We all want to be as healthy and happy as possible, but how do we go about it? We can swing from one approach to another never really being as fully committed as we need to be, to make things a success, partly because we’re not really sure that we’re doing the right thing.
I’ve discovered that it’s not perhaps what route you take that’s important, what’s more important is that you can believe in what you’re doing enough to commit to it for long enough to work out whether or not it’s working for you. Although we need to approach self-help as an experiment with an impartial openness to observing the results, we also need to have a good reason for trying out what we’re trying otherwise we might not be motivated enough to stick to the plan.
Pacing and sticking within our energy envelope are extremely difficult skills to master, but they can be even more difficult if you’re not convinced that it’s the right approach to take. Many people struggle to find a baseline of sustainable activity because it’s such a restricted place to be at it’s more appealing to try and do more. To restrict your activity to below what you think you might just be able to achieve if you push, you have to have a strong belief that the benefits will make it worthwhile. Without that focused belief it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking maybe I just need to try a little harder or maybe it’s all just in my mind?
For me having a clear idea about why I do what I do for my health and how I expect it to contribute to my healing, helps keep me motivated to do what I need to do. I also have clear priorities so that when I’m struggling I know what the most important objective is and can let go of the least important ones for a little while. I have a plan for my self-healing and I am clear of the purpose behind every step of that plan.
I have an underlying belief that if I give my body as much support as I can that it will find it’s way to heal me. My number one priority it to keep safely within my energy envelope because I believe that my body will need energy spare in order to heal. I choose to have faith that by effectively managing my energy, it will gradually increase (and it does!) My second priority is to minimise sympathetic nervous system activity, as this keeps my bodies resources locked up in a readiness for fight of flight. I am to stay as relaxed as possible all the time so that my parasympathetic nervous can engage and send my resources towards healing. I also aim to support my endocrine system with a regular routine and exposure to daylight and I aim to minimise my toxic load taking care what I put in or on my body. I aim to support all my systems with healthy nutrition and keep my limbic system functioning optimally with good hydration and gentle movement.
I owe much of my success in these endeavours to the fact that I really believe that the results will pay of, so I can really commit to doing what it takes. Everything that I do for my self-help is based on a firm belief in how it is helping my body, everything has a clear purpose.
Do your self-help efforts have a clear purpose, based on a strong belief about how they will help you heal?
Next week I’ll be running a workshop designed to give some structure to your self-help planning and purpose. Join me to learn more about the 8 steps to taking back control from your illness to live a more relaxed, balanced and fulfilling life!
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