World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7 April and helps raise awareness on the importance of taking care of our own personal health as well as those around us. Last year saw the huge efects of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, and the theme for the year was ‘Nurses and Midwife’ which focused on the importance of nurses and midwives, and the roles they play in ensuring the safety of the public, especially during difficult and complex situations like a global pandemic.
For 2021, the theme is ‘Building a fairer, healthier world’.
During the pandemic, many individuals around the world, although were at home, were able to receive better healthcare and were able to live healthier lives, while some people were unavailable to receive the basic care they needed and deserved. Due to the pandemic, multiple individuals and families lost their jobs, their housing, were unable to receive the required healthcare and were not able to also afford an education for their children.
The campaign for 2021 will delve into ensuring that all individuals, irrespective of their background are able to attain all their requirements without any discrimination. According to World Health Organisation, to ensure the smooth functioning of the plan, global leaders need to work with one another, collect reliable data that can further be used to reduce the issues faced, tackle the inequalities and work beyond borders.
As individuals, we all have a role to play in our community and can help and contribute by volunteering, helping those in need and fighting for the equality of all to ensure a good quality of life for all individuals, regardless of background, age or country.
With 2020 being a difficult year and with the stress from joining us into the current year, taking care of mental health during turbulent times is extremely important. Here are some tips to follow to help ensure mental health is taken care of.
Exercise: Physical activity is a vital part of an individual’s life. With working from home and the stress of daily life, it can be difficult to take a break to exercise, and is often pushed to one side and ignored. Exercise has been proven to help in one’s mental health and should be made a priority. For 30 minutes a day, activities like yoga, walking or Zumba are great to keep the blood flowing and will help individual's mental health in the long run.
Sleep: Lack of sleep has been known to cause extreme fatigue and can make individuals lose concentration. With work from home, daily spaces have now turned into working spots and can also help contribute to lack of sleep. To promote sleep, using a designated area to work can help in focusing, along with setting time limits for electronics to stop restless sleep.
Learn New Skills: Learning new skills can help get rid of boredom. Rather than turning to electronic devices constantly, learning a new skill based on an individual's interests can help encourage personal growth and can help achieve a sense of accomplishment.
Talk To Someone: Talking can help alleviate the stress and frustration that one may feel on a day to day basis. If found in a confusing situation, individuals should turn to the people they love and connecting with them can help overcome feelings of sadness. If talking to loved ones does not help, the best way to get clarity is by visiting a professional that will help you get through the difficult times being faced.