It's healthy to talk about health

WIRED

18 hours ago

Feature With When it comes to our health, talking and sharing can have a positive impact on our wellbeing. Bupa's new Health Stories campaign aims to encourage even the most reserved amongst us to open up.
Many of us don't want to talk about our physical and mental health. But new research suggests that doing so can actually have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
Bupa, the international healthcare company, is encouraging all of us to talk about our health through a new global campaign, Health Stories , which launches today.
The company has created a suite of films featuring people sharing their experiences of a wide range of health conditions. By capturing these incredible voices, Bupa is breaking down the barriers of stigma and embarrassment, while also tackling the sense of isolation that individuals too often feel as they cope with a cancer diagnosis or begin therapy for a mental health condition. It's all about removing the taboos that still affect us as a society when it comes to our health.
One story within the new film series sees a brave woman sharing her response when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Her immediate reaction was: this cannot be happening to me. Imagine how many have felt that same emotion but kept it to themselves? Another person shares their experience of being a deaf person with ADHD, which is a condition he believes has never been discussed in public before. And an amputee explains how she was able to start enjoying life again after she expressed her feelings to her prosthetist who listened and understood.
Dr Mohamed Maan, Head of Clinical Operations, Bupa Global explains why this campaign can have a positive impact:
'Hearing how another person has managed a health condition can make you feel so many things—connected, empowered, supported, hopeful, a sense of relief.'
Ruby Tui, 2021 Rugby World Cup champion and a mental heath advocate.
New research from Bupa shows that while four in five people believe that sharing their health stories can support physical and mental health, almost half (49 percent) have avoided addressing a health concern. Yet of those who have avoided a health concern, over half (53 percent) admitted that it caused them more worry, and over a third (31 percent) felt their health worsened. The overall picture is that people really do want to talk—they just need the means and encouragement to do it.
Ruby Tui is a New Zealand rugby union player who has competed internationally, won gold at the 2020 Olympics, and was a member of the Black Ferns team that triumphed in the 2021 Rugby World Cup. Through openly sharing her mental health story, she advocates for others to do the same so they can get the support and help they need:
'Through the simple task of sharing, we can open ourselves up to different perspectives, and we can empower ourselves to find solutions. I hope this campaign from Bupa sheds light on the importance of our individual health and wellness journeys and inspires more people to make their health a priority that they talk about openly and honestly.'
Junior who has Crohn's disease
Bupa's ambition with Health Stories is to encourage people to proactively seek the care they might need—inspired by the stories they have watched. As a result of these conversations and moving testimonies, we can all realize that there are millions of us, every day, with a health condition that doesn't need to be endured alone. A simple conversation can make a big difference.
For more inspiring real-life health stories, visit Bupa.com/healthstories.