PERSONAL HEALTH PRACTICES

Personal health practises are the things people do that can directly affect their health. These include positive choices and lifestyles, like eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, driving safely and volunteering in their communities. They also include choices and lifestyles that can have a negative effect on health. Some of these include smoking, abusing alcohol or drugs, having unprotected sex or driving recklessly.

The ability to cope with the challenges of everyday life can also influence health. People with good coping skills look inside themselves for what they need to make healthy choices. In contrast, people with poor coping skills often look outside themselves. These people might use alcohol, drugs or other harmful behaviors to help them cope. People with poor coping skills can learn better ways to manage stress. And the community, too, can play an important role in supporting people who want to make healthy choices.

What can you do?

Think about your own life and the choices you have made and then ask:

• Are there things I can do to improve my health?
• How do I cope with challenges in my life?
• What skills or support do I need to better cope with life challenges?

Think about yourselves or the people in your community whose personal health practices and coping skills hurting their health and then ask:

• Why have people made the choices they have?
• How can we support people to make healthier choices?