Every month, one of my blog articles lists all the health and wellbeing promotion initaitives for that month. I use the list as a focus for the articles I then put together. This week, I looked at the list and I couldn’t see one issue that easily fitted for this week. Often, when this happens, I choose to write a piece about something related to wider mental health or wellbeing issues.
What struck me as I read through the health initiatives for April was the number of life-changing health problems or diseases that the month held within its ranks. Bowel Cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, cancers affecting men, for example, prostate, testicular and penile cancer, haemophilia, Multiple Sclerosis and malaria.
A change in health status is one of the most difficult things that we are called upon to face as human beings. It affects us massively, whether the diagnosis relates to ourselves or someone close to us. Sometimes it represents a direct threat to our mortality – this disease can kill us, like bowel cancer or testicular cancer. Or it can represent a slow, degeneration in our health, where the symptoms gradually erode our abilities and our health, like Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis. Malaria falls into both categories, known as the biggest killer of human beings in the history of mankind, however, if one survives, it can leave one with serious bouts of recurring ill health across a lifetime.
The priority when a person is diagnosed with a disease is to seek out treatment to preserve life and reduce debilitating symptoms. However, following this, I believe it is important for people to seek emotional support to help them deal with the negative, sometimes overwhelming psychological impact that a loss of health represents. Becoming ill can be a lonely, sad and frightening place; being the partner or supporter of someone who becomes ill can be equally emotionally demanding. The need for emotional support at such times has long been recognised for both cancer sufferers and those who have suffered serious heart problems requiring hospitalisation, treatment or surgery. Treatment plans for both disease areas include access to psychological support. I believe it would be good if society could recognise this need as essential at times where health pressures become a heavy burden.
At the University, counselling support for you when you might be affected by such health changes can be accessed via the Employee Assistance Programme.
The other thing that struck me is that ill health is always a shock when it comes. We can attempt to follow all the health education advice as best we can but, at some point in our lives, we will become seriously ill. Waiting on that day, worrying about it, or assiduously trying to prepare for it, robs us of wellbeing in the present, because we cannot know when it will happen, nor what health issue we will need to face. This represents the best argument for the advocacy of living in the moment and living a mindful life in the here and now. Attend health screenings, pay heed to health messages, but enjoy today with the level of health that you have, as best you can.
The Art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment by Jay Dixit on psychologytoday.com
What Does It Mean To Live In The Moment – And How To Start Doing It by Rachel Lott on purhealthyliving.com
How to Escape Being a Victim of Time & Truly Live in the Present Moment by Alfred James on pocketmindfulness.com
Live in the Moment by Z. Hereford on essentiallifeskills.net
How to Start Living in the Moment and Stop Worrying by Charles A Francis on lifehack.org
Taking It One Day At A Time by The School of Life on YouTube
How To Be Present Like Eckhart Tolle – Stupidly Simple Secrets Revealed by Note For Self on YouTube
Are you living in the present moment? by Christina Skytt on YouTube