Or maybe, to positively reframe, “your health is your responsibility” as “taking care of myself is my unique privilege.”
If you’re like me, you may now or in the past have thought of your health as out of your control — that you were in the passenger seat to any of the following: your body itself, your mind, your doctor, or other health practitioners.
You may not see (or have seen) yourself as having much agency to affect positive change.
It is for this reason that it is easy to either:
- let your health “do it’s own thing”; after all, you cannot possibly hope to control it or affect any kind of change, or
- lean heavily on the influence of outside sources: your doctor (or other health practitioners), fads, podcasters, Instagram figures, YouTubers, or anyone who seems to know what they are talking about.
I believe that those are two extremes which exist on a spectrum, and that the ideal is actually something in the middle.
You have the agency to change your health outcomes
Your lifestyle — what you consume, how you move, who you surround yourself with, etc. — all affect your health. That includes both your current and future states of health.
What’s more, good decisions now are likely to have manifold positive outcomes in the future. For example, doing weight-bearing exercises are great for building muscle in a shorter time frame. Additionally, it has been positively associated with bone density, so by doing weight-bearing exercises you are benefiting both your short and long term states of health (getting fit today, and decreasing your risk for osteoporosis and frailty as you age).
To obtain optimal health, it is important that you believe that you have the ability to make decisions and take action to have direct results on your health.
If you are suffering from, say, a persistent knee injury that is taking its sweet time to heal, it can be incredibly frustrating, and hard to see a way forward.
It can also be easy to think “This is it. I will never be able to (insert favorite physical activity here) again. I will live a life of physical pain and not be able to do my favorite things.”
A more empowered spin on that would be, “I am injured right now. But I will take care of myself, and do whatever is necessary to heal. I will come back better and stronger than ever.”
That simple reframe can work wonders. It can give you the strength, motivation, and determination to do whatever needs to be done (which may include waiting it out!) in order to change the course of your own healing journey.
Positive thinking and visualization do not amount to much without action, but combined with action, it can do wonders.
The best source of wisdom on your health
You are the only one who walks in your shoes, who has your unique history, and who lives your life. You are the one who knows you best. Furthermore, you are the one who will live with the biggest consequences of your actions.
Of course, that comes with responsibility. Health is very complex, and you may feel like you know nothing about it!
However, that can be said about just about anything that you don’t innately have knowledge on or experience in. You have to seek it (or specialists on the topic) to guide you and show you the way. Getting a health coach is one way that people gain empowerment and inspiration to start tackling their health goals.
You have the privilege of seeking knowledge and figuring out what resonates for you.
It is good policy to seek multiple sources of information: doctors and health practitioners and those who have education or experience (and whose methods you dare to try with an open mind that they may or may not work).
Change happens when you believe it is possible. But even more importantly, when you take action on that belief. Your health is your responsibility.
