HOLISTIC HEALTH/BALANCE
“Health is wholeness and balance, an inner resilience that allows you to meet the demands of living without being overwhelmed.”
— Andrew Weil, MD
Health is wholeness, and health is multi-faceted. When major areas of health are addressed, balance results.
With an MD such as Dr. Weil, physical health is of primary importance. Keys are proper eating, exercise and rest and all in moderation. To co-creatively ensure your physical well being, regular check-ups are a key. On top of the check with your MD, following his/her advice and actually doing follow-up testing, and following suggestions including taking meds as advised is required action.
As important is your mental health.
More and more about mental health is being made available. The shame associated with depression and other "mental" issues is dissipating as more and more well known figures go public with issues they have faced. Included in this area are addictions, definitely a mental health issue.
For me, following Doctors suggestions and practising the principles of the 12 steps is a key to good mental hygiene. It took a great deal of intestinal fortitude for me to accept I had mental health issues, and courage to address them.
Finally, for me to optimize life balance, I had to bring a spiritual, not religious, component into my life. This helped me realize that my self will had gone amuck and that I was not all powerful. The adding of a spiritual element into my life was assisted by "others", and I had to release many of the "religious" ideas that I had. Within me I became very aware of a spirit of good, knowing and acting upon what I knew to be right and acting in an increasing basis on these feelings. Many of these actions went against what had become my norm, but by increasing conscious contact with the divine spirit within, my spirituality constantly increase. Conscious contact, including both prayer and meditation are a part of my "daily balance".
All of these "balance" components were done with help beyond me, whether it is human or otherwise.
From one of my "outside" sources, I was given a daily checklist. When I incorporate it into a daily set of activities (and record these on the check list), my life seems to remain fairly balanced on a daily basis. If you would like a free copy of this check list, please request it by emailing khbray@hopeserenity.ca; no strings attached.
The Co-Creative Process of Life Recovery is the basis of my daily living. It was developed through a collaborative effort with people who have and are walking a path of life recovery and whose lives have transformed over an extended period of time. Each of us faced different challenges. Each of us enjoys a much more abundant life than we imagined; each of us, using Co-Creative Recovery has experienced life transformation in keeping with their own goals; each of us has holistically recovered and continue to work at recovery; and each of us, although facing our own individual challenges, have done the same basic work with help from outside.
Interested in regaining a balanced life, I would be pleased to share with you what has worked for me and millions of others.
It's thanksgiving this weekend in Canada, and a great time to give thanks for what co-creative, holistic recovery has given to me!

Author's Bio: 

ICF CERTIFIED LIFE and ADDICTIONS COACH