Ditte-Marie Lyfeldt

Prescription Paper
Health Education - PCC
January 31, 2016

IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:

Sustaining a healthy lifestyle may seem hard but the benefits are plentiful. It is not
a temporary solution or a quick fix, but instead a way of life. The results may not always
seem obvious at first but once you have established a good habit you will feel, see and
experience the difference. By nurturing our health throughout our life, we increase our
chances of not only living longer, but also better.
For young people it can however be easy to feel invincible and forget to take
care of ourselves until we find it is too late. The leading causes of death for 15-24 year
olds are often not directly related to illness, but instead dominated by accidents, assaults
and self-harming. But these causes can also be linked back to the lifestyle choices we
make. If you eat well, avoid drugs and alcohol, get enough sleep and stay physically fit
you are more likely to stay alert, smart and socially and emotionally stable.
It could be argued that living a healthier life should no longer be just an
individuals choice, since it has grown into a serious social issue affecting us all. Health
problems such as obesity, heart disease, reduced physical activity and substance abuse
have caused a tremendous financial burden on our health care and social institutions. But
it is important to not put the whole blame on individuals. We as a society should tackle
these health problems as a whole by improving our public health systems to provide
better education and resources to help people make healthy choices.

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH:
Physical Health: I stay active by walking roughly 2-3 miles per day as well as
occasionally practice yoga. My BMI (body mass index) is at 23.1, which is considered to
be a normal for my age. Im fairly conscious of my diet, and although I snack like every
other person, I try to ensure I eat varied and nutritious meals as often as possible. It can
be challenging at times to eat well during the day while also taking care of a small baby,
but I try to make sure I have leftovers from the day before that can be heated in minutes.
Social Health: My social life decreased dramatically when I had a baby, but it didnt
really bother me, until recently when I began noticing that it was affecting my happiness.
I dont have a huge social need, in fact I quite enjoy being alone, but once I am around
other people I generally thrive. I think of myself as fairly open and honest, but I also like
to keep my privacy. My close relationships with my husband and parents are mostly
healthy, but certainly also have their ups and downs. Becoming parents has put stress on
our marriage, and although we love our new roles together, we have also found that lack
of sleep and changes in our home dynamic have caused frustration and unnecessary
bickering.
Intellectual Health: I am an over-thinker and I prefer to plan before doing.
Sometimes it can get in the way of me actually doing anything, but for the most part it
helps me ensure that I make smart and sensible choices. I hate making mistakes, so its
rare that I do something wrong twice. You would think that since I am such a planner
that I would always be on time, but sadly not. I find that I sometimes work better under
stress, but since becoming a mother Ive had to realize that I cant do both.

Emotional Health: I have no trouble showing my emotions; in fact sometimes I wish I

could rein them in a little. I find it hard to not stress out when I am tired and
overwhelmed (which happens a lot with a small baby). It often manifests in anger or
frustration, which I then tend to take out on my husband. He works long hours and we
dont have any other family nearby to help out, so I can sometimes feel a bit alone with it
all. This causes my social, emotional and physical health to suffer sometimes. When I
feel good emotionally, I tend to be a very understanding, accepting and loving person
who adapts well to other people.
Environmental Health: I care a lot about the environment, and in our family we do what
we can to respect and care for the nature. We use recycled toilet paper, green detergent
and cleaning products, our yard is drought tolerant, we drive a hybrid car, recycle, eat
organic food, limit the meat we eat and the water we use.
Spiritual Health: I would not describe myself as very spiritual. Ive never connected
with religion, or the belief in spirits, the supernatural, mystics, astrology and
reincarnation, to name some. This idea that there is a specific purpose to life also does not
really sit well with me. The only thing that really relates to me in terms of spirituality is
that nature is a unifying force that we all belong to. I am constantly fascinated by the way
our bodies and other living organisms work. Everything is connected in some form or
way. However, I rarely feel as if I live in the now, which can sometimes make me feel a
little lost. I have a tendency to doubt myself, my own abilities and sometimes feel that I
am wasting my life away.

WAYS TO IMPROVE CURRENT HEALTH:

Though I am fairly happy with my health, there is always room for reevaluation
and improvement. After assessing and analyzing my health status it is clear to me that my
psychological health (social, emotional and spiritual) could use a boost in the right
direction. If you believe in human theorist Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, we
have to meet different levels of needs to finally reach self-actualization which he
defines as the ultimate need for fulfillment and spirituality. The bottom level starts with
basic survival needs (nutrition, sleep and physical activity) followed by security needs
(shelter and safety), social needs (affection, acceptance and belonging), and esteem needs
(self-respect and feeling accomplished). My struggle to feel spiritual may be connected
with the fact that my social and emotional health is suffering. In order to find the
motivation and energy to improve my spiritual health it may be useful to address some of
the underlying issues first.
My social health would benefit from not spending so much time alone. I could
improve this by seeking out new social avenues for me to interact with more people, such
as mommy groups. They will enable me to be social with my daughter while also
provide support for me as a new mother. This may improve my self-esteem and give me a
sense of belonging.
Nurturing the relationship between my husband and I is also very important. We
need to find better ways to communicate so we can avoid unnecessary arguments.
Showing respect and appreciation for each other, while keeping things affectionate may
also contribute to a healthier relationship. If we struggle to improve things on our own, it
may be beneficial to see a marriage counselor to help us achieve a better dynamic.

Becoming a parent has proven to be very time consuming and challenging at

times, which on some occasions has affected my emotional health. It is important that I
find ways to minimize my tendency to be hard on myself and feel stress, frustration or
anger. First step is to acknowledge that being a parent is a big accomplishment and that
no one is perfect. Secondly, I need to find tools to slow myself down so I am able to
properly appreciate my life. It can be difficult to accept that things happen slower than
before here referring to my own personal goals such as my education and career - but I
need to focus less on the future and more on the now. Right now I have a wonderful
daughter, who will grow up too fast, and I need to enjoy my time with her.
Some tools that may help me find that inner peace are yoga and meditation. One
form of meditative state particularly speaks to me, and that is the practice of
mindfulness. The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at US Berkley, who focuses on
research into social and emotional well-being, define mindfulness as a way of
maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily
sensations, and surrounding environment (Mindfulness). In order words, mindfulness
is a state of living in the now. Practicing mindfulness has been proven to have many
health benefits, such as improving the immune system, increase positive emotions while
reducing depression and stress, it may enhance memory, attention and learning skills, and
it improves social relationships and enhances compassion and understanding
(Mindfulness). Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere, for any amount of time. No
special prayer, music, object or chant is needed. The basic components of mindfulness
are: paying attention to the breath as well as the senses (sights, sounds, smells) around

you in a given moment, while acknowledging and accepting that thoughts and feelings
will come and go.
3 GOALS TO IMPROVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:
#1 Practice Mindfulness:
To improve my spiritual health I plan on practicing mindfulness every day, even if I only
have a few minutes available here and there. My biggest problem with meditation is the
fear that I may be too distracted to achieve anything. Steve Hickman, the founder and
director of the University of California at San Diego Center for Mindfulness, does
however offer a solution to this in his article Take Your Mind for a Walk, published on
the online magazine Mindful. Consider the possibility that nothing is a distraction in the
practice of mindfulness, but instead that thought, sight, sensation, sound or smell are
simply phenomena that arise in meditation (2016). Mindfulness is not about clearing the
mind, like other forms of meditation, but instead learning to bring awareness back to the
breath, when feeling an interruption arise. It should be done with kindness and
acceptance without struggle or analyzes. Its worth noting that you do not have to just
practice mindfulness at home. Walking can be a great way to achieve a meditative state,
while also helping yourself stay physically active.
#2 Sleep More, Stress Less:
Getting enough sleep as a new mom can be a challenge, but it is important for a number
of health reasons. It is advised that adults sleep between 7-9 hours every night.
Unfortunately for many parents this is not possible, but the consequence may be an
increase in stress. The American Psychology Association (APA) highlight the importance

of sleep in their press release Stress and Sleep published on their website apa.org.
According to survey findings conducted by the APA, 52% of parents lose patience and
yell at their children when sleep deprived, compared to 27% who have had enough sleep
(Stress and Sleep). They also report that adults getting less than the recommended
hours of sleep every day feel more overwhelmed, lack motivation, feel more irritable and
angry, argue more with their spouse or partner and exercise less (Stress and Sleep).
Lack of sleep sleep not only increases stress levels, it can also interfere with several other
dimensions of your health and should therefore be avoided. To achieve my goal I plan to
go to bed an hour earlier every night, and nap with my daughter when needed.
#3 Improve Communication with Spouse:
It is crucial to me that my husband and I find a good constructive way to communicate,
even when parenting becomes challenging. Bad communication affects our social health,
which may cause issues such as stress, sadness, anxiety, depression and loneliness. Our
plan to improve this is to actively listen to each other and try to avoid passive aggressive
behavior. We need to find room for each others differences and be more accepting. If we
cannot improve things on our own, we have decided that we will see a marriage
counselor.
OVERALL CONCLUSION
To truly achieve health and wellness we all need to find a way to balance all our
dimensions of health. If just one dimension of health is neglected, the others will likely
feel the effect too. It is important to regularly assess your own health and not be afraid or

ashamed to seek help when needed. Creating a healthy lifestyle takes time and effort, but
once you are in the habit, everything is possible.

Sources:
Greater Good Berkeley University of California. (2016). Mindfulness [Web page].
Retrieved from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
American Psychological Association. (2013). Stress and Sleep [Web page]. Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.aspx
Hickman, S. (2016, January 26). Take Your Mind for a Walk [Web page] Retrieved from
http://www.mindful.org/take-your-mind-for-a-walk/