the cost of being healthy

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

this publication is a place for me to reflect on a new topic daily, and send it to your inbox. if you’re new here, sign up to tune in! you reading this is keeping me accountable, so thank you for that. as a treat, i drop cool resources/opportunities at the end. 💌 

btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: the cost of being healthy 🥒

in today’s world, it seems like taking care of our physical health is a luxury. i’m not even talking about healthcare treatments and going to the hospital. basic things like eating healthy food, exercising and taking rest are so unreachable now with hustle culture and insane costs of living.

being healthy is expensive. to survive, finances are now more important than our body’s health. it’s crazy, and sad. 

i was scrolling on tiktok today, and this gap was made even clearer. one video was about a full-time nurse on the verge of homelessness in toronto, and the next was a creator going through her nightly skincare routine.

that nurse who works every day to save other lives can barely afford her own, let alone skincare. basic healthy habits are now seen as a sign of luxury and wealth.

time is money. there’s no time to exercise, to cook a balanced meal or to have a good night’s sleep. even if there was time, healthy groceries cost 3x more than its unhealthy equivalent.

health is put on the back burner while affording shelter is the #1 priority and concern.

the price of being healthy is so high that it’s like a designer bag people can only dream of setting on a shelf. with skincare products becoming the new hermès and exercising becoming the new golfing, it’s scary to see the effects of the ruthless housing market and inflation.

it’s pretty frustrating seeing nothing being done to resolve this issue impacting millions of people’s livelihood. i’m fortunate that i even have the time to care, but so many people are stuck in this vicious cycle to earn money as their health deteriorates.

all i’m left to do is doomscroll on tiktok and let my frustration grow even more.

cool finds of the day 🔍️