Well-being is a simple but loaded word. How you feel on a daily, even an hourly basis, can drastically change. Being comfortable, happy, and healthy can shift based on internal and external factors. For women, life stages such as pregnancy or menopause can cause disruption in well-being. Adding in societal pressures, the news cycle, and social media and any woman can start to feel unwell.
There are numerous ways to improve your well-being. Some are designed to fix the problem by putting a bandaid on the situation. While this can be a temporary solution, the problem will arise again. Thatโs why a holistic approach, which is rooted in considering the whole person, can be more advantageous. Here are three ways that women specifically can improve their well-being holistically.
Every โbodyโ is different. Your friend may be able to eat gluten while you feel icky after eating a slice of bread. You may be able to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, yet someone else may need to have an hour-long pre-bedtime routine to wind down. Supporting your bodyโs needs will allow you to thrive.
To best support your body, you must first tune in to what it is trying to say. Symptoms get an inherently bad rap. But if you switch the narrative, symptoms are your bodyโs only way to tell you what it needs. When you get sick, your body tells you to relax and rest. When you get a headache, your body tells you to hydrate. When you experience pain, your body alerts you that something needs to be addressed.
Some symptoms, like a headache, are acute. This means they develop quickly and require short-term care. You drink some water and take a nap, and your headache will likely disappear. Other symptoms are harder to diagnose. You may not even realize that your stomach hurts after you eat gluten until you remove it from your diet.
How you support your body will vary based on the current symptoms or signs your body is trying to tell you. When you experience a recurring symptom, such as stomach issues or consistent headaches, your body is asking you to recognize it. You may decide to add a supplement to your routine to address it, such as probiotics for women. Or you may decide to remove something and see if it alters how you feel. The key is to tune in and listen to your unique body because itโs trying to speak to you.
Life is stressful. Thereโs no way around it. The demands of every day can take a toll on women, especially those juggling work with family needs. Although itโs impossible to get rid of stress entirely, there are ways to better manage it holistically. Adopting stress management techniques can significantly enhance your physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.
Meditation is one of the best-known stress management techniques. Itโs completely free and doesnโt require you to buy a device or take a course. If the idea of sitting with your thoughts scares you, itโs a good sign that you need to start meditating. Research shows that mindfulness-based meditations can be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression. Thereโs no need to sit for an hour to receive the benefits; sit for a minute or two upon waking up and focus on your breath.
Another stress management technique worth adopting is making time for hobbies. Whether you enjoy knitting, gardening, cooking, reading, or something else entirely, prioritize the activities that make you happy. You may feel like there simply arenโt enough hours in the day, but squeezing them in can enhance your life. Hobbies can distract you from what is going on and boost your mood, relieving stress in the process.ย
Most Americans' diets are full of processed foods. These convenient, packaged items are highly satiating and enjoyable to eat. Their taste is appealing and addicting, meaning individuals go back for more. And yet, processed foods can be detrimental to womenโs health, both physically and mentally. A 2023 study found that women who ate a lot of ultra-processed foods were at a higher risk of depression.
Eating nutritious, wholesome foods can change your body and your mind. You can feel more energized and less irritable and tired when eating natureโs bounty instead of man-made products. Nutrient-dense foods are full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals to support your bodyโs needs.
The simplest way to start eating more wholesome foods is to focus on adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Crowding your plate with roasted veggies, berries, and other produce means your cravings for packaged goods will subside. Youโll notice that you feel better when you eat the apple with peanut butter than the bag of chips or candy. Focusing on lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, tofu, nuts, and seeds, will also be a cue to your hunger hormones. Youโll feel satisfied after eating a wholesome meal and will soon realize your taste for snacky foods has subsided.
Holistic health is about seeing the whole picture. Rather than honing in on your pounding headache or your painful stomach ache, you zoom out. You ask yourself how what you are doing from a physical, mental, and emotional perspective could be causing your body distress. Scrolling through TikTok at night may seem โrelaxing,โ when in reality it's spiking your cortisol and putting you in fight or flight mode. For women, evaluating how you're supporting your body on a daily basis can significantly improve your entire well-being.
