BY: ANANYA MOHAPATRA, CLASS – IX-G

When I hear the word ‘health’, the first thing I think of is, doctors.

I’m pretty sure most of us over here absolutely dislike going to the doctor. First of all, it means you are either sick or hurt and in pain. Second, the smells remind of illness and despair and are enough to send our head reeling. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid going to the doctor. And it’s not too complicated! All we need to do is take care of ourself by remaining ‘healthy’.

Kids and teenagers are well-known for rolling their eyes or making faces when told to wash their hands or wipe their feet. And for the most part, this is true. We very often disregard the significance of staying healthy.

Health is wealth. It is the most important part of our life. We could have everything in life, but with ill health, none of it has any use. We can never go anywhere in life or enjoy the things worth enjoying, without good health. We’ll simply be stuck in bed or in a hospital, moping about our bad fortune. Without good health, we are nothing. And this is why the importance of staying healthy can never be stressed enough.

Washing our hands before and after eating and after using the washroom, drinking clean water, covering our mouth while sneezing. We know what we need to do. All that’s left to do…is to do it.

I’d also like to talk about something equally important, if not more, than everything I’ve just mentioned. And that’s mental health.

For some reason, mental health isn’t talked about as much as it should be, even though it plays a major role in our daily functioning. The older we grow, the more familiar we become with terms such as depression, anxiety, bulimia, anorexia, obesity etc. which all concern emotional health. There are a lot of people who do not take mental health seriously and treat it as a joke. For example: “I got less marks in my test yesterday; I am so depressed!” or “Goodness, you scared me and gave me an anxiety attack!”

The thing is, we cannot use these terms so loosely. They are real problems that people are facing and we need to work together to help them solve those problems and feel better.

The primary aim in life is to attain happiness. With everything we do, the ultimate objective is to be satisfied and content. We play with friends because it makes us happy. We get a job because it’ll bring us money with which we can buy things to keep us happy. However, when a person is mentally and emotionally ill, they feel like there is nothing to look forward to in life, and thoughts like this have horrid consequences. This is why we need to make sure we and everyone we love, are mentally at peace and happy.

I hope everyone remembers something that Principal Sir had mentioned a few months back. He had talked about how important it is for us to forgive ourselves. He said that while it is extremely important that we’re not involved in violence with others, we should also not be violent with ourselves. That’s something incredibly important to remember.

So many people around us dislike certain things about themselves and try so hard to change themselves just to feel better. Being their friend, classmate, or even just fellow human being, we need to make them know that they are worth a lot and absolutely wonderful just the way they are.

Small things can do wonders in brightening a person’s day. Complimenting people for little things like successfully completing a project after a lot of hard work and effort or simply looking good, can do a lot to help their self esteem. Asking someone how they are or if their okay, especially if they seem like they are not, can actually make them feel loved and cared for, even when they feel like they are not. And when we love someone, we should tell them that we do, as many times as we can, because who knows if we’ll have a tomorrow or not? Your heated argument with a close friend could be your last ever conversation with them, and for this very reason, you have to remind them that they mean a lot to you. Who knows? It might be the only thing that makes them smile that day and might even save them from something terrible.

So, best friend, or random person sitting next to you on the bus, we need to help everybody around us be mentally healthy.

Mental and physical health are interconnected. Research has actually proven that happy people are physically healthier than sad people. You ever feel really bad about something and it gives you a headache or makes you want to sit in one place and not do anything because your body aches and your head hurts? That’s exactly what I’m talking about.

Both physical and mental health are very, very, important in our leading a good, satisfying life. Because, after all, you only live once, don’t you? Ask your neighbour if he/she’s feeling good. Make a crying person laugh. Tell your mom you love her. It’ll not only improve their mental health, but yours too, knowing that you are the reason behind someone’s smile.

Think about it.