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The importance of a holistic approach to wellbeing

  • Dec 11, 2020
  • 6 min read

One in four New Zealanders suffer from depression or anxiety, and 75% of those New Zealanders are women. The Mental Health Foundation found that many adults had been diagnosed with depression at some time in their lives and that women were more likely to have been diagnosed with a common mental disorder.



Every day thousands of people are feeling trapped, lonely and overwhelmed, thinking that something is wrong with them. Have you ever experienced any of the following?

  • Woken up, only to feel that you can’t face the day, the people or your to do list, and dreamt of pulling the covers over your head and staying right there?

  • Struggled to put on an old shirt, pants or skirt, which leads to a spiral of thoughts about how you have let yourself go, or not lived to your potential?

  • Caught up with an old friend or saw some of their social media posts and then started judging your own life and actions?

If you answered yes to any of these situations or something similar, you are not alone.


Fortunately for us, the prevalence of these conditions means that New Zealand is on the cutting edge of dealing with them. In this article we will explore these problems and discuss some holistic ways to combat depression and anxiety for yourself and your family.


My holistic approach to health and wellness looks at the person as a whole and follows the Māori model Te Whare Tapa Whā; where the physical, emotional, social and spiritual realms are symbolised by the four walls of a house.

Taha tinana (physical health)

Our physical wellbeing can be impacted by the foods we eat and how we look after our body. World Health Organisation studies have found that typical “Western” diets and ways of living are associated with higher risks of depression and anxiety in adults and children. Children as young as eight have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety and have had suicidal attempts.


Harvard Medical Health research shows that some foods and beverages that we consume daily are high in toxins, food colourings, emulsifiers, gum, saturated fats, oils, surfactants, salts and let’s not forget the refined sugars. These foods cause inflammation of the brain and inflammation of our gut. They are also wrapped or boxed in plastics that contain more synthetic pesticides and petroleum, which leach into our foods and enter our bodies. Scientists have proved that some of these dangerous additives, preservatives and chemical foods can have a drug-like effect on the reward centre of the brain producing addiction effects, driving a loss of self-control.


The World Health Organisation also found that the way we treat our bodies has a huge impact on the way we think and feel. When we sit at home in front of a screen hour after hour our brain stagnates and after a while stops functioning properly. It stops releasing the happy hormones; dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin that can lead to head fog, memory loss and eventually depression.


Taha hinengaro (mental health)

Distressing experiences can also cause emotional and psychological illnesses. The experiences that happened to us as children or as adults can increase stress levels and impact on our blood pressure, which can lead to anxiety or depression.


Stress and fear increase activation of the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that processes strong emotions like fear and pleasure. An MRI study done by The National Center for Biotechnology performed on pregnant women, infants and adults showed that abnormal working of the amygdala can lead to various clinical conditions even in the womb, including developmental delay, memory loss, depression, anxiety, autism and even type 1 diabetes.


Our bodies and our brains remember. When our mental health is affected, our physical wellness can also be affected, and we may feel that something is just ‘not right’. Our responses can include numbness, changing emotions and mood swings. We might get sick, or just feel run-down. We may feel not like our usual self or even become overly self-critical.


Taha whānau (family health)

The wellbeing of individuals is bound up in the wellbeing of their communities. When COVID-19 hit the world, many people found themselves extremely anxious and depressed. Isolation and being far away from any social relationships and family support lead some of us to change our usual habits and perhaps even increase our use of drugs and alcohol.


Feeling close to other people and valued by them is a fundamental human need for our mind, body and soul. Across all ages, relationships and participation in social life are critical for mental and spiritual wellbeing and effective buffers against mental disorders.


Taha wairua (spiritual health)

The COVID-19 lockdown prevented some of us from travelling freely and connecting to nature, the land and our roots. Some of us had to practice their faith in isolation. I found it extremely hard to practice my beliefs, as I love camping and connecting to Papatūānuku - mother earth, all year round and to lose my freedom was extremely challenging for me.


I looked at ways to stop the negative feelings, and if you are anything like me, the smallest mistakes can sometimes lead to a pretty heavy round of self-criticism and harmful talk. The way we think about ourselves and about our lives affects our emotional wellbeing, leading to the way we see, feel and behave towards others. Some of us developed unexplained aches and pains, harsh self-criticism, self-hatred, extreme sadness, irritability and negativity to life. Research has shown that people who blame themselves are more likely to become depressed and give up on personal growth.

When any of the four walls of our 'house' are not strong or out of sync, eventually we start to feed our mind, body and soul with temporary solutions. We look for ways to numb these feelings by reaching for unhealthy “comforting-foods”, alcohol or even drugs that can inevitably exacerbate the problem. We tend to move less, deprioritise connecting with others, and fall into the spiral of negative self-talk.


Imagine stress as having a backpack full of stones that you have to carry around with you all the time. Throughout our lives we accumulate tensions, which are stored in our bodies and can lead to mental and physical illnesses. If the stress or traumatic event is intense enough, you can often feel this pain in your body, as a knot in your stomach or a pain in your chest.

Having experienced these problems and overcome them myself, I developed a holistic approach and a set of tools to help others combat their pain successfully. It's much simpler than you might think to start the process of improving your state of mind.

  • Shop the perimeter of the store for fresh, refrigerated and frozen whole foods. Buy seasonal and local produce that is unwrapped where possible. High-quality foods with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants help to nourish our mind, body and soul.

  • Avoid the middle of the store where more processed foods lurk. Cook predominantly with ingredients that come from the earth.

  • Look and read the nutrition information table before you put it in your trolley. Buy only what you can read and understand.

  • Look at the sugar content; dietary guidelines suggest limiting it to 10g per 100g (10%). Eating fresh fruit provides the satisfying sweetness of sugar with the bonus of fibre, minerals and vitamins.

  • Avoid eating fast foods and sugary beverages. Drink water, not food colouring.

  • Regular physical activity is a valuable part of a prevention plan for mental and physical health disorders. Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. Exercises that involve cross movement that engage both your arms and legs, such as walking, running, swimming, weight training, or dancing can boost your mood, outlook and your physical and wellbeing.

  • Instead of allowing your mind to wander, put your shoes on and go for a walk outside. Outdoor activities are shown to reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety and even PTSD.

  • Try to learn new things that will benefit your self-development in life.

  • Being present and ‘in the moment’ can boost positive change. Find the silence within and experience life beyond limitation. Try practice meditating for at least 20 minutes per day. Start with 5 minutes and increase slowly. You can use music or just listen to your breath. It will keep you calm and you than starts to see things for what they are.

  • Write positive statements about yourself (affirmations) and read them to yourself daily.

  • Visualise how you might see yourself in 10 years.

  • Use your creative talents. Paint, draw, take pictures, write and express yourself.

  • Give back and help others. It is about cultivating a spirit of generosity and promoting active participation in social and community life.


When we fully understand who we are, we can then set an achievable personalised health care plan that we can easily follow. By maintaining a healthy mind and spirit in a healthy body, we improve the quality of our lives but most importantly self-love, and self-care.

My mission is to help as many people as I can to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives, all day and every day. Love, peace and harmony to you all.

Lilach Cohen is a life coach qualified in fitness and nutrition. Her holistic practice marries mind, body and soul work, and empowers positive change through personal coaching tailored specifically for your needs.


You can book a one-on-one session with Lilach through the Ignite platform. Ask your employer to consider employee subscriptions for your workplace. Contact hello@ignite.org.nz to find out more.

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