Why don’t people care about themselves?

I was at the supermarket today waiting for the lady in front of me to unload her shopping at the checkout. She was white female probably in her early forties, she had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was pulled back into a pony tail but looked brittle and dry, her skin was grey and you could see the fat rolls under her red vest. So I got curious about her shopping, she unloaded about 30 items only 2 of which fruit the rest was processed high sugar and high fat items. I was certainly not judging her, but it did make me wonder why don’t people care about themselves? The only reasons I could fathom as to why anyone would not look after themselves were;

Lack of education – people just don’t realise what they are doing to themselves and their body and how much better they could feel. Its difficult if you haven’t had good role models in your live.

A distorted perception of themselves –  maybe people just don’t see how bad things have got. Or they think they are so bad that they don’t believe they can be anything else.

Taking the easy option –  it’s so easy to reach for the pre made meals and to watch other people live on social media. You get distracted by all the external noise. It’s easier to help others than help yourself.

Denial –  people just don’t realise or want to except they have a problem. It will happen to someone else not them.

Suppressing a real problem –  often what happens on the outside is a reflection of what is going on inside for example if someone has had a traumatic experience, they may use food, exercise, alcohol, drugs as a way of dealing with those painful feelings.

Failure to look after yourself can result in higher rates of health issues including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and mental health challenges. These types of chronic conditions creep up on people over significant time so people don’t always see them coming. Looking out for yourself should be your number 1 priority, if we are not able to feel our best then how can we possibly do our best at home or at work.

By focusing on ourselves we can set a positive example and raise our concerns to family and friends, so they get the help and support to help themselves. By promoting businesses who support people in finding their best selves we truly are making the world a better place.

If you feel like this is you please reach out for support there are lots of people who are ready to help from coaches, counsellors, psychologists and GPs.

If you would like to get your Sparkle back please get in touch. Victoria Jones at Personal and Corporate WellBeing – Victoria@PCWellbeing.com