5 Health-Related Things You Should Also Care About Other Than Covid-19 (Rona Diary 02)
Has your lifestyle changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic?
You probably wear a mask whenever you leave the house. You’re most likely not leaving your house as often as you did before. I bet you’ve even started adding more ginger, lemon and garlic in your meals. And that’s definitely a good thing during this pandemic of a beast. Whether it has happened to someone you know or not, people are getting really sick and some are losing their lives because of it. What’s more, you could have changed your lifestyle because of the social and economic disruption that has befallen our country, and the world, as an effect of the Rona.
On the other hand, I learnt the hard way that Covid-19 is not the only health-matter I should be worried about. Walk with me, you could learn a thing or two that might actually help your health status. Here are some of the other health-related matters you should care about in addition to the Rona.
1. Keeping Up with Our Diets and Sustaining Healthy Weight
According to Harvard Chan School of Public Health, giving attention to my diet and keeping my weight as close to healthy standards as I can is necessary in order to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, as well as a good number of different cancers.
Now that I work from home a lot more often than I used to, plus let’s mention the increased spells of lethargy I’ve been experiencing in the last handful of months, my relationship with food has worsened. More often than I should, I have found myself too lazy to cook or opting to make the fastest and easiest meal forsaking important nutrients in my meals.
I learnt the hard way that this was not a good idea at all, when I became indisposed after just a short work-related trip. On top of that, two weeks ago I was breathing like a fish out of water after a twenty-minute hike, when I have climbed Mt. Longonot. Twice! I know I can do a lot better than that. Granted to say, I am healthy and I doubt if I have any health complications, but this habit definitely has to change. So I have been working on a better meal-plan. I also started taking morning walks so I can give my body that extra fresh air and vitamin D. I also want to pat myself on the back for being someone that has never relied on alcohol or drugs to get myself out of a rut. But for those who do, and might have become even more dependent on them because of the pandemic, maybe Covid-19 isn’t the only thing you should be worried about.
So health lesson number one: Covid-19 or not, for the sake of our physical health, we aught to not neglect our diets; and for the sake of our bodies and the people we care about, let’s try our best to keep away from harmful lifestyle choices.
2. Taking Care of Our Mental Health
Can we for a minute talk about how adulting is hard? How in the world did we get to a point where one has to be able to balance their bills, career pressure, finances, safety, family, friends, and a health-insurance that works, to have a chance at enjoying life? And I haven’t even touched on self-image, self-love and having a positive outlook in life.
World, we need to talk.
But yes, life can be stressful sometimes; and if we don’t check up on ourselves often, bad things like depression and anxiety, start to happen. So what do we do?
If there’s one good thing that has come out of this pandemic for me, I’d say it’s that it has forced me and given me time to think about my future, reflect on my life goals, restructure and re-energize. I have also had more time for my photography, drawing, time with family, and watching a lot of self-improvement YouTube videos. (Okay confession time: yes I read a lot of books, but to be honest, I only read fiction novels. I have never been able to go past two chapters of any motivational book. Thank God for book-review YouTube channels!)
I have also been reading articles like these ones that made me think about the state of my surrounding environment, my behaviours, my genetics, my value system, what I enjoy doing, how I deal with stress, my career status and having a purpose. So even though my finances were sadly hit by Covid-19, for some reason I am a lot less worried now than I was before and I get to do a lot more fulfilling activities. (Shocker! The state of my finances wasn’t really the issue.)
Health lesson number two: We do not give our mental health the much credit it deserves.
3. Let’s not forget Our Sexual and Reproductive Health
It’s been reported in other countries that health care centres are restricting the services they give, whereas in some areas, healthcare centres have closed down due to the economic and social effects of the Rona. This means, not as many people can obtain safe and reliable birth control products or services. Can we also talk about the very high and rising cases of teenage pregnancies? Girls, women, boys, men, society, are we really going to fail our young girls and the future generation of kids then blame it on Covid-19?
It turns out, the pandemic is also affecting people who want to have kids. According to a U.S survey I read online, families are rethinking about their plans of having children due to concerns about the access to pregnancy-related as well as newborn healthcare. Some people also claimed that their changed finances was a major factor as well. Understandably, since we all know how raising children is not a cheap affair.
Well, American people are thinking about it; have you, my Kenyan friend, thought about the above matter and planned accordingly?
Health lesson number three: There’s a lot more to think about regarding having or not having children.
4. Developing Our Emotional Health
Are you able to notice upsetting emotions when they arise? Anger, spite, jelousy, despair. Do you catch on your negative self-judgements whenever they happen? Are you ever curious about why you think the way you do, and why you behave and feel the way you do at certain times?
It was so refreshing and empowering when I discovered that my thoughts and emotions, which usually led to certain behaviours, are most times a reflection of my beliefs, my past or my fears. That I can actually control my behaviour and emotions by controlling the way I think. That I have the power over my general happiness.
How did I get to be this fearless, self-confident and delightful being you ask? Well, for starters, there are a number of things that work; for instance, staying away from toxic environments, having a support system, making time for your hobbies, quality sleep, yoga and watching anime. However, the two things that I found the most effective of them all are: Knowing when to say ‘No’ and ‘Yes’, and Learning how to lessen the fear of the Unknown.
I learnt how to refrain from overextending my self by saying ‘No’ to taking on more than I can handle, to putting myself in unnecessary stressful situations and to things that are not good for my well-being. I have learnt to say ‘Yes’ to things I enjoy doing, things that give me purpose and to things that represent me being kind to myself. And boy, is knowledge power. There’s literally an answer to every question and a strategy to solving any problem you could ever experience, somewhere online or in a book. If it’s not already, the internet should be your good friend. And I’m not talking about Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok; I’m talking about those informational and inspirational videos and articles, those YouTube channels that put a big smile on your face, and the ones that teach you a thing or two about how to handle life. Heck, next time you get into a predicament that puts you in low moods, stop what you’re doing, go to google and type in “ Why does…” or “What should one do when…” or even “What is this I am feeling” and you will get to understand yourself and the world a lot better. You will also learn the ability to hold on to positive emotions, and not let negative emotions fester.
But hey, do you know what that is? Virtual mentors. And if you have a real-life mentor-figure in your life as well, make use of them. They know a lot, and so can you.
Health lesson number four: Most times, or at least sometimes, it’s all in your head.
5. Admitting that your Spiritual Health Matters
I know I know, some of you have suddenly gotten the urge to log off the page after reading this heading but give me a moment. I promise I won’t preach.
You see spiritual wellness is not just about believing in God, or the holy trinity or Budha; it’s about believing in something a lot greater than yourself. Do you have a set of values and principles which you live by that give you meaning? Do you believe that things happen for a reason? Do your actions really reflect what you say you are and what you believe in? Do you believe there are some things you really can’t control? Cause honey, whether you believe it or not, there are some things you really cannot control. And talking from experience, the faster you believe it, the easier your life will be.
Health lesson number five: It’s not just about belonging to my religion, it’s about believing in the lessons that come with it and letting them guide my actions.
So go out there and give time to every part of your health. Covid-19 might be here for awhile, and as much as you follow the right Rona-safety measures, do not forget about the others. Keep healthy friend.
Special Bonus
A quick shout out to the lovely, funny and very insightful Kelly McGonigal on her TED talk about ‘How to make stress your friend.’ You have to watch it; but of course, after you give me a follow here.
Enjoy!
