Your whole health picture includes far more than just the physical aspect of things.
In fact, I wrote recently about my view of Whole Health and how areas of your life that may seem unrelated to how you feel physically, really are.
At first glance that philosophy might make you think “Oh great. I have to have ALL THAT together before I feel good!?”
Good news...far from it my friends.
In fact, what I need you to know is that you only have to be ON THE PATH (and grateful for it) to feel better.
So how do we get on the path?
- Start SUPER SMALL, and
- Pick something SUPER EASY.
And that’s what we are doing today!
My challenge to you is to PICK ONE of the below life hacks and then to:.
- Plan for it.
- DO it.
- Keep doing it for a while until it sinks in.
- Rinse. Repeat. ; )
And as a visual reminder, this is everything that encompasses your ‘whole health’:
Whole Health Life Hacks
1. Relationships - Help someone you love out with a chore that they are typically responsible for (dishes, dinner, trash, you know the fun stuff).
2. Work/Life Purpose - Make a list of five things that you are really good at. If you can’t think of five, ask your family and friends.
3. Spirituality - Stop and be still for five minutes. Pray, meditate, clear your mind or however you want to do it, but: Just. Be. Still.
4. Sexuality - Well I’ll just leave this little gem of a heading here for you and let you use your creativity with it!
5. Creativity - Think outside the box when it comes to this. Creativity isn’t just creating art; it can be doing anything differently or even thinking about something differently. Make a dish without using a recipe or drive a different way to work without following a map. But please have one in case you get lost! : )
6. Mental Health - Write someone a thank you note (or email) for something they have done for you lately, given you lately, or something you appreciate about them and bask in the positive feeling of making someone’s day!
7. Money - Go on a coin collecting mission and gather up all those stray coins. Cash them in and put them to good use: pay a bill, deposit into savings, give to someone in need, treat yourself. You decide!
8. Physical Health - This is a big one, so I’ll give you a few:
- Nutrition - Eat a green leafy vegetable and enjoy it.
- Strength - Sit ups, push ups, leg lifts - as many as you can or just try a few.
- Flexibility - Stretch from head to toe and breath deeply.
- Aerobic stamina - Huff and puff doing something. Dance, walk, clean, play…
- Sleep - Go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
9. Surrounding Environment - Change your ringer on your cell phone to a ring that is pleasant and cheerful. (Same thing for your morning alarm while you’re at it!)
10. Inner Pilot Light - Remember this gets to the questions “Am I living in alignment with my true self?” or “Am I following my intuition?” in a certain area of life. So sit down and day dream about your life. Write down any thoughts that come to mind about what your intuition is telling you about the various areas of your life.
Now in case you find yourself thinking “What’s just one thing gonna do for me?” notice how tempting it is to revert to all or nothing thinking.
It’s not about having it all together or getting life-changing results from just one thing.
It’s about starting that snowball rolling in the right direction.
I have story after story about people who have started small, picked one thing to make brave choices regarding, and are loving the improvements in their life! Do you have a similar story to share?
If not, let’s start your story today and let me know which life hack you’re tackling in the comments or email me directly.
I'll share some stories next time and would love to brag about yours too so please send them across!
To Your Best Health,
Dr. Paige
Dr. Paige Gutheil is a board-certified osteopathic family medicine physician and advocate for a Whole Health approach to your wellness. She is on a mission to help people thrive by looking at all the influences on health...body, mind and spirit. Dr. Paige is the founder of an innovative team-based direct primary care practice, Signature Primary Care and Wellness in Hilliard, Ohio. She and her colleagues provide comprehensive primary care, counseling, coaching, nutrition education and yoga to help people all over central Ohio and beyond make fun, achievable changes towards their healthiest and happiest life possible!
