The Journey to Holistic Living

One of my dreams for a long time has been to live a more holistic lifestyle. Living close to nature, drinking water from the spring, and growing our own organic fruits, herbs and vegetables to fuel our bodies and our minds with greatness. Over the years, we’ve certainly taken big steps towards that end. However, the 'growing our own' hasn't been that successful.

When we were living in the UK, we bought a house with a large garden and decided to create a permaculture garden. At the very back of the garden was an area that was absolutely perfect, so I spent a lot of time clearing the weeds and getting it ready. We were very excited! But then business and life got in the way, and our permaculture garden remained an idea that continued to live in 'ideas land'. 

Some time later, we decided to reignite the idea and this time, chose to turn the flower beds close to the house into vegetable patches, inspired by our friend, Fleur, who had transformed her entire garden into a vegetable patch with great results. Full of enthusiasm, we headed to the garden centre and returned with all kinds of seeds and plants. We were a step closer to our dream.

One week later, our little seedlings were in their new earthy home and we were excited for the time when a trip to the grocery store involved stepping outside armed with a pair of secateurs and a big bowl!

Then life got in the way, and the busy bees and bugs feasted on our crops, leaving us with very little, and the idea was put on hold.

In 2018, I met Oier Ruiz Trevino, a fellow European who shares my passion for holistic living and wellbeing. Imagine living amongst the trees, falling asleep at night to the sound of frogs, waking up to the sound of native birds, growing your own organic produce and getting honey from your own hive! This is Oier's world since he relocated from Sydney to the Blue Mountains, and has experienced a great improvement in mental health, productivity and concentration.

If you're considering embarking on a similar journey of change, Oier shared some of his key learnings recently with EQUILIBRIUM:

• 'Set your long-term goal or your "why". This is the real secret. Knowing where you want to be long term or having a clear picture of yourself in the future is what in the end will make you stick to it.
• It all starts with nutrition. We are what we eat. Nurturing the body with good quality nutrients will give you the energy necessary for the rest of your journey. er Ruiz Trevi
• Don’t alienate yourself. As you make more and more changes in your journey, being social will be perceived as challenging because you will feel you are going against the norm. You can totally maintain your social life and it's important you do so. It just needs a little more planning and willpower. You can also start building new relationships with like-minded people and combine both environments.
• Anyone can do it. This journey is not only for strong-minded people. As long as you have your end goal clear and a little bit of support from your loved ones, everyone can absolutely do it. 
• Just do it. Every day that passes without making changes is one more day you are missing out on a better and happier life. Don't overthink it. Don’t get blocked planning a big change. Just start with a small change, embrace it, and appreciate how you feel. Just keep going and enjoy the journey.'

Read the full article in EQUILIBRIUM: Your Total Wellbeing & Resilience Guide. Download it for free.