Health

A Short Journey about Wellness and Some Common Physical Problems of Our Daily Life. 
Nine dimensions of wellness
In this Modern-Era, our Globe may be considered to be the store-house of the work- pressure, and stress. And here, who does not want to live healthily, maintaining his or her wellness properly? But the term ‘Wellness’ is not a static concept. It is always marked with changes and it varies with the growth. The concept of wellness can be categorized into nine distinct dimensions-

• Physical wellness and your life:

Physical wellness refers to one’s level of fitness and the proportion of taking care of oneself. Physical wellness does not include only the overall condition of our body or the devoid of any physical illness in us. Taking good caring for the physical needs of oneself and building good and hygienic habits increase the level of physical wellness.

 

• Emotional Wellness:

If the cells are the units of the human body, the emotions are the units of the human soul.

Emotional wellness is also a static concept. One cannot always feel himself or herself at the top of emotional wellness all the time. There are some factors like- self-confidence, positive attitude, hope, optimism, self-esteem, satisfying relationship that are extremely important to sustain emotional wellness. The key-note of maintaining emotional wellness is to find happiness in one own-self by maintain self-esteem and being indifferent to the irrelevant expectation of others from one.

 

• Intellectual Wellness:

Intellectual wellness is marked with the features of one’s ability to learn continuously from the different things and parts of life. Intellectual Wellness enables a person to detect or diagnose the problem properly and provides him with the ability to overcome any challenge and crisis in life.

 

• Interpersonal Wellness:

Being a part of society, one should contribute some meaningful contributions to others. And here lies the importance of interpersonal wellness. Impersonal wellness requires physical wellness, good communication skills, a positive attitude to help others, improving the power to create healthy and ethical intimacy with others. Interpersonal wellness enables one to perform collective -works like a team smoothly.

 

• Cultural Wellness:

Cultural wellness implies one’s consideration of the values of others. One’s interactive attitude plays an important role to develop cultural wellness. One’s indulgent, decent and tolerant behavior to other people who do not share the same platform in terms of religion, sex and cultural orientation, age, rituals, beliefs can create better cultural wellness.

 

• Spiritual wellness:

One should always try to recognize his or her own- self inwardly and should try to find the true purpose of living. This does not depend on any materialistic success or failure; rather it depends on the vivid understanding between one’s body and soul. Better spiritual wellness works as a bridle to control any undesired outbursts of emotions like- anger, hatred, violence, etc. The practice of meditation and yoga are two effective tools to build-up spiritual wellness.

 

• Environmental Wellness:

Environmental wellness plays a vital role to develop one’s physical wellness. Environmental wellness implies a healthy ambiance of living. If one’s living environment is hostile with many problems like – violence, race-hazards, threats, etc. the physical wellness must be interrupted. So, to build a better environment wellness one has to take active parts to make his or her environment safe and free from hazards.

 

• Financial Wellness: 

Financial wellness does not indicate earning a huge amount of income and spend it on buying excessive luxury for one. It indicates sufficient income to have a decent and comfortable life. It indulges the concepts of future- savings, paying- debts, rational- living, and condemns indiscriminate use of money uselessly.

 

• Occupational Wellness:

Occupational Wellness is not all about getting a higher salary and promotions in the work-place. It actually denotes the level of job satisfaction that can be achieved by one in his or her work-place. The recognition and the appreciation from the co-workers and higher authority increase occupational wellness. One needs experience and skill to resolve a crisis in the work-place to earn occupational wellness. The polite behavior with co-workers and hard work bring this level of wellness higher.

 

Difference among between ‘stress’, ‘eustress’, and ‘distress’:

Stress is the physical or psychological reaction of our body to any mental state or situation. A stressor is a condition that induces stress in a being. When this stressor causes stress, which is perceived to be a pleasant one, it is called Eustress. And when stress is posed by a stressor causing hindrance or an unpleasant situation, it causes distress. So, stress is the overall reaction to any situation, whether reacting to a threat or an exciting event.

Example of stressors causing eustress in Your life:

• “When I was 15 years of age, there was this cultural event at my school. All my friends, from different ethnicities, races, and backgrounds participated to showcase their own culture. I, too, participated in it. We all dressed up as some important figures of our culture and interacted with each other. Though all known faces were present, yet I felt stressed and nervous to be in such an event, where I can uphold my culture and show that I’m proud of it”.

• “At the beginning of my college life, I had to move away from home and start living on my own, away from my parents, with every responsibility on my own shoulder. It was an exciting event that led to stress before moving and some initial days after moving and settling in my new life. It was a very stressful but exciting event”.

• “When I moved to college, with all new surroundings, there was new stress in life where I needed to get used to the new place, new academic curriculums, and new friends. Despite facing a culture shock and also meeting new people from different backgrounds and mentalities, the series of events that followed not only fortunate but also challenging and fun”.

Examples of stressors causing distress in Your life:

1. “This COVID-19 pandemic situation has really caused a lot of distress in my life. It has blocked us from all the usual ways of life, we are used to. The fear and panic that followed the initial days of the lockdown phases and pandemic itself were harrowing and very stressful”.
2. “A few days back my father was tested positive for the coronavirus. The panic and fear that ensued the following days cannot be expressed in words. Though he was mostly asymptomatic, yet the stress that we had to live through is beyond words”.
3. “During this same period, while we all are trying to live our lives blocked within the four walls, I feel extreme stress when I cannot go out for a walk after a hectic day. After completing my online classes and assignments and mainly, exams, all cramped up inside my room, it’s really distressing to not be able to take a sigh of relief in a way I’m used to”.
4. “Before this pandemic, I used to work at a local cafe to help my family with some financial help. But since I’ve lost my job now, it’s a distressful situation”.

Some Common Health- Problems of Our Daily-Life. 

                                                                                          Headache

Headache– Headache is a throbbing, a pounding pain in the head that can be caused due to several problems. Headaches due to stress can lead to pain and tightness in the head, neck, and forehead. There are two types of prominent forms of headache.

  EPISODIC STRESS HEADACHE – They can occur anytime in a month and mostly, less than 15 days a month.

CHRONIC STRESS HEADACHES – They mostly occur more than 15 days a month.

SYMPTOMS- Some of the symptoms may include:

1.   Mild pain in the front, crown, or sides of the head.
2.   Sleeping Trouble.
3.   Sensitivity to noise and/ or light.

CAUSES

1. Stressful situations accompanied by a lack of sleep.
2. Tension in the workplace or at home or in relations.

TREATMENT

1. Seeking medical help.
2. Taking enough rest.
3. Meditation to relieve stress.

                                                                                       

                                                                                          Migraine.

Migraine is a distinct neurological disease that can cause a lot of problems, ranging from headaches, neck pain, fatigue to other cognitive symptoms. Headache due to migraine is a common problem associated with other issues in combination.

Symptoms- Some of the symptoms include:

1.   Moderate to severe headache.
2.   Nausea/ vomiting.
3.   Sensitivity to light and sound.
4.   Cognitive symptoms.

Cause

The apparent cause of headaches due to migraines is unknown, but it is thought to be caused by some abnormal brain activity affecting the sensory nerves.

 

                                                                                           Aura.

They are the symptoms that may occur before or during the actual migraine hits. Examples of aura may include:

1. Uncontrollable jerks.
2. Seeing bright spots of light or flashes.
3. Loss of vision.
4. Numbness in the face or any other part of the body.

Treatment:

1. Seek medical help.
2. Rest in a dark, quiet room as many people become sensitive to light and sound.
3. Application of hold and cold compress to ease the pain.

 

                                                                                          Sinus. 

Sinus – Sinus is air-filled spaces inside our forehead, nose-bridge, and cheekbones. Due to infection or allergic reaction, they get inflamed and produce more mucus, blocking the channels that block them. The pressure builds up in the sinus and results in a headache.

 

Symptoms – Some of the symptoms include:

1.   Constant pain in the forehead, nose-bridge, and cheekbones.
2.   Runny nose.
3.   A feeling of fullness in the ears.

Cause.

The main cause of sinus-related headache is an infection or allergic reaction that leads to inflammation in the sinus pockets

Treatment.

1. Seeking medical help.
2. Treating the infection or allergy that caused it.
3. Saline nasal spray can help.
4. Drinking a lot of fluids.

 

                                                                                    Anxiety 

Anxiety is the fear of anything that apparently is not an outcome of a threat. And when that fear becomes a regular, unavoidable event that triggers itself in certain conditions and starts to interfere with our lives, it becomes an anxiety disorder.

There are 6 types of anxiety disorders that that are listed and discussed below-

 

1. Specific Phobia – when a person fears a specific or a particular thing, it is known as a specific phobia. It is the most common of all anxiety disorders. Some examples of such are fear of dogs, snakes, height, etc.

 

1. Social Phobia- Many people are afraid of being embarrassed or humiliated in a public environment. They feel shy and coy about their thoughts and feelings rather than speaking out in public and generally stay away from talking to new people. Public speaking is the most common social phobia.

 

1. Panic Disorder- When a person encounters sudden bouts of fear or anxiety and that discomfort peaks to sudden feelings of terror, panic disorder sets in. People with panic disorder experience anxiety, with rapid heartbeats, shortness of breath, losing mental health, etc. Often when people with panic disorder face difficult situations, anxiety sets in while they cope with such situations.

 

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (G.A.D) – when a person worries about the future and that worry lingers for more than 6 months and that worry leads to anxiety that is known as a generalized anxiety disorder. This type of disorder is not an unjustified one. Worrying about the future is logical thought where we need to able to access future problems to come up with their solution. One may be worried about family, school, relationships, finance, etc. But this disorder leads to worry which seems persistent and often, doesn’t lead to any solution, but only leads to depression.

 

 

1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (O.C.D) – when a person is filled with unreasonable thoughts and fears which lead to obsession or compulsion or both, that person is said to be suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. The disorder generally starts gradually and then becomes repetitive and cannot be resisted. They carry them out like rituals, which eats away their time and often render them inefficient at work. It may lead to embarrassment. Some common examples of OCD are washing hands repetitively, freaking about cleanliness, and having things exactly at places they want. Any slight movement of things can lead them to have an anxiety attack.

 

1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D) – when a person undergoes a traumatic event, like, an accident, abuse, assault, etc, its psychological after-effects may linger for months, years, or forever. They often relive that trauma in their dreams or through memories. Any relatable object or person may also trigger stress, depression, anxiety, etc. in them. Symptoms may decrease over time but they may or may not fully recover.

 

                                                       Lack of Sleep ( Insomnia or Sleep Deprivation)

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for the health of both mind and body. Lack of sleep can be detrimental to our physical as well as emotional health. A lot of factors can lead to a lack of sleep, which increases our health hazards. Some of them are-

Menstrual problem: Menstruation is a common biological process. There are many physical and emotional symptoms associated with it. Many experience certain psychological and emotional problems before the bleeding starts. Due to various hormone secretions during the period, the human body goes through certain changes, as do our emotions. Many feel pre-menstrual tension, stress, and dysphoric disorder, along with cramps, bloating, and nausea. All these together or isolated, leads to headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, food cravings, insomnia, or excessive sleep. People with PMS experience insomnia or excessive sleep more during or before the period starts. Fatigue can cause exhaustion, which leads to excessive sleep, which is also not good for our body.

Aging Male Syndrome: It occurs in males during the age of 35-65 (mostly), when serum hormone levels decrease in their body, leading to some associated problems, which include sleep disorder. They suffer from depressed mood, irritability, difficulties with concentration, which ultimately leads to a lack of sleep. Lack of sleep, in turn, gives rise `to fatigue and weakness.

Infant Mortality: It means the death of a child at less than 1 year of age. Though sleep disorder is not directly linked to infant mortality. But the pain of losing a child can lead to such. Parents bond with their child even before they are born and the sudden loss can give birth to sadness, grief, depression, guilt, shock, which ultimately causes sleep disorder. Depressive thoughts lead to sleepless nights and the fatigued body cannot cope with the grieving and it gets further sick, making it difficult for the person to get out of bed easily. The death of a child can lead to either insomnia or excessive sleep.

Postpartum Depression:  After going through strenuous labor pain, loss of blood, fluctuating hormones, loss of sleep, a mother may feel anxious after a baby is born. They may experience ‘baby-blues’ associated with headache, irritation, sadness, fatigue, sleep deprivation, which again gives rise to a sleep disorder. While taking care of the baby, and after going through such a massive change in body and hormones, they remain exhausted and fatigued. Lack of sleep makes them more irritable and sensitive.

 

                                                                                       Depression 

Depression is a persistent feeling of sadness or feeling constantly low and dejected. Several causes can lead to depression. And often those causes hang on the border of suicidal tendencies. The warning signs of depression that we must look out for and be aware of are-

1. When a person constantly feels down and sad and the only persistent thought in his mind is “what’s the point?” for every question in life.
2. If a person has thoughts about him being unworthy and useless and guilty of something every second of his life.
3. When a person has a sudden change in his appetite or unusual weight loss along with his feeling of dejection and/ or abnormal sleep schedules, either sleeping too little or too much or having trouble falling asleep.
4. Decreased energy and enthusiasm in doing work or making decisions.
5. If the person has attempted suicide or has suicidal tendencies and thoughts.

If any or either of these symptoms’ manifests in the life of someone, they need help, professional and/ or personal.

                                                   Your Personal View to Handle Such Situation.

If I happen to have a friend or relative who is suffering from severe depression and has suicidal thoughts, I can do the following to ease him/ her-

1. If they are not already seeking medical help, I would advise them to get professional help, who are experienced to help them to overcome such a problem.
2. Often, depression and suicidal thoughts appear in minds because persons may think they have no one to listen to them and they have to bear the whole burden of their pain. I can always lend a sympathetic ear to them and listen to patiently the problems, they are facing. Having a friend or a person to whom they can confide their secrets without being judged, can lessen their stress.
3. Mental health is a serious issue. We have to normalize the fact that, going through therapy and seeking medical help is not taboo. I shall support my friend or relative who is going through this kind of therapy and encourage him/ her so that the person does not fall back to depression again after recovery.

 

 

Work Cited:

• (COVID-19), C., Health, E., Disease, H., Disease, L., Management, P., & Conditions, S. et al. (2020). Sinus Headaches – Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment. Retrieved 16 December 2020.

 

• Games for Health Journal | Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. (2020). Retrieved 16 December 2020.

 

• M. Insel, P. (2020). Connect Core Concept in Health.