Are you craving to make your lifestyle disease free?
By: Pracchi Parihar Saxenna
Tags: Social Media, Lifestyle, Mindfulness, Disease, Stress

Being healthy and disease free is everybody’s aspiration and a basic criterion to lead a happy, peaceful and a joyful life. If you look around, you will see that there are so many health advertisements running, so many apps being promoted which not only promises a healthy body but a healthy mind too. Gen Z or Zoomers will have an application installed in their mobile phones that would track their vitals, track how much calories they have spent on a particular day either by walking or by running or how many calories they have consumed through food and other snacking activities. Why only talk about Gen Z generation, all of us irrespective of our age would have an app installed in our phones that would direct us on what to eat today or what should be cooked today. All these fitness apps help us work on our weight management issues or help us treat ailments through proper nutrition and activities.

We all know that a healthy body hosts a healthy mind, but then are physical ailments the only diseases to be considered of? Comparing ourselves constantly to others, trying to beat the other person in their social media activities is something we all are trying to do, isn’t it? We all want to be special and want to attract and impress people. We want our prizes, possessions, and powers to be displayed and would like to create a particular self-image to people out there in the world. The self-image that we want to project to the world now becomes dependent on the validation of others which in turn soon becomes a need and addiction to keep ourselves going. The race for this false projection, acknowledgement from others soon translates into a disorder of seeking fulfillment through society. Sadly, it now has become quite rampant.

We live in an interconnected world currently. The world is not only interrelated but inter dependent too. Our lifestyles which is a combination of style, attitude and possessions is just not determined by the local scenario but is also affected by international lifestyle and situation. At the click of a button, we can know what is happening around the world in terms of news, fashion, business, and food. News and social media have become not only tools for a friendly communication but also tools for business communication in generating business leads. We all know how Facebook has evolved in recent times from just being a friends networking community to a local business hub. The recent roar of WhatsApp policy and integrating Facebook business and WhatsApp business is known to all of us. How fast we are integrating with media and internet is something which needs no mention. Although social and digital media is a good medium for connecting with people, reducing loneliness, and expressing oneself, it also carries a plethora of negative effects. The biggest negative effect of social media is on mental health and this is alarming for all of us.

Social media has become addictive for most of us and especially for younger population. There is a constant need for self-validation and self-approval. At times it becomes very hard to resist to see how many comments and likes we have got on a post. Number of people who are meeting the criteria of social media addiction are increasing day by day not only in India but also globally. There are enough studies and surveys that have been published which mentions the negative impact of social media on health.

For people who have anxiety and depression, social media can easily trigger this feeling. One prominent feeling that gains momentum with this social media is the feeling of inadequacy and being left out. When we see that all our friends are partying every weekend, then suddenly we have a desire, to engage in the similar activity. Otherwise, we feel that our life is not good as theirs and we feel at a disadvantage. Even the during the holiday season, the race is to post fun-filled photographs vis a vis your next-door neighbor or a colleague. For few professionals, their tour plans or flight details on social media becomes the validation of their professional success. For occasions such as Valentine’s day which has recently gone by, your husband’s love for you is depicted by the gift he showers on you so that you can either tell your neighbor, a friend or post it on your status. Forget your friend, you even want to be better off than Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas wherein this Valentine day he gifted her a room full of red roses. All these comparisons put us under a lot of stress and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). The constant race of being better than someone, having more than what is required, having a credit-based lifestyle so that we look good to others is the founding stone to stress.

Stress is a killer and a precursor of many physiological and mental diseases. Stress perceives that the body is under treat and starts to react accordingly. Stress either worsens or increases the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, Type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, blood pressure and various gastrointestinal problems. Stress also reduces immunity and flu is the first thing that we catch when we are under stress. The entire Ayurveda and natural medicine industry saw a surge in sales when this COVID 19 attacked us. All the formulations were being sold on the pretext of increasing your immunity levels so that you can defend yourself from the flu virus. Adrenaline when released under stress causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, muscle energy supplies and respiration rate. Many of the current lifestyle diseases are because of the stress. Some more common stress related illness is obesity, difficult in sleeping, depression, and failure of memory.

We need to start investing in our health from today, right here and right now and following are some ways we can start living with:

1. Look yourself in the mirror and appreciate yourself completely every single day. Do not be critical of yourself for your appearance or your behavior. You are unique and beautiful in your own ways. Appreciate yourself for having come this far and trust in yourself.

2. Engage in one activity that is outside your routine and gives you a sense of fulfillment. It can be gardening, singing, reading, or doing yoga. This will not only reduce your stress levels but also empower you with positive self-image.

3. Be mindful of every activity you do even if it is as simple as brushing teeth. Witness how the brush moves through your dental set and how you feel those bristles in your mouth. If you have a habit of brushing with your right hand, do it with your left hand so that you slow down and notice the moment.

4. Life is a journey and paths of everyone are different. You have no knowledge on how the other person is placed with respect to the milestones in their journey. We never know the complete story of any individual. So be kind to them and to our own self and enjoy your path. Children, marriage, career, and family has different timings for different individuals. Comparing only sets you to a frantic and needy energy levels that does not help you at all.

5. Eat a nutritious meal and make sure that your platter is colorful. Try and eat positive pranic foods like greens and fruits and eat them as much raw as possible. Food has an effect not only on your body in terms of health but also on your mind in terms of thinking process and clarity. Fruits and vegetables have excellent antioxidant properties and help you keep mentally and physically fit.

6. Practice mindfulness and meditation each day. Slowdown from your fast paced life’s journey. It not only reduces your stress levels to keep you healthy but also helps you find your purpose. Only finding your true purpose will always make you joyful rather than accumulating wealth or comparing your life’s journey with other people.

Have a disease-free Lifestyle. Happy living!

Love and Hugs

Pracchi

Sources:

What Is Stress-Related Illness? (healthline.com)