Maintaining your health is more than just eating well – although making healthy food choices is the ideal start. You're probably here, on the Hippie Lane site, reading this, already conscious of your diet – eating nutritious foods that make you look, and feel, good. Being healthy isn’t just about your food choices, it’s about taking a holistic approach to your lifestyle and giving yourself the best possible options to practice positive wellness. What is holistic health? It's simply an approach to life that places emphasis on a connection between mind, body, and spirit – it is looking at your lifestyle from a whole (holistic) perspective and creating balance in all aspects. At the core of holistic health is the knowledge that we are responsible for our own health, and an acceptance that our beliefs, values and attitudes affect our health. Holistic medicine practitioners believe that the whole person is made up of interdependent parts and if one part isn’t working properly, all the other parts will be affected. So if you have an imbalance – whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual – it can negatively affect your overall health. This is why holistic health encompasses all manner of care and treatment, from surgery and western medicine, right through to nutrition, rehabilitation, counseling, acupuncture, psychotherapy, exercise, and spiritual healing, to name just a few of the many and varied options available. A key belief of holistic health is that unconditional love and support is the most powerful healer – which is why simple (and necessary!) things such as surrounding yourself with positivity, taking the time to relax and maintaining a social life, are vital to promote wellness and balance. The old adage ‘prevention is better than a cure’ is an apt way of looking at creating and maintaining a harmonious balance between your physical, mental and emotional state. Sure, you say. No problems. Let me just whip up a little concoction of harmonious balance. Don't stress, if holistic health is sounding daunting, start with something easy (and be gentle with yourself); positive wellness can be reinforced with something as simple as getting out into the fresh air for some exercise… small steps to help you to focus on your physical health, the prevention of disease, and developing a positive mental and emotional state. A half hour to meditate in a quiet spot, a freshly brewed pot of herbal tea, a visit to an acupuncturist – each little thing will build your positive wellness until holistic health becomes a natural state. I'm a huge believer in the power of the mind, and the persistent thoughts we have and how they effect our wellbeing. Monitor your thoughts. If you find that negative little voice inside your head causing you distress, leading to a poor self image, it's time to face it head on and challenge your thinking patterns. Melissa Ambrosini's 'Mastering Your Mean Girl' is a great read if you need help with that. Now go get you some loving. There's great evidence suggesting that touch, kissing and cuddles give you blissful feelings (due to the release of oxytocin - the happy hormone). If you don't have a partner to get your love fix, go get yourself a good massage. Simple touch can lead to some beautiful happy vibes and we can all have more of the in our lives. Much love, T xx