There are a lot of things out of our control, but there is often quite a lot we can do to try to create better outcomes for ourselves and others in the future. Unless you are born lucky and have a stellar metabolism, you likely know if you eat garbage most of the time and do not exercise then you will pay the price down the line, perhaps with serious consequences, such as heart failure or diabetes. If you do not take care of yourself with proper sleep and mindful attention of your thoughts and feelings, your mental health may suffer at some point, leading to much lower life satisfaction and well-being.
One could point out that you can try to be as healthy as you want and still end up with heart disease or something unfortunate and debilitating, so why not just do what you want? Of course that is true to some extent; many things are out of our control, no matter how hard we try to alter that. But I would think we want to give ourselves the best chance to prevent negative outcomes down the line.
Can you imagine how much money would be saved in healthcare if the obesity rate went down in the US? Often, obesity is preventable through lifestyle choices. Michelle Obama started the “Let’s Move” campaign to do exactly this: reduce childhood obesity and encourage healthy lifestyle choices for kids. She was met by public outcry, likely from many who are not so healthy themselves.
Healthcare spends billions on treatment for those who are sick. Obviously, we want to help those who need the help. However, if we focused on preventative healthcare, imagine how much better we could be as a nation. Rather than wait until an issue becomes serious, one can do an annual check-up, get their flu shot, try to eat healthy, do some form of exercise, try to get enough sleep, and more.
As a school counselor, when I take a step back, preventing issues down the line is one of my main goals. When I go into a class and talk about the signs of unhealthy stress, I may help a student recognize their stress before things become overwhelming, potentially leading to a crisis.
Teaching students healthy ways to cope with stress, how to regulate their emotions, what their strengths are and how that relates to potential careers can all be important and helpful. Along with meeting students one-on-one, I often present classroom lessons with the goal of future prevention in mind. This is my first year and not all of the lessons are outstanding by any means, but I hope the effort and content can make a difference.
All in all, we can PREVENT issues down the line and ought to strive to do so for the betterment of ourselves and those around us.
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