Close the Gap refers to our aboriginal friends who suffer from a health perspective to deal with day-to-day life in the 21st Century in the same way that non aboriginals do.
The gap that I’d like to refer to is the one between being “healthy” and being “not sick”. Let me explain more fully.
Just because we are not sick does not mean that we are healthy. In fact, more often than not we are merely in a holding pattern waiting to become sick again.
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of dynamic harmony between the body mind and spirit of a person, and the social and cultural influences that make up his or her environment”.
So what are you doing to move from a state of “not being sick” to one of being “healthy”?
Here are 5 tips to help you close the gap:
- Physical. Exercise more often and eat less. Obesity and being overweight is not the problem. They are the symptoms of a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits.
- Mental. Dementia and memory loss can often be contributed to lack of mental stimulation. Do crosswords, solve problems, or create new ways to do existing things. Challenge the mind.
- Emotional. The two emotions of crying and laughing are so closely linked that they can sometimes occur (what seems to be) simultaneously. Don’t be afraid to show them both.
- Spiritual. Allocate some “me” time. Get in touch with enjoying your own company while contemplating your role in the universe and what you have to do to make it a better place.
- Sleep. Eight hours is the optimum length of time you require. Make sure you go to bed tired, and if you wake up don’t open your eyes until you meditate yourself back to sleep.