Lifestyle.

In previous blogs, I expanded on some of the key tools used in Integrative Psychiatry. Medications, nutraceuticals, body system optimization, and psychotherapy are all effective strategies to improve psychological health and wellbeing. In this blog, we will examine lifestyle activities as a critical area for consideration as part of the Integrative Psychiatry approach.

Thinking About Lifestyle

While many interventions target the internal environment, considering an individual’s external environment is equally important. I believe the internal and external environments reflect each other. Therefore, I consider the external environment (and how one interacts with the external environment) just as important as the internal environment. In my quest to determine an effective approach to incorporate lifestyle medicine, I developed the WeLLNESSs model.

The WeLLNESSs Model

The WeLLNESSs model is a method for capturing important external environmental interactions. As an acronym, it helps to capture and explore these areas.

Relationships (We). Relationships are the first essential part of the WeLLNESSs model. In this domain, we consider interactions between self and other and identify areas for intervention to strengthen deep connection, meaningful relationships, and appropriate boundaries. Relationships inform “who” is important to us, making up part of our value system.

Leisure. Leisure captures the things that relax and fuel us. This domain captures “what” is important to us, making up a second critical part of our value system. Without incorporating leisure activities, the next area “Labor” often dominates. Exploring what nourishes you is an important area of intervention.

Labor. Labor captures the things that we must do in order to sustain and support a life worth living. This includes academic, occupational, and health maintenance endeavors. I describe this as “labor” in the sense that these are things that we “must” do. Determining how to best navigate the things we must do helps to free up some bandwidth to enjoy life’s journey.

Nutrition. Nutrition incorporates dietary patterns and habits. This is a commonly neglected lifestyle domain that has a tremendous impact on the brain and body. Many individuals eat up to 3 times per day and every meal is an opportunity to heal. Understanding what nutritional interventions may work best for you will help you take advantage of this.

Exercise. Exercise routines and patterns are a valuable contribution to physical and psychological health and wellbeing. However, exercise is often placed on the backburner in the context of a busy lifestyle (especially those that require a lot of attention in the domain of “Labor”). Exercise is one of the most effective strategies to offset inflammation, balance stress hormone activity, and support appropriate metabolism. Knowing how to incorporate an exercise routine tailored to your unique experience is an effective treatment strategy.

Sleep. When we sleep, we have an opportunity for our body to repair and heal with (ideally) minimal effort. Sleep disturbances are widely implicated in psychiatric and physical impairments and becomes an important target in Integrative Psychiatry. Integrative psychiatry aims to investigate your unique sleep disturbance (there are 83 known sleep disorders) to design a personalized plan for you.

Substance Use. This domain includes substance use as well as other addictive behaviors such as workaholism, gambling, and screen addiction among several other things. It’s the relationship to an activity that determines whether it crosses the threshold into “addiction”. Addictions provide temporary relief from an underlying pain but at the cost of longer-term consequences. Therefore, it is critical to explore the underlying pain.

Spirituality. This is denoted in the WeLLNESSs model as the little “s” at the end. By intention, spirituality disrupts the natural spelling of wellness because it transcends the other lifestyle domains. Spirituality is not the same as religion. Rather, I view spirituality as 3 important things: presence, connection, and framing. Being present or engaged in daily activities is a prerequisite for connection to who and what is important. Outside of this, spirituality provides a means of framing life’s experiences to derive meaning. Incorporating spiritual interventions is an important part of the Integrative Psychiatry plan of care.

Considering the whole person is critical to the ability to achieve mental health and wellbeing. An Integrative Psychiatry specialist understands that to treat a whole person, you must attend the internal and external environment effectively. Using an expanded toolkit that includes pharmaceutical medications, nutraceuticals, psychotherapy, and lifestyle interventions we can more effectively treat the whole person.

If you replace “I” with “We”, “I”llness becomes “We”llness.

Together we can make a difference.

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