“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Beginning with the above definition of health, the word well-being is important. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/health-and-well-being This is because it projects a positive mindset of what all of us want, which is to be as healthy as possible.
A good example of this positive mindset would be about the time that I became a diabetic. I developed adult-onset diabetes more than twenty years ago. I was very alarmed because I saw that for the first time that I might not be in the best of health. I asked myself: “Where do I go from here?” My answer was that while I may not be in the best of health, this might be the best time to change the many bad habits that had contributed to my becoming diabetic. While somewhat late to avoid a chronic illness such as diabetes, I could then, and of course now, certainly strive to become healthier than I had been.
The benefit of wanting to become healthier did not end just with the last couple of decades of my starting to exercise regularly and eat more nutritiously. I believe that my children, while in their youth, began their health and wellness journey by not doing whatever bad habits I had acquired. This was certainly the case for me when in my youth I was determined never to smoke. This decision came because of my father’s bad smoking habit. I remember this one particular very early morning where I was awakened by my father coughing repeatedly. Finally he stopped coughing after being able to hack up a chunk of sputum from his lungs. It was then that I said to myself “I will never, ever be a smoker.” And thank goodness I never had the temptation to smoke in my life.
As we strive to improve our Health, a positive mindset is needed. It is also important to have compassion for one’s current health situation (image above). Regardless of age or whatever chronic illnesses we have, we can Be Healthier: As the saying goes: “ Plant the tree today and enjoy its shade tomorrow.”