Introduction: A New Era of Health Awareness
We are fortunate to live in a time when discussions about health increasingly include not only physical health but mental well-being as well. On the flip side, maybe, more than as a matter of choice, these discussions could have been wrought upon us by the increasing number of diseases and deaths that are also being reported these days. It was not so long back that the entire bustling world was brought to a sad standstill by the COVID pandemic, which claimed many among us. As we get back to our lives, we struggle with the discussions and disputes involving the possible side effects of the vaccines and the recovery from the disease that has been brought upon our bodies. There are not too few of us who believe we are worse off (be it lungs or heart health) for the disease that hit almost all of us by the end of its third wave. Let us just hope we are just being falsely anxious in this regard. However, the truth might be, the increasing number of deaths involving cardiac arrests of fit, health-conscious, even athletic youngsters is painful and disturbing, calling forth the need for words to be followed with actions.

Listening to Our Bodies: Awareness Without Anxiety
As we are evolving, so are the diseases. The most we can do is look out for ourselves and our loved ones. Though well repeated, at the end of the day, it many times comes down to listening to your body and being aware. By this, I personally am much against consulting a doctor or Google at the slightest discomfort one may be in, but what I feel right is to be observant without falling prey to anxiety. Everyone knows that eating well and sleeping well are important, but so is eating and sleeping at the right time as well. In the absence of a good night’s sleep, both body and mind suffer-  one feels physically exhausted, emotionally taxed, irritable and stressed.

Food Hygiene and Balanced Nutrition
Food adulteration and food hygiene are other factors. Not much can be done on the former, as it lies much beyond our individual scope, but a lot can be done on the latter. Limit eating outside, and for the people who find happiness in eating out and talking over a dinner date, Happiness from indulgence is valid, but health deserves equal space — seek the balance. There are several kinds of diets that are being followed these days, but not all can work with everyone. For all, a little bit of home-grown, whatever it may be, can always help your gut, both in feeling and in health. If soiling your hands can brighten your mind as well as lighten your gut load, let us go by the all-too-famous Surf Excel ad: “Daag acche hain”. Another most important thing is eating just the right amount, to fight the temptation to overeat your favourite food. If you want to live long like the Japanese, fill just 80% of your stomach, as the well-celebrated book Ikigai reveals. In fact, Ikigai is all in all a good reference for a healthy, happy life. So, now you know where to look!

Mental Health: The Invisible Battle
In the present fiercely competitive world, failures and rejections are seen not as a deterrent but as the end. Sadly, suicides are increasing, calling for the need to discuss mental health as much or more than physical health. Physical health deterioration most often gives symptoms to oneself and our near ones, while mental health issues are well-hidden from even the dearest ones. Meditation and yoga are the most advised and well-proven ways of self-help to relieve stress and anxiety and to detach our minds from the inner turmoil as well as outer chaos. But beyond a point, having a confidante for oneself and being a confidante for our best ones are most important. 

Nature, Passion, and Happiness: Pillars of Well-being
Connecting with nature can help both physically and mentally. It can alleviate stress and anxiety and instil gratitude, happiness, and positivity. And while we fail to look for it, we get injected with the much-needed vitamin D dosage at no extra pain. 

Paulo Coelho very rightly said: “Where your heart lies, there lies your treasure.”

It is most important to look out for your happiness for your mental health. Happiness comes from a variety of sources. There is this happiness that comes from bonding with others, and then there is the happiness that comes from bonding with yourself, investing in your interests and having and following your passion, whatever it may be: gardening, cooking, photography, etc. I personally know a handful of people who very ardently follow their passion apart from their job, and I can vouch for it that they are a much happier lot than they would have been without it. I find happiness in painting. I believe one must definitely have a passion. A job cannot be your passion. And if you still feel so, well! Go ahead, find yourself a second passion and waste some time on it, too. I am motivated by what someone said: “Time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted,” and I strongly feel: “To be happy, you must first keep yourself happy.”

Balancing Passion with Leisure
And even with work, life and hopefully a hobby, one must take care not to get drowned in passion but free some time for leisure too. In this context, I would like to quote the ending lines of the poem from W.H.Davies titled Leisure which resonates with the importance of leisure:

“A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare”

A Holistic Approach: Lessons from Bhutan and the Workplace
Bhutan’s unique measurement of collective happiness — Gross National Happiness (sometimes called Gross Domestic Happiness) — offers an inspiring model. Organisations could adopt similar measures to assess and enhance employee contentment, potentially leading to greater satisfaction, lower absenteeism, and reduced turnover.

Conclusion
True health goes beyond fitness. It encompasses physical well-being, mental health, emotional happiness, meaningful connections, and overall balance in life. By embracing this holistic view and acting on it, we can create healthier, happier lives for ourselves and those around us.