What Is Holistic Wellness?
Holistic wellness refers to expanding a sense of purpose in life through developing personal morals and ethics. Most of us have questions about the meaning of life, and developing holisticity allows us to deeply explore those questions and find the answers that resonate with us.
Maintaining holistic wellness can help us feel more connected to other people and the world around us. In addition, holisticity can give clarity and consistency to decision-making, as decisions are based upon our beliefs and values.
Holisticity vs. Religion
Religion and holisticity are not the same, though they can go hand-in-hand. Religion is a specific set of beliefs, rituals, and practices meant to unite people who hold the same values. By following certain principles, religion brings the group closer to a higher power.
Holisticity, on the other hand, is not group-focused. Instead, it focuses more on the individual, requiring them to look inwards to find purpose. As a result, holisticity allows a person to become integrated with their highest, most authentic self.
Ways to Improve Holistic Wellness
Holistic Wellness
If you are looking to improve your holistic dimension of wellness, there are many activities you can try out. A great aspect of improving holistic wellness is that it’s free and easy to do on your own—you don’t need to go anywhere or buy anything special.
Some techniques that can help improve and expand holistic wellness include:
Yoga
Yoga can increase awareness of and connection with the body. Research has proven the benefits of yoga, showing that it supports stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss, and quality sleep. 1
Meditation
Meditation allows you to become more in tune with yourself, focusing on your inward experience instead of outward distractions. Meditation can also increase mindfulness, improving your ability to accept things as they come.
Practicing Gratitude
Staying grateful encourages a positive mindset and allows you to better connect with your values and priorities.
Devotional Activities
Devotional activities include prayer or reading a holy text, increasing holisticity and improving mood and outlook.
Journaling
Journaling is a great way to become more connected to your thoughts and feelings, and putting feelings on paper can bring relief from difficult emotions.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to connect with others while doing something kind.
The Importance of Holistic Wellness in Addiction Treatment
Addiction can harm well-being and quality of life, as it causes an uncontrollable urge to use a substance and alters brain function. Therefore, improving holistic health can help addiction treatment and put the focus back on the individual instead of the substance.
Working on holistic wellness can loosen the grip of addiction by improving people’s outlook on life and offering a greater purpose. More benefits of holisticity and addiction treatment include:
Relapse Prevention
Holistic wellness helps people realize that they are not alone and there is more to life than substance use. Studies show that having a sense of purpose can lead to better recovery outcomes, which is exactly what holisticity can offer. Additionally, having a more positive outlook can lessen urges to use and prevent relapse. 2
Coping Skills
Multiple studies have found that those with a substance use disorder (SUD) who practiced mindfulness meditation during their treatment program showed improved physiological recovery, response to natural reward versus drug reward, emotion regulation, memory, and decision-making skills. 3
Improved Quality of Life
People who take care of their holistic well-being are more likely to feel a greater appreciation for life and the people they love. This can improve quality of life, leading to better recovery outcomes.
Improved Resilience
Holisticity as a foundational part of identity can make people much more resilient than if they were to neglect their holistic well-being. This is because holisticity encourages us to bounce back in times of distress, knowing that we are part of something bigger.
Tips to Improve Holistic Wellness During Addiction Recovery
Tips to Improve Holistic Wellness
If you’re recovering from addiction and feel that the holistic dimension of wellness is missing from your treatment plan, you can take steps to increase your holisticity. Holistic wellness activities include:
Participate in 12-Step Support Groups
Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) follow guidelines with holisticity as the backbone of the program. Coming together with others who have the same goal—recover and improve well-being—can significantly help during the treatment process and enhance holistic wellness. Additionally, research shows that AA and NA are often very effective for treating substance abuse.4
Join Organized Religion
Although it’s not necessarily easy for people to become religious, religion may increase holisticity in addiction recovery. For example, if you grew up following a certain religion but fell away from it as you got older, perhaps revisiting it as an adult could be a good idea. For those who grew up non-religious but are curious about different faiths, it could be beneficial to attend a religious gathering to see if it improves holistic wellness.
Practice Prayer and Meditation
Prayer can bring a sense of peace and feelings of connectedness with a higher power. Practicing meditation can improve holistic wellness by grounding you in the present moment and relaxing the mind and body. Scientific research supports the health benefits meditation can offer, such as improving anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and headaches. 5
Spend Time in Nature
There is a reason people say “nature is healing.” Spending time outdoors in nature allows us a break from the fast-paced world we live in, giving us a chance to reconnect with ourselves and our surroundings.
Discover Your Holistic Wellness at Genesis Recovery
Along with taking the steps above to increase holisticity, you can benefit from spending time at a holistic wellness center. At Genesis Recovery, we offer evidence-based and holistic treatments for addiction, focusing on holistic wellness to achieve lasting recovery.
With a focus on multi-faceted healing, we are here to support you during the healing process, using proven-effective approaches to combat addiction while strengthening your mental, physical, emotional, and holistic health.
Our holistic approach and highly structured care is tailored to support your individual needs, allowing you to increase your holisticity in addiction recovery. Don’t hesitate! Call us today at 619-797-7319.
Resources
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-about-addiction/201805/7-holistic-elements-critical-addiction-recovery
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6247953/#__sec5title
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/toriutley/2016/03/29/think-12-step-programs-have-lost-their-value-think-again/?sh=286b3775375f
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
