Making prevention as sexy as remediation
In a world full of tales of triumph over adversity, some heroes often go unnoticed—the ones who prevent crises before they arise. While society idolises those who bounce back from the brink, the concept of prevention remains undervalued.
Why doesn’t prevention get the spotlight it deserves?
The narrative needs a shift, acknowledging that success isn't just about overcoming challenges but also about cultivating a prevention mindset that shapes a good life from the outset.
Prevention mindset is not as glamorous or attention-grabbing, yet we can’t ignore its significance in creating and maintaining a good life.
It extends its influence across all facets of life, but its significance is particularly evident in mental health and wellbeing.
Consider the following scenarios:
“I’ve been feeling really depressed lately. I'll either start meditating or do some breathing exercises, or maybe I should change jobs.”
versus
“ I don’t want to feel depressive at some point in life. That’s why I’ll invest in building trusting relationships, and learning how to handle conflict, uncertainty, and stress.”
The first one is all too common, and this prevalence points out our tendency to wait until burnout, anxiety episodes, physical exhaustion, or unhealthy relationships knock on the door.
We don't need a false dichotomy between prevention and remediation; both are vital. They allow us to address immediate problems while simultaneously working upstream to stop them from occurring in the first place. However, while awareness is increasing, the implementation and promotion of preventive measures remain inadequate. It's time to shift our mindset and prioritise prevention as a means to live a good, healthy, and fulfilling life, at both the individual and collective levels.
The good life requires a proactive approach
Preventive actions are not foreign to us; we practice them daily. We avoid driving when intoxicated to prevent accidents, we prioritise a balanced diet to prevent health problems, we monitor our expenses to avoid unnecessary debt, and we plan our daily tasks to prevent chaos at work. Health check-ups, dentist visits, smear tests, or eye exams are all preventive measures. The same principles can be applied to all aspects of life, including our wellbeing and the quality of our lives.
Drawing from Aristotle, although he doesn’t explicitly talk about prevention, he describes a good life as one where we continuously grow and practice virtues, and invest in our character, leading to happiness and flourishing. He has a proactive conception of the good life. He perceives that educating young people by instilling certain habits is more important and effective than trying to work on problems later in life. He even perceived happiness as activity, rather than a state. This aligns with a preventive mindset that emphasises promoting certain capabilities and skills while actively preventing potential problems.
This mindset empowers us to be the designers of our lives, granting autonomy over the choices we make. Prevention isn't about avoiding or escaping problems; it's a golden opportunity for empowerment, hope, and optimism. It's a commitment to building a life with a strong foundation, where we design our lives to minimise pitfalls and gain the necessary skills to live a better, more fulfilling life.
Invest in your mental health, especially when you don’t have a problem
During my consulting work with a company, we made a significant decision wto invest in transforming leaders and managers into pillars of support, proactivity, and compassion. Instead of merely directing employees to seek help when problems arose, the emphasis shifted towards addressing issues at their roots. While we didn't collect specific data to measure whether this investment directly prevented future problems among employees, the initiative received a lot of approval and welcome with enthusiasm.
Addressing the roots of problems is hard and requires habit building – one reason prevention is not as sexy, but it’s an investment for sustainable benefits.
As someone deeply immersed in mental health, I urge you to take a proactive stance. This approach doesn't just help navigate day-to-day challenges but also prevents many looming, potentially bigger issues in the future.
You might be thinking, "Why invest in mental health when everything seems fine?" Well, that's precisely the point. We live in a world where waiting for a crisis to address mental health is the norm.
But you don't need a problem to start working on your mental health. Nothing has to be wrong with you.
A reflection exercise
To kickstart the journey of cultivating a preventive mindset, particularly in the realm of well-being, I recommend dedicating some time for a reflective exercise. Take an honest look at areas in your life that you believe might be prone to potential problems. Once identified, the next step is to proactively devise strategies to prevent or mitigate those issues.
For instance, if you anticipate possible conflicts in your relationship with your sister-in-law, consider the factors that could contribute to these conflicts and brainstorm preventive measures. It's essential to acknowledge that implementing every possible solution might be impractical. You don't need to do it all. Instead, focus on selecting one actionable step that you can realistically start with.
Remember, though, it’s not about making plans or ruminating over problems or thinking about all the negative things that can happen. Instead, it's about being aware of potential risks, problems, and obstacles, and investing in the resources, strengths, support, and decision-making and problem-solving skills that can help you along the way.