I just had a conversation with an elderly lady who visited the health center for various complaints. She tells me about this pill here and that pill there and how she wants them to help her so badly. How she wants so much to feel better soon.
I think during the conversation that it is good that she has sought treatment, but I also wonder what she has done to feel better, so I simply ask:
- What do you do to feel better?
She gets quiet for a while and then she says:
- What do I do? Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I haven't thought about it.
It's so hard to understand that you have a great responsibility for your own personal health, I think. What is missing? Knowledge? Self-awareness? Do you have too much faith in the existing health care system to solve it for you? That someone else will make you feel better? So that you don't have to do anything yourself?
This is not the first time I have encountered this response. It is the main reason why I trained as a holistic lifestyle coach myself, to coach people who don't have the right tools or understanding of the connections between health and how you actually feel in your daily life. It's quite easy when you know what to do, but many people do not prioritize their own health, until they do not feel good anymore. They wait until the mind or body doesn't work properly. That's when they first cry out for help. Imagine if people could prioritize their own health, what a difference we would see in society! A bunch of freshly polished, always properly serviced cars (read people) going around singing. At least that's what my dream picture looks like:-). But we are generally better at taking care of our car, than we are at taking care of ourselves.
Thought of the day:
What do you do to feel better? (the same question I asked the lady earlier today and which I always ask)
This article is part of The 50 day challenge, where I challenge myself to write an article a day for 50 days! The articles can be about anything, short or long, but I can't miss a single day!