Health First - or Treatment Later?

"Would you rather be proactive about your health, or be reactive as needed?"

If you pose this question, I highly doubt you'll find someone who'll select the latter (and if you do, I'd be very interested to meet them and learn more).

I think we all agree that it's important to be proactive about our health - physical health, mental health, emotional health - but when it comes to actually putting this into practice, we fail.

We are finally coming to a stage where it is more acceptable to talk about our health issues, and we are supported on these. I'm especially pleased to see many organisations, carrying forward the discussion on mental health issues and how we can support those around us (http://www.kenyannomad.com/2017/07/lets-talk-about-mental-health.html)

However, I firmly believe that we won't have as much impact as we'd like if we don't address prevention alongside supporting treatment.

Personally, I've tried to get more proactive about my health, and I think there's a lot we can do as individuals to be proactive, and as organisations and social units to support this proactivity. (Here is an article I had published about some of my own 'wellness rituals' - and I'd encourage you to give it a read: http://www.kenyannomad.com/2017/05/wellness-rituals.html )

I'm not a medical professional, and I would advise you to follow their advice when it comes to actual practices to put into place, e.g., a regular workout routine, regular checkups with your doctor, a healthy diet. You're probably also aware of a few no-regret things you can put into place like getting enough sunshine, finding time to laugh and be grateful, meditation, and reading, just to name a few.

What should you take away from this? As a person - it is ABSOLUTELY OKAY to say that you want to dedicate time and energy to self-care. As an organisation or social unit - you should try your absolute best to support those in your networks to help them understand that it is okay to do this!

What are some of the ways that YOU have committed to be proactive about your health, and ways that you've seen support for this from others? Do feel free to share!

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