50 Goal Ideas to Achieve Holistic Health.

Do you feel exhausted all the time that this affects your health and relationship with others? And no matter what medicine you’ll take, it just won’t go away? For this reason, it is time to improve your health holistically: to heal your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social state. If you are looking for goal ideas for the New Year, getting healthy should be your top priority. 

First of all, what is it to be holistically healthy? 

Holistic health is about caring for a person as a whole. Aside from inspecting the source of “pain” or the body, it also includes checking the external factors that can affect that person’s health.

There are five aspects of holistic health. These are physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social. Each of these is important to a person’s health, and these affect each other. For example, if we can’t manage our emotional health, it can affect our mental and social health. 

To illustrate, I feel stressed and overwhelmed most of the time, and I don’t know how to manage these. This can lead me to depression and lose all my motivation to do my work. It can also affect my relationship with others for I feel irritable and I can’t spend time with them. If I don’t fix this, it will probably become a vicious cycle of stress – depression – isolation. 

I know that there are many of us who can relate to this. It started with a bad single habit, and then it turned us into our present selves – some with purposeless life, some with chronic pain, some with both. 

The good thing is we can still do something to be overall healthy and happy. This year, let’s strive for these goals. 

Goal Ideas for your Physical Health

Physical health is the easiest to evaluate. We usually know which part of our body is in pain when we are sick because the signs and symptoms are visible and can easily be measured. 

With all the studies about fitness, we should know how important it is to be physically healthy. But, there are still many of us who neglect it, and the worse is it directly impacts our daily lives and the other aspects of our holistic health.

To be fitter or physically healthier, here are some goal ideas to achieve this:  

• Get enough sleep

Sleep is really important for our bodies to rest and repair. To do this, let’s fix our body clock and set a consistent sleep schedule. 

You may want to read this – Sleep Hygiene Checklist: Sleep Better at Night Naturally.

• Eat more healthy meals

We know that we need healthy food to have the energy our body needs, the nutrients for our growth, etc. With this, let our goal be to eat more healthy meals than fast-food ones. We can stick to a diet that is recommended for us. 

• Drink plenty of water

We’ve heard about this and its benefits but for whatsoever reason, it is still hard to follow through. So this time, let’s count our water intake and make sure that we drink enough water.

• Limit and permanently stop vices 

I am talking about smoking and drinking alcohol which we know directly affects one or two of our organs. This is the year to limit and eventually stop these vices. We can also limit something that is not good for us, like too much sugar, screen time, need for validation from others (sounds like a joke but I’m serious).

• Exercise regularly

Regularly totally depends on us. We can set it for 30 minutes, 4 times a week. Also, we can do it in a gym or at home. It really doesn’t matter. The important thing is we do it constantly. 

You may want to read this – Lack of Motivation to Exercise: How to Beat it.

• Try new varieties of exercises

This is fun! We can try new forms of exercise; there are so many and the nice thing here is that working out won’t be boring because there is always something new. We can explore kickboxing, cycling, climbing, dancing, pilates, etc. For me, I really want to enroll in a dance class so I’ll do it this year! 

• Achieve the recommended weight

It really depends on us and what our doctor tells us. There are some who need to lose weight and there are some who need to gain. To do this, set a realistic weight, deadline, milestones in between, and go do it!

• Gain muscles and lose fats

Another goal idea is to gain muscles and to lose fats. It is nice to lose or gain weight but it is good to also gain muscles. There are so many ways to measure this such as a smart weighing scale, or consultation with a fitness coach.

• Prepare healthy snacks

This is not just good for our health but also for our wallet. We can save so much by making our own snacks and meals. Let’s limit our takeouts and dine-ins already. 

• Walk 10,000 steps a day

This looks so easy, but to do it every day? It can be challenging especially when you’re used to using elevators instead of stairs, riding a car instead of walking a few blocks, etc. This goal can be good for our health, wallet, and even the environment! 

Goals Ideas for your mental health

Dealing with this can be hard especially because it manifests in different ways for different people. The fact that it is invisible and there is still a stigma around this topic does not help at all. Since we are the only ones who truly know our mental health condition, let’s do our best to take care of it. Here are goal ideas on how to do this. 

• Ask for help 

If you still haven’t asked for help, this is the time to do so. I know that it can be hard to open up but we can’t fight back our demons in the dark and alone. It is time to talk to a professional or a trusted friend.

• Practice self-love

We practice this differently but no matter what we do, it is important to set a time for this regularly. I know that this sounds silly but there are people who are having a hard time with this. If you are one of them, please know that you deserve this!  

• Keep a gratitude journal

It is hard to be grateful when you’re in a dark place. By writing one thing to be grateful for every day, we will be forced to look at something positive every day.

• Read self-help books

Or any books! Reading can rewire and activate our brains, and it can also calm us down. Reading self-help books or blogs can also motivate us to change our mindsets. So, set how many books you want to read every month. 

• Learn something new

It can be a hobby or just something we find interesting. The important this is to keep our brains busy for us not to dwell on something bad. 

• Take fresh air and sunlight 

It is comfortable to stay in bed in the darkness. But let’s go out and enjoy nature. Let’s make this “simple” task a goal.

• Practice breathing exercises

Doing breathing exercises can relax us because it signals our brains to calm down. We can incorporate this into our routine.  

• Sing and dance more

Or just be more carefree. Let’s try our best to not mind what others say. Let’s dance as silly as we can and sing as loud as we can. This can definitely brighten our mood and just help us to be more confident. 

• Take care of something

Taking care of something can force us to get out of that helpless state. To start, we can plant or have a pet. It is always nice to have something to go home to. 

• Take a mental health day

Let’s set a day to check on our mental health. And since it is our mental health day, we can do whatever our heart wants!

Goal Ideas for your emotional health

This usually overlaps with mental and physical. The main difference between emotional and mental health is that mental health is more about the functions of our brains, and emotional is our daily moods. 

Being emotionally healthy means we can manage our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors well. To handle this better, here are goal ideas for this: 

• Practice mindfulness

This trains us to be more aware of our thoughts and feelings. By doing so, we will know what are the causes of our current emotions and how to deal with them correctly. 

• Keep a journal

We can express our emotions in our journals. Writing or maybe drawing our thoughts on our journal can be therapeutic and a stress-reliever.  

• Practice yoga

Practicing yoga relaxes us which can help us have clarity and focus. We can start with easy poses and then gradually challenge ourselves. 

• Set boundaries

Most of our stress is usually because of boundaries being crossed over a lot of time until there is no more boundary. Let’s make it our goal to set clear boundaries from our personal lives to work lives.

• Take a me-time

Me-time is usually a good time to distress and do what we enjoy to do. We can incorporate this into our routine so that we can have a me-time every day. 

• Social media detox

Social media can be a lot of fun but it can also be a cause of stress – from seeing stupid comments to getting jealous of others’ lives. It is nice to get away from these from time to time. 

• Keep a routine

Having a routine keeps our day going smoothly. Instead of overthinking what to do next, our bodies will automatically know what to do. A morning routine is good for us to be productive and an evening routine is for us to get a good rest.

You may want to read this – Early Morning Routine: Be energized to seize the day.

• Take a walk

Walking is a great activity where we can clear our minds, think about our day, sweat out and enjoy nature at the same time. One bonus is that we e can do it any time of the day.

• Stick to deadlines

Most of our worries and stress come from work piling up. To lessen this, let’s stick to the deadlines we set-up. No more procrastination and pushing back of deadlines to the last minute.

• Be more organized

If we are organized, it is easier for us to do our work because we know where things are, and what tasks need to be prioritized. Aside from getting things done, organizing creates a clean space for us to work at or to go back home to.

Goal ideas for your spiritual health

Spiritual health focuses on our being, our purpose, and the greater world around us. It is about being at peace with life, happy, and content. This may not really fight off sickness but it pushes us to go through with it and to cope with the difficulties. It doesn’t necessarily mean practicing religion, it can be connecting with nature, ourselves, and others.

• Meditate everyday

Practicing meditation regularly connects us with our selves, and frees our minds. Doing this every day even for just 10 minutes can greatly improve our spiritual well-being. 

• Join a retreat

Joining a retreat means getting away from the world for a while and focusing on ourselves. This is the best time and place to rest and connect with ourselves.

• Practice silence

The world and even our minds can be too loud. With this, being silent and not thinking of anything else can be difficult for a lot of people. But, by doing so, we can definitely compose ourselves every now and then.

• Saying affirmation every day

Challenging our negative and self-sabotage tendencies refocuses our mindset to a more positive and happier place. Simple positive statements every day can do wonders.

• Take a hike

Set a goal to hike mountains or a simple trail. The great thing about hiking is that it can be an intense workout and at the same time, we can enjoy and appreciate nature.

• Create something

Creating something is usually used in therapy. Through creativity, we can express ourselves and use our imagination. Aside from this, creating something can be very soothing. So let’s create something that we enjoy doing, or just try new things. 

• Declutter

Decluttering pushes us to evaluate what things we need and don’t. By ridding off things that we don’t need, we are learning to let go which is really important to have a peaceful heart. We can do this not only to our things but also to our life-baggages. 

• Look and fight for an advocacy

We know how a small act of compassion can be satisfying and fulfilling. But, it is short-term and usually helps the beneficiary for only a short time. This is why advocacy is better since we are trying to change something. So, look for an advocacy that speaks your value, and support it in any way you can!

• Travel 

What I mean here is not leisure travel but to actually immerse ourselves with the locals. Travelling can widen our perspective, and exposes us to the realities of others. 

• Practice your faith

Religion can actually guide us to our spirituality through its rituals and prayers. If you have one, you can practice it alone or with others.

Goal ideas for your social health

We are social beings, and we need to have a connection with another person. How we interact with others influences our health. There are people who inspire us to do better, and there are others who make us feel worse. With this, we know what relationships we should nourish. Here are some goal ideas to do this: 

• Vacation with loved ones

Vacations can be fun especially when we’re with the right people. This is great to have with people who we rarely see. So, take that vacation leave and enjoy it with the people you love.

• Enroll in fitness classes

This is a good way for us to stay motivated to workout and also to meet people who want to stay fit. Plus, it is fun to workout with other people. 

• Volunteer

Volunteering can strengthen our connection with the community. We can volunteer through local churches or volunteer organizations. 

• Set regular dinners

This doesn’t have to be expensive! We can cook or ask others to host the dinner. It is always nice to have a meal with people we love.

• Do brunch dates

Brunch dates with our significant other are precious. This usually means a lazy morning and a chill day. Don’t forget to spend quality time with your partner!

• Join a group with the same interests

There are so many Facebook groups with different interests. We can join these groups and connect with the members. 

• Call and catch-up with someone

Every now and then, it is nice to call our low-maintenance friends who we haven’t talked to for a while. And then catch up with them. 

• Self-care day with friends

There are so many self-care activities we can do with our friends such as spa day, beach day, etc. The important thing is that everyone involved is willing to set a time to rest. 

• Have a healthy buddy

Finding a buddy who wants to be healthy with you is awesome! This can be anyone you find comfortable with and have the same goal as you. Just make sure that you both motivate and push each other!

• Learn when to say no or yes

There are instances that we have to set boundaries and say no for our sanity, such as working on weekends. On the other hand, it is also good to say yes and get out of our comfort zone like playing games with friends of friends. The important thing here is to know when to say yes or no.