ARE YOU TRULY HEALTHY?
COMPLETE HEALTH
Is there such thing as incomplete
health? This is always a question in my mind whenever I hear or read the words
‘complete health’. Health in its real sense connotes absence of illness however
the definition by World Health Organization made me put on my thinking cap as it
says “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and
not merely the absence of diseases or infirmities” so I concluded that when
someone has no diseases, he or she is well physically, but we have to explore
further the state of the person’s other aspects of health (social and mental)
before we can declare the person healthy. This is complete health.
Health is wealth and is essential
for living and productivity. For one to live well and be productive there must
be a state of wholeness physically (body), mentally (mind) and socially (relationship
with people and environment). The fact that one doesn’t take pills, or swallow
some tablets or that one is not on admission bed does not mean one is in health.
Many people walk and go about their daily routines (with 1/3rd
health) thinking they are healthy yet they are missing things out. Let’s look
critically into what they might be missing in health and learn from it.
Ø The
mental well-being (1/3rd health): what is the state of your mind? How
do you manage your emotions? What’s the level of your emotional intelligence? How do you manage pressures? What are your
thoughts? How do you see yourself? Do you have a healthy self esteem? Check yourself in these areas. You are
mentally healthy if all your answers are positive.
Ø Social well-being (1/3rd health):
Man is a social being. He can’t exist alone, he must interact, build lasting
and positive relationships, keep good friends, relate with mentors, have a
protege, build lives, impact lives, serve, volunteer, lead, help others to succeed,
touch lives, raise someone, counsel someone, pray for someone etc. In summary, do
you fit a niche among people? Or in people’s heart?. When these social aspects
are in place, you are healthy socially.
These three
aspects of health are also much related meaning an illness in one may lead to
illness in another. When one’s body is down with diseases, it will affect the
mind and may affect the social life. For example, a footballer who was
diagnosed of hypertension but becomes non compliant with medications may come
down with stoke which one of the aftermaths (residual stroke) may affect his
social life and his ability to cope among people. Also, going from the state of
mind to other aspects of complete health, this example will fit; If one’s mind
is not at rest (maybe as a result of much worry, thinking and little or no
relaxation), gets angry easily or very liable emotionally, some diseases may start
coming up because immunity has not much tolerant for mental stress. Consider
your health mentally. Considering the flow from the social aspect of health, I
will explain that for example, if we have someone who fights everyone, never
friendly, probably unlovable, there will one day be a time of fall and a need
for a lifting by someone. If this is absent, one may remain in that state and
depending on what the situation is, it may affect the physical health first and
that’s if the mental health was intact in the first place. I have heard people
comment they do not have friends but I also think they don’t know that there is
a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Consider your ways socially.
To be in
complete health means to be hale in these three aspects. Follow your due
treatments; go for checkups and medical screenings; Forgive others who offended
you, don’t make mountains out of mole hills, love others, build others, help
others, ask others for help, make friends, go out; laugh, be happy, hold
nothing to heart, practice letting go always. Complete health is achievable and
compulsory for productivity. It takes deliberate efforts to stay healthy in the
three aspects.
Finally, you should also take heed to your spirit man, knowing that you are first a spirit and lives in a body. Let your spirit be reconciled to God.
Let me end with this quote by Herophilus that says:
“when health is absent wisdom can not reveal itself, art cannot manifest,
strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and intelligence cannot be
applied”. Complete health means you are whole physically, socially and
mentally.
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