Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life!

“Not the world, not what’s outside of us, but what we hold inside traps us. We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world.”   Gabor Maté, M.D.   

No matter what you want to accomplish, old habits are hard to break. They’re woven into your routines, your identity, and your memories, and establishing new habits can be challenging because they push you out of your comfort zone. It can feel as if you’re battling against yourself.

Changing the way you think about health may be the hardest habit to break—the biggest internal battle. Why? Because your health is the sum total of everything you do. Changing it means dismantling self-defeating beliefs and taking responsibility for reshaping the mind that creates a healthier you.

And just in case you’re thinking that our “sickcare” system is broken and something miraculous will come along to fix it, thereby fixing you, you are “dead” wrong. The system isn’t broken; it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do.

What’s broken is your thinking, and the only way to repair it is through repetition and relentless intention, one small change at a time. So this week, I’m revisiting 5 things you can do change the way you think about health:

1. Think of yourself as a participant, not a patient. The “sickcare” model views you as a passive recipient of care.

2. Think about the difference between “sickcare” and health care. “Sickcare” treats illness - health care prevents it.

3. Think about not making every abnormal experience a medical event. Giving your body time to recover naturally — when appropriate — can reduce overtreatment.

4. Think about the financial incentives at play in a “sickcare” system.  Ask "Do I actually need this?" rather than assuming every recommendation is purely clinical and benefits you.

5. Think of health as a daily practice, not a destination.

Here's the bottom line: It’s not the big things you do,  or what you plan to do once everything is in place, that keep you healthy—it’s the little things you do each day that matter!

Be Mindful; Be Well!

Do you or someone you know need help managing a chronic condition? I’m here to help. Reach out to me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com.  

For additional wellness tips, subscribe to my small change Weekly Wellness Tips at https://www.myrtlerussell.com/contact-us.