HEALTH & SICKNESS

 

                        HEALTH & WELLNESS      

After the 12the episode, I  said I would be talking about issues that plague us today, especially regarding our HEALTH.

You are all- a very learned lot , I need not go into the semantics, but yes, I do need to explain why I think  it is  important that I talk about this very up and happening topic.

These days there is not a single person on earth thanks to the pandemic -CORONA, who does not know about health, wellness, immunity, and  supplements.

Its almost two years that the pandemic left its ghastly nature,  COVID became a often heard word, people started coming back to normal, and now we see people have almost forgotten the havoc that it had created;  but for those who had LONG TERM COVID and are still reeling with its after effects!!

So  lets start at the beginning of the basics:

POSITIVE HEALTH                   

BETTER HEALTH

FREEDOM FROM SICKNESS 

_______________________

UNRECOGNISED ILLNESS

MILD SICKNESS

SEVERE SICKNESS

DEATH

If we have health & wellness on one side, we have sickness & infirmity on the other.  

So im gonna talk:

Beemari  kyun hui?

Kaise hui?

Ab kya karein?

Lets begin with kyun hui?

We are all leading a hectic  life. Every one has an agenda to follow, a target to achieve, a goal to accomplish. In the madness, and hurry scurry we worry, and many a time ignore ,  by default or otherwise , some set patterns and rules we had carved for our daily existence. And when we start to ignore them, or overlook them, or start going on binge diet/ binge travel/ binge or drink recklessly,  infact to be truthful, we   get involved in quite a few escapades in many a social/ or official fronts: we tend to compromise ourselves to an extent that the parameters of health tend to get ignored.

So  lets start at the beginning of the basics:

If we have health & wellness on one side, we have sickness & infirmity on the other.

 WHAT really is wellness?

The art of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes , so instead of just surviving, you are actually thriving!!!                               

To understand further:

 It is important to understand how it is linked to health ,

Acc to WHO:

WHO: Health is   a  state  of  physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

“Several key areas need to be understood, and worked upon”

Social connectedness, exercise, nutrition, sleep and mindfulness, to begin with. 

Each of them have a direct and indirect impact on our physical and mental health

By making simple and easy choices on a daily basis you will be well on your way to reducing stress, having positive interactions and achieving optimal wellness.

No extreme measures are required.

No one need run a marathon every day.

No one need go on a restrictive diet to implement wellness into every day life.

Social connectedness:

 Connection with loved ones is a great way to improve physical and social well being. Take but 10/15 minutes daily and call up some one u have been thinking about recently.

Exercise:

2-3- minutes of daily exercise leaves a definite positive impact on the well being and alleviates your mood definitely.

How to start n where:

 

An eg:  You can climb down 2-3 flight of stairs after lunch at work, or take a walk in the early morning to rejuvenate yourself for the rest of the day. 

Nutrition:

Add wholesome ingredients to your plate, to become a healthier you!  Some food for thought:

Pack an apple for a mid tea break and carry some green leafy salad fortified with nuts for pre lunch snax,or opt for 2/3 cucumbers sliced n chilled in place of two samosas with chutney

Sleep:

Important to understand sleep hygiene.

Avoid caffeine after 12 pm.

Perform some  calm n quiet activities before going to bed, for  eg:

Listen to some soothing music, bhajan or some meditative thoughts by a saint. This act may relax your nerves, act as a balm to your fast racing thoughts, and facilitate sleep.

Try and sleep around the same time every night.

Try and get up approximately the same time daily.

 Set yourself a regime.

Mindfulness:

Did  u know that  practicing  mindfulness is good for body, and  mind , helps with focus and also soothes the brain.

Take a moment right now.

Pause, consider your own mind and how u are feeling right now. The more you tap your own thoughts  the more you will become aware as to how you react to   stressful   events, so start practicing today!!

But if these things are to be followed religiously,  you stand great chances to banish negativity on your own, and you can start getting better and better day by day. The decision is yours BASICALLY yours!!!

Then what do we understand by the term SICKNESS

 

Sickness can be mild ,moderate , or severe!

It has a no. of synonyms: illness, infirmity, debilitating and chronic illnesses.

Can also be classified moon as   Acute/ Chronic.

Acute illnesses have an abrupt onset, rapid progression and a short duration for eg: Viral   fever/ attack of  Bronchitis/ Acute GE

Conversely, the Chronic illness   generally develops slowly, but is likely to persist for a longer duration.eg: DM/ HTN

Be it an acute/ chronic illness the main WHO definition all goes into dis array:

All levels , be it physical, mental, social, or spiritual : One  or all may get diminished or impaired. Three main concepts of ill health are:  Disease, illness, & sickness

 

Thus there is a definite deviation from the normal healthy state.

This deviation if ignored or allowed to continue over a period of time can lead to further impairment of higher functions, may lead to slackening of performance, and slow n gradual development of life style diseases. For eg:

A true incident:   Just a little while ago I was talking to my very old, fairly senior friend (A senior Army officers wife: while we exchanged pleasantries, we started talking about our kids)

Pat came the reply:

She said, all kids are very very buzy these days:

 My  daughter… OH God! She has no time for any one and her son is a senior officer in the forces  ,up in the hills  guarding the country, working 24x7. 

My daughter while in one of the state capitals, comes home by 11pm. Her husband, another  fauji.. guarding the country’s dizzy heights.

My son in a foreign land , again no time to eat  sleep.  His wife working 30 hours a day!!! For days on end!!

Is this the kind of existence we had envisaged for our kids while they were growing up?

They all range from 35- 45-50 years of age.

Yes it’s the phase to work, and work hard! Its also the age to climb on the success stairs, but its also the time to pause, rest a while. 

You are well going into the middle age, sharp, intelligent, go getters _rushing , rushing and always rushing.

If proper attention is not given to any of the factors that I have basically earmarked, a catastrophe is just looming large around the wall!

With no proper system in place for food, rest mgmt., time mgmt., why will  the sickness mode not lift its nasty head and react on the human body.

 

This topic today I'm sure sounds boring, but isn’t it what is in the heart of hearts every one today ,longing for a way out of this fast hurricane paced life!!!

Lets take an example:

A eligible bachelor aligns a beautiful girl for his wife, a six month courtship, lots of planning and an ostentatious wedding, a quick n hurried  honeymoon  to the Alps, back, they find a smart n up n coming apartment in a high end society and soon settle down with their routines. They are both accomplished high designate corporate individuals with  fat six figure salaries.

The high pressure jobs, the frequent n late night entertaining, the mixing and mingling with relatives over the weekends, and soon the newness dies down!!!

Have you  heard of DINKS?

Well, its double income no kids syndrome!!!

They start following the ideology, move into higher and more competitive roles.

The life after some times becomes a drool, a pain , a strain,, the thirty’s soon vanish n soon they are into the forties!!!

Ripening of age, the guy becomes a CEO and his wife starts her own enterprise. Again, time is always the least between them, no square meals at home together, slowly tiredness, frustration, frequent rising tempers and frequent outbursts become a common feature.

The late night either working up late, or entertaining team mates , or trying to catch up with friends becomes more n more frequent.

Visits to their doctor also start increasing , for one thing or the other, and well, thats the advent of some life style disease or the other into their lives.

If uncared for, ignored, or overlooked , I need not explain the outcome.

Need less to say, if this is the outcome of high and affluent couples, and there are many of them following this pattern, what of the middle income group , or people below that level, where, besides managing their jobs, families, sustenance, the finances can dwindle fast and catapult more n more problems that can cumulatively harangue them and lead to unimaginable catastrophes!!!

If you were to but look left or right, there would be many who would lie in this bracket, and if one is honest with oneself, a great percentage amongst us would also find ourselves in these scenarios.

Lets understand some more:

Health is our most precious wealth,  I hope u agree.

No doubt, health is the sweetest fruit of our life's tree

Money is certainly important, and so is social prestige!

But it is a good health that is a source of constant bliss.

You may have the money to tour the world, but cannot if your health does not permit

You can buy all the food in the world, but your bad health will not let u eat it

Bad health thus plays a serious bar in the way of enjoying what u have, be it a big car, immeasurable wealth or a palatial house,

On the other hand…

A good health is a good source of constant happiness that will automatically turn your life into a life full of charm, pleasure n grace

So strive to take good care of your health, by developing a body that is sound n strong and ensure a life that is happy  and charming, besides being long!!!

A few words I want to add:

Life is a GIFT

The biggest gift of all,

But do we really know how to preserve it, to enjoy it to the fullest?

A full life you will realize..

When …

A healthy body you  will energize

So take the time to stay fit

Exercise , walk, or mobilize,

This is the only  forward,

And then:

Enjoy the gift-The best Gift of life

For there is no other

One per person, place or thing that matters,

So  lets make it last,

Live for the future , not the past!!!

My next topic there for will be a new word that I have coined during covid times:

W_ healthiness is the way forward!!!

Friends ,

An imp. message:

You may know all that I have written, but of course!!!

Despite that : Are we all healthy?

We may be wealthy!!

But are we wise???

……..See you next week with a few important and pertinent dialogues on W-healthiness!!!! And much much more.