Questions for Reflection: Health Challenges, Stress, and Self-Care
Today’s self-reflection questions:
- Have you faced any major health problems recently? How did you feel psychologically during illness?
- What is your philosophy of self-care? Do you neglect living well because you think, “We’ll all die someday anyway”?
- How often does your mental state turn into physical symptoms? Can you manage stress at work?
- How often do you experience mental stress—headaches, migraines, depression, anxiety, panic, paranoia? Can you identify environmental factors affecting you?
Health issues and psychological challenges are inevitable realities in every human life. How we cope, how our mental state is affected, and the philosophy we adopt toward self-care are shaped by our personal experiences and insights.
When you face a major health problem—especially a serious illness—the psychological toll can be significant. It’s completely normal to experience a range of emotions like anger, sadness, fear, and uncertainty. In such moments, you might feel helpless or powerless, and it’s easy to fall into hopelessness or worry about the future.
Your self-care philosophy should be built around appreciating the value and meaning of life despite challenges. Take care of yourself because it matters—because you matter. Regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and managing stress should become priorities. Even if life throws difficulties your way, try to view them as part of life’s adventure and keep your motivation high.
Remember, instead of thinking “Well, life will end someday anyway”, choose to live each moment with awareness of its value. A quality life is about savoring the present, making time for loved ones, and focusing on your goals. The order of these priorities depends entirely on your own desires, reality, and expectations.
Stress: Inevitable but Manageable
Stress is part of daily life and, in many ways, unavoidable. What matters is learning to manage and control it. Effective strategies at work include time management, task lists, breaks, and relaxation techniques. Meditation and yoga can help more than you might expect (believe me—I didn’t believe this at first either, but discovering them didn’t exactly change my life… it just gave me something to fool myself into feeling like it had).
Making time for hobbies is key to reducing mental stress. Since leaving Turkey, I’ve really seen the stark difference between people with hobbies and those without; between readers and non-readers; between those who connect with nature and those who don’t. Hobbies are important—not just for relaxation but also for meaning-making and creative stimulation.
It’s perfectly normal to occasionally experience headaches, migraines, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, or other symptoms. When these arise, try to understand the root cause and seek professional help when needed. The key isn’t simply “health first” but developing the ability to recognize causes and consequences.
Environment and Awareness
To identify the impact of environmental factors on your stress, reflect on your surroundings. Maybe you enjoy coming home from work or school and scrolling through social media on the couch—but think again. Consider the negative effects of the mainstream content you’re exposed to. Who do you compare yourself to? Who are your role models? What professions, lifestyles, or images do you envy?
Eventually, you’ll see how damaging this can be. This doesn’t mean you should abandon social media completely—just use it minimally and wisely. Strive to cultivate a supportive, positive environment around you—one that is real, not virtual.
In Conclusion
Despite life’s difficulties, keep making the effort to discover your inner strength, maintain a positive outlook, and care for yourself—because investing in yourself is never wasted. Self-knowledge, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and acting accordingly are essential keys to a healthy life.
The rest of the series is here: How to know yourself – bahadirhancicek
bahadirhancicek 
Leave a comment