Taking Charge of Your Well-being: Preventive vs. Corrective Actions

I and my daughter were discussing. What should I have done to avoid the accident and what happened after accident? What I did or what happened and how? The conversation with my daughter, Adviti, sparked a deeper understanding of preventive versus corrective actions. On personal front, I am recovering now.

A Father-Daughter Conversation on Wellness

Advit and I discussed her eating ice cream so she said I like ice cream. I want to eat ice cream. I said Ok, you can eat ice cream, but after eating an ice cream, generally what happens to you? She said I get cough and cool.

We continued, I asked a question “how do we avoid cough and cold”? Adviti responded by avoiding ice cream.

The next thing I told her was “see, when you decide that I won’t eat ice cream even though I like it because I get cough and cold. That is called a preventive action. We want to prevent cough and cold therefore we avoid ice cream and other such things, ok.”

I added – “preventive action is when we void a bad outcome. What if you get cough and cold? We go to doctor, correct? That is a corrective action.

Corrective action is when we say, you ate ice cream. You fell sick and then you went to doctor who gives you medicine or injection. You take cough syrup, nebulization and other medicines, right? So that is a corrective action to become fit again.

This simple exchange led to a valuable lesson for her: avoiding ice cream (preventive action) helps her stay healthy, while medication (corrective action) becomes necessary when she does get sick.

This is wellness or health.

Swasthya: A Holistic Approach to Well-being

This conversation made me revisit the concept of wellness, particularly the unique Indian perspective called “Swasthya.” I have written earlier about wellness or Swasthya earlier.

asically, Swasthya is Swa (Su) + Stha – it loosely means comfortable situated but the best translation should be dwelling in yourself. Unlike the limited connotation of “health” in the West, Swasthya translates loosely to “dwelling in oneself,” encompassing physical, mental, and emotional well-being, along with a sense of contentment.

The English word Health or wellness is very shallow in its connotation. I could not teach Adviti – just a 6-year-old – about mental and emotional health at this point in time. So, I stopped at physical health.

The Importance of Mental Health

In the meantime, I have been speaking with three different friends of mine. One is a management consultant, other runs a business on mental health and the third is both a management consultant as well as a wellness plus mindfulness coach. The discussion highlighted a crucial point: the often-overlooked role of mental health in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives.

Stress: The Gateway to Health Issues

As per Mayo clinic, executives face problems of less sleep, more work hours, and work-life balance etc. Most of the problems start with stress. Stress is mental health issue, that we overlook. Mental health issues translate into physical health issues.

So, when I spoke with these friends of mine, the conclusion came out to –

1. Even the UN has one of the top three goals as well-being in ESG
2. We mostly underestimate mental health issues
3. Mental health issues translate into physical issues

Preventive Care is Key

Our discussions led to key takeaways:

1. Prioritize Well-being: The UN prioritizes well-being within its ESG goals, highlighting its importance.
2. Don’t Underestimate Mental Health: Mental health issues can have a significant impact on our overall well-being.
3. Prevention is Better than Cure: Taking preventive actions to manage stress and prioritize mental well-being can prevent future physical problems.

This helped me circle back to my discussion with Adviti – my daughter. Preventive actions are better, one must take care of self. One should know and act fast for corrective actions. Especially, mental health issues should be tackled on priority before they translate into bigger challenges.

Taking Charge of Your Health

Remember, you are in control of your well-being. By taking preventive actions and addressing mental health concerns early on, you can avoid future challenges and live a healthier, happier life.

Let’s Talk Wellness!

I will be more than happy to discuss these. Feel free to reach out.

Photo by Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash