Helen Lee Schifter on Prioritizing Our Health

Helen Lee Schifter has been writing about the different ways we should all be prioritizing health and wellness in our lives. Her writing has appeared in Thrive Global where she regularly contributes commentary; along with her Medium blog. 

Helen’s thesis and main point that she seeks to drive home through her writing is that none of us should take our health for granted; and that if there’s anything that this horrible Coronavirus pandemic should have taught us, it’s that we should be prioritizing our health above all else. With so many fixated on alternative priorities, it  is not uncommon for the subject of health and wellness to not be in their top three most prioritized areas of their life. 

That’s a critical mistake; and it can God forbid, prove to be a fatal one. People of all ages have to be conscious of their health at all times; and rank it  in terms of importance as the single most important item in their agenda and list of priorities. 

Helen strongly believes in the value of not only exercising to ensure one stays in good and decent physical shape; but also to work on ensuring one’s mental and emotional health is as pristine and optimal as possible. 

Although media journals and celebrities will glorify working out and fitness, you rarely hear or see any glorification of the importance of preserving one’s mental and emotional health. This is an issue that is of paramount importance to society at large. For those in metropolitan cities especially, where the day-to-day lives can be preoccupied with so much noise; filler; long hours at work; and where most people’s daily commutes are comprised of listening to bells, whistles and train tracks, finding inner peace is vital. 

But while mental and emotional health are important and while it  should be the case that Hollywood, influencers and people of prominence treat it  as such, they don’t. For instance, until the last few years, going to therapy itself was considered somewhat taboo. But there’s absolutely no shame in it . In fact, it  can enhance one’s mental and emotional health in a truly remarkable and significant way. 

And of course, the consequences that preserving one’s emotional and mental health can have on one’s physical health are enormous. Not to mention the positive effects it  can have as a confidence building measure for people of all backgrounds. But there should be a proper influencer campaign to advance this message to the masses – especially to a younger demographic. 

If we care about the health of our children, ensuring that their mental and emotional health is taken care of in a responsible manner is something that we should all consider to be critical. Let’s advocate for a campaign that seeks to communicate this message to the younger demographic. We can have celebrities and people of influence that may have followings among an array of different communities and groups featured in video form and other media communicating the importance of everyone preserving their health and wellness.

As Helen Lee Schifter discusses in her interview with Medium promoting the significance that health and wellness should be playing as a role in all of our lives, is imperative. It’s important in ensuring the public and greater good. Ultimately, the younger generation identifies adults as their role models. And they seek to emulate much of what they do in terms of the activities they’re engaged in, and participating in. What a powerful message it  would send to that generation if a coterie of characters, including the leaders of various communities; celebrities; music artists; Hollywood actors, and influencers, came out with an aggressive campaign to seek to persuade the public of the importance of everyone focusing on their personal mental and emotional health. It’s an idea that should be seriously considered and contemplated. There is little doubt that such a campaign would have real impactful and transformative change. 

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