.Defining 'Holistic' and 'Stoic'.
Dear Reader,
Underlying themes in everything on this site are of a holistic or a Stoic nature. Okay, maybe by the site name these themes are more obvious and overarching. Readings on this site should challenge your current thoughts, peak an interest that you did not know existed, increase your knowledge about yourself, and inspire you to start something!
For me, curiosity and willingness to learn is how I uncovered holistic practices and Stoic concepts in my life (see the About page). Fusing concepts from these two practices has helped me in so many ways. It is why I’m where I am today, and why I’m confident in an even bigger future. For you to see why a holistic way of life and Stoic (not stoic) belief system has served so well in my life, I’d like to review the basics of the terms Holistic and Stoic, as traditionally defined and as I follow them.
Holistic
relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts - Merriam-Webster
Just like sustainable, natural, green, or plant-based, the word holistic has come into prevalence in media or products. This leads to the confusion around what it really means. Is it just another buzz word? Without regulation in some products, it very well may be just an attention-grabbing marketing tactic. This word conjures to mind so many different images or activities because it should! It is very straightforward and yet ambiguous at the same time.
What I mean by that is that yes, to be holistic is clearly to consider the whole of a person, a community, a supply chain, a country, or a world. Of course! But….how do we successfully be holistic? The application of the concept is more ambiguous and difficult for everyone to agree on.
Dimensions of Holistic Health
When it comes to health of a person, someone may summarize holistic health to be spirit, mind, body. At a very high-level, yes I agree. Why else would my tagline be “for me, for we - in spirit, mind, body”? However, categories of personal holistic health can be expanded into more specific dimensions- 8 to be exact. While 8 is too many for a concise tagline for this site, 8 is enough to encompass all dimensions of a whole person that must be cared for.
I have found varying lists, but these 8 dimensions are what I resonate with most:
Environmental - Good health, by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being.
Emotional - Coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships.
Financial - Satisfaction with current and future financial situations.
Intellectual - Recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills. True wellness in this category is continuing to learn, read, and apply knowledge and skills regarding the topics you enjoy in life and what you’re responsible for knowing about.
Occupational - It is what you engage in to earn living in our money-based society. Ideally for true wellness in this category, it aligns with your life’s purpose and brings you fulfillment.
Physical - Recognizing the need for physical activity, diet, sleep, and nutrition.
Social - Developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system.
Spiritual - Expanding our sense of purpose and meaning in life.
My favorite depiction of these 8 dimensions! click image for original source.
Even after reviewing this list of 8 dimensions of a well, holistic life, you can see that even these dimensions are further broken into sub-dimensions. For example, fulfillment in the Physical dimension must comprise of proper physical activity, diet, sleep, and nutrition. This is the dimension that most people focus on, and for good reason. There is a lot to complete in just this one dimension of wellness. But…we cannot stop there! Now you see that there are 7 whole other dimensions of a person’s well-being that need at least acknowledged, and ideally tended to, for holistic health.
I do not think anyone said it is an easy journey to simultaneously achieve health in all these areas, nor to maintain health in all areas. But when problem-solving the signals that our spirit, mind, or body are trying to communicate to us, it is critical to consider each dimension (and sub-dimension) of our wellness. In my own journey towards holistic health, this was crucial to understand! I simply will not truly heal if I am only looking at the physical health in my life. What about my spiritual, financial, social, etc?
It seemed overwhelming to me initially, but when beginning my healing journey, I quickly found out that I could not focus on achieving wellness in all dimensions simultaneously, but rather focus on slowly building my knowledge and application bit-by-bit. Most definitely I am still working on all dimensions, always learning more about myself and my needs (partly why I’m here exploring concepts with you).
I invite you to do the same. Do you see how holistic health requires more than just the components of your physical well-being? In which dimension do you feel strongest? In which dimension do you need to improve most? Keep those answers in mind as you explore the articles/products/services on this site (and get curious on other sites, books). The categories and tags relate to these holistic dimensions of health. They also relate to Stoic concepts and practices. Which brings us finally to…
Stoicism
While we may not always have control over the events affecting us, we can have control over how we approach things.Rather than imagining an ideal society, the Stoic tries to deal with the world as it is while pursuing self-improvement through four cardinal virtues: wisdom…temperance…justice…courage. - TED-Ed
Just like the word holistic, the word stoic requires clarification when initially discussing. Mainly, it comes down to clarifying if we are referencing the noun, Stoic (uppercase), or the adjective, stoic (lowercase). Stoic (uppercase) is in reference to a person who practices Stoicism the philosophy… which is what we are about here on this site! Conversely, stoic (lowercase) is the adjective which implies someone is “not affected by, or showing, passion or feeling” (the distinction made by Webster here).
Of course there is much depth to the practices and concepts of Stoicism. But for now, we will review the core basics. The quote above sums up Stoic beliefs nicely. People often reference the commonly known Serenity Prayer when describing the main tenet in Stoicism. This is a great place to start. The prayer even calls out two of the 4 Stoic cardinal virtues - Wisdom and courage. The definitions of the four virtues are as follows:
Wisdom - The ability to navigate complex situations in a logical, informed, and calm manner.
Temperance - The exercise of self-restraint and moderation in all aspects of life.
Justice - Treating others with fairness even when they have done wrong.
Courage - Facing daily challenges with clarity and integrity (not just in extraordinary circumstances).
Combining the idea of the serenity prayer with the 4 virtues through which Stoics pursue self-improvement, I would phrase another prayer of sorts like this: “Dear God, may I always have the wisdom to know what I can and cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the temperance and justice to maintain balanced and fair in my actions.” This is a condensed way of summarizing the main principle of Stoicism and including the 4 cardinal virtues which Stoics adhere to.
I think what draws many to appreciate Stoicism is the empowering, wake-up-call message that '“I am in charge of my actions, and the way I present myself in the world”. How others in the world interpret your virtuous actions is up to them. It seems so obvious once you read that concept, but how hard it is to always apply… how many times have you let someone’s offhand comment ruin your day?
That concept of controlling what is in your control and accepting what is not, combined with living a life of virtue, is very freeing. This combination is a must! if you’re not aligning your actions with those cardinal virtues, it is a slippery slope toward justifying your actions for solely your own benefit. And once you do get down the “being a good (virtuous) human” part of life… why concern yourself with the reactions of others?
Think of a few grudges you’re holding onto or past events that have really frustrated you. How many of them could you have influenced and changed? Maybe a few. Take note of those. But how many of them can you influence and change now? None…. they’re in the past! Use them to learn and influence what your future actions will be. Just try aligning yourself with my quote above, “may I always have the wisdom to know what I can and cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the temperance and justice to maintain balanced and fair in my actions”. What’s the worst that could happen? I think, a whole lot of good.
I’m hoping that this overview was helpful to understand the basics about holistic health and Stoicism. Below are other external introductory resources to continue learning:
