04/25/2024
Living in this ever-changing, all-knowing, constantly contradictory, confusing AF, information overload “health” culture can feel, to say the least, overwhelming. Whether it comes to diets, exercise, and supplements or something more complex like working through options for treatment for illnesses and disease, finding what will work best for us can be a very challenging experience. We are continuously, and sometimes unknowingly, influenced by social media influencers, podcasts, books, commercials, etc. Marketing comes in many shapes and sizes and it is highly effective. Not only do we find ourselves sifting through the onslaught of products and information shoved in our face every waking second, but we also have to search, choose, and then pay for the right doctor or health professional that we HOPE may help us. As a result, we turn to our friends and those we trust in hopes someone, ANYONE will help us on our path. Clients and friends often come to me for health guidance, but if I’m being totally honest? I can’t give advice for you! I can tell you what has worked for me or my personal opinions based on my education and research, but even that can influence you in a way that may not be right for you. I often blame my “lack of knowing the answer” on my lack of “letters after my name”, but the truth is (while I highly value education), even the most educated of professionals with all of the degrees and books and testimonials and published studies and podcasts, does not necessarily know what is right for you. Our personal health journeys will be HIGHLY individualized, intimate, and extremely different from one person to the next. And then even when we figure out what does help us, we evolve and need to make changes again. So complex, right?!
So how do we work through this? Well, I am here to tell you I do NOT have the answer because I don’t know what works for you! Ha! But I do have some thoughts and ideas I thought I’d share about what I think could help us at least start to try and get down to what we are in need of:
Mindfulness. There are a dozen, million, trillion reasons we should practice meditation and mindfulness, but one of the best outcomes from this practice is “the pause”. The ability to create space between stimulus and response. For example, the moment you’re served with an instagram reel that tells you how badly you NEED to take this magic supplement. It’s convincing, I get it. You’re about to purchase, but then you PAUSE. Just long enough to realize you don’t actually need to spend another $85 on a magic pill that will not fix all of your problems (because it won’t). Or maybe you’ve been to the doctor and they’ve suggested a medication for you and you’re unsure. Now you’re able to take a minute, go home and think about it, research it, and listen to your gut!
Narrow it down. Do you feel overwhelmed with the millions of diets out there that will help you “lose that last ten lbs”? Or supplements to stop your bloating? Exercises to make you stronger and live longer? Treatment for Lyme? Cancer? You see where I am going? Doesn’t matter what the topic is. There are millions of options out there. I say choose the top 5 or 3 and research them. Learn about what exactly you would be doing and why. Take something from each plan maybe or choose the one that best fits your needs this month, knowing that next month you’ve got big changes. Make a pros and cons list. Cost analysis, etc. Don’t just dive in. Do the work. This is YOUR body, you only get one, and it may be that once you research you learn more about yourself than you think.
Celebrate little wins and be patient. Personal healing takes time. Especially when you aren’t using medication. Remember that sometimes it takes peeling away layers of ourselves to finally feel better. We all want the magic pill that will fix all of our problems but often it’s a slow progress of many strategies and small wins that lead to one day realizing you finally feel like your best self. A friend of mine (who may have inspired this blog), is on her own healing journey. Back in the fall she had pretty severe anxiety and depression, but also had other symptoms. She has made some changes and her mental health has improved, whereas some of the other physical symptoms are still present. In homeopathic medicine, we learn to look at the healing on multiple fronts. Maybe the fever didn’t go away, but the individual is talking more. Maybe they are still suffering from bloating and fatigue, but they haven’t gotten a cold in months after having one every two weeks. Things take time. We take time. Be patient.
K.I.S.S. Sometimes we are searching for something wildly outstanding to help us when it’s the simple things in life that can have a huge impact. Start with the basics: sleep, hydration, food (chewing!), meditation, movement, nature, etc. It’s so easy to get sucked into spending tons of money and time when most, if not all (obviously not in cases of serious illness) can be found within the comfort of your own home. Oh, did I mention turning off the tv and your phone? HUGE RESULTS.
Ignore absolutes. Be cautious about anyone or anything that makes absolute statements like “do this one exercise and heal your back pain forever.” or “I took this pill and all of my issues went away.” Well maybe don’t ignore but take it with a grain of salt. There likely isn’t just one thing that will fix any one thing. Remember, most people are trying to market something, even if their heart is in the right place.