When someone says "Be thankful for your health" what does that statement mean to you?

[dancer67]

People will say "Be thankful you have your health". Or that person might say "I am thankful that I am healthy". But how do YOU interpret that? For example, I have high blood pressure, IBS, Iron def anemia, and slightly high cholesterol. All of them are controlled by either meds, or diet and exercise. So, should I consider myself "thankful" for my "good" health? Or do you take it as, not having ANY medical issues. Or, do you take it as you do not have a terminal illness? With what I stated above, should I be "Thankful"???What says you?

[Pawz4me]

I don't really consider any of the things you listed as being serious health problems. In fact, I have all of them except elevated cholesterol. And I am VERY thankful for my good health.

[Parrothead]

I take it that the person who said it is sicker than I.

[Truscifi]

I am thankful that I am in good enough health to participate in activites I enjoy and not be in pain on a regular basis. (I do have some ongoing but manageable health issues.)

[shanvan]

I take it that the person who said it is sicker than I.

 

 

:iagree:

[Dandelion]

"Be thankful you have your health." If someone says that to me, I either interpret that to mean that they themselves are dealing with significant health issues and since I'm not, I should be thankful - or, they might simply be thinking about someone who is dealing with health issues, and in relation to that, are making a general statement that one should be thankful if one has good health.

 

"I am thankful that I am healthy." I would take this statement at face value. I take it to mean exactly what is being said, unless there's some additional info I'm privy to that leads me to believe there's more to the statement than that.

 

In terms of what constitutes "good health", I think views will probably vary quite a bit on that. To me, good health means no health issues other than the occasional cold, flu, muscle sprain, etc. Basically, no chronic health issues.

[justamouse]

I was on my back, paralyzed with ruptured disk pain for 3 days. I could not move, I could only lift my head. My mother had to feed me. I was pregnant with my twins.

 

Be thankful for your health means everything to me. Those were some real come to Jesus days about what I need to be grateful for. If you don't have your health, your whole life perception changes.

[regentrude]

People will say "Be thankful you have your health".

 

 

I take that to mean that they have a health problem that reduces their quality of life i.e. limits the things they are able to do or causes them pain and discomfort.

 

Or that person might say "I am thankful that I am healthy". But how do YOU interpret that?

 

 

It would mean that I do not have a health problem that reduces my quality of life, i.e. limits the things I am able to do or causes me pain and discomfort. A health issue that is well controlled by medication or lifestyle and does not limit the things I can do and my well-being would not count.

[Samiam]

Knowing people, even those in their 30's, who have died of cancers, after long term struggles to survive, those has have had other medical concerns that means they can not get out of bed, or function a "normal" life, or do the things they want to do....knowing that I can get up everyday, and do what I need to do, what I want to do, and if I put more effort into it, even be in the shape I want to be in...that's something to be thankful for.

[Lara in Colo]

I don't know...... sometimes I find it to be placating.

 

You lost your job, the house is being foreclosed, your wife left you, but....... be thankful for your health!! And yes health is the one thing that you cannot fix, but the other stuff is hurtful too!!

 

I am not discounting the value of health, just sometimes people simplify the very bad by stating it could be worse.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't know...... sometimes I find it to be placating.

You lost your job, the house is being foreclosed, your wife left you, but....... be thankful for your health!! And yes health is the one thing that you cannot fix, but the other stuff is hurtful too!!

I am not discounting the value of health, just sometimes people simplify the very bad by stating it could be worse.

 

Ah, but the other stuff is generally temporary and within your control, or at least the result of your choices. People with chronic, degenerative, terminal illnesses would GLADLY trade for a problem that time or money can fix.

[Lara in Colo]

Ah, but the other stuff is generally temporary and within your control, or at least the result of your choices. People with chronic, degenerative, terminal illnesses would GLADLY trade for a problem that time or money can fix.

 

 

I agree! but I also find the statement to be placating, like people don't have to listen to you talk about your hurt, since there are worse off in the world.

 

There are days I look at my children and am VERY grateful they are reasonably healthy, but I still wish I could afford braces for them.

 

Health is number one, but numbers 2 -100 can be important too.

[mytwomonkeys]

to me, it just means not to take it for granted.

[KungFuPanda]

I agree! but I also find the statement to be placating, like people don't have to listen to you talk about your hurt, since there are worse off in the world.

 

It might not be that they don't want to listen, but they want to help you out of that negative mindset. It's not good for you to dwell on the negative and some people feel compelled to help/encourage you when you seem to be dwelling on what's bad in life.

[Runningmom80]

My mom always says, "You know things are bad when you start being thankful for your health."

[Dana]

There was a time when my son was about a year old, we had a leaking roof, some foundation damage, and we weren't quite sure how we'd handle replacing the roof and weren't sure how extensive the foundation damage was. I remember feeling ill at the uncertainty.

 

At the same time, I had a friend I used to go to summer camp with - my age - who was dealing with a recurrence of colon cancer. She was initially diagnosed at age 26, when her daughter was 6 months old. She went through chemo, radiation, had been given a clear bill of health, and then the cancer had spread to her lungs and liver when she went in for her 2 year scan.

 

I remember lying in bed, feeling sick about the house & our uncertainty & then I'd think of my friend. She would have cheerfully taken our problems and added to them to not have her cancer, I'm sure. Her parents would have done the same. That was the time I remember being thankful for what we have & worked to remind myself of how blessed we were at the time.

 

My son has severe food allergies. They really suck.

I acknowledge to him that yes, they're bad, but also try to get him to think of how lucky he is that he doesn't also have wheat allergies in addition to the ones he has. He has mobility. He has both parents. We have enough money to not worry about losing the house or where our next meal is coming from. We're incredibly blessed. He was born during a time where his allergies don't kill him. He'd have been dead if he'd been born 100 years ago.

 

So yes, be thankful for your health.

My friend died at 32, leaving behind a 6 year old daughter and a husband.

 

I do think that it's nasty for someone to say "Be thankful for your health" dismissively. And that can sure feel bad too. But it helps me to be thankful for what I have in comparison to what others have.

[TranquilMind]

I take it that the person who said it is sicker than I.

 

Yeah, this.

 

I grew up with a chronically ill sister who died young. Her life sucked, and was primarily spent in the hospital.

 

You can bet I am grateful for being healthy every day.

[moonlight]

I would take it to mean that he/she is very sick or has lost someone to an illness. Or it could be a blanket statement to be thankful and complain less?

 

I would think in your situation it means you should be thankful you don't have a life threatening problem...

[moonlight]

What I meant by my last line is that if someone said that to you, this is what I am assuming what they mean.

[dancer67]

Hmmmm............okay. Because I am always hesitant to say "I am so Grateful/Thankful for my health" when in fact, I DO have medical issues. But they do not keep me in bed, nor do they impact my everyday activities. It is was very enlightening to read everyone's responses, and very encouraging. At 45,I feel as if I shouldn't have ANY issues. My MIL who is 67, does not take ONE prescription medication, and is in perfect health. I think that is mainly why I asked.

[arghmatey]

I think it means they are tired of hearing me complain about trivial stuff.

[GraciebytheBay]

I would take it to mean that they were either sick of hearing me complain about minor health issues OR that they have a chronic or serious illness and are giving me advice from their point of view...or maybe both.

[skeeterbug]

I just had a breast biopsy. I am 13 weeks pregnant. The biopsy came back benign.

 

I am so, so, so thankful for my health!!!

[Annie G]

Dh has 8 stents in his heart. In he past 6 years, we've maxed out our out of pocket costs for insurance 5 times (meaning that before the year was up, we paid so much that insurance starting kicking in 100% of the costs. That's a a lot of money five years in a row, folks!). And yet, we both say we're thankful he's healthy. What we probably really mean is that he's healthy enough to work and carry on his life.

[Spryte]

What we probably really mean is that he's healthy enough to work and carry on his life.

 

(Annie G - so glad your hubby is better!)

 

DH and I say this, too. Not about him, but me. I am grateful every day when I take my *ton* of Rx meds, plus the boatload of supplements that the doc has me take. I am grateful that I can walk up and down our stairs again, that we didn't have to buy a wheelchair friendly house as the neuro told us to do 10 years ago, that I can parent and homeschool, and ... live. Being grateful for one's health must be relative to one's situation or one's past. :) Though I do think it's funny that there are days that I simply feel profound gratitude that I can tackle the mountain of laundry. Really, of all the things to inspire gratitude!

 

When I hear someone say to be thankful for your health, I tend to think, like others, that they have either lost someone or are ill themselves. Or maybe they just don't want to hear us complain about ... whatever.

[MomtoCandJ]

When someone says "be thankful for your health" I think of money draining medical expenses and/or cancer. Usually I'm gripping about unexpected expenses (car repairs, in fact I have to buy a starter relay for dh's truck today, good thing it's only about $27.00)

[Georgiana Daniels]

I take it as only having health issues that can be managed.

 

When most people use that phrase, they can't possibly know what you have going on in the medicine cabinet, so that's how I have to interpret the comment.

[Tranquility7]

I take it as a general exhortation to *be thankful* - for health, and/or *lots* of other blessings in life.

 

No matter how much of a burden we bear, we must always find something to be thankful for, if we are willing to set aside our discontentment and look.

 

Even if I'm in poor health compared to so-and-so, there is still something I must be thankful for. Can I see? Hear? Eat? Use the bathroom on my own? Do I have health insurance? Someone who cares for me? Someone who actually loves me? Whatever I can do, or whatever I have, I must be thankful for.

 

Even if I can't do or have ANY of those things (and more), musn't I still find *something* to be thankful for? Absolutely, even if it is just memories or God's blessings earlier in my life, and knowledge of His promises of future blessings in heaven. I say this not because it would be easy - I hope I am never called to that!!! - but because because as Christians we are called to be thankful.

[Melissa in Australia]

It must be an American expression. I Have never heard anyone say it.

[Reya]

"Be thankful you have your health" - The person is a snot, telling you that your suffering doesn't matter because you're not sick (enough). (That said, no one's ever said it to me! And I wouldn't say it to anyone.)

 

"I'm thankful for my health." - An honest expression of how that person feels.

 

"I'm glad it's not worse!" - What I say. :p

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am very grateful for my health and that of most of my family. It doesn't mean we don't have issues or problems, a fair few of us do. My Mom struggles to walk after a botched knee surgery, dh has a bad back. DD has Lyme Disease, I have Hashimotos. But we also just lost my sister in law to cancer. A horrific, fast, tortuous, 3 year ordeal to death. So, in comparison, yes, very grateful for our health.

[dancer67]

I am sorry to those who have lost loved ones. And to those who suffer every day. I have to say then I am very thankful for my health.

[SKL]

To me, it's just a reminder to not take for granted things that are, well, granted to us (so far). It's easy to forget our blessings as we deal with the hard stuff. At least we have the strength to deal with the hard stuff, right?

 

I think it's also a reminder to be considerate of the struggles of those who aren't in good health.

 

The other day, while traveling in a remote part of a developing country, my daughter got a very bad bug bite. (She's allergic to bug bites.) It became infected and really ugly (red/white/blue, oozing pus, swollen and with a diameter of about 5"), but it gradually healed, and yeah, I was thankful. I could focus on the trial of her having that kind of susceptibility and getting bit in a place where it wasn't feasible to seek medical care. Or I could focus on the fact that her body is strong enough to eventually heal itself. Our bodies are pretty amazing after all.

[gardenmom5]

People will say "Be thankful you have your health". Or that person might say "I am thankful that I am healthy". But how do YOU interpret that? For example, I have high blood pressure, IBS, Iron def anemia, and slightly high cholesterol. All of them are controlled by either meds, or diet and exercise. So, should I consider myself "thankful" for my "good" health? Or do you take it as, not having ANY medical issues. Or, do you take it as you do not have a terminal illness? With what I stated above, should I be "Thankful"???What says you?

 

to me it is no debilitating/inhibiting health problems. a controlled chronic condition is not generally debilitating.

 

controlling health issues with diet (I have a son who absolutely cannot have HFCS or nitrates/nitrites - those are in many things. plus he's GF. He's also on a number of supplements that make a big difference in his funcitoning) is getting off pretty easy, even if it is a hassle.

 

I have a chronic health issue, (advanced stage people end up on transplant lists) but it is so-far controlled and I consider myself generally healthy.

 

ds's girlfriend who is uncontrolled epileptic is thankful for each day she wakes up in the morning.

[gardenmom5]

you know - we have a good family friend who suffered a traumatic brain injury. He cannot walk, and is confined to an electric wheelchair. He can barely speak (tremendous effort and concentration to say a single word) and be understood. His mind is just fine and humor just as quick as ever, but his body doesn't work very well and it really limits his ability to interact with other people. He has adequat (as opposed to "good") use of only one arm. If you ask him how he is - he's invariably "excellent". His attitude is an inspiration to many.

[Impish]

Honestly, it depends on who's saying it.

 

Generally, I'm glad I don't have worse health, RSD sucks, but it won't kill me...exactly. I mean, we know that the meds, and the stress of severe chronic pain will shorten my life, but it's not the same as having cancer, kwim? So, if a good friend says something like that, I take it as an opportunity to refocus and not get into depressed, self pity mode.

 

That said, there are those in my life who use it as a kind of goad. As in, 'it's not THAT bad, you could have NO arms!'...yeah, of course it can always be worse, but that doesn't negate the challenges of having RSD either. And they seem to think that b/c there's always someone worse off that I should have no problems managing, coping, or doing whatever it is they think I should be doing at any point in time, which simply isn't physically possible.

 

So, ime, it really depends on who is saying it, and the tone/attitude in which it's delivered.

[*********]

In terms of what constitutes "good health", I think views will probably vary quite a bit on that. To me, good health means no health issues other than the occasional cold, flu, muscle sprain, etc. Basically, no chronic health issues.

 

You're right that views on 'good health' do vary. For example, I have migraines, which might be described as a "chronic health issue". However, I consider my health to be good. Yes, migraines are very painful, and I will likely always get them. However, I have a prescription med that helps me manage them. If I treat my migraines well and in a timely way, I significantly reduce how much I suffer from them. They're not life threatening in that I could die from them. However, they certainly do impact my life. However, I still consider my health 'good'.

 

Just my perspective.

 

I was on my back, paralyzed with ruptured disk pain for 3 days. I could not move, I could only lift my head. My mother had to feed me. I was pregnant with my twins. Be thankful for your health means everything to me. Those were some real come to Jesus days about what I need to be grateful for. If you don't have your health, your whole life perception changes.

 

Isn't that the truth, justamouse. In my case, it has been this ordeal with my dad that has changed my life perception, as you say. The mortality of my father was never so real to me as it is now. This has forever changed me. I will never again take one moment with my father for granted. Dad was always a 'constant' to me. It's like I "knew" that we are not promised tomorrow, but now I KNOW it. I'm not sure that makes sense, but hopefully you understand. It is a real, ever present truth for me that I might wake up tomorrow to the news that dad is dead.

 

One good thing I'm hoping to get out of this situation is translating that to other areas/relationships in my life. It's really opened my eyes to all the things that I take for granted everyday. I try to see even the 'given', simple things as a blessing from the hand of God. Just getting a glass of water can be quite an ordeal for my father. When was the last time I felt truly grateful for a glass of water? For the strength to pour the water, for the access to clean water in the first place, for the health to be able to drink the water. My father had a tracheotomy for weeks in the hospital. I'll never forget just how badly dad wanted a drink of water.