In our society, health is often referred to in binary terms: people are healthy or unhealthy. In this binary view of health, much of the categorization is based on weight, lab values, and diagnoses. The slightly more nuanced discussions of health talk about being on a spectrum. However, health is not a binary thing and looks different from person to person based on their values, life situation and goals. I find it helpful to think of health as a matrix, something made up of various intersecting spheres of health (ie emotional, community, physical, etc., and then the subsections within each of those spheres). Each sphere may have more or less significance for different people based on factors that can change over the course of a lifetime.
Here’s an example I like to use to demonstrate the flaws in how we define health. Imagine a young person living an active, healthy and financially secure life. Basically the google image result when you search for “healthy person”. Then one day they are diagnosed with an incurable, deadly cancer through a routine health checkup. Before the diagnosis, they were considered healthy, and yet they still had this cancer inside them. Nothing has changed between before and after the diagnosis, and yet our view of how healthy they are.
Now imagine that despite their diagnosis, after a period of grieving, the same person was able to maintain a positive attitude (they have a very good therapist in this example!). They decided to make the most of the time they had, spending quality time laughing with family and friends and doing the things they love. The symptoms affected them at times, but they had the medical care and finances to see them through. In a binary view of health, people wouldn’t consider this person healthy because they were dying, but I mean, to some extent aren’t we all?
Personally, I believe that health is much less about the presence or absence of disease and more about living conditions (mostly out of our control) and how we deal with them (mostly in our control). Because of this, when it comes to taking care of my personal health and wellness, I tend to think more about my mental and emotional needs than physical factors. This is quite different from our mainstream culture, where discussions of health usually center around food and fitness.
Food and fitness certainly play a role in health, both physical and mental. They are also factors over which we have some degree of control (although some people have more control and access to food and fitness than others). That said, these are not the two most important aspects of health. Several studies have shown this Diet and exercise account for only about 10% of population health outcomes. It’s a pretty big chunk, and certainly factors worth considering, but not when the focus hurts or distracts from other aspects of health.
When we talk about behaviors that promote health, I think we need to look beyond what we eat and how we move and think about health with a holistic approach. If you’re working to improve your health and wellness, here are 7 ideas that have nothing to do with diet or exercise.
7 Ways to Support a Holistic Approach to Health
Work on sleep hygiene.
I think we all know from experience how a bad night’s sleep affects mood in the short term, but long-term sleep problems can have significant effects on physical and mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to reduced immunity and increases the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. It can also increase the risk of depression and has effects on energy, stress, focus and memory.
Many people have physical, psychological, socioeconomic, and other life circumstances that stand in the way of a good night’s sleep, so I know that sleep hygiene is much more complicated than drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bed. As much as you can, try to go to bed at the same time, develop a relaxing bedtime routine, avoid stimulants like caffeine and your cell phone before bed, and talk to your doctor and/or therapist if you’ve been struggling with sleep. Here is a blog post that shares more ideas for good sleep hygiene. Also, check out this rest of the workbook developed by my friend and colleague Rachel Tenny. I worked on it myself and it was very helpful when I was going through a period of poor sleep.
Talk to a therapist.
I strongly believe that we can all benefit from therapy, even if you don’t have any trauma or mental health diagnoses (but especially if you do!). Therapy is still stigmatized in some communities or cultures, so let this be a gentle reminder that talking to a therapist is nothing to be ashamed of. Because a single therapist may be out of reach for many people, especially those without healthcare, mental health support can take many forms. Look for free or low-cost support groups, facebook or other online groups, or even chatting regularly with supportive friends or family members. If you are in eating disorder recovery, Project Heal has a list of free support groups.
Get a pet.
Pets can improve health reducing levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), lowering blood pressure and reducing loneliness. While I’m sure there’s research showing that big, fluffy dogs are the best for health (OK, so that might be my bias!), even smaller, much easier-to-care-for pets can bring joy. We just got hermit crabs last month (named Hillary and Marcel, in case you were wondering) and even though they spend most of their day burrowed under the sand, they still make me so happy! If you already have a pet, try setting aside some time during the day to play with them.
Meditate, practice deep breathing, or try another grounding exercise—even if it’s just for 1-5 minutes.
So many of my clients spend their days in an activated state, running in fight or flight mode without taking time to decompress. Sometimes the demands of life exceed the number of hours in the day. That’s why I encourage my clients to take 1-5 minute breaks in their day to do meditation, deep breathing, or other grounding exercises. I really like the app Insight Timerwhich features a ton of guided meditations, as well as a timer with a selection of background music and nature sounds.
Do a daily puzzle.
Whether it’s a crossword, sodoku or Wordle, doing a puzzle every day has been proven keep your brain sharp as you grow older. If puzzles aren’t your thing, no big deal! Any mental activity has cognitive benefits, such as reading or crafting.
Cultivate closer relationships with family or friends.
One of the many, many lessons of the recent pandemic has been to learn how much loneliness impacts health and well-being. In 2023, the US Surgeon General was released a plan to combat loneliness as an “epidemic.” You don’t have to become an extrovert if you’re not, but put energy into relationships that are important to you or try to develop/cultivate new ones. Check in with your friends and family regularly, even if it’s a little over the top.
Find a hobby.
Spending time in a purposeful activity can help improve mental health and well-being, build self-esteem and manage stress. Having trouble thinking of something? Google “hobby ideas” and read some of the hundreds of lists that come up – you might be inspired! Pick a few to experiment with and see what connects with you. Once you find a hobby, remember that you may need to schedule time to do it. During the pandemic, I took up watercolors as a hobby, but found it difficult to find time in my day to work on them. The following year I made it a goal to make watercolor birthday cards for my friends and family, which forced me to set aside time to work on them each month. As my friends know, sometimes my cards are late, but making them regularly really helps me prioritize something I know I love to do!
A holistic approach includes community health
In this post I share ideas that focus on individual behaviors versus community health. While I believe it is very important to empower people in ways outside of food and fitness so they can engage in a more holistic approach to health, we must not forget the role of our community and social structures in physical and mental health. Access to the tools I share in this article is a privilege. You can’t get enough sleep if you’re juggling multiple jobs to keep a roof over your head. A therapist is out of reach if you don’t have health insurance or are underinsured. There is no meditation or deep breathing that can regulate your nervous system if you live in a community plagued by gun violence.
If you care about your health and the health of others, I hope you will expand this holistic approach to health to include a healthy community. Here are some ideas for supporting community health:
Donate money or time to a local food bank
Learn about local and national policies that affect access to health care, vote for politicians who support those policies, and continue to support them when they’re in office.
Get to know your neighbors, especially elderly or low-income neighbors, and help if you can.
Support local businesses as much as possible. Keep in mind that supporting your local area doesn’t mean spending more money. It often means shopping at some of the mom and pop shops versus more boogie shops.
Smile, wave and talk to strangers (if you feel safe!). It may seem silly given all the trauma in the world right now, but I truly believe in the power of a smile and a little kindness. I’m sure you can recall a few times when a kind interaction with a stranger made your day or even just made you feel happy for a few minutes.
Find out about issues that affect the environment in your community, for example if there are sources of pollution that you can engage with support.
When working with clients on their nutrition and health issues, we take a holistic approach, treating each client as a unique individual with their own strengths and obstacles. If you want support in learning how to take care of yourself from a non-diet approach, learn more about our practice philosophy, our services, and get in touch for more information! We work with clients virtually throughout the US and out of our Columbia, SC office, and are in network with BCBS.
This blog post about a holistic approach to health promoting behaviors was originally published in May 2018. It has been updated to bring you the best possible content.
