Me? care for myself?

We have to take responsibility for our own health care. This means that we need to be aware of our , physical,  mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Which means we need to be able asses ourselves on a daily basis. What is my body telling me? Figure out what we need to do to stay strong and able bodied. How am I coping today? Create wholesome strategies that keep us safe and of sound mind. How do I feel today? Learn a variety of words that describe emotions. Where can I find peace today? Find a connection to something bigger than ourselves.

In Canada, Our health care system is bursting at the seams. Family doctors are becoming scarce, Specialists have endless wait lists, Hospital are over capacity with emerge packed to the rim with sick people in waiting rooms, and clinics are full every day, all day. It is a serious challenge to ensure that we get the right kind of heath care for ourselves. There is hope though and that hope lies in our very own hands.

Lets start with our physical needs. No one can argue that a strong body will support all of our other health care needs. A good place to start is our eating habits. There is so much crap fast food out there that is cheep and filling. Many people will eat this high fat, high sodium, highly preserved foods simply because it is so convenient(not to mention the enforcement and support of media advertising). It takes effort and time to cook a meal with whole foods. There are too many people who don't even know how to cook something that does not come out of a box or bag(with step by step instructions on it). There are also too many people who don't know that meal planning is significantly less expensive than the quick fix of food from a box or a burger joint down the street(ya, you know what I mean). Even though nutritional facts are posted on the side of packaged foods, how many of us can make sense of it? The second most important physical need is, yup, that nasty word, Exercise!! so many of us hate it. I have even heard avid runners say that they have to push themselves out the door to get started. I can tell you things that you have all heard before, but I wont. "Just do it!" just get up and go for a walk, sign up in a class of some sort. Staying fit can be free and fun. All it takes is motivation. If you need a boost in motivation, look around you at all the people who live sedentary lives. Diabetes is so prevalent today that children are getting it. Obesity and cardio/pulmonary disease are steadily on the rise. Exercise is the cure all and best prevention of almost every major disease out there.

Second to our physical requirements we have mental and emotional demands in life. Did you know that most people cannot name a feeling beyond the basic emotions. Happy, angry, sadness and fear all have varying levels of intensity. We have secondary emotions that many people confuse with their primary emotions. As far as coping with all these jumbled feelings, there are a great number of us that, well, just don't. People use substances to the point of addiction, people become depressed and give up on caring for themselves, people develop anxieties and cannot leave the house. People get so angry that they commit violent crimes. there are so many of us that stay stuck in a rut of emotional agony that suicide is one of the leading causes of death. The difficulty lies in that most of us never learn how to cope in the first place, and we are too embarrassed (stigma, judgment) to seek help. Learning to cope with difficult and strong emotions could go a long way in preventing depression and anxiety. There would be less of a demand for medication and less stress on the system if our children were to learn how to identify emotions and know how to safely resolve their problems. This means that we need to learn about this ourselves. There are countless self help books, websites and practitioners that can do wonders in educating those who are willing to learn new ways to cope. Less painful and destructive strategies to deal with life's ups and downs.

Finally, Spirituality. This does not mean religion, though it could for some. The key to a healthy spiritual life lies in where we find peace and comfort in this world. A good spiritual life gives us a place to regenerate and put things into perspective. It can slow us down in a very fast paced world. Our spirit  gives us time to be mindful, to be in the moment, to find stillness within. Our holy selves, gives us a way to get out of the confinements of our bodies and into a realm where we are touched by something greater than this physical plane of living. There are countless ways to find a spiritual connection. Of course there are churches of all religions to attend but there are also indefinite ways to find peace of mind. Nature, the universe, yoga, meditation, reading, silence, volunteering, music and all other forms of the arts, philosophising, learning, caring, and on and on and on. Really it is what ever works for you, what ever you need to to be able to search within and find grace.

If we take care of these health requirements ourselves, there will be less need to see doctors, demand medication, stress our hospitals, and over flow our clinics. Also, we will be in tune with what is wrong with us when we really do get sick. We will be able to clearly identify what symptoms we have and clearly discuss this with a health care professional. We can feel better and prevent disorders from getting out of control or even from getting them at all.

Now, all I need to do, is take my own advice and listen to my own wisdom. Isn't that always the way?