Have you ever discovered something great for your self-health that encouraged you to make some changes in your life? Silly question, right? Of course, you have. Maybe you decided to have your kids pack a lunch rather than maneuver the school lunch options. Or, perhaps you made an appointment with a chiropractor for the first time, to see if you could get some relief from long-term symptoms.
Had you shared these choices with a fellow self-healther, such as myself, we’d be high-fiving for a half-hour straight. But that isn’t always the case, is it? Sometimes, when we get excited about adopting a new healthy habit, and we want to tell everyone about it, we’re met with resistance. Sometimes, irrational, laughing-out-loud, mocking resistance.
“School lunch was good enough for me. What’s wrong with those nifty compartmentalized trays filled with the entrée of the day and some chocolate milk?” All the while, you see your child come home in a more even mood, be more focused in the classroom, and their report card has never looked better. Food lacking in nutrition does not do the body (or brain) good.
“Chiropractors aren’t even real doctors. Why are you wasting your money on that?” This sort of resistance seems ridiculous when you’ve never slept better, you can lift your arm up over your head for the first time in years, or you’ve been headache free (without NSAIDs) for a month. Chiropractors are highly-trained, licensed practitioners, who take great pride in their chosen profession.
Suddenly, you feel like you need to defend yourself—apologizing for wanting to be the healthiest version of yourself. Seems odd, right?
Shouldn’t we be celebrating each other’s successes and expressing curiosity about how they might fit into our own daily lives rather than trying to make friends and family members feel foolish? Do I hear a resounding “Hell, yes!” from the cyberworld? Excellent! I knew you had it in you.
So, the next time someone tells you about a healthy shift they’ve made for themselves or their family, dig a little deeper with questions like:
- Interesting, why were you inspired to look into this topic?
- How has it improved your life so far?
- What has been the most surprising outcome from it?
- Where can I find out more?
There just may be something in their answers that you’ve been trying to solve yourself. Stranger things have happened.
One of my 2019 goals for Adventures of A Self-Healther, is to shine a light on one healthy habit each month. Not major overhauls, because that can be a real turnoff, but simple choices you can make that will have a big impact on your overall health.
Are you with me? Let’s be unapologetic about our health in 2019!
Image from iStock/Milkos.
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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