u Dr. Shikha Nehru Sharma

Focus on human well-being

We need to move away from statistics of the diseased and dead

Good health and well-being are fundamental to human life. It cannot be emphasised enough that unless we fulfil this fundamental goal, all other goals will be hard to achieve. When we talk about good health, it is simply not the absence of disease. Our health goals are not limited to simple survival, but to be disease free and strive for optimal health. Whenever we look at the health statistics, it is usually morbidity (diseased population) and mortality (deaths). It is unfortunate that with this limited focus, all our time and energy is spent in looking at human health with the wrong lenses. Such numbers automatically create the solution of having more of sick care solutions. In effect we chase the goals of sick care management and control. This is similar to a situation where a highway project team builds a road with potholes and dysfunctional design which is prone to accidents and then puts in a requirement of having ambulances and hospitals to cater to the ensuing road accidents. We need to move away from statistics of the diseased and dead to measuring the contributors of health and work towards creating conditions which are pro-health and pro-life.

The definition of health has been evolving. It has eight facets. At the individual level they are physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. These in turn are impacted by facets which connect us to the outside world – environmental, social, financial, and work. According to the ancient wisdom of Vedas, a human being is a multidimensional being with five sheaths or layers (Kosh) – physical made from food (Annamaya), breath (Pranamaya), emotional (Manomaya), wisdom (Vigyanmaya) and happiness/bliss (Anandamaya). Disturbances in these layers are the root cause of disease, for example, wrong eating, lack of exercise or sleep, wrong breathing. To the general reader these may seem abstract and unattainable, but a closer look will reveal why they are non-negotiable goals. Physical health: This involves aspects like basic nutrition, adequate sleep and daily activity. Lack of nutrition (quantity) or bad nutrition (quality) impact this goal. Emotional health: This is dependent upon the way we respond to the outer environment which is unpredictable. If our outer world has civic issues, strife and daily disruptions, it impacts our work and life. Mental health: This is based on how we cope with our work, family problems, work-life balance. Spiritual health: It is a factor not even considered in human health analysis, despite its ability to be our greatest source of strength and a lifelong insurance in an unpredictable world. Unfortunately, spiritual health gets mixed up with religion and leads to

Dr Shikha N E hru S HA r MA

The author is Founder, Nutriwel (Health) India misunderstandings. Social health: ‘Man is a social animal’ is a statement which has been repeated often. When we are isolated from colleagues and friends, we experience emotional distress. The pandemic exposed this problem as people rushed to their hometowns in search of emotional security and familial support. Financial health: The truth is that health services are not taken on time due to an inherent fear of the expenses associated. Similarly, financial losses have a clear association with emotional, psychological, and physical health. Work: At the basic level, corporates look at occupational health and try to mitigate accidents at work. However, work is closely associated with our life and purpose. When we find meaning and purpose in our daily work, the overall satisfaction is at a very high level. Role of corporations: Corporations are vulnerable to employee sickness and loss of productivity. Hence, it is important to focus on talent remaining productive to deliver end goals. For this, corporations can: • Make health a visible part of corporate life by making workplace wellness part of corporate cultureand celebrating employees who have chosen healthy habits • Make health goals simple to reach by introducing workplace wellness programmes • Gamify good health to remove the drudgery through healthy potlucks, health dashboards and games using fitness devices Build health planning part of life planning: Making healthy cafeteria that provide healthy and delicious food part of the shift in corporate culture • Making health more fun through introduction of fitness-wear on Fridays, health-oriented games, and inter office tournaments • The key role of human resource management in today’s turbulent times is ways to retain talent. Talent flows where there is professional satisfaction and financial growth. For this, the foundation is health and well-being. Corporates need a structure and certain tools to execute the goals on ground. There are three key result areas that could help achieve success: • Educate employees through simple and interesting infographics, videos, stories, and workplace discussions • Participative Models where special interest groups take ownership of members within the group to have shared models of health and fitness • Communicate and spread early success stories and learnings. Create online teams and spaces for celebration of health successes. u