Well being and happiness (a collection by Professor Doctor Vinod Kumar, Emeritus Professor in Medicine)

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• Wear a smile

2. Engage in laughter, the best medicine.
3. Exchange healthy jokes and humor

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• Past is history and the future is mystery

2. But the present is a gift, so live & grow with present, attain your goals and remain

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Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), twice PM of England said and I quote

“Youth is a blunder, man hood is a struggle & old age is a regret”-unquote.

But youth is also the fountain of power, manhood is the lesson of life and old age is an opportunity which was never seen before. Many of us have remained so busy that we never lived well but only survived so far. Use therefore now any available opportunity to relax and ponder how to live and be happy.

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1. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain, American writer.
2. ”Most people say that as you grow old, you have to give up things, I think you get old because you give up ”

Senator Theodore F. Green at 87, American politician

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Unconsciously focusing on others’ weaknesses & mistakes is a barrier to my own sense of well being because the more I develop the habit of noticing goodness and only holding on to goodness in others, the more my own sense of well-being will rise.

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If anyone has done good to you, keep this memory for ever, like writing on stone and not writing on sand where it may disappear by wind. You will feel happy and on repaying that debt, you will feel satisfied too.

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Raise your physical quotient (PQ) by healthy life styles, intelligence quotient (IQ) by life long learning, emotional quotient (EQ) by social skills, spiritual quotient (SQ) by community service and thereby discover the key to a luminous body and a happy mind.

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1. In the elderly, some of the DISEASES that can occur are (alphabetically): A lzeimer’s disease, B rain stroke or paralytic stroke, C ancer, D iabetes, Essential high BP, F railty (weight loss, gait problem, fatigue), G eriatric infections, H eart disease, Injuries &
2. In the elderly, some of the SYMPTOMS that can occur both in the presence or absence of diseases are (alphabetically):A ches & pains, B lurred or reduced vision, C onstipation & difficulty in passing stool, D epression & loneliness, E xhaustion & reduced fitness, F orgetfulness even without Alzheimer’s disease, G as in stomach or flatulence, H earing difficulty, I nsomnia or disturbed

 

For holistic well being & health, not only diseases but symptoms of ageing process also need to be cared for.

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OLD IS GOLD BUT NEW CAN BE PLATINUM

Those of us who remember will have lived in an era that no one will ever experience. Ethical living, simple food, physical labour, clean air, joint families & comitted friends gave us wellbeing & happiness. In the modern new era, advances in medical sciences & socioeconomic progress are doing the same good to us. But let us not strive for a society lost on values and where pizza reaches before an ambulance or where sim card is free but the onion costs Rs. 50/- per Kg.

 

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POWER OF MUSIC

Sound came to the world before the man arrived & over the centuries, man appreciated, realized & converted it to the wonder of present day music.

Music is not simply an entertainment but it can help improving many disorders like stress, anxiety, depression, dementia & even stroke & Parkinsonism through its influence on our attention, mood, emotions, memory & cognition. It may act as an immune booster also. No wonder, some countries hire music therapists for hospitals, day care centres, OPDs, psychiatric institutions, correctional facilities & centres for de-addiction, rehabilitation, respite & palliative care etc.

One may therefore ponder to harness this power of music through professional guidance.

 

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Unless serious steps are taken, ongoing rapid ageing of population will greatly multiply the elderly problems of

A geism, B oredom, C oping difficulty, D epression, E motional marginalisation, F alling status, G enerational disconnect, H ealth problems, I nsecurity, & J joblessness. Therefore,

all stakeholders i.e. societies, families, communities, governments & elderly individuals themselves need to come together to conquer these problems.

 

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MULTITASKING IS STRESSOR, NOT STRESS BUSTER

“Killing two birds with one stone” is no longer a proverbial achievement because in the modern busy world, all pervasive addicting habit of multitasking often gives a similar sense of accomplishment.

Greeting visitors, answering phones & attending to computer simultaneously in office or watching TV, surfing the internet while eating at home or talking on phone, yelling at others while driving on street is every task half done. Contrary to

 

belief, a lifetime of multitasking is anti productive, anti performance & a stressor. Overuse of technology can cause EMENTIA, a term that encompasses stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia & premature ageing. Let us therefore ensure our well being by converting ourselves to mindful unitasker at least outside our office.

The smarter way to do many things is to prepare well & do only one thing at a time with full attentiveness. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fall” (Benjamin Franklin).

 

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TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR HAPPY AGEING.

 

1. PASSION OF WORK-So strong that you and others would not know weather you are working or playing and thereby deriving
2. HOBBYING-Addition of volunteering to any of the countless hobbies of interest is satisfying in old age.
3. METICULOUSNESS-Promotes prudence, persistence and perfection and therefore
4. ZEST-Keeps the elderly continuing to be amazed for life long. Repeated feelings of amazament is a source of
5. NETWORKING-Not only with friends and relatives but with younger generations also gives
6. NOSTALGIA-Good memories of the past are always a source of pleasure. 7.SELF CARING-of personal hygeine and health provides a sense of
7. HEED THE HEAD-To feel the sense of happiness, mind needs to remain sharp by constant mental
8. LOVE AND SERVE-by helping, caring, teaching and empathising. Service to other is service to
9. ENSURE THE FUTURE-

By saving to stand by yourself in old age and by only bequeathing your property, not parting with it.

 

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HEALTHY AGEING PRINCIPLES:-

Based on five hindi words beginning with letter S (English translation in brackets).

 

1. Satvic bhojan (Traditional simple diet) means natural, pure diet containing foods based on Ayurveda and yoga and includes freedom from any substance

 

2. Shramta (Physical labour) means any form of physical activity or exercise. 3.Sakriyata (Remaining active) means participating in any paid or unpaid work including hobbying and
3. Samparkta (Social interaction) means any form of social involvement or social enrichment and avoidance of all forms of aloofness and
4. Sadacharita (Good conduct) means practising positive attitudes, righteousness and moral values and these can be facilitated by yoga and meditation and other methods.

 

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HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS AND WELLBEING

1. Denial of perennial youth by nature and brevity of remaining life paves the way for strengthening many human characteristics in old age that are conducive to one’s mental health and

 

2. There is evidence in literature that human characteristics like F orgiveness, O ptimism, R epentence (R for resilience also),

G ratitude, I ntrospection, V eneration (including obedience & worship), E mpathy (or compassion) impart health benefits and wellbeing. Such evidence therefore should stimulate further insight from medical researchers.

 

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ABSTRACT ENEMIES OF AGEING.

In the war on ageing, abstract enemies stare at old age but when power of robust mental health stares at them, many of these make a quick retreat. Some ABSTRACTS are: *A*pprehension *B*ereavement sorrows, *S*cepticism, *T* orpidity, *R*eluctance, *A* lienation, *C* ynicism, *T*ermination, *S* care from the unknown.

 

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FORGIVENESS & HEALTH

Forgiveness promotes mental and physical health. It leads to stress reduction, lowering of blood pressure & cortisol levels and improved cardiovascular and nervous system function. Even Self-forgiveness i.e. forgiving one’s own self for any wrong doings helps in overcoming guilt and depression thereby improving emotional and mental well-being.