| Exercising your body |
Having an active lifestyle and keeping your body moving every day keeps you physically strong (ie, going country, walking, hunting, fishing swimming, dancing, doing housework and yard work, riding a bike, walking on a treadmill). Exercising your body helps you cope with the worries and sadness that come with MJD.
|
| Something important to do |
Finding something meaningful to do pushes you to keep your body moving and keep physically strong. Having something important to do helps you feel you are contributing to your family and community, sets an example for others and builds self-esteem and happiness.
|
| Keeping yourself happy |
Finding ways to stay happy and positive, and drawing on family and support services when required, helps you keep persevering in life despite having MJD. It helps you to keep doing the things you need to do to stay physically strong. Feeling low and unhappy can make you feel physically weak.
|
| Searching for good medicine |
Searching for good medicine or food from the natural environment, or useful clinical medicines, is important for staying physically and emotionally strong. It is important to find good medicines that help you to manage other illnesses that negatively impact living with MJD (colds, flus, infections and pain). For Aboriginal people of Groote Eylandt, finding traditional medicines in the bush or beach is important for staying active and keeping physically and emotionally strong.
|
| Going country |
Going country means getting out and about, to places meaningful to the individual, to do things that matter, with people that matter, to keep yourself both physically and emotionally strong. For Aboriginal families of Groote Eylandt, going country involves getting out of the home, visiting their lands, at the bush or beach, often to go hunting or fishing with family.
|
| Families helping each other |
Family support is important for having opportunities to keep physically strong and for physical assistance as the disease progresses. Support from families offers important emotional support, keeping you strong inside. Family extends to local and trusted service providers.
|
