As we bid farewell to the 2010’s and find ourselves face-to-face with the new decade, many continue to greet 2020 as “the beginning of a new life-chapter.”

But in a world with so many options—whether it’s hunting down the right gym, rebalancing your entire budget, or FINALLY learning how to play that dust-speckled guitar in the corner of your room (there’s how many chords??)—reinventing your life can not only seem overwhelming, but exhausting as well.

Because of this, many of us come up short on the resolutions we set.

How can we avoid the New Year’s burnout as we enter this new decade? Instead of latching onto the idea of adding a single new task to your daily life, how about we try bringing it back to basics? Enter, holistic living. 

“What’s Holistic Living?”

Glad you asked—It’s not just yoga and vegetables.

Holistic living starts with the idea that you must take care of yourself—all of yourself. You must not only take care of your body, but you must also take care of the rest of you. Other holistic life gurus often split this “you” into three categories—mind, body, and soul.

Living a holistic lifestyle means striving for satisfaction in each category as you go about your day. 

“Sounds complicated. How do I go about living life holistically?”

I know, I know—right off the bat, three categories is, like, three-times more parts than you bargained for.

I promise it’s even more simple than it sounds.

In our daily lives, there are hundreds of choices that we make. We choose to stream one-too-many episodes. We choose to scroll through too much social media. We choose to order out for dinner. And while none of these are bad in moderation, each can lead to strife in mind, body, and/or soul.

Living a holistic lifestyle pushes you to make the choices that will satisfy all three. 

Instead of hitting the “Keep Watching” option as it pops up onto your TV, why not knock out the dishes piling up in the kitchen sink? You’ll get your body up and moving, you’ll be giving your mind a break to reflect on that cliffhanger, and, at the end, you’ll have one less thing to worry about doing later.

Instead of scrolling through 10 variations of the same meme, why not take a tech break? Enjoy a nice, warm cup of coffee out on your front porch. Let your mind wander beyond the screen as you let your body and soul experience the world around you—all of you.

Instead of paying extra delivery fees getting fast-food delivered to your doorstep, go through your pantry and get creative! Experiment with the ingredients you have in-house, and if you’re that dissatisfied with your supplies, run out to the store and get your week’s-worth of groceries while you’re at it.

You get the picture.

Holistic living simply lays down a new framework for you to define “self-care.” When living holistically, you replace the chocolate cakes, the binge-watching, and the excess screen-time with healthier, more productive alternatives. Not because you’re, “not allowed to,” but because you won’t want to.

“Hmm. Are there any benefits to holistic living?” 

Yes! I’ve actually compiled a list of some of the benefits that await those who make the switch:

It opens up your mind –

Holistic living invites you to find new ways to stimulate your mind, body, and soul. In doing this, you’ll find yourself searching for new ways to satisfy each one as healthily as possible. Had I not begun living life holistically, I would have never found my passion in my martial art, my songwriting, or in designing t-shirts. The open-mindedness offered by holistic living is priceless.

It keeps your whole body in tip-top shape –

And, of course, I mean your whole body. Yes, it is very likely that you will be eating healthier and working out more during this journey. Your body will likely look better than it ever has. However, your body won’t be the only thing flourishing. Every decision you make is a workout for your mind, body, and soul. Living a holistic life trains each facet of who you are as you go about your day.

You’ll have enhanced healing abilities –

Kinda like Wolverine if that’s what floats your boat. Remember that open-mindedness from a couple bullets up? Many people who choose to live life holistically open their minds up to include natural remedies in their healing regimen. This could range from curing colds by drinking echinacea tea to using CBD oil to treat anxiety. And since holistic living DOES NOT require you to cut prescriptions out of your medicine cabinet, many reap the benefits of both Eastern and Western remedies.

You’ll be happier in general –

When you’ve fully immersed yourself in the holistic lifestyle, you will constantly be engaging your mind, body, and soul. While this alone contributes to an elevated mood, this constant engagement prepares you to make the best throughout any of life’s ups and downs.

“Okay, you got me. So let’s say I want to change my life for the better and practice holistic living—where should I start?”

Well that’s just the thing, isn’t it? Holistic living focuses on you. All of you. And since I’m here, a completely different person, my starting point won’t be the same as yours.

It is your duty to reflect on yourself and act however you think you should while prioritizing your mind, body, and soul.

This, of course, does not mean that there aren’t trends in holistic culture.

Here’s my Top 5 picks for the most common ways people approach life with a holistic mindset.

• Be physically active – Yoga is most common, but find activities that suit you. 
• Eat cleaner foods – Click here for some simple home recipes to get you started!
• Introduce Plant-based medicines – Essential oils, tea, CBD, and THC are all staples of many holistic homes.
• Connect with others – Surround yourself with the positive people in your life.
• Meditate – …but don’t forget to remain true to yourself. You’re the only person in the world who has to deal with you 24/7—work to understand and love all of yourself.