Maintaining your overall physical and mental health are essential undertakings. You need to track, schedule, and monitor the general process to ensure you have everything scheduled at the appropriate time. With the pandemic slowing down the world and more people exercising caution about moving around in public spaces, many necessary appointments were canceled, missed, or put off. Now is the time to take action and schedule your healthcare appointments. Just like your vehicle receives routinely scheduled maintenance, so should your body.
Dental Health
One of the first visits to make is to your dentist. Finding a dental provider that you are comfortable with is important. Adhering to an established schedule of oral hygiene with your dentist will benefit your entire body. Poor dental health has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health outcomes over time. As a reminder, continue to floss and brush after every meal, as you are able, or at least brush your teeth in the morning and before bed. Drinking water throughout the day will remove food and harmful bacteria if you are unable to brush. Having a healthy smile will not only make you feel better, but it will give you more confidence and make you look better, too.
It also helps to understand a few of the treatments that can be on offer. For instance – did you know that your dentist will happily clean your teeth for you should you ask them? Sometimes this is covered in the cost of the visit, other times it’s only a small fee worth paying thanks to getting access to the dentist’s expertise and tools. Your mouth will never feel cleaner! It can also be worth asking what other treatments are available, such as the benefits of Waterpik vs Instafloss, or personal recommendations based on the health of our dental environment and tooth enamel. This way, you can leave knowing you’ve done all you can for your teeth
Annual Physical Exam
Scheduling an annual exam with your healthcare provider will give you insight into your overall health. Your provider will run age-appropriate blood tests and perform exams to determine your level of health. Take this appointment as an opportunity to bring up any and all health questions that you may have, regardless of how small they may be. Bring a list of any medications (including natural remedies and supplements) you are taking so that your provider can determine if they will negatively interact with each other.
Eyecare Exam
Having your eyes checked annually is beneficial to both correct your vision, if necessary, and inspect your eye health. As you age, your eye health changes, and your needs change as well. Even if you do not wear corrective lenses, establishing an eye care provider can help should you encounter an emergency so that you do not scramble for a reputable provider during a stressful situation.
While you are making your healthcare appointments, take an opportunity to relax and practice a few minutes of mindfulness. Here is a helpful guided video.
Mental Health Check-Up
In today’s world mental health care is more important than ever. Taking care of your body includes taking care of your mind, too. You have many mental health care options for receiving care ranging from in-person and one-on-one appointments to group sessions. Telehealth options are becoming more available since the pandemic began. They are easy options for both parties to work together. You may not feel that you need a mental health appointment if you are not experiencing a crisis; however, anyone and everyone can benefit from talking through experiences or frustrations. Sometimes just the act of talking to a trusted professional will prove cathartic and helpful.
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Beyond annual appointments with healthcare professionals, remember all that you can do to care for your health at home. Adding regular exercise into your day, eating well, and not guilting yourself when you indulge in an extra piece of your favorite thing will lead to a happier and healthier you both now and in the future.