Sean van Staden Just keep soldiering on

If you break down the word “wellness”, it obviously refers to being well. But what does “being well” actually mean? As loose as that term is generally used, it is, in fact quite complex to understand. The reason I bring up wellness this time of year is because we are a human race, and more importantly, South Africans have been subjected to some extreme circumstances which has impacted our wellness and will be one of the biggest causes of mental unwellness and death in the months and years to come.

It is such a bold statement that, in order to understand this, you just have to look at the people around you and your circle of friends and see what they are going through. On my one WhatsApp golf friends’ group, someone said he had to lay of 12 staff members. In another group someone had to face laying off 13 staff members. Some friends have had salaries halved and some are without a job now.

Imagine being a mother of two kids, without a job and waking up each morning and trying to explain to your children that there is no food for breakfast. The older generation dads have been brought up as the providers of the household and coping with a sudden job loss can be very traumatic.

If you think suicide is an option to get out of this mess, think again, because life insurers don’t pay out for suicides. And on top of not being able to provide for your family anymore, you also leave them with all your financial and funeral debt.

As real as the rude awakening is getting, my advice is to keep soldiering on. You are in the battle trenches and bullets are flying everywhere, bombs are going off, you are scared as hell and you need to take advice from a solider and focus on what is dear to you and start fighting for that.

Your battle is different now. You are at home and while the metaphorical bullets are flying, the difference is that you still get to kiss your wife and children goodnight. You need to survive because it is not about you, it’s about them and you need to do everything in your power to make sure you can fix this.

This means making sure your “wellness is in check” and by that you need to work on your physical, physiological, psychological and social well-being every day.

“I am well thanks,” is not just words to get people off your back, it takes daily routine to keep working on these areas that contribute to your well-being. Physical

There is a reason why when you go to the army, they drill you into the ground with physical exercises. Okay perhaps not so in

South Africa anymore, but let’s use the US Marine Corps you often see in movies as an example.

Your body is primed every day to make sure that when you go to war, you can physically deal with the demands on the tasks at hand and prepare you for the worst case scenarios.

You have been on the couch way too long soldier. It’s time to start with daily exercise routines which is non-negotiable. As you feel physically stronger you will have more energy to fight to get out of your current situation.

Exercise also goes a long way towards strengthening a positive mindset.