Beyond the Binary: Redefining Health Through Wholeness & Intention

For years, conversations about health revolved around two things: food and fitness. Eat clean. Work out. Repeat. That was the formula. And while those things do matter, they’ve never told the whole story. 

Thankfully, our understanding has started to shift. But even as we move in the right direction, we still tend to categorize our health into silos: physical or mental or spiritual. As if they function independently of one another. 

Here’s the truth: they don’t. 

Health isn’t an either/or equation. You’re not physically strong or mentally healthy. You’re not spiritually fulfilled or emotionally resilient. Real, sustainable well-being happens when mind, body, and spirit are working together, not in competition. Holistic health lives and thrives in that overlap. 

We don’t live in separate parts. These dimensions of health are constantly influencing each other: 

The Body is your physical self; organs, muscles, tissues, and all the biological systems that keep you going. But it’s also where you feel stress, joy, trauma, and rest. Movement supports physical function and mental health. Regular exercise, for example, helps regulate mood, improve sleep, and boost immune response (Sharma et al., 2006). On the flip side, unresolved emotional stress often shows up physically, as fatigue, headaches, or chronic tension (Harvard Health, 2020). 

The mind holds your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and memories. It filters how you experience life and how you respond to it. Mental health affects everything; from how well you sleep to how often you get sick. And because the brain is a physical organ, it’s directly impacted by what you eat, how you move, and whether you rest (National Institute of Mental Health, 2021). 

The spirit is harder to measure, but essential. It reflects your values, sense of identity, and connection to something greater than yourself; be that faith, nature, art, or community. Spiritual well-being provides meaning and resilience. Practices like meditation, prayer, reflection, or even creative expression can reduce anxiety, foster gratitude, and lead to greater life satisfaction (Koenig, 2012). 

Your physical, mental, and spiritual health don’t exist in a vacuum of each other, nor do they operate outside of the external impacts of our day to day life. In fact, altogether they’re profoundly shaped and influenced daily by two powerful forces: your actions and your environment. Both of which, you have considerable control over. 

● What you eat.

● Who you spend time with. 

● What you listen to. 

● How much light you get. 

● The quality of your sleep. 

● The pace of your schedule. 

● The messages you feed your mind. 

● The products you use in your home or on your skin.

All of the actions you take will either nourish or deplete your health. Wellness isn’t just about big lifestyle overhauls; it’s built through tiny, everyday choices that cumulate over the course of time. Therefore, if we want to actually experience holistic wellbeing, we have to start seeing our health as dynamic and directly influenced by what we do, and where we do it. 

We experience the greatest transformation not by hyper-focusing on one area of health, but by creating balance across them all. When we engage in actions and surround ourselves with environments that nurture our mind, body, and spirit as a cohesive unit, we create positive momentum. That’s how healing happens. That’s where alignment lives. 

If you’ve ever felt stuck or like you're “failing” at being healthy, it might be because you’re chasing someone else’s version of wellness, or because you are sacrificing one area of your health while in pursuit to build another. 

You don’t need to wake up at 5:30 a.m., run a marathon, or drink a $15 smoothie to be healthy. You also don’t need to be in therapy weekly, journal for an hour a day, or sit in perfect stillness to be mentally or spiritually well. 

Health doesn’t require extremes. it requires consistency, self-awareness, and grace. Sometimes, being healthy looks like: 

● Choosing a homemade meal over takeout. 

● Taking a quiet walk while listening to music that calms you. 

● Saying “no” to something that drains your energy. 

● Laughing with someone you love. 

● Spending five quiet minutes meditating, praying, or stretching. 

● Dancing around your living room to your favorite song. 

None of those things are huge. But together? They shape how you feel, how you live, and how you show up for yourself. 

Health is dynamic. It shifts with your body, your season of life, your circumstances. Some weeks you’ll feel in sync; others you won’t. That’s normal. What matters is that you stay aware, and respond with intention.

So if you're feeling off-track, don’t just zoom in on your symptoms. Zoom out. Look at the whole picture. Let the next step be yours, not someone else's idea of what health “should” look like. 

Maybe it’s setting a boundary. Maybe it’s replacing one processed snack with something nourishing. Maybe it’s letting go of something (or someone) that doesn’t align with who you’re becoming. 

Whatever it is; make it intentional. Make it sustainable. And make it yours.

At IVY Integrative, you can work with one practitioner or build your own team of holistic practitioners! Reach your optimum health in-person or online. Check out our Get Started page to learn how to work with us!

Author: Dr. Katherine Lewis, OTD, OTR/L  

Citations:

1. Harvard Health Publishing. (2020). How stress affects the body. https://www.health.harvard.edu 

2. Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. (2006). Exercise for mental health. Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 8(2), 106. 

3. National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Mental Health Information. https://www.nimh.nih.gov 

4. Koenig, H.G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, 278730. 

5. Environmental Working Group (EWG). (2023). The Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors. https://www.ewg.org 

6. Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E.M.S., et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368.

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Disclaimer:

This information is generalized and intended for educational purposes only. Due to potential individual contraindications, please see your primary care provider before implementing any strategies in these posts.