Conscious living _ a Holistic approach to Health and Wellness: By Dr Snehaprabha T V

Conscious living _ a Holistic approach to Health and Wellness: By Dr Snehaprabha T V

Conscious living involves making deliberate choices to improve various aspects of our life, including physical, mental, and emotional health. It involves mindful choices in Food, Adequate sleep, Mindfulness and Meditation and many more.

Mindful choices in food involve being fully present. That means be aware while making decisions about what, when, and how we eat. This concept highlights the quality of the food, the eating experience, and its impact on our overall well-being. Pay attention to what we eat, including the ingredients, nutritional content, and origin of our food. Eat in response to our body signals, means know our hunger and fullness signals. Other aspect is eating slowly, relishing each bite, and avoiding external as well as internal distractions. Incorporate a wide range of foods to ensure a balanced intake of nutrients.

Making mindful food choices can leads to good Physical Health. Regular physical activity improves physical as well as mental health.

Adequate sleep is essential for overall health and well-being. Sleep is crucial for the body's repair and growth. During sleep, the body repairs muscles, tissues, and organs. Sleep helps maintain a strong immune system. Lack of sleep can weaken our immune response, making more susceptible to infections and illnesses. Lack of sleep can lead to mood swings, irritability, and increased stress levels. Sleep is essential for brain functions such as memory consolidation, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Poor sleep can damage these cognitive abilities. Sleep-deprived individuals often experience difficulties in maintaining focus and making decisions. Sleep influences the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. Adequate sleep helps maintain a healthy metabolism, reducing the risk of obesity and related metabolic disorders. To achieve adequate sleep, we have to maintain a regular sleep schedule and make a comfortable sleep environment.

It is well known that we have to avoid Harmful Habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption

Mindfulness and Meditation: Mindfulness and meditation have distinct practices; both contribute to mental and physical well-being.

Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment. We should be aware of our thoughts and feelings, but should not get distracted. It involves paying attention to the present moment. It can be practiced in any moment of daily life, like hear the sounds around while walking, concentrate on songs and its meaning, concentrate on the words and statements what we write, enjoy the taste of food while eating -let it be spicy or bitter.

In short Mindful eating, mindful breathing, and mindful listening are very important.

Practices like meditation can reduce stress, enhance focus, and improve emotional regulation.

Meditation is a broader practice that typically involves a more formal and structured time spent focusing the mind and eliminating distractions. It often includes techniques like focusing on the breath, chanting, or visualization. Mindfulness can be a component of meditation. While mindfulness can be practiced informally throughout daily activities, meditation typically involves dedicated time and specific techniques aimed at training the mind. Meditation is practiced in a specific posture and in a quiet environment.

Positive Thinking: Cultivating a positive mindset can lead to better stress management and a more optimistic outlook on life. Maintaining positive thinking in life can be challenging for several reasons:

Humans naturally have a tendency to focus on negative experiences more than positive ones. This trait helped our ancestors survive by remembering dangers, but it can hinder our ability to stay positive. Daily stressors, whether from work, personal relationships, or financial issues, can make it difficult to maintain a positive outlook. Surrounding ourself with people with negative attitude can heavily influence our mindset. Negativity can be contagious, and constant exposure to it can erode positive thinking. Negative past experiences can shape one's outlook and make it difficult to adopt a positive mindset. The media often focuses on negative news and events. Constant exposure to such content can affect our overall outlook on life. Lack of Self-Care can make it difficult to maintain a positive outlook.

Cognitive distortions or biased ways of thinking can negatively affect one's perception of reality. For example, thinking "I am going to fail in examination instead of "I made some mistakes." Or saying "I always mess things up" after a delay in arriving to a function. Many of us focus exclusively on the negative aspects of a situation, ignoring any positive aspects. When we get appreciation, instead of accepting a compliment on a challenging task, we may say "Anyone could have done that" and avoid enjoying the compliments. Predicting negative outcomes are very common. Thinking of a minor error we normally spoil the situation and ruin everything. My friend never joins any function after her divorce thinking and assuming others have negative thoughts about her. Many carry these statements such as "I should always be perfect" or "People should always be kind. "Another example “It's my fault my friend is upset" even when it isn't. Recognize and challenge these cognitive distortions and it is a key component to improve overall health

Notice your emotions as they arise. Allow yourself to feel them fully without trying to avoid or escape them. Spending time in nature can reduce stress and improve mood. Try new things, it releases dopamine a chemical in the brain to make you feel good .In the present technical and digital world we can start of our own passion or join a group of our choice to learn, practice and to develop more. When we help others and mentor them there is countless happiness and meaningful life. The meaning of life is different for each person and we have to find out. Learn from past experiences to choose the right path. In between there may be failures, that are lessons to achieve the goals of life. Thank failures, for we can choose different path.

By integrating these practices into our daily life, we can reduce stress, improve our mental clarity, and enhance our overall well-being. Live more consciously and create a more meaningful and fulfilling existence.