Word Of The Month: Health.
April marks the month for eased restrictions regarding both outdoor and indoor exercise. For many people, this brings along with it the opportunity they have been waiting months for, such as working on a fitness goal they have not been able to achieve. For others this allows people to get into their routine and have a break from the stresses they may be facing in their lives. Isolation and the effects it has both physically and mentally on people have been a huge factor and worry during lockdowns. These factors highlight an important discussion around health; something that affects us all as humans.
"Humanistic counseling theories hold that people have within themselves all the resources they need to live healthy and functional lives and that problems occur as a result of restricted or unavailable problem-solving resources".
- Neukrug, E. S.
The idea of living a healthy life and having good health means something different to everyone. While the idea of health may be referred to in the context of physical health a lot of the time, mental health is indeed just as important as physical health. It can be said that both go hand in hand and have a symbiotic relationship with each other. For anyone that has had an intense physical session exercising or eaten healthily can probably agree to; after these acts, mentally, they tend to feel proud and happy at what they have achieved. They feel like they are giving their bodies what it needs and are on a good path to becoming a healthier individual. However, have you ever completed a mentally challenging task that your boss has given you? Or got that piece of homework done that was bothering you so much? There is nothing like a relaxing calm that encompasses you and your psyche after achieving these daunting tasks. You feel pride; you feel like you can take on anything and you feel like you can truly take a break because you have earned it.
What does health mean to you?
Is there a way you can allow yourself to be healthier or achieve better health?
Even if you feel like you have not achieved what you wanted to, maybe ask yourself what you want to achieve to become healthier and break that down into bite-sized steps, that will not affect your physical or mental health, and know it is never too late. There is nothing more important than your health.
Acting on our escapes to not feel overwhelmed and feel peace is also just as important to health as everything else I have mentioned. Know that if the pursuit of being ‘healthy’ brings stress to you, hurts you, or overwhelms you, then take a break and reevaluate; because at that time maybe taking a break is what is healthy for you. It is only important we do our best, looking after ourselves is the most important thing we can do and if you are not looking after yourself, why not? You deserve to be healthy, happy, and feel relaxed.
We have felt locked away as a community, alone and isolated due to lockdown restrictions, and like I said at the beginning: health is something that affects us all. I believe that now more than ever, health has become a more talked about issue. We are now more health-conscious as a society and understand the importance of it. So as restrictions are easing and we can see our friends and loved ones outside, take time to care for yourselves and others, tell yourself that you deserve to feel healthy, and remember to stay safe and look after your health.
- By Patrick
References
Neukrug, E. S. (2015) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
William & Mary School Of Education (2020) Counseling Theories and Approaches [online] Available at: https://counseling.education.wm.edu/blog/counseling-theories-and-approaches [Accessed at: 19th April 2021]