Tag: health

MY OWN MAIN PILLARS OF A PURPOSEFUL LIFE

Source: Image created by Gemeni

From early on in my childhood, my parents made me understand that the heroes I was reading about in story books tended to have two extremes of the same trait. It first caused me a lot of confusion, but over time, my father simplified it for me and I got it for keeps. The best example was that such a hero could be the strongest and at times be the weakest. Depending on the prevailing circumstances, that hero can tap into either to rise above the challenge. Much later in life, I learned that the psychologists called this capability psychological flexibility and believe that emotional resilience and mental strength come from a balance of adaptability and integration of opposing traits.

They also recognise that any positive trait, when pushed to an extreme, can become a liability:

  • High focus can become obsession
  • High caution can become paralysis
  • High productivity can become burnout

The strongest among us can regulate the two and slide between the two opposing traits intentionally to fit what the situation requires.

Now that I am in my 70s, I am able to look back and pick out the four main traits that have been the main drivers of my purposeful life.

AUTHENTICITY

Living to what you are: your own core values and beliefs which make you the unique “You”.

Human beings reach their biological identity at 18 to 25 years of age, yet our personalities continue to change as we go along.

As children, we are hungry to please our parents and later our teachers. Teenagers and youths want to fit in with their peers, so they will do almost anything to belong.

Though our biological brains reach maturity at 25 years of age, becoming the true version of yourself is a lifelong process. Studies show that your personality stabilises around the age of 50. You start to question deep down who you are, what you can become in your lifetime, and what is most important to you as an individual. You then devise a plan of how to get there. Gradually you stop playing along to get along. It is a journey through the external and internal worlds where any choice made and path taken influences your identity. Knowing yourself, owning yourself, and being yourself is a position of great strength and enables you to be highly creative and innovative.

My parents liberated us early enough to want to be ourselves by telling us that each one was a special child who could be anything under the sun. This gave us the confidence to be ourselves. As I get older and more anchored into spirituality, I continue to accept myself as I am and strive to make the most of it by using my talents, knowledge, and skills to impact others’ lives.

Some individuals never get to know their authentic self until they get stripped of the people, like a spouse or children, whom they strongly leaned on for long. Spirituality in itself can deepen the root of one’s authentic self.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

COURAGE

The Oxford English dictionary defines “courage” as the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.

Each day has its own challenges; some can be life-threatening, like a diagnosis of a serious chronic disease, Alzheimer’s, or late-stage cancer.

I have learned to give myself permission to feel the fear and yet go on to do what is mine to do in such a situation.

  • We all need the courage to be unmoved by people’s opinions or societal pressure.
  • One needs great courage to fight common, inevitable challenges rather than resign oneself to fate.
  • Courage to stand up for any values and principles that you believe in.
  • Courage to act when under great uncertainty and risk by telling yourself that you can still do it.
  • To reinvent yourself at 60, putting some magic into your life that gives you a reason to wake up every day in anticipation.

DISCIPLINE

The self-control of emotions and impulses.

I do not know where I would be if I lacked the discipline to start and finish what I set out to do.

Psychologists consider discipline the most powerful predictor of an individual’s destiny, often outranking raw intelligence in determining long-term and life outcomes. Often, it is a more accurate prediction of high achievement than IQ.

Discipline is created by the cumulative result of daily choices, habits, and resilience. It endows us with organisation, responsibility, and the ability to delay gratification.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn

People may be in the same environment, but it is simple discipline that determines whether one takes up the offer to go for free medical check-ups or not, or whether I drink juice and throw the empty plastic container out of a car window or keep it until I find a good place for its disposal.

As adults, our mental health and well-being are governed by disciplined routines like healthy eating, regular sleep, regular exercise, regular brain exercises, and regular medical check-ups.

Over time, discipline changes from being an exhaustive mental effort into automatic habits. Like charity, discipline begins at home, and children are guided by parents and teachers. At university, we found ourselves with a lot of freedom and independence; it required a lot of discipline and sticking with positive people not to fall off the straight and narrow.

On the other hand, extreme discipline can cause hyper-regulation and rigid perfection, which in themselves can slow down our progress.

Anyone believing in God knows that spirituality powers one’s courage, making it easy to find the bravery to face the day’s challenges and the discipline to keep moving forward.

FUN AND PLAY IN ADULT LIFE

When all is said and done, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I can safely add that all play and no work makes Jack as poor as a church mouse.

We all need some fun in our lives and the ability to find something beautiful in any situation. Not letting off steam or being constantly serious is not good for our health.

Engaging in fun activities shifts our mindset to playfulness, full engagement in life, and connection with the people and nature around us. Studies suggest having fun taps into the playful part of each individual. It supports emotional balance, eases body tension, and strengthens social connections.

It allows each one to reconnect with one’s inner child: parts of yourself that feel open, curious, and alive. As we become adults, we take on responsibilities, routines, and expectations which push the inner child deep down. We forget having fun, and yet it is essential for mental health and well-being.

Adult playfulness is associated with higher life satisfaction, better coping, and less stress. Intentional fun times stimulate the release of feel-good hormones from the brain. We feel good about ourselves and build strong social connections, becoming more resilient.

Small, repeatable actions like gentle humour, music, gardening, painting, fishing, and other creative hobbies improve our well-being and reduce depressive symptoms in us.

Gardening, writing, voluntary work in my community, and intentionally staying deeply connected with family and friends have helped me bear adversity with great strength, great courage, and dignity.

In today’s fast-paced world, the young and adults suffer from digital overload. Human beings are by nature social animals who thrive best if surrounded by their own kind. As we were traditionally hunters, our brains evolved to perform this craft to the best while ensuring survival in the wild. The brain gives you two options: fight or flee. These two require energy, fitness, quick action, and alertness to succeed. The body produces the adrenal hormone and cortisol (stress hormone) to increase your performance. After such an experience, you eat, rest, and sleep for recovery.

In today’s modern world, smartphones and 24/7 services keep people connected and overloaded with information. Our brains, which are designed to process a limited volume of information in a given moment, feel the mental strain. Feeling threatened stimulates the body to produce stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, simulating a constant fight-or-flight mode. Such a life is very draining and harms us by reducing our mental and emotional well-being. Life stops being a lived experience.

  • The productivity obsession: The new work culture demands that we have to be busy most of the time. Tight deadlines, long working hours, and the pressure to achieve keep the brain and body in the fight-or-flight mode. In some working environments, there is very little time for human interaction. Over time, the demands on your time, attention, and focus can easily make you forget about yourself.
  • Economic and social pressures: The pressure to provide for yourself, family, and dependants in a constantly changing environment creates mental strain, adding insult to injury.

The sobering realisation that life never stops for anyone demands that we all learn how not to be swept away by societal expectations and the hustle culture.

  • Set healthy boundaries – let your no be a no and your yes be a yes.
  • Set time aside for you to rest and just be. It is in these moments of stillness when you find and nurture yourself.
  • Find time to nurture deep, meaningful connections. These become a most important, solid pillar in old age.

Fun time is a biological necessity of healthy adulthood.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” — George Bernard Shaw

For now, I make choices that align with my authentic self, while spirituality has become the lens through which I see and live my truth.

Our experiences consistently remind us to have compassion for ourselves and the discipline to unlearn what no longer serves us while learning and relearning what feeds our minds, bodies, and souls.

QUESTION: What do you normally do when you feel overwhelmed by the demands on you and your time?

THE SILENT THIEF

A Gemini -generated Image

I started this personal blog site almost ten years ago mainly to hone my writing skills while sharing my wealth of knowledge and skills to impact the readers in my small way. What I love most is that I give myself freedom to write on any topic which I consider important at that moment in time. Sometimes I follow what is going on around me and other times; some topics keep showing up in my brain until I write about them. I research the topic that I am writing about to make it balanced. I must admit that I do not write about the politics of the day though I know very well that politics breathes into all aspects of our lives.

I have been led into today’s post by what  I have been observing in the elderly people in my community. I want to draw attention to it and raise awareness of it in our society.

While growing up, the elderly : 70 years and older, were very few in our villages and we treated them with great respect and dignity. Almost all of them were mentally agile and enjoyed relative good health. They walked with the support of a stick. That is how we drew them in our art lessons. My paternal aunt died aged 104 years in 2002. By then I was working in Botswana and came home every 2- 3 years . She surprised me on my last visit when she asked me, “Jane, when did you come back to Uganda?’’

One of my cousins died two years ago aged 104 but still insisting on choosing what she wanted to wear for the day and engaging visitors in flowing conversations and prayer.

However, I have been visiting an 86 years old male relative for the last five years, taking care of his 80-year-old wife suffering from dementia in a society where women nurture and take care of the sick. The children abroad help out by paying for the day care nurse , the food and medicines she requires. Talking to him reveals a frightened person not sure of what will happen next. He is emotionally tired most of the time. Whenever I visit them , I end up being sucked into their situation. I feel his pain of watching a beloved disappear little by little and yet being only able to do so little for her.

It always reminds me of Nicholas Sparks 1996 romance novel entitled The Notebook. It was adapted into a film in 2004. The protagonist Noah watched helplessly as Alice, his childhood sweetheart, wife of 49 years, slowly lose clarity due to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzeheimer’s …. It is a barren disease, as empty and lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts and souls and memories.’’- Nicholas Spark, in The Notebook.

 According to the World Health Organisation(WHO) website:  https://www.who.int

  •  dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases affecting memory, thinking, reasoning skills and ability to perform daily activities.
  • It is a chronic progressive disease of the brain caused by damage to it.
  •  It is the 7th leading cause of death and a major cause of disability and dependency among old people worldwide.
  • 9% of dementia occurs in the young while 91% occurs in the 65+years of age. It tends to get worse after 65 years of age.
  • 60-70 percent of dementia are caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
  • It is not an inevitable part of ageing. It has no cure.

Dementia has become more prevalent in the last 50 years. In 2021, about 57 million people were living with dementia worldwide. 10 million new cases are diagnosed each year.

In May 2017, WHO recognised dementia as a public health priority. It drew out  the Global Action on the Public Health Response to Dementia  for 2017-25. It is meant to address the skyrocketing global dementia cases that threaten to overwhelm the health care systems.

It has been officially extended to 2031 as many countries had fallen back on their targets. It serves to increase awareness, reduce stigma, reduce risk of dementia and improve the diagnosis, treatment and care- to improve the quality of life and daily functioning while supporting their care givers.

The increase in cases is associated with an increase in the ageing populations and some modifiable health and lifestyle factors.

 Some Scientific studies have associated this increase rate with the increased use of chemical pollutants , fertilisers and insecticides in the last fifty years.

Pesticides are known to act as neurotoxins : toxins to nerve cells of insects and have been proved to accumulate over time in the human body. Chronic exposure to low levels of  environment pesticides  leads to their accumulation  in the brain cells , causing damage that results in age-related cognitive decline.

The changes in the brain start years before the clinical signs appear. As dementia develops slowly and invisibly, it is often called “ the silent thief’’.

Pesticide –related health risk remains a controversial topic that demands for more ongoing scientific cohort and cross-sectional studies in different populations.

 In some epidermiology studies, the increased chronic exposure to pesticides in some agricultural zones has been associated with higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the populations.

 Bill Gates, the American billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, a co- founder of the software company Microsoft(1975) , experienced the agony of watching his father whom he refers to as a ‘’ a giant in every sense of the word, slowly but steadily lose himself as he suffered from Alzheimer’s for almost thirteen years.  He died aged 94 years in 2020.

Since then Bill Gates has donated 300 million USD to Alzheimer’s disease Research:

  • To encourage researchers to work together and share information
  • To work with commercial partners to develop simple, better diagnostic tests and making them accessible.
  • Improve current treatments
  • Develop new accessible treatments
  • Study more and understand the pathology of the disease.

Previously, the diagnostic tests relied on invasive spinal taps or expensive PET scans.  Before the PET scans, the disease could only be confirmed after microscopic examination of the brain of a dead patient.

Available information indicates that since May 2025, there has been a blood-based diagnostic test for adults aged 55+  showing cognitive symptoms in USA. This is no mean achievement.

More thoroughly researched break throughs are likely to occur if more funds are made available.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics report of the National Population and Housing Census of 2024:

Uganda’s life expectancy has increased to 68.2 years.

Male averaging 66.9 years female averaging 70.1 years

The 60 + now are 5.0% of the population of 45.9 million

We are likely to see an increase in dementia cases.

We need to take precautions, increase awareness about the disease so as to reduce the risk of developing it.

 Not forgetting that Uganda  is mainly an agricultural country and  the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides which find their way into the water, food  and air, is on the increase.

 In my own circle, a number of friends; male and female, have been diagnosed with dementia in the last six years. It is very scary for many of us as the health care system is inadequate. Patients with dementia and their carers have very little support apart from family and friends.

We are left with focusing on the modifiable health lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

These protect the brain and heart health. They include:

  • Regular exercises
  • Stopping the use of tobacco
  • Minimising the use of alcohol
  • Having a balanced diet and nutrition
  • Daily mental stimulation to challenge your brain. Keep learning new things.
  • Proper management of medical conditions like High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol blood levels
  • Preventing injury to the head by wearing helmets and seatbelts.
  • Spend time engaging with family, friends, the community and nature.
  • Adequate regular sleep at night (7-8 hours)
  • Minimising indoor, outdoor environmental pollution.

These  two quotes about Alzheimer’s disease are enough to convey the devastating effects of the disease: The Mind Thief.

“Alzheimer disease is the silent thief that slips into your mind at night, stealing your most precious memories, your words, and your very identity, leaving you awake in a house of strangers that used to be your life.’’- Wendy Mitchell, a renown British author and global dementia advocate after being diagnosed with it, aged 58 years in 2014.

“Alzheimer’s is the cleverest thief, she not only steals from you , she steals the very thing that you need to remember what’s  been stolen’’ -Jarod Kintz

QUESTION : Are you seeing what I am seeing in the elderly around us?

Has this post helped you recognise the need for changes in your lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing dementia?

TEN GREEN BOTTLES STANDING ON THE WALL

Donkey’s years ago when I was in the primary school we used to sing one nursery rhyme often:


Ten green bottles standing on the wall, ten green bottles standing on the wall.


One bottle kept falling off accidentally , leaving one less bottles standing on the wall until all the bottles fall off. The song served the purpose of introducing counting and early number skills to us.
I would call it an exercise in subtraction. Of late, I have found myself singing that song often when alone in the house. I am relating it to what is happening in my life. In the last one year, I have found myself walking from one funeral service or burial into another!
I have been losing peers, childhood friends, relatives, colleagues left right and centre.
It just goes to confirm my birth order in society as a senior citizen. Amazingly, a few green bottles are still standing on the wall.
In Uganda, the life expectancy at birth for male and female was 62.9 and 67.2 respectively according to the 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey. Generally, worldwide, females tend to live at least five years longer than their male counterparts.
Generally, we are all living longer worldwide due to :
*Medical advancements- such as the development of vaccines and the discovery of antibiotics.
*Better access to health care
*Improvement in nutrition
*Better hygiene and living conditions.


I just have to learn to live comfortably with the fact that at my age , I am living on borrowed time.
I have never stopped appreciating that members of my generation have gone through turbulent years of civil strife ( 1966-1986), the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 90s and beyond and the recent COVID-19 Respiratory Disease Pandemic of 2020-2022. Whoever is still standing is a real survivor and should exploit the opportunity of making the most of the time left.


If one green bottle should accidentally fall, there will be nine green bottles standing on the wall.

Ageing is a biological process and can be defined as the time-related deterioration of the physiological functions necessary for survival and reproduction.
The United Nations uses 60+ as old age but in Africa where generally life expectancy at birth is lower than in the developed countries, 50 or 55 is considered old. Pension schemes tend to use 60-65 for eligibility.

In August 2020, The United Nations General Assembly declared the decade of 2021-2030 as the decade of Healthy Ageing to improve the lives of old people, their families and their communities.
This healthy ageing concept consists of five key aspects aimed at improving functional ability. They include:
*The ability to meet basic needs
*The ability to learn and grow and make decisions.
*The ability to be mobile
*The ability to build and maintain relationships
*The ability to contribute to society
All five are largely dependant on the environment.
The three main factors for successful ageing include: *Physical well being, *Cognitive health and

*emotional and social well-being.

The healthiest group in any population is the 18-29 years while the ages most vulnerable to infection, disease and cancers is 65+ .
Some geographical areas were defined as Blue Zones by researchers Michel Poulain and Giovanni Mario Pes in March 2000 as areas with lower rates of chronic disease and longer life expectancy than anywhere else.
They include :
Sardinia, Italy
Okinawa, Japan
Nicoya , Costa Rica,

Icaria Greece
Loma Linda , California.
The longevity and good health of individuals in these zones is dependent on their environment. Other influencing factors include:


*Diet- mostly plant- based, *restrict their caloric intake,

*minimal use of alcohol or drink only in moderation mostly take the red wine rich in antioxidants.

*Regular exercise- their lifestyle encourages natural vigorous movement; walking, farming, gardening, cook daily, clean, doing house work as part of their daily chores.
*They have a sense of purpose in life.
*They incorporate stress relief in a purposeful, regular manner into daily life.
*Faith is central to these communities.
*They have an extended family structure with the young and old living together.
*They have strong supportive social networks that encourage healthy, happy lives.

In my country , Uganda, those aged 60+ make up about 3.7 % of the total population.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Population Projections Reports, 2015-2050
60-64—–1.4%
65-69 —–0.8%
70-74 makeup 0.7% of the population
75-79 —- 0.4
80+ —- 0.4 %
Little wonder then that anyone aged 65+ is hopping from one funeral vigil into another.

According to the Uganda Ministry of Health report on causes of death for the period of 2011-2021 , the leading causes of death in the 50+ age groups were:
*Heart disease
*Cancer
*Accidents ( preventable injury)
*Stroke(cerebral vascular diseases)
*Alzheimer’s disease
*Diabetes

There are multiple theories of ageing like the wear and tear.
Parts of the body wear out from repeated use.
Genetic mutations/abnormalities occur and accumulate with increasing age. Cells which are the building blocks of tissues and organs divide every day to replace old ones and during this process damage occurs in the genetic code/ DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) but are removed by the cells of the immune system. At 65+ the damage occurs fast and the weakened immune system fails to repair them as fast as they are being produced. Damage to the DNA in the mitochondria- the cell’s powerhouse in which the energy to drive functions of each cell is produced results in abnormal uncontrolled growth of the body cells which is linked to cancer and increases the risk of developing chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Between 70 and 80 years of age, the immune system suffers severe deterioration with age. It is less able to mount an effective immune response when challenged with germs, especially the new emerging ones like COVID -19 respiratory virus.
This explains why in Italy at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 81 % of the COVID-19 deaths occurred in people over the age of 65.
The Human Immunodeficiency virus( HIV) that has been with us for almost 40 years, infects and kills the cells of the immune system:CD4+ T lymphocytes thus weakening the body’s capacity to fight off infections. In the final stages of the disease –AIDS, the cells of the immune system are so depleted that the person dies of opportunistic infections. Since the discovery of highly active antiretroviral drugs in 1995, HIV/AIDS has become a chronic manageable disease.

Globally, we are living longer; we have to be prepared for the diseases that come with old age. Among these are different types of cancers. According to the Uganda cancer registry data of 2018, an estimated 33,000 Ugandans were diagnosed with cancer and there were 21, 829 deaths due to cancer. The most common cancers in Uganda are: cancer of the cervix, prostate, breast, Kaposi Sarcoma, Burkitt’s Lymphoma and lung cancer.
Worldwide new cancer cases are on the increase.
The old adage of : Prevention is better than cure, still holds today. The prevention of Noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases- heart attacks, stroke, cancers, diabetes and
chronic lung illness
should start early on in childhood by reducing the common risk factors and practicing healthy living.

Healthy Diets- eat a balanced diet every day.
Regular physical activity- keep your body moving and active. This boosts our mood and energy. The heart needs to be kept active.
*Avoid harmful use of alcohol.
*Avoid use of tobacco.
*Regular adequate sleep- an adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
*Stress Management – find a way that works for you to keep stress to the minimum. Stress affects other important elements of our health.
*Have a happy and positive attitude to life
*Regular health checks -especially after the age of 35- they can help to identify early warning signs of disease or illness. It increases the chances of treatment and cure.

He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.- Arabian Proverb.


For the green bottles still standing on the wall, keep walking and keep having fun by doing what you love and enjoy doing.


“It is health that is real wealth not pieces of gold and silver.’’- Mahatma Gandhi

QUESTION :
Are you aware that the most healthy people among us are the ones who are always moving about like the barmaids and nurses?