Is Health a Privilege? Owning What’s Ours, Acknowledging What’s Not
- Michelle Wong
- May 24
- 3 min read
It’s easy to say health is a choice until you’re faced with conditions you didn’t choose. It’s also easy to say it’s a privilege until you realise how many people squander theirs. The truth sits somewhere in between. Health isn’t fully in our control, but it’s not entirely out of it either.
Health Begins with Access
Health doesn’t start with motivation. It starts with access. Even the basics, like movement, rest, nutrition and stress management, depend on conditions not everyone shares.
In Singapore, the landscape is complex. We have world-class hospitals, well-maintained parks, and some of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. But not everyone experiences these equally. Low-income families struggle with food inflation. Older adults face mobility issues and social isolation. Migrant workers and caregivers often prioritise survival over self-care.
You might hear things like:
“Just wake up earlier and exercise, lor.”
“Eat healthy can already, just avoid fried food what.”
“If really want, sure can one.”
But these statements assume time, energy, safety, and support. Furthermore, they miss what many quietly deal with beneath the surface. It’s easier to protect your health when you have:
Safe housing
Time away from work or caregiving
Affordable food and clean air
Money for therapy or check-ups
A body free from chronic pain or trauma
Public health experts have long pointed to what they call social determinants. These include education, income, living conditions and community support. Over time, these tend to predict health outcomes more than individual choices do. So when someone says, “Just eat better and exercise,” without knowing the person’s situation, it can come across as careless at best or insulting at worst.
Where Agency Still Lives
Still, agency matters. Most people don’t control everything, but they usually have some control over something.
A ten-minute walk, even when overwhelmed
One simple home-cooked meal instead of none
Going to bed 30 minutes earlier, just once this week
Saying no to one more ask
Reaching out for help, even if it feels small
We can’t always change our conditions. But we can often influence our capacity. That difference matters.
At InsideOut Well, we’ve worked with people balancing demanding jobs, caregiving, trauma, or financial stress. What makes the difference isn’t perfection. It’s rhythm. When wellness plans are realistic and kind, people find traction. The goal isn’t perfect health. It’s sustainable care.
When Wellness Culture Gets It Wrong
Wellness messaging often frames health as something to be achieved, bought or flaunted.
The result?
Shame for those who can’t afford to participate
Guilt for being inconsistent
Silence about chronic conditions or invisible illness
It also creates a kind of quiet divide. The “well” and the “not yet well.”
InsideOut Well was built to resist that mindset. We believe in showing up imperfectly and building from there. Not because it’s softer but because it’s real.
A More Honest Question
Instead of asking, “Is health a choice or a privilege?”, maybe ask:
Where can I exercise agency, without shame or denial?
This lens invites compassion. It creates clarity about what’s within reach and it nurtures commitment, even when outcomes feel slow. You don’t have to have it all together. You just need to protect what you can, gently and often.
SELF-REFLECTION: A Grounded Health Inventory
Take five quiet minutes. Ask:
What privileges have supported my wellbeing?
Where have I made choices that honoured my health?
What is one sustainable action I can take this week, even if everything else feels messy?
You don’t need a whole plan. Just a next step.
Closing Thoughts
Health is not purely a personal choice. It’s not purely luck either. We live in the tension between the two, and in that space, we can make better and honest decisions. Not everything is in your hands. But not everything is out of them either. That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.
Acting from agency while recognising context isn’t contradiction. It’s maturity.
Comments