Health refers to a person’s physical, mental and social well being. A person is said to be enjoying good health when he is devoid of any physical ailments, mental stress and enjoys good interpersonal relationships.
The definition of health has evolved over the decades. While earlier it only referred to the physical well being of a person, it refers to a state when a person is enjoying good mental health, is spiritually awakened and has a good social standing. Here are some essays on health of varying lengths to help you with the topic in your exam. You can select any health essay according to your need:
Contrary to the popular notion, health does not just means being physically fit and devoid of any ailments, it also means the overall well being of a person. It includes being mentally and emotionally strong, possessing healthy inter-personal relationships, having good cognitive skills and being spiritually awakened.
Being healthy is not a state; it is a way of life. It is a process. Keeping your physical health in check requires you to have proper diet every day. You cannot have nutritious diet for two days a week and hog on junk for the rest and still be healthy. Similarly, you cannot sleep for 24 hours on the same day and stay awake for the next three days. It is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle to stay in good shape and enjoy good health. In addition to having a rich diet full of nutrients one must also have adequate sleep and exercise on a daily basis to maintain health.
It is also essential to surround oneself with people who bring in positivity and encourage you to bring out the best in you rather than pulling you down. Besides being socially active and maintaining good relations with people, it is also essential to look within. Squeeze in some time each day to sit all by yourself to understand your needs better and take your life in the right direction. This is a crucial step in keeping your overall health intact.
“Health is not just about what you’re eating. It’s also about what you’re thinking and saying.” Generally, a person is said to be enjoying good health when he is mentally and physically fit. However, health has more to it. The modern definition of health includes various other aspects that need to be kept intact to enjoy a healthy life.
How the Definition of Health Evolved?
Initially, health only meant the body’s ability to function well. It was only disrupted because of physical ailment or disease. It was in 1948 that the World Health Organization (WHO) associated the term health with a person’s overall physical, mental as well as social well being and not just the absence of ailment. While this definition was accepted by some, it was largely criticized. It was said that this definition of health was extremely broad and thus seemed rather vague. It was discarded as being impractical for a long time. 1980’s brought a new concept of health. It stated health as a resource for living and not just a state.
Today, a person is considered healthy if he is enjoying good physical, mental, social, spiritual and cognitive health.
Importance of Maintaining Health
Good health forms the basis for accomplishing various other tasks in life. Here is how it helps:
Family Life: Somebody who is physically unfit cannot take care of his family. Similarly, someone experiencing mental stress and having the inability to handle his emotions cannot build and promote good family relations.
Work: It goes without saying that a physically unfit person cannot work properly. Good mental health is equally essential for working efficiently. To get recognition at work one must also enjoy good social and cognitive health.
Studies: Poor physical and mental health is a hindrance in studying. It is important to maintain good cognitive health in addition to good physical and mental health to study well.
Conclusion
It is essential to take utmost care of your health. It is only when you are healthy you would be able to take good care of other aspects of your life.
Health is the name given to the state where a person is physically and mentally fit, has good interpersonal relationships and is spiritually awakened. One must take utmost care of every aspect of his health to enjoy a wholesome living.
Techniques to Optimize Health
Here are a few simple techniques to help optimize health:
The first step towards maintaining good health is to have a diet rich in various micronutrients. Your diet must especially include fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables. Also have pulses, eggs and dairy products that help in your overall growth and cereals that render energy to keep you going throughout the day.
It is essential to give your body adequate rest to stay healthy and retain energy to work. Sleeping for 8 hours a day is a must for this. In no case should you compromise on your sleep. Lack of sleep leaves you lethargic and drains you both physically and mentally.
It is suggested to take out at least half an hour from your daily schedule to indulge in any physical exercise of your choice. You may try brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, yoga or any other exercise of your choice. This keeps you physically fit and is also a great way to relax your mind.
As important as it is for you to indulge in physical exercise, it is equally important for you to play brain games. These are good for your cognitive health.
Meditation is a great way to calm your mind and sit in self introspection. It takes you to a higher state and gives more clarity of thoughts.
It is essential for you to surround yourself with positive people. Be with those with whom you can indulge in healthy and meaningful discussions and also those who bring out the best in you rather than discouraging you. This is good for your emotional as well as social health.
It is a good idea to enrol for annual health check-up. Precaution is always better than cure. So if you see any kind of deficiencies or any such issue in the report you can seek medical help and cure it just in time before it escalates.
Conclusion
Today, people are so caught up in the rat race that they forget to take care of their health. It is essential to understand that health comes first. One must follow the aforementioned points to optimize health and live joyfully.
Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. Health is of prime importance and everything else comes later. Maintaining good health depends on a number of factors including the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the kind of people we deal with and the amount of exercise we indulge in.
Mental Health is as Important as Physical Health
While a lot of importance is given on being physically fit from a person’s early years itself, many people overlook the need and importance to stay emotionally and mentally strong. It is time people should understand how important it is to maintain mental health and work in that direction.
Parents are often seen giving importance to the food their children should eat and the level of hygiene that needs to be maintained to ensure their physical health. Many moms are seen showing concern over their children’s eating habits. They force their children to have food using different means to keep them physically fit and energetic. But we have seldom seen anyone who pays as much attention to understand as to what is going on in their child’s mind. Parents often give instructions to their kids to get tasks done but do not try to analyse as to why their child is avoiding or denying something. Spending time with children and catering to their emotional needs is as important as feeding them.
This does not only hold good for children but for people of every age. Each individual should give as much importance to his mental and emotional health as he gives to his physical well being. It is the lack of this that is giving rise to problems such as depression, hypertension and stress.
Healthcare in India
There is no National health insurance system for the citizens of India. This is the reason why the private sector is the main healthcare provider in the country. While there are government hospitals at many places in the country where the diagnoses is done for free and people are also given access to free medicines, many people hesitate visiting these facilities due to lack of hygiene. Also, since these offer free services there is a lot of waiting here.
The government must work upon maintaining these facilities and should also set up more of these so that the needs of every citizen can be catered to. The common man in India requires bearing huge healthcare expenses. Most of the savings made by them are spent in taking care of their family’s health. Those who buy healthcare insurance also need to spend amount from their pocket when it comes to undergoing various treatments as there are loopholes in these policies.
Conclusion
There is so much competition at every step in life. Each person wants to outshine the other, be it at the school or college level or at maintaining a lifestyle later in life and their health takes a backseat. People must recognize the fact that health comes first. It is only when we are healthy we can work better on other aspects in life. The government must also provide good healthcare facilities for the betterment of the country.
Health was initially known as a state in which a person was mentally and physically fit. It was said to be disrupted when a person fell sick or suffered from other physical ailments. However, over the decades, the definition of health has undergone change and it covers a broader perspective now.
Different Components of Health
There are basically five components of health. A person is considered to be healthy when all these are in check. Here is a look at these components:
Physical Health is being physically fit, devoid of any illness or disease. Good physical health promotes longer life span.
How to Maintain Physical Health?
It includes the psychological and emotional well being of a person. Our mental health basically impacts the way we feel, think and handle different situations. Keeping mental health in check is as important as keeping physical health intact.
How to Maintain Mental and Emotional Health?
Social health is a person’s ability to build and maintain satisfying interpersonal relationships with his/ her friends, neighbours, relatives and others in the society. It also refers to a person’s ability to act appropriately and adapt to different social situations.
How to Maintain Social Health?
When a person’s brain can perform all the mental processes efficiently he/ she is said to enjoy good cognitive health. The processes and activities involve learning new things, good judgement, efficient use of language to communicate your point and strong intuition.
How to Maintain Cognitive Health?
It is basically establishing a sense of connection with a person’s inner self to understand the meaning of life. Keeping the spiritual health intact helps a person become more positive, patient and sorted in life.
How to Maintain Spiritual Health?
What is Cultural Health?
It is basically an education discipline that educates about the appropriate cultural information. It refers to intra or inter-cultural competence which is required to establish effective cross-cultural communication.
This is divided into four categories:
Conclusion
Health doesn’t only mean your physical and mental health it comprises of various other elements as discussed above. While good physical health lays the basis for a healthy life, you must keep all the other health components intact to enjoy a wholesome life.
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