The Importance of Work for Health

Of course one of the major reasons we work is to earn money. Money however is never the whole story. Whether you call it work, employment, a career path or volunteering, they all bring many other benefits that contribute to our wellbeing as humans.
Firstly there is a sense of ‘belonging’ and all humans have a need to belong in one form or another. Isolation in Ill-health can be so corrosive and itself worsen a physical condition. Belonging to a work place or group or industry sector brings people. People bring nourishment and friendship and the sharing of joys and the comfort from disappointment.
Work also brings status. What we ‘do’ is often the first question a new acquaintance will ask us. Rarely are we asked ‘who we are’! So work is a big part of our identity, and thus it can be a big part of our self esteem. 

Work also brings a sense of purpose to our lives. When we have achieved something in our work this can begin an upward spiral of increasing success and reward. When we feel good about ourselves we take more risks. When we take more managed risks we have more chance of success. When we have professional success we can push through our limits, both physical and emotional, because we care about what we are doing, because we have a sense of purpose.

When I have experienced chronic ill-health the notion of ‘work’ has at times felt overwhelming. I couldn’t see how I could commit to regular work, I feared letting people down, my confidence was so low I didn’t know what i could bring to a project or job anyway…..
And I did it, I volunteered, I got good feedback, my confidence grew, I took on a bigger role….. And so it grew. I now have both my business and my health and I know they can work together to rebuild a life.
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