It is an honour to be here today and for this, I give thanks to the Almighty Divine Father, the Creator of the Universe. I would like to thank the Management of City People for inviting me to deliver the Key Note Address at this 22nd City People Awards for Excellence. The topic chosen by the Management (Wellness & The Need To Stay Healthy), is so dear to my heart.
Today, we are witnessing the loss of young men and women through premature death as a result of preventable lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart attack, mental illness, and diseases relating to ageing i.e. prostate enlargement, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, etc.
Coming to the topic of my paper, Wellness & The Need To Stay Well. What is the concept of Wellness? Wellness is much more than merely physical health, exercise and nutrition. It is the full integration of state of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. According to the University of California, there are 7 dimensions to wellness:-
(1) SOCIAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to relate to and connect with other people in our world. Our ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with family, friends and co-workers contribute to our Social Wellness.
(2) EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness, stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner contributes to our Emotional Wellness.
(3) SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives. The ability to develop congruency between values and actions and to realise a common purpose that binds creation together contributes to our Spiritual Wellness.
(4) ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to recognise our own responsibility for the quality of air, water, and land that surround us. The ability to make positive impact on the quality of our Environmental Wellness.
(5) OCCUPATIONAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to get personal fulfilment from our jobs or our chosen career fields, while still maintaining balance in our lives. Our desire to contribute in our careers to make a positive impact on the organisations we work in and society as a whole leads to occupational Wellness.
(6) INTELLECTTUAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction and community betterment. The desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning wellness contributes to our intellectual.
(7) PHYSICAL WELLNESS
This is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The ability to recognise that our behaviours have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthful habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc) while avoiding tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc) will lead to optimal Physical Wellness.
Judging by the seven dimensions of wellness stated by the University of California, we can clearly see that 99% of humanity is unwell in one way or the other. There are growing numbers of people in our society today, living with chronic illnesses and disabilities
Good health is our birthright therefore, our health should be our priority and that being the case we need to take responsibility for our health. The follwing steps will help us to achieve and maintain good health:-
(1) Self-Health Analysis: Know the present state of your health.
(2) Seek Knowledge about the body – the systems of the body, what they need to function properly etc.
(3) Detoxification – Clean Gut equals vibrant health.
(4) Feed your body with what it requires – life foods not junks (eat right)
(5) Proper Hydration – Adequate water intake (quality water)
(6) Take quality Food Supplements – Vitamins, minerals, antioxidant etc.
(7) Good Hygiene – Use quality personal care products on your body avoid cheap items.
(8) Peaceful Mind A Must For Wellness – Deep breathing, quiet times, Raja Yoga practice will help calm your mind.
(9) Living a Soul Conscious Life – Love, harmony, peace, mercy, contentment, honesty, integrity, humility, detachment from material things positivity, authenticity, etc.
(10) Have a Healthy Lifestyle
(11) Adequate Sleep is a must for good health as well as relaxation.
(12) Maintain Good posture.
(13) Be Active – Look for something to do (acquire new skills/be of service).
(14) Regular Exercise – Body, facial, neck and eyes/stretching.
(15) Regular Personal Health Check-up
THE NEED TO STAY HEALTHY
It is important to be healthy and stay healthy because the price for sickness is too high.
THE PRICE PEOPLE PAY FOR ILL-HEALTH
Physical Level: Pain, Immobility, Disability, Suffering
Financial Level: High Cost of Treatment/Drugs/Debt
Medical Level: Devastating Side effect of drugs resulting in more drugs/diseases and financial crisis.
Social Level: Abandonment/Loneliness
Emotional Level: Low Self-Esteem, Depression, Negative Thoughts
The Utmost Price: Death
Prevention is better than cure.
Keynote Address At The 22nd City People Award For Excellence Giving By Mrs. Susan Oyemade.
