Ember Months: The season of financial stress and its health challenges

By Dr.Michael Nyemenim

Today’s series on health talk, we are going to be talking about stress, depression and those medical conditions that occur during this time of the year.
This is the period referred to by most people as the ember months, it is from the month of September down to December. It is the time when everybody irrespective of their religion, ethnicity, social background are expected to undertake a lot of movement.

For example, people from the town will be going to their villages to see their loved ones. During this period, most people are faced with a lot of financial stress, this is because of the many expectations from our family members which tend to be so high that it becomes difficult to meet up. All these situations are what have led to certain health challenges such as stress, depression,high blood pressure,stroke,complications and even suicidal thoughts.

But people need to understand that, what matters and comes first, is your general well being. Stress is not the challenge we face but rather the reaction we give to the challenges we face. This is why two persons faced with the same challenges, will react differently and will have different health outcomes from the challenges.

This means that the better prepared you are concerning a particular situation, the better you come out of it in terms of your health conditions. The fact that it is the end of the year and a gradual close to Christmas, does not mean you will earn more salary than what has always been stipulated for you.

Because of this, you need to plan and budget yourself very carefully, do not give out more than what you bargained for. it is very important that you look at your income before your expenses. There is no competition, so do not spend more than your resources so as to avoid sleepless nights and lack of concentration. Do not overwork yourself.

Also avoid taking stimulants in a bid to influence your activities. Stimulants include coffee, alcoholic drinks and other prohibited drugs. These items cannot give you increased performance and this can be catastrophic.

Avoid getting yourself into financial embarrassment just to please people around you. Buy only what you can avoid. Because it is not about how much money you spend, rather it is about the care you give to your loved ones.

(For personal consultations, contact Dr.Michael on 08033424792)

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