Kevin Antuna

Mrs. ODowd

Anatomy/Physiology

18 March 2017

Wellness

Our society has seen tremendous changes over the past 15 years in regards to how we

view the standard of wellness within the population. Wellness, can be defined as the ability to

become self-sufficient and content by means of balancing the several components of ones life.

This can be determined by a variety of factors, including the mental, physical, social, and

spiritual/emotional state-of-being of a person. But in order to truly determine how accurate this

claim is, it must be first implemented into the circumstances we face on a daily basis.

My own daily life can seemingly be viewed through these four major categories.

Mentally, I am always looking to stimulate my mind, primarily through academic challenges. I

am always ready to seize an opportunity where I can gain new information, understand new

concepts, and test my ability to apply to my knowledge out onto the real world. Constantly I find

myself conducting independent research on topics that interests me, so that I may better serve not

only myself, but others when presenting this information. Although, it can be noted that my

self-implied standards can often weigh a less than desireable load of stress on my consciousness.

Physically, I have put my body through demand on a regular basis, whether it be through sport or

basic exercise. My main athletic passion, distance running, has allowed me to push my body to

new extremes and become more fulfilling of reaching its potential. Socially, I have always

encountered others with an open-mind, as I feel if being able to create and maintain healthy
relationships with the people around me is an important aspect in life. And in terms of a

spiritual/emotional self-awareness, I am always doing my best to take notice of life in the

moment and never taking anything too seriously, as I look for the positive in all things I

encounter.

As a result of my own experiences, I feel that individuals within society should also look

to improve upon these four key distinctions in their own lives. But with debate over how the

modern-day healthcare system should be addressed, many people have been left with confusion

and frustration over the changes that are being implemented. Prior to the newly proposed reforms

we are hearing of, former President Barrack Obama was responsible for establishing the Patient

Protection and Affordable Care Act (but more commonly known as Obamacare). Under this act,

nearly 20 million people were able to secure a health insurance coverage since its

implementation in 2010 (D.H.H.S) by cutting down the cost of affording such a service. Now,

under our newly elected President Donald Trump, revisions are being made to get rid of this act

and put the control of healthcare back onto the people. These reforms will most likely increase

the cost of healthcare service, but may also speed up the process and availability in which these

services are provided, since more privately owned companies will be competing to gain more

customers.

A valid point brought up by our guest speaker Mrs. Maurer was how the healthcare

system is now moving towards a more nurse-orientated environment due to the desire of being

taking a more proactive approach to the well being of people. This means that people would take

measures to remain healthy before an actual problem were to occur. The main reason for this

would be that it is much more affordable to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as opposed to treating
someone who is already sick or needs medical attention. And with the cost of healthcare likely to

see an increase in the near future, people will now have this incentive to follow a proactive

approach. This was a practice that was rarely considered over ten years ago, as shown by the

documentary Supersize Me, where two teenage girls were willing to sue McDonalds after the

fact that they had become obese by consuming substantial amounts of fast food from the

company. This example showed how people were only willing to take action for securing their

health only after they have been brought to near-death circumstances. Another example was a

man who drank over a liter of soda a day and as a result, had momentarily lost his vision while

on work. These anecdotes will most likely continue to decrease as people find it more difficult to

pay for healthcare when they are sick, as opposed to taking the necessary precautions of leading

a healthy lifestyle.

To add on, there are many ways that I can see myself implementing good habits in order

to secure my personal wellness. I know for certain that I often times tend to not set apart enough

time for being social with friends or other peers. In order to fix this, I could better schedule my

time so that I am able to maintain the relationships I have established with the friends that I have.

In terms of my family life, there are a couple of things that I feel can be better handled. One issue

I have seen is a lack of communication, although granted, this is mainly my own fault. I tend to

keep to myself, stay focused on my agenda, and often lose sight as to what is going on in the

lives of the people around me. A possible solution to this would be to hold family meeting or

have more family dinners, where everyone is able to discuss and express how they are and what

is going on in their own daily lives. These issues, accompanied by their solutions, may sound

easily implemented, but it has been rather difficult in the past to see these plans go through.
 Our perception of wellness continues to adapt as the conditions of our society continue to

change. Reforms continue to develop in favor of establishing a society that is better suited

towards helping those who are healthy remain so. The further we change our lifestyle towards

maintaining a healthy well being, the less likely we will be of ending up in a situation where you

are not only hurting yourself, but those around you as well.

Bibliography:

"Trump Starts Making Changes to Obamacare That Could Mean Higher Costs for Consumers."
CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Tongco, Tricia. "Pres. Obama Just Got Some Great News About His Flagship
Achievement."ATTN:. N.p., 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Apr.2013