America is wealthy, but our country is not well
Emotional equilibrium, poise, and resilience, which are always fleeting and elusive in a survival-of-the-fittest system like ours, are now even more challenging given the devastation of the past 18 months. Many have said it was prompted them to question and reformulate their priorities. It would be a good place to start if what I call “Wellth” has the same meaning in all of our lives.
Anxiety and depression in children have doubled, according to a recent study that brought together data from more than 80,000 children from Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. Older people, many of whom are already dealing with the loss of their social networks from their previous life, struggle with loneliness and isolation.
Given the real-life stories of the pandemic, those who have lost their jobs, lost their businesses, unable to pay rent or faced other problems, the mental state of the United States and most of the developed world is fragile at best.
The pursuit of wealth and financial security is anchored in the DNA of the free market system, which includes not only the United States and the countries of the West, but even the so-called “state capitalism” system of China.
Without any argument, this system succeeded beyond imagination. There are few restrictions on those who have the ideas and the work ethic. For the vast majority of Americans who have no business ambition, the path to a safe retirement is open to most through hard work, savings, and the social safety net.
The risk of collateral damage embedded in this system was rarely discussed in the United States until a few years ago. The pace of life in the digital age, even before COVID, threatened an unprecedented mental and physical health crisis. In 2019 alone, there were 225,000 deaths from opioid and alcohol abuse, suicides, and obesity, more than the number of US war casualties since World War II.
Total numbers since the start of the all-cause pandemic are not available, but deaths from opioids alone rose from 71,630 in 2019 to 93,331 last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Insecurity and fear of the virus itself, housing and food insecurity, the stress of working from home while caring for caged children, loneliness and social isolation now add to the factors that already contributed to our fragile mental health have and create unprecedented challenges.
Many people cope with this by increasing their consumption of alcohol, foods, and various drugs that become health and life damaging. Damage from alcohol and various prescription drugs is widely reported and recognized. In terms of binge eating, a fairly common crutch for many, the United States is now second in the world after Mexico in terms of obesity.
There is a regime open to all of us that does not require any of these false wizards. I want to encourage each of us to incorporate the six pillars of wellbeing into our daily lives. The mental and physical benefits are effective and long lasting.
Sleep. Sleep deprivation kills physical fitness, good nutrition, and virtually everything else. Sufficient sleep is primarily one of the pillars. Those who study and report on the science of sleep say that it takes seven to eight hours a day, including napping, to avoid brain fog and maintain the level of vigilance necessary for a productive day.
Diet: Eating well and in moderation is key. Emotional eating is used by many to help manage the stress and anxiety in their lives. Obesity can be just as deadly as alcohol and opioids. In addition, recent studies show that depression can be caused by diet as well as being treated by different food choices.
Exercise: running, biking, hiking, swimming, gardening, yoga, ballroom dancing. Movement is the most widespread and understood of the six pillars. However, from personal experience, physical fitness and the endorphin high speak while temporarily relieving anxiety and stress and extending physical life, but nowhere near the emotional balance required to face the challenges of life today.
Meditation: One of the greatest challenges in life is to calm the incessant chatter in our minds and to live in the present moment. The regrets about the past, worries about tomorrow and the fear of our to-do lists rob us of the calm that being here-now offers.
Social networks: “One is the loneliest number”, it says in the song. According to a study by Julianne Holt-Lunstad of Brigham Young University, social isolation is more deadly than smoking 15 cigarettes a day or obesity. Loneliness increases inflammation, heart disease, dementia, and death rates, researchers say.
Nature therapy: Nature therapy, or as it is known in Japan, forest bathing, is an important but little discussed technique for dealing with the stress and fears of today’s life. The natural chemical in leaves has been shown to lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety.
Wellth is the surfboard for the troubled seas of life, and these pillars represent a practical six-step program for riding the waves.
Alan Steelman is a former Republican Congressman who represents Dallas, a management consultant and author of the book Yoga on the Yellow Brick Road, Exiting the ASAP Lane / Calm Your Mind. He wrote this column for the Dallas Morning News.
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