FEEL BETTER
The National Health Service is actually a National Disease Service and a very valuable service it is, but it is important to appreciate that health is more than the absence of disease, as the World Health Organisation emphasised in its 1948 definition of Health. They defined health as, “physical, social and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” and what we are seeing now is an understanding of the fact that many people have wellbeing problems, about how they feel, and the Health Service is not dealing with them well.
However rather than expanding the NHS, the National Disease Service, to provide services for wellbeing, it is better to understand what the causes of wellbeing problems actually are and how they can best addressed by individuals and communities. The Office of National Statistics assess wellbeing using a very well-developed questionnaire and it asks people to evaluate three aspects of their wellbeing.
- How satisfied they are with their life overall?
- Their emotions during particular period (both positive and negative)
- Whether they feel if they have meaning or purpose in their lives.
One step is to manage stress better either by tackling the cause of the stress directly or by using techniques to control stress of which the simplest is a regular walking routine, ideally in a green environment, and all types of physical activity including Yoga can be helpful if they become routine. There is also a technique called mindfulness which many people find effective and it is also helpful to develop a routine to improve your sleep and again the NHS Better Health programme contains good advice based on strong evidence
What is emerging is that wellbeing is increased firstly by what a person does for themselves and secondly the support and interaction they have with their community.
It is common to hear complaints about the death of communities due to the internet and the rising car ownership, but communities still exist and in fact are re-emerging as people appreciate the benefits of supporting the community in which they live, either their geographical community or their digital community if, for example, they suffer from a rare health problem which no one in their geographical community has heard of but for which there is a very good digital support group. Thus, support by the community improves wellbeing, but even more important to understand is that contributing to the community is a very effective means of improving one’s own wellbeing and this relates to the Office of National Statistics term “meaning or purpose”.
In her study of Healthy Ageing in Japan called Extra Time, Camilla Cavendish describes the importance of what is called Ikigai in Japan, meaning a sense of purpose. Not a sense of purpose for improving one’s own lot but a sense of purpose for contributing to help others. Volunteering is a very good way of increasing wellbeing and helping you feel better, and it will also help reduce the risk of dementia
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The National Health Service is actually a National Disease Service and a very valuable service it is, but it is important to appreciate that health is more than the absence of disease, as the World Health Organisation emphasised in its 1948 definition of Health. They defined health as, “physical, social and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” and what we are seeing now is an understanding of the fact that many people have wellbeing problems, about how they feel, and the Health Service is not dealing with them well.
However rather than expanding the NHS, the National Disease Service, to provide services for wellbeing, it is better to understand what the causes of wellbeing problems actually are and how they can best addressed by individuals and communities. The Office of National Statistics assess wellbeing using a very well-developed questionnaire and it asks people to evaluate three aspects of their wellbeing.
- How satisfied they are with their life overall?
- Their emotions during particular period (both positive and negative)
- Whether they feel if they have meaning or purpose in their lives.
One step is to manage stress better either by tackling the cause of the stress directly or by using techniques to control stress of which the simplest is a regular walking routine, ideally in a green environment, and all types of physical activity including Yoga can be helpful if they become routine. There is also a technique called mindfulness which many people find effective and it is also helpful to develop a routine to improve your sleep and again the NHS Better Health programme contains good advice based on strong evidence
What is emerging is that wellbeing is increased firstly by what a person does for themselves and secondly the support and interaction they have with their community.
It is common to hear complaints about the death of communities due to the internet and the rising car ownership, but communities still exist and in fact are re-emerging as people appreciate the benefits of supporting the community in which they live, either their geographical community or their digital community if, for example, they suffer from a rare health problem which no one in their geographical community has heard of but for which there is a very good digital support group. Thus, support by the community improves wellbeing, but even more important to understand is that contributing to the community is a very effective means of improving one’s own wellbeing and this relates to the Office of National Statistics term “meaning or purpose”.
In her study of Healthy Ageing in Japan called Extra Time, Camilla Cavendish describes the importance of what is called Ikigai in Japan, meaning a sense of purpose. Not a sense of purpose for improving one’s own lot but a sense of purpose for contributing to help others. Volunteering is a very good way of increasing wellbeing and helping you feel better, and it will also help reduce the risk of dementia.
Points for Reflection after listening and reading; if you are working through these podcasts with a group ask people to turn to their neighbour and discuss these points or allocate them to a Zoom room if you are online
- How would you rate your sense of wellbeing on a scale from 1 to 10?
- What could you do to help your friends and community even more?
Identify the factor that is causing most stress and take action to resolve or reduce that problem and try mindfulness or yoga to reduce the stress that it and other problems are causing; remember that one of the main benefits of physical exercise is an increasing mental wellbeing