The 5 Pillars of Holistic Health

When it comes to the precious gift of life, we truly never know what tomorrow may bring.

But what we DO know is that we want to make the absolute most out of the years that we have ahead of us.

Fortunately, the good news is that when it comes to remaining healthy, energetic, and active for as long as possible, a large portion of the control is in our hands. WE get to decide what to do with it!

Although we may not be able to change our genetics or predispositions to certain illnesses, many modern diseases are actually lifestyle related.

In other words, this means that you actually have a great deal of power over how many years you will live, and most importantly, how many active and healthy years you can extend your lifespan by.

Researchers are now finding more and more that by practicing a few KEY healthy habits, you may be able to extend your life expectancy by up to a decade, or even more!

These recent studies seem pretty clear when it comes to achieving the highest possible life quality well into old age: The key to longevity seems to be proper nutrition, movement, stress reduction, and overall balance. 


Here at Primal Harvest, we're always doing our very best to share the latest helpful tips, recipes, and advice on supercharging your health naturally, without relying on only on pharmaceutical drugs that may do more harm than good.

What is holistic health?

At Primal Harvest, we believe in following a holistic philosophy that treats wellness as one integrated whole, versus a series of separate parts.


Holistic health essentially looks at the “big picture” of our overall wellness by seeking to balance all the different areas of our health, predominantly physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual.


It includes all aspects of lifestyle, diet, and supplementation, and embraces the idea that harmony in these different areas is what creates the highest possible state of happiness and wellness.

Usually, when we think of our health, the first thing that comes to mind is our weight loss plan or specific physical ailments. But until we take a closer look, it’s easy to oversee the fact that most of what we experience on the outside begins from within.

By neglecting one or more of the important areas of holistic health, we’re bound to miss out on the important opportunity for true whole body healing. 

The Five Main Pillars of Holistic Health:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Social
• Spiritual
• Intellectual

Let's take a closer look at these different areas of holistic health and explore what we need to know to find balance and achieve optimal wellness.

1)  PHYSICAL

Physical health includes anything that impacts your physical well-being. This area of our health encompasses things like nutrition and food choices, physical activity, sleep patterns, stress management, routine medical visits, and alcohol, caffeine, and sugar intake.

Our physical body can be viewed as the home or “foundation” that houses all other areas of our wellness.

That’s why it’s essential to treat your body kindly and supply it with nutritious foods, self-care, proper rest, and the like. In the hierarchy of holistic wellness, it’s the first and most important pillar upon which all other areas depend.

Whether it’s cutting out soda or quitting smoking, small but consistent changes can have a huge impact over time when it comes to your physical health.

2)  SOCIAL

When it comes down to it, humans are social creatures by nature. No man is an island! Social health is associated with the quality of your network of support and your meaningful connections with others, especially your friends, family, and loved ones.

As far as social health goes, having a strong support system is just as important as eliminating toxic relationships and setting healthy boundaries.

This by no means suggests that you have to be an extrovert or be surrounded by people at all times, but it is important to have a network of supportive people to fall back on when times get tough for guidance, inspiration, advice, and support.

This allows you to connect with others on a deeper and more meaningful level, and not feel the pangs of loneliness that isolation often invites.

Listen to your inner voice to decide how much social interaction feels best for you. Declining draining social invitations when your body is requiring a different method of self-care is also an essential part of good social health!

3)  EMOTIONAL

The emotional pillar of holistic health is all about matters of the heart, as well as the healthy management of emotions, stress, and overall mindset. It includes all practices that help bring mindfulness and a healthy balance of emotions into your life.

There are many different ways to nourish your emotional health and better understand and control your feelings in a positive way.

The need for prioritizing emotional health can vary greatly throughout your life as you inevitably face life’s many ups and down. The truth is that most of us are skilled experts at taking care of our loved ones, but it’s not always quite as simple when it comes to setting time aside in our hectic schedule to extend that same love and care towards ourselves.

For example, suffering grief after the loss of a loved one or a difficult breakup may require a greater emphasis on your emotional health for some time.

4)  INTELLECTUAL

Intellectual health is centered around matters of the mind and learning. Consistently engaging your brain in new and challenging educational projects is an essential part of holistic wellness. Just like any other part of your body, your brain requires stimulation to remain strong and healthy.

Falling into “robot mode” and simply going through the movements each day is arguably one of the worst things you can do for your cognitive health as you age.

Nourishing the mind can include a wide variety of activities and includes anything where you are actively setting aside time simply to learn in some capacity.

Some examples include puzzles, studying a language, taking a class, reading a book, visiting a museum, trying your hand at photography, or any activity that is unfamiliar to your brain. It can be as simple as trying to do everyday tasks with your non-dominant hand once in a while!

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of focusing on your intellectual health is that it tends to leave you feeling confident and accomplished as you uncover your true cognitive potential.

At the end of the day, we are hard-wired to explore and expand in the pursuits of education and learning, and this personal growth offers an important sense of purpose and achievement.

Remember, taking time to learn should be fun and will inevitably leave you feeling closer to achieving your full potential!

5)  SPIRITUAL

The last of the five pillars of holistic health is spiritual health. Spiritual health includes all practices that nourish the soul and guide your values and beliefs. In other words, it’s all about the governing ideals that provide you with a higher purpose and define your essence of being.

This area of your health is perhaps the most loosely defined and will look slightly different for everyone, based on unique belief systems.

There are, however, many commonalities that unite this area of holistic health regardless of your religious background or personal values. Spiritual health is fundamentally all about fulfilling the human need to invest in something bigger than ourselves.

With so many unanswered questions about the meaning of life and our role in the Universe, our soul craves answers and exploration in this area of our lives.

Caring for your spiritual health can include setting aside some time each week to feed your soul, whether that means exploring a practice such as meditation or visiting a place of worship to pray and ponder. Regardless of whatever the term “spirituality” means to you, this area of your health shouldn’t be ignored.

Sometimes when you aren’t feeling our best, all you really need is to remove yourself from your everyday worldly troubles and complaints and instead have a look at the bigger picture of things that may lie outside your comprehension.

THE 5 PILLARS EXERCISE:

1. Take a piece of paper and write down the numbers one through five.
   
   
2. Fill in these five pillars of holistic health, from the one that you feel you’re doing the best in to the one you feel needs the most work.
   
   
3. Circle your top two choices and next to each, write down what makes you proud about your success in these two areas of your health.
   
   
4. Then, circle the bottom two pillars and next to each, jot down one activity (no matter how small) for each that you can begin adding to your routine to give these areas of your health some extra TLC!
   
   Maybe if your intellectual health has been put on the backburner, you can write down “find a new book to read” or “download a language app and do one session each week,” for example.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US ABOUT HOLISTIC LIVING OR OUR SUPPLEMENTS?

LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS OR BY CONNECTING WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! WE'RE ALWAYS HERE TO SUPPORT YOU AND HELP YOU LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE, AT ANY AGE.

AND REMEMBER...