Holistic Well-being

Well-being is a concept that many find to be vague in definition. It can be tricky to really understand what well-being actually speaks to. Well, the simplest way to define well-being is to say it is a state of being that goes beyond the physical health, and one that incorporates the different attributes of a person. Holistic well-being is therefore a state of good health in every area of one’s life.

Has it ever been possible for a person to successfully while ignoring one or several parts of their being? I very much doubt it. Let us take a look at each of them individually;  

·         The soul, this part qualifies you the title of ‘human being’ as the general consensus is that no other created being possess this intricate detail

·         The mind is vital of course as it allows the process of reasoning and creative thought, decision making and self-regulation, among others.

·         The heart, the vessel of emotional experience.

·         The spirit is that which connects you to your creator, and to a world that is currently unseen.

·         The body, your earthly home. The package that keeps all of you together while you are on Earth; from the cradle to the pearly gates.

None of these were created to function separately. None of these were created in a vacuum. The heart of man cannot function without the regulation of the mind, nor can the spirit fully express itself without the corporation of the soul. When the body is unwell, the entire being is unwell. Yet for some reason, we assume that once the body is well, so is everything else.

This is an erroneous assumption that leads many people into serious problems. Here is a practical explanation that I hope will illustrate this concept.

Depression is often described as internalized anger. It is a condition or state of being that is secondary to an emotion/emotions. Depression can result from emotions such as sorrow, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety among others, and the lack of resolution to those emotions can lead a person into a state of helplessness and anger, either towards others or much more often; towards self. Depression can impact on the sense of self, the identity and confidence one has in the self. It can also drastically change the perceptions, thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviour of a person.

As you can see from this paragraph, the mood disorder – depression – has the capacity to infect the whole being from heart, to mind, to soul, to body, and to spirit. There is no part of a person that cannot be affected by depression. Yet how many times have we heard the phrase ‘akudwala maganizo’ (they are afflicted in their thoughts)? As though it is only the mind that can be afflicted with such a condition.

In the same way, a person that is truly joyful cannot restrict their joy from other parts of their being. The Bible itself attests to the holistic manner through which our lives work with or without our involvement in Proverbs 17 vs 22 where it says ‘a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.’

It is very common for human beings to hide, ignore, restrict, oppress and even deny certain parts of their being. People living in dire poverty may ignore their emotions because their efforts are needed in the work of daily survival. People focused and committed to their careers may restrict certain aspects of their hearts and minds in the process of living for their job. People who worship science may deny their spirit and soul, restricting any expression from these as part of their beliefs. This may be part of life, part of survival, part of being human in our current times. However, it is always dysfunctional.

Our ideal aim should be to grow in each part of our being. Not to single them out and focus on each one, although you can do that if it works for you. However, being aware of ourselves will go a long way in helping us to live holistically. Why is this important?

·       Well, for starters it will help you to be a self-regulating and contained person. When you know how each part of you works, you are better equipped to manage yourself in each situation.

·       Secondly, being aware of your holistic self will help you identify areas of weakness and rectify them. For example, once I discovered that being hungry (body) often caused me to act out in anger (heart), which led to negative thoughts of others or situations (mind) and an inability to pray (spirit); I was able to change my perception of hunger and therefore stop the negative way I reacted to it through fasting (body)

·       The most important thing that one can glean from this is that self-awareness will always boost your awareness of the other. When you can recognize the way through which you work holistically, you can understand others and how they might be struggling. There-fore you are equipped to help others in a way that will empower them as well.

I hope you have been able to understand the meaning of holistic wellness. At least the basic concept of it. It is Biblical, it is the way we were created to live (otherwise there would be several components of us walking around set apart from each other). Doctrines that tell us to focus on one part (eg. the spirit) and ignore the rest are only leading us down a counter-productive path. As we have seen, all the other parts of us impact heavily on the well-being of the spirit. They are all connected.

The Scriptures are our best guide to holistic living. I encourage you to go and explore the Word to learn how to learn the workings of you mind, your spirit, your soul, your heart, and your body.

God bless,

Julie