Optimum Health

When I speak about optimum health, many think of being in optimum physical health. They think of being disease-free, feeling energised, moving freely and functioning optimally. This is what most healthcare providers focus on. However, health is so much more than this. In this blog, I will explore my views on health, what imbalanced health looks like and the signs of holistic health.

What is Health?

According to the World Health Organisation, health can be defined as : Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. I agree, in part. It is waking up, feeling renewed.  It is going through the day allowing the emotions to guide one. It is when our thoughts are crystal clear so that we can make the best decisions for ourselves and those around us. It is caring for loved ones around you. It is living a productive and fulfilled life while making an impact and creating a legacy. As you can see, being in a space of health is not just the absence of disease or pain. It is being in a complete state of health that includes mind, body and soul. It is about being in a space where the body feels free, alive and energised. Where the mind is clear, focused and calm. Where the emotions become guiding points. Where you are connected to the spirit. This all starts with healing our health.

What is Physical Health

Physical health is easier to identify than other aspects of health as it is more tangible. You can feel, experience and often can explain it clearer than you can aspects like emotions or thoughts. Physical health is about the body and the building blocks that combine to make it such a beautiful organism. It is how it functions and moves allowing us to navigate our life from a space of strength.

Signs of poor physical health

Signs of poor physical health can include being diagnosed as:

Chronic Disease

Chronic disease is a condition is that serious and is considered to be a long-term illness that needs management. This may be heart disease, cancer, diabetes or organ failure.

Acute Illness

Acute Health care minor flair-ups, that are not considered serious, but still impact our lives. This may be sinus, sore joints or headaches. Other signs I look for to indicate poor physical health can incle the following:

Poor Digestion

Poor Digestion often leads to poor health. These two areas are strongly linked. Signs of poor digestion can include irregular bowel movements, bloating, gas and related.

Poop

The condition of poop can tell quite a bit about the body and its overall health.

Skin, Nail and Hair

Clear skin, nails and shiny hair are excellent indications of health. These areas are linked to showing how well the body detoxes as well as having adequate nutrients, some of which are micronutrients which are not always a focus when assisting health.

Energy Levels

Inconsistent energy can be a minor sign of lifestyle adjustments that need some nurturing. Or it can be other areas that need to be examined more closely.

Signs of optimum physical health

Optimum health is waking up in the morning and feeling energised and ready to get the day going. You have a day full of productive activities that feel good and you get them done easily. You respect your body and so listen and provide it with rest, nurturing and love when it needs it. You feel motivated and driven to exercise.

How to improve physical health

Physical health is nourishing the body with the basic nutrients, in many different forms, that it needs to function. This includes:

• Nutrition
• Supplementation
• Water
• Exercise
• Rest and Relaxation

Mental Health

When I speak about mental health, I am bringing two concepts together under one label: emotions and thoughts. For this blog, I will be dividing them for deeper clarity although there is a lot of overlap.

What is Mental Health

Mental health is related to the mind and its functioning. It is about our thoughts and how these thoughts are processed. This in turn affects how we think, feel and act. These thoughts become our belief systems and programming too. When we are in a healthy state of mental health our feelings, actions and our energy are impacted by our mind and thus promote optimum health and productivity, how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. This helps us handle life more efficiently. We are able to make healthy choices.

Signs of poor mental health

The word emotions may have many connotations to them and may bring up an uncomfortable feeling for some. We may have been conditioned to think that emotions are not good. Some may think they can make us weak. Sometimes, they really do not feel good. They can feel heavy and debilitating. However, emotions are our guidance system and they bring us closer to aspects that serve our highest health or help us avoid a direction that is not good for our highest potential. Often, we may need to go towards negative emotions to find health as healing happens from going through, experiencing and getting out the other side. So they can be complex and sometimes not pleasant. But they are our map. The key is learning to navigate this tricky landscape. Not by avoiding. But by understanding. We can learn to understand and deal with this map through positive emotional health.

Signs of poor emotional health

Contradictory, poor emotional health is not about feeling heavy or negative emotions. As mentioned before, going through emotions can be healing as much as it doesn’t feel that way. It is about sitting with these heavy emotions, especially without a known cause, for long periods of time where it feels debilitating and affects functioning. It is when these emotions control you, instead of you working with these emotions. It is about balance. When one is feeling:

• Out of control anger or aggression
• Deep never-ending sense of loneliness
• Hopeless about life
• Irritability
• Overwhelming anxiety
• Debilitating Guilt
• Extreme mood changes from one extreme to the next

These emotions go a bit deeper, where they start affecting functioning:

• When one withdraws from friends and social networking in a way of isolating and disconnecting.
• Deep soul tiredness as these emotions are sitting in the body instead of flowing. These emotions are heavy and they drain you while doing so.
• It is very difficult to function and be productive. There may be heavy depression preventing you from getting up in the morning. Or anxiety that wraps you in fear that you cannot move forward.
• Small amounts of stress feels like momentous problems.
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress

These can then start affecting everyday life.

• It may turn into endless arguing with loves ones.
• Inadequate sleep.
• Escapism through sex, alcohol or drug use
• an unhealthy relationship with food and with eating.
• A decline in productivity at work or school

Signs of positive emotional health

Positive emotional health is about being aware of what one is feeling, being  present with where one is at and meeting oneself there in a loving and compassion It is coping with where one is at and allowing the emotions to flow in an accepting way. This in turn expresses itself as the ability to have mature conversations in relationships where you are able to express your needs, wants and desires clearly. You are able to set boundaries clearly with those around you. Your emotions become your guide, so you can navigate towards decisions that are good for you. And avoid decisions that are not. You feel good within yourself.

How to improve emotional Health

Emotional health can be improved through:

• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Exercise
• Self-care
• Journaling
• Self love

What is Spiritual Health

Spiritual health is a very individual thing. It is how one experiences the experience of spiritual health which greatly varies from person to person. One of the ways I define spiritual health is as connection. It is a connection to self, to one’s soul, to life, to those around us and to source. Source is love. Through this deep connection, one can find purpose, transformation, magic, self-actualisation and a deep sense of belonging.

Signs of poor  Spiritual Health

Signs of poor spiritual health is a deep sense of being empty, of feeling there is something missing. This may lead to a deep yearning, often not knowing what for. With emptiness, comes disconnection. Disconnection from those around you which deepens the isolation. It may lead to neglecting one’s health and well-being. It can filter down into poor mental, emotional or physical symptoms. It is a sense of a deep soul sickness. It is also a sign of being disconnected from love: within you, or from others. It is hopelessness, helplessness and being out of control. It can also be a symptom of being dissatisfied with life. There is a feeling of things just going wrong and not working. This may be source giving you a message to make changes.

Signs of  Spiritual Health

Signs of spiritual health is about experiencing. It is about moving towards that experience of experiencing through love. It is about being empowered and taking responsibility for one’s life. It is stepping up as the co-creator of one’s own life. This means letting go of the victim mentality, of blame, or not being in control over life. You feel connected on a broader scale. There is a network between people, family and life. You are at the centre. You feel this connection and feel held. You love life, yourself and are in a space of surrender and trust as you know you are taken care of.

Finding Holistic Health

Being in health, body, mind, emotions or soul is the greatest gift you can ever receive. It is something we all can achieve in a way that is in perfect alignment with you. I can help you get there. The body conscious healing modality, gets to the root cause of disease, whether it manifests on the mind, body or spirit level and treats it here, at the root level, mind body and soul so you can find holistic health mastery. Send me a message and we can get your health journey underway.