Improve Health With Holistic Wellness

The term “health” has a broader meaning than what it typically indicates today. In its modern sense, health is considered to be the quality of life that can be obtained by a person. In this cultural context, health usually means a healthy body, mind and spirit. It is also associated with avoidance of diseases, the prevention of premature death, and longevity.

Health, as described by the World Health Organization, is a condition of full physical, mental and emotional well-being and not just the absence of sickness and disease. Various definitions have been used over the years for different purposes. Still, the majority of people today consider health to be a state or condition that can be improved through a combination of healthy habits, activities and practices such as taking regular exercise, maintaining a good diet, having moderate social contact and avoiding or limiting exposure to dangerous substances such as tobacco smoke, alcohol and drugs. Spiritual wellness, on the other hand, can be thought of as the ability to improve health by using one’s mind and spirit in ways that promote healing from within. By using spiritual wellness, the individual becomes a “well-balanced being,” capable of experiencing positive health changes and of positively influencing others.

Spiritual wellness, when combined with a good diet, exercise and stress management techniques, provides a framework through which people can address the physical and mental components of their well-being. These elements include physical health through weight control and managing stress; mental health through positive self-talk and reducing fear; and emotional health through appropriate distress management and expressive activity. Through a consistent and deliberate effort to learn and practice these wellness practices, people can identify and change unhealthy behaviors, improve risk factors for disease, and manage or reduce the effects of diseases and related disorders.