Gaining Perspective: Health

“When you have your health, you have everything.”

When I quit the corporate job I had for over a decade, a person in Human Resources asked why. My answer: HEALTH. There were several reasons, of course, but the primary reason was health. Work conditions had deteriorated significantly over the last several years. The many layoffs meant those of us who remained had more and more work. Work-life balance was essentially non-existent. The stress had become unbearable. The majority of my colleagues talked about wanting to quit.

More than a few of my colleagues experienced poor physical and mental health at that job. My colleague Sheila, for example, had continual serious health issues in the years she worked there. At least one of her hospital visits was a direct result of management pushing her to work despite her protests that she was not well. I quit before Sheila and soon felt better than I had in years. After Sheila left the job, we compared notes. Nearly all of her health issues had disappeared. Despite the frustrations of job hunting and living without a regular income, we had no regrets about leaving. We both felt healthier and happier. I especially noticed that I was sleeping much better. We often read how stress influences our health; now I knew first hand.

If I had not been immersed in the minimalism and simple living community, I’m fairly certain that I would not have had the courage to quit a job that was so detrimental to my health and well-being. Reading books and listening to podcasts on minimalism and living a more intentional, meaningful life has motivated me to examine more closely how I spend my time, both professionally and personally. Over the last few years, I have purposely simplified my lifestyle so that I could weather hard times. I deliberately searched for a smaller, less expensive home in order to reduce my cost of living and build up a financial cushion. That saved me from the misery of staying in a job I hated.

In their book, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus make health one of the five dimensions of a meaningful life. Too often we take health for granted . . . until we become sick. In fact, a major health problem is why some people turn to a simpler life. The writer Courtney Carver (see books and blog below) began her journey when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Sometimes it’s a health issue with loved ones as Joshua Fields Millburn has discussed in his work.

There’s nothing like a health crisis to make you reflect on your life! I should know. I’m a cancer survivor. While I’ve leaned towards simple living for decades, the year I was diagnosed with cancer acted as a catalyst to make significant changes in how I worked and eventually, where I lived.

I was determined to change the path I was on. It wasn’t easy and it took a couple of years. There were stumbles along the way. I quit not one, but two jobs within a year. I’m single, so there is no other income to help out with expenses, nor do I have a spouse’s health insurance coverage, which costs me a small fortune. I have begun taking on some contract work for a few companies, which helps, but I’m still using savings to supplement my current low income.

Despite the financial insecurity, there have been silver linings. My last job resulted in a chronic pinched nerve, and now I had time for physical therapy and improving my fitness overall. I began walking 1-2 miles at least five times a week and bought a bicycle to start riding again. I have a huge yard and do the maintenance work myself. When my adult children came to visit, I could spend all my time with them instead of juggling work tasks. I’ve started to volunteer more and get more involved in my community. I love reading and have read much more, and I finally have more time to devote to writing, both this blog and a novel.

My health is not perfect (whose is in mid-life?), but it has improved, especially my mental health. Now when I have a restless night of little sleep, I realize how rare it is. I barely reflect on my ability to walk and garden for an hour or more every day, which I could not have done a year ago. It’s easy to get complacent when our health is good, though. I was reminded of this when a friend stayed at my home after surgery. Her pain and struggle to heal has been a sharp reminder that I should appreciate and continue improving my own health.

A long-time friend recently said that she admired my ability to stay calm and positive while going through this time of uncertainty. Why wasn’t I stressed or depressed? I’ve had a few low moments, I told her, but overall, I have remained positive and optimistic that it will all work out. Living simply has made it possible to survive this spell of unemployment, and taking this time out has helped me gain perspective on the challenge of work-life balance and living healthier.