Question

Choose one of the examples presented in this module or a different historical issue of wellness. Share a link and/or summarize your issue so that we all have enough information to understand your discussion even if we are unfamiliar with the issue. Then, in your initial post, discuss the following:

• How does your issue relate to the concept of wellness as defined in this course?
• How does it relate to specific challenges or supports for wellness?
• What is the impact of the issue on society?

Answer 1

Wellness does not only mean bodily well being, nutritional food intake, sound sleep, healthy lifestyles, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs. But the concept of wellness is far bigger than what it is treated so far in general.

Wellness can be better understood, comprehended and practised through the "Cultivation of self talk". Self talk is the perennial/ continuous dialogue of a human being with him or her. This starts from the moment we wake up and open our eyes to the last moment when we go to our bed.

Most of our self talk consists of desires, anger, greed, ego, envy, jealousy and dirty aspects of life. This is because the normal tendency of human beings is towards the negativity as it is effortless and to nourish positivity, we have to go for efforts in reference psyche.

Such a misleading self talk can be turned into a good and noble one through "NAMASMARAN" (Sanskrit word which means chanting the name of the Creator/ Lord/ God). This has been the gift of Eastern world, specifically India and saints/ practitioners of spirituality from India.

The chanting is a psychological aspect and nullifies the unnecessary self talk and gives birth to constructive diamensions of the self talk which finally leads to TRUE WELLNESS.

Today, most of the problems we face are because of the wrong way of dealing with the self talk. Excess of consumerism, neglect towards the natural resources, stress, escape from the family/ domestic duties, addictions, even terrorism are all the aftermaths of wrong self talks. The chanting habit eliminates the dark aspects and channelises the human zeal into creative and societal betterment initiatives and eventually proves to be fruitful. True wellness can be experienced.