taking charge of ones health

1. TAKING CHARGE OF ONE’S
HEALTH
Final chapter
Understanding the self

2. 3 DOMAINS THAT DOMINATE THE
SELF
• Based on the domains of biorhythm, the self is dominated by 3 domains that
operate in a CYCLE:
• Physical domain (coordination, strength and well-being)
• Intellectual domain (alertness, analytical functioning, memory, recall, logic and communication)
• Emotional domain (creativity, mood, awareness, perception)
• *taken as a whole and as an indicator of health that must be balanced.
• Contemporary medicine prescribes that in order to be healthy, one must exercise, control
diet, be patient and forgiving as not to poison one’s mind. Thus, all domains should be rid
or free from ‘poison’ or toxicity

3. PERSONAL HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY
• Steinbrook (2006) stated that today, more than ever, personal health responsibility
(taking charge of one’s health), is an ESSENTIAL step in disease prevention and
recovery.
• PHS involves ACTIVE participation in one’s own health and healing through
education and LIFESTYLE CHANGE (e.g. exercising regularly, having a balanced diet, having
enough rest, proper grooming, avoiding vices)
• Prevention will always be better than cure ! Diseases can be easily and freely
avoided if one is careful and sensitive to one’s health!
• It is also your responsibility to know your family history to avoid hereditary
diseases! (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, and even mental illnesses)
• It is also your responsibility to research on natural treatments and food supplements!

4. STRESS
• Stress refers to the REACTION of our psychological and physiological self to nay
kind of (real or imagined) demand , pressure or threat.
• And yes, not all stress is negative and unwanted; there are positive stressors!
• Eustress (positive) – beneficial stress that can be in the form of physical,
psychological and biological stimuli which allows us to wake up in the morning, do
our routines, responsibilities and be productive.
• Distress (negative) – known as ‘bad’ stress that when the tension form it builds up it
becomes unpleasant and unbearable to cope with.
• Stressor- is any event that compels a person to adjust or change.

5. COMMON STRESSORS
(THAT CAN BE UNPLEASANT TO LIFE-THREATENING)
• 1. Catastrophic events and life
-threatening experiences, traumas, unforeseen events, attacks, terrorism, physical
abuse, sexual abuse, calamities
• 2.Life changes and strains
-separation of parents, change of work or workplace, new adjustments
• 3. Chronic Problems
- Problems that exists for a long time: serious illnesses, irresponsible neighbors of
family members, unemployment, unable to secure a decent job
• 4. Everyday Hassles
- irritations, pressures, annoyances such as traffic, waiting long lines, having a bad day

6. STRESS TOLERANCE
• Refers to the ability of an individual to endure stress
• An individual’s stress tolerance is dependent on his psychological and physiological
constitution
EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY TO DIFFERENT STRESSORS!
- one’s perception of stress is highly subjective !
- The reality remains: we cannot eliminate stress, we can only MANAGE it!

7. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF POORLY
MANAGED STRESS
• Symptoms can be :
physical, emotional,
mental
• Being unable to manage
stress can lead to
addiction (of any kind) or
undesirable behaviors !

8. COPING WITH STRESS!
• Problem-focused methods or emotion-focused methods
in handling stressors
• Problem-focused – you attempt to eliminate the source
of stress
e.g. confrontation, seeking social support, problem solving
• Emotion-focused- aimed at controlling the negative
emotional consequences of stressors
e.g. distancing, self-control, REBT, accepting responsibility, wishful
thinking

9. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS OF STRESS
• Culturally and socially – stress is seen negatively
• But research shows that stress is a NEUTRAL concept!
• Existential philosophy – stress is relative (we all view stress differently)
• Common perennial stressors in the Philippines:
• E.g. poor transportation, traffic problems, increases in prices of commodities, unfinished projects all of
which affect the country’s well-being

10. THE NEED FOR SELF-
CARE AND SELF-
COMPASSION
You cannot give to others what you do
not have !
-before taking care of others, take care of
yourself first !
-before loving others, love yourself first!
-be in touch with the different aspects of
your self!
Self-care – refers to all activities that a
person does to maintain and improve her
well-being. (physical, psychological,
emotional, social and spiritual dimensions)

11. BENEFITS OF SELF-CARE
1. Enhanced productivity – less time for vices, more
time for growth and self-improvement
(e.g. less time to drink = more time to exercise or learn
new skills)
2. Improved vitality – the healthier you are = more
resistance to diseases
3. Enhanced self-esteem – replace negative self-talk with
encouraging words and affirmations ! Find acceptance
with your strengths and weaknesses and be proud of who
you are!
4. Increased self-knowledge – after acceptance, you’ll
discover more things you love, like and want to pursue
which makes life more fulfilling
5. Mindfulness and compassion – being good to one’s
self makes being good to others easier and selfless.

12. SELF-COMPASSION
“Learning To Love Yourself Is The Greatest Love Of All”
-Whitney Houston
In the Roman Catholic belief : God created us with love and in his image
so why hurt and berate yourself?
*Regardless of one's religion, self-love and compassion is vital
Self-Compassion – showing compassion towards the self . It involves
being open to and moved by one’s own suffering, expressing care and
kindness towards oneself. Being understanding and nonjudgmental
towards one’s failures and weaknesses.
We are imperfect beings and we should positively take on challenges
with the hope of improving ourselves and deserving love.

13. 3 COMPONENTS OF
SELF-COMPASSION
• 3 components: self-kindness, common humanity and
mindfulness
• 1. Self-Kindness – not being harsh to one’s self.
Avoiding self-beration (harmful self-blaming) and not
resorting to self-harm or injury
• 2. Common humanity – acceptance of one’s
imperfections and that we all (yes all) make mistakes
and that we don’t always get what we want
• 3. Mindfulness – the practice of being fully present
in the moment. Painful feelings and thoughts are
reframed or redirected into positive encouragement
and ideas in order to embrace one’s humanity.