A day is simply unable to pass us by without the media, politicians, disheartened friends, family, and co-workers stating the obvious…Ireland is now in a recession. Those patients who used to come into my office on a daily basis heralding the shocking news that the weather was crap are delighted to have a new bit of gloom in their repertoire to pass on to us unsuspecting saps that have chosen to remain positive. I have made an astounding observation over the past few months, literally watching perfectly sane, well-rounded, and well-educated people work themselves into an emotional frenzy over the state of the economy, which ultimately will lead to physical breakdown in the not so distant future.
It’s very simple. The same people that are in a panic over our current state of affairs are the very same people who put their health and welfare on the long finger when ‘times are good’. It is a mental state; a way of thinking and a way of life. The very same people that are in the doom-and-gloom club are also the same people who tend not to look after themselves unless something is ‘wrong’. No symptom - no problem. Very much like our economic state, don’t you think? Was it just me, or did anyone else notice that we seemed to plummet in to this horrible recession in a matter of weeks? I know at one point during the summer, no one was talking about it and over the course of a fortnight it was all anyone could talk about.
As a doctor who promotes prevention and maintenance, as opposed to ‘try and fix’er after she’s broke’ - I see a very obvious parallel between the way we live our lives physically and the results we see spiritually and emotionally. We have a group of people who come through our office every now and again, begging to be fixed after months or even years of abuse. It’s always the same ones and they’re always singing the same tune.
“Don’t give out to me Doc, I know you told me to come back, but when things are good…you know yourself.” Depending on my mood that day, I might roll my eyes and laugh, accepting that some people will just never get it. Most of the time I launch in to the same speech they have heard 100 times before, reminding them that with each time they wait to look after themselves after the damage is done, the damage becomes harder to repair.
It’s much the same with people’s finances. Turning a blind eye to the future when there’s a bit of extra cash in the pocket is a recipe for disaster. The people who put their physical and emotional health on the back burner are the ones who are currently feeling the pinch the most. I see it every day and it’s all about frame of mind. Those who take care of their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs on a daily basis, regardless of outside circumstance, are the same people who were prepared for the ‘sudden’ turn in the economy. Why? It’s because the turn wasn’t sudden at all. These people heard all of the subtle warnings, saw the less obvious signs, then proceeded with positive action so that when the time came, they were prepared.
People don’t become ill overnight and neither do they become the victims of recession overnight. Crossing fingers and toes and hoping that everything will be ok is not enough to keep anyone healthy or financially prosperous. Good old fashioned dedication, consistency, and affirmative action are the way to keep us healthy, wealthy, and wise.
