still curious, and you want to ask more questions head to my website to learn more. And above all- Live Revived, friends.
