Philosophy Of Health Essays - Positive Psychology, Philosophy

Philosophy Of Health Jake Lavender 12-04-99 Philosophy Paper What makes a healthy person? Surely it is more than just exercising and eating right. When we say healthy arent we referring to more than just being physically fit and not having any diseases or ailments. But what else is there that makes a person truly healthy? I think that while this physical description of healthy is a good start, there is far more to the story than this. For one to be considered truly healthy I believe that every aspect of their life must be looked at and addressed with the intention of making that person the best person that they can be. First and foremost is ones spiritual health, which is the foundation on which the other aspects of that persons life are built. In order that one have good spiritual health I believe that it is imperative that they find some group of like-minded people with which they can fellowship, with intent of improving their spiritual well-being. Whether this group is a church, support group, or just a close knit family depends on that person and their needs. Next in rank is emotional health which is very closely related to spiritual health in that peoples emotions draw heavily from those around them. This makes it especially important that whatever type of group one seeks out for spiritual guidance is very carefully chosen. It is quite plain to see that a persons emotional state can be drastically altered by changing the type of people that person spends their time with. For instance, a normally even-tempered person can become very irritable when they socialize with others who are shot-tempered, and someone who is normally quite can turn into a very pleasant person if they interact with those who are more cheerful and enthusiastic. Almost Identical to this aspect of ones wellness is their social health which will determine how they act and react to others, thus determining what kind of people they will be drawn to. Finally, ones physical health does play an important role in their overall wellness. This aspect, while not necessarily as intrinsically important as the other aspects can play a determining role in those areas and so is essential to ones complete health. Obviously this is the most immediately changeable part of one life and can be altered in many different ways, none of which are terribly difficult and most of which bring relatively quick results. All it takes to Improve this area of a persons health is the determination to do it and a simple plan of how to do so. Included in this plan can be changes in diet, exercise habits and even sleep habits. Together, health in these aspects of ones life can make a drastic difference in that persons overall outlook and attitude toward life, others and themselves. Therefore it is important that we each do our best to change those parts of our lives which need it and to encourage others as they attempt to so the same. So how should we live our lives if we want to be an all-around healthy person? What are some choices which we should and should not make if we want to be the best person we possibly can be? Well, I believe that these questions are probably answered differently by each person, but that these answers can be discovered in much the same way no matter who you are. Personally, I can look back and see numerous decisions which I have made in the past which affected my life in ways I could not at the time imagine. Some of these effects were beneficial and others were detrimental, but either way they serve a purpose. I can reflect on these decisions and by determining whether they were good or bad I can learn from them and know better how to handle future situations in an even more beneficial way, or at least not make the same mistake twice. So you see it really is true that every mistake is really just a learning experience, so long as we eventually learn from these mistakes and stop repeatin g them over and over again. I am sure that everyone can do this same exercise and