Most people strive to be healed while few actually strive to be healthy. How do they differ?
To be healed means one was sick. Most people get sick because they do not care for themselves. Rather than doing so, they find someone else to care for them – typically a health practitioner such as a therapist, a physician or a nurse. People who are healthy practice self-care. They are assertive in matters of personal healing and defer to health practitioners as needed. They maintain collaborative relations with said practitioners – essentially healing themselves.
The root words for “healed” and “healthy” are identical – both stem from the Old English word “hale” (being whole, sound or well). Though the terms are related, their meanings differ.
According to the World Health Organization, healthy connotes “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity;” whereas healed refers to a state of restored health. Healed refers to physiological processes that have mended physical injuries. It also includes the spiritual, emotional, and psychological processes that have relieved stress, achieved acceptance, and promoted hope. While health is an outcome, healing is a choice.