Many people would like to make positive changes in their lives, but feel overwhelmed and don’t know where or how to start. Here is what I recommend as a first step or two towards a series of positive life & health changes
Usually I suggest that you begin with your physical body. The main reason is that you can start taking action in this area immediately. Make your next meal a very healthy one. Make a point of exercising today. If you install and maintain good health habits, this will benefit you in all other areas of your life too. You’ll have more energy and vitality to make bigger changes. The very first day you eat healthier food and exercise, you’ll notice an immediate positive shift in your mood and motivation.
Whenever I feel like my life is getting out of control, I return to my body. How can I improve my diet? How can I improve my exercise habits? This is an easy area to identify specific changes I can start making right away.
Even if I found myself broke and homeless, I’d make it a top priority to maintain my physical health. I’d seek out the healthiest food I could afford, and I’d make a point of exercising daily. This would keep me feeling good emotionally and physically, so I’d have the energy to tackle other areas of life like my finances.
As you improve your health, it’s important not to compare yourself to other people. Tune in to your feelings to determine whether or not you’re living up to your potential, and don’t worry about who’s supposedly ahead of you or behind you.
Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD advises clients in her local area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA in person as well as remotely, both individuals and groups/corporations. While she has a focus on advising those with fibromyalgia or developing symptoms with a focus on nutrition as solution for wellness, her expertise is global and 'wholistic'. Her complete information can be found at http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/ [1]. She is the author of "Foods that Help Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia"; check out Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel.
Links:
[1] http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/
[2] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/how-make-positive-changes-your-health-and-your-life#comment-630
[3] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/hi-im-petie-ot-friend-and-colleague-mardys
[4] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/life-after-cancer-chemo-brain-gone-and-i-can-still-drive
[5] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[6] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/how-make-positive-changes-your-health-and-your-life#top
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/486%23comment-form
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/486%23comment-form
Comments
Wonderful advise, Deirdre, thank you! I know this will help many people who have the challenges of health issues and financial issues -- they tend to be tied together, as you know. EVERYONE who has health issues also has the expense that comes with that, and as I always say, our 'resources' are time, energy, and money. I am not immune and have shared my experiences with this with others here at Lumigrate.com's Forum areas. I am serious when I say that I haven't truly had a vacation aside from one week over five years ago which was taken with friends within two hours of where I live. I haven't had a vacation which entailed an airplane, luggage and RnR since 1995. That was when my health issues were undiagnosed but I was finding answers by privately paying for advisors who were not paid for then by insurance : acupuncture, MDs who provide nutritional I.Vs., etc., and I made the choice to feel better every day and keep my ability to work as much as possible instead of pay for trips or expensive hobbies (such as skiing).
In retrospect, the nature of being an occupational therapist in the part of the country I live in and the jobs I was taking which entailed long hours and lots of driving or working out of town and away from my health club contributed to my health 'going into the ditch'. I just this past week made the drive one day which I used to be responsible for in my 'territory' of southern Colorado and thought 'no wonder things fell apart' and I just tried to pat myself on the back for working as hard as I did for as long as I did. But then I started figuring out how to work differently, how to change my expenses to make it so I didn't have to make as much money, but it was a LONG haul getting things turned around and it was very, very stressful. It was also very difficult to see my lifestying going one way while that of all my friends' and family going the other way, as they also were college educated and with careers. I'd quite a REALLY good job to return to OT school in my 30s, and I'd basically be retiring or would have had good disability insurance to utilize had I stayed doing what I was doing, and that is something I have had to learn to 'let go of' and recognize that I've made lemonade out of lemons with my experiences which I have brought together with Lumigrate. But every day when I look at what's on my plate with my health (which is better but needs my attention just like anyone with fibromyalgia), with getting Lumigrate down the road of success further, which as you know having a health business and utilizing expensive technologies to reach people such as websites, etc., it is a challenge.
So I'm going to take a minute to nourish my body, as you say. And put a walk on the list today for SURE. And then I'll get back to work as we have TWO NEW medical experts here with Lumigrate's Grate Group to help us with these important concepts: Petie Peterson, OTR and Karen Richardson, OTR, CDRS (occupational therapist registered, certified driving rehabilitation specialist). They're both looking forward to being part of Lumigrate and this was a PERFECT piece, Deirdre, for them to have come along as soon as they're here registered and ready to write!
A link to Petie's introduction is: www.lumigrate.com/forum/hi-im-petie-ot-friend-and-colleague-mardys [3]
A link to Karen's Korner and her introduction to herself is: www.lumigrate.com/forum/life-after-cancer-chemo-brain-gone-and-i-can-still-drive [4]
And naturally, as a reminder to people (including Petie and Karen), Deirdre's section here in the fibromyalgia section at Lumigrate has so many wonderful resources. She interviewed Drs. Rand and Spurlock for our collaborative fibromyalgia awareness activity which you can find as a separate Forum here in the fibromyalgia section as well.
Since Petie and Karen's backgrounds in occupational therapy are not specifically with fibromyalgia and chronic pain (though as you will read, they have experience with cancer, surgeries, food intollerances and being advocates for their family members and friends), they'll be happy to hear that Deirdre's recognized how critical nutrition is with fibromyalgia but it is only one facet of her consulting and training interests. So this piece as I said, Deirdre, was just perfect today! We couldn't have planned it better -- and believe it or not everyone, we'd not discussed at all what Deirdre was going to post next. Truly gifted healers just know -- THANKS, Dr. Rawlings/Deirdre! ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [5] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!