TAKEAWAYS
In the bustle of daily life, wellness often slips quietly to the bottom of our priority list, overshadowed by deadlines, responsibilities, and the constant buzz of modern living. We tell ourselves we will eat healthier, exercise more, or finally schedule that overdue health check someday.
But, life has its own way of reminding us when our health needs attention. For some people – even those who are active – it could be an unexpected wake-up call that prompts us to face our personal wellness issue. This is exactly what happened to Amos Ng, Chief Financial Officer of Straco Corporation Limited.
It was during one of Ng’s overseas business trips when he was in his 40s that he noticed something was amiss – he was slurring when he spoke. After a medical consultation back in Singapore, his condition was diagnosed to be related to a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Simply put, it is a temporary “mini stroke” that lasts for only a few minutes and is caused by a brief disruption of blood supply to part of the brain. A TIA is a red flag for a potential future stroke. Fortunately, Ng was assured by his doctor that his condition was treatable. Nonetheless, the episode was unsettling.
Needless to say, none of us wants to be in Ng’s situation. But as accountants, the professional demands and expectations can be very challenging and stressful. We are so occupied with our work on a daily basis to the extent that we may be taking our physical and mental health for granted. We let ourselves get so caught up with the back-to-back meetings that we do not even have time for a toilet break or to drink water. We jolt awake in the middle of the night thinking about the next deadline to meet, or the next report to deliver. As Ng laments, “We never learn to take care of our mental and physical health.” Worryingly, research on mental health corroborates his observation. It reveals that 44% of Singaporeans never or do not think very much about their mental well-being at all. Though this is a cause for concern, it is never too late to right this ship – we can still take charge of our personal wellness.
Fittingly, Ng relates his health condition to a concept which accountants are familiar with – risk management.
After his health scare, Ng knew he had to quickly alleviate the risks on his most valuable asset – his health. With that goal in mind, he embarked on his personal risk management project to transform his personal wellness.
A healthy body is crucially important to good physical and mental health. To have a healthy body, a change in lifestyle may be necessary. The nature of an accountant’s job is largely deskbound. If we lead a sedentary lifestyle outside of work as well, this exacerbates our inactiveness. We need to be more deliberate and participate in activities that will improve our well-being. For instance, going on nature walks to release stress, engaging in sports like swimming or cycling to build stamina, eating healthy meals for a balanced diet and getting quality sleep … which all contribute to physical well-being. By the same token, practising mindfulness, engaging in a hobby or learning a new skill enhances mental health.
Furthermore, regular monitoring of our own health will help alert us to any irregularities which may warrant medical attention. This could be done by checking on indicators such as weight, blood pressure and heart rate, via common home-health monitoring tools.
Besides home, we spend a huge amount of time at the office. Stress will always be present at the workplace. It is a significant risk factor to developing mental and physical health problems. For Ng, “calm” is the key word to tackling stress.
We should learn to handle issues calmly at the workplace. We have to realise that some issues are more complex and will take more time to settle. It is not effective to stress ourselves to resolve them at the first instance. Sometimes, it may be a good idea to take a step back and give ourselves more room to reassess the issues. However, this is easier said than done for some of us. If we find ourselves struggling at work mentally or physically, we need to listen to our body and take a break. Go for a walk. Do something different. Just get away from work for a while. As Ng says, “Be an accountant and manage our risks.”
It is incumbent upon us as individuals to take responsibility for our own personal wellness. At the end of the day, only we know best the state of our own mind and body. It is unwise to take any health warning signs lightly or worse still, ignore them. Start prioritising your mental and physical health now!
© 2024 Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants
