Got late this morning again;
Would need to speed up, as no bargain.
No matter how hard I try;
Time seems flying passed by.
Try to do what all I can to stay fit;
Yet living life in thoughts does not turn out to be a great hit.
It keeps me worried what next or sulks with baggage of bygone;
Looks like looping in the succession of poor health with stress never gone.
Well, in this fast-pacing world, how many of us are always on the move. Sometimes trying to catch the pace yet at other times trying to maintain it. With so much competition around, we are always stressed to put our best foot forward. No matter how much hard we try, still feel more could be done. Isn’t it true for each one of us? In all this hustle and bustle, we are compromising on something very dear to us- Our Health. Health, as defined by WHO is“the state of complete social, mental and emotional well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Considering there is no time to waste, we are always in haste stretching ourselves to meet those deadlines. At times, we are too engrossed to connect those dots that we lose track of not only time but our own self. How hardworking we may appear to our self; less do we know what are we inviting for our self, a loop of poor health and never-ending stress. We may not be diseased, yet always being in state of fatigue, drained out and short of ideas, anxiety aren’t the signs of a healthy mind as well.
So, when we say health, it is not only about physical health but also our emotional well- being and mental state. Both these are interrelated. Which means that our physical health impacts our mental and emotional well- being and so is true other way round. For instance, if you exercise in the morning you’ll release feel good hormones (endorphins) which will lift your mood through the day. On the other hand, if something is bothering you and you keep thinking about it time and again, even while exercising you feel low in energy and not enjoy it. Thus, it can be truly said that we are all preoccupied, not physically rather mentally in our thoughts. We are living life in our mind driven by our thoughts and not the moment which makes us feel stressed and strained. As a result, we feel confined in our limits and unable to explore our true potential. Not to mention, too much of thinking, to be precise overthinking makes us inactive to pursue our dreams.
So, on this World Health Day, celebrated every year on 07th April, the theme for current year is- Building a fairer and healthier world for everyone. To achieve this bigger objective, one needs to take small steps and begin with self. As a wise man once said, “Greatest investment one can make is investing in one’s health.” One need not be an athlete to be
healthy, but have athletic goals to lead a healthy life. One needs to envision oneself in years to come to begin the healthy life style now as investment needs to be done now to reap benefits later. Now the question is how to stay healthy in this busy life. Well, before we look for suggestions to lead healthy life, it is important for us to understand the need for us to stay healthy. Well, to lead a fully accomplished life, one needs to understand that all areas of life are important- social, emotional, physical, growth, progress, finances, love, spirituality to name a few. If we give too much attention to one area, other areas of life would suffer and would deprive us of our happiness. A healthy person realizes this fact and tries to strike a balance.
So, if you are really the one who wants to alleviate stress, stay calm, happy, progressive and not to forget productive in life, then following suggestions are surely going to help you get results in your bag.
No matter what, move your body– The best way to lift your mood, feeling fresh and energized through the day is to begin your day with work out and exercises.Depending on your body type choose what’s best for you- swimming/ dancing/gymming/ yoga/ sports/ running/ walking. The idea is not what comforts you but lifts your spirit. For instance, some people prefer to brisk walk or jog in park as it connects them with nature. Being in its lapse relieves them from every tension.
Live in gratitude– We are always taught to see lack in us or others, thus, we tend to focus more on what we don’t have. Beginning and winding one’s day in gratitude by being thankful of things we have in life would have same effect as meditation and would calm our brain. Not to forget it will remind us of our achievements and open channels from learning from our failures by keeping irritation and irrationality as bay. If required, one can even maintain gratitude journal which one can refer to rise from the doom thought.
Be creative– As we grow up, we just forget our creative side. What we remember is just work and responsibilities we need to fulfill. In the process, we start shutting our self and suppressing our feelings. Open your vents by expressing yourself creatively how you feel- by writing/ doodling/ sketching/ painting/ drawing/ dancing and so much more, so manage your emotions well and let those hard feelings not press you.
Watch what you eat– Gorge on healthy and balanced diet to get all nutrients. Also pay attention to what you eat as it is rightly said- You are what you eat. So, eat foods that lift your mood and are light to the body.
Practice silence– It is important to take pause, sit and relax. You can do this by practicing bouts of deep breathing spanned throughout the day. You can also begin and/ or end your day with meditation. It will relax and calm your mind while relieving you of anxiety and stress. It is also good idea to spare out some time to be yourself and indulge in self- talk.
Plan you day– Routine gives one clarity and certainty to the brain and propels it to take action. Plan your day a night before leaving space for urgencies to manage your tasks well. Also, penning things down would lessen the burden in mind and will leave more space for being productive.
Taking break/ nap– We all are burdened with task. But at the same time we can’t forget that machines even need a break, so do we. To enhance your work capacity and keep track of day’s task, it is important to take small breaks or at times nap in between. It will ease out tension and would incur sense of achievement, thus, enhancing your intrinsic motivation. Also planning a vacation with family or day out with co-workers is a good idea to rejuvenate oneself.
Be watchful– Being aware of the feelings and thoughts that are running within you can help you change things around you. Thoughts related to self- criticism and achievement of others or expectations from the world have tendency to pull us down in our performance and can affect our health. Thus, having encouraging beliefs about self and not having expectations from others can propel you to become self-reliant and grow step by step.
Take action– Health and fitness is a journey and not a day’s task. It’s OK if you can’t do all, but it is important to begin. The task may not seem easy but is not impossible.It is important to come out of our comfort zone if we want to achieve something. In order to do this, it is important to take action and be consistent in taking action. It does not matter from where you start, what is important is to sustain on that path then you can achieve your goal for fitness.
Choose your group– At times, to succeed it is important to be with the people who have same goals as you. Such people not only lift their own self but will also lift you to achieve what they want. Hang around with people who have fitness as their goal and are inclined towards a fit lifestyle, which will motivate you also to follow the path.
Well, in the end it can just be said that to have a healthy life is the dream of all, but the ones who take action are able to achieve it. So, if you want to be healthy, then change how you see and see how you change.
Wishing you all good health.
Purpose of writing: People generally correlate health with physical health. However, it is important to realize the role our thoughts, feeling, emotions and beliefs play in maintaining our health. Now is the time to break the taboo and understand how physical and mental health are interlinked. Also, to have a healthy life , we need to cater to all domains of health be it physical, social, mental and emotional.
