Doctor, Doctor!

We all have our health problems – some more than others. There are a few common mistakes that we make that I’d like to shed light on today and perhaps encourage someone out there to identify this problem and find the right solution.

Hypocondria:
One of the common errors that hamper us from living optimally is a slight tendency towards Hypochondria. Of course, there are diagnosed Hypochondriacs out there who truly struggle with this phobia of being ill, however most of us are not hypochondriacs. In fact, for the most part, we often do not realise that we have these inclinations. We find ourselves searching for something that is “wrong” with us (physically or emotionally) and we blame imaginary ailments instead of addressing our way of living or finding the true cause of our symptoms. Example – someone who is overweight due to an unhealthy diet who blames this on a disease or their genes (which is possible, but is the absolute exception to the rule). Another example – someone who is constantly tired and blames this on having insomnia; yet they go to bed at different times each night (not allowing their body to create a sleep pattern/cycle), watch TV (blue light = no melatonin release = no sleep) until midnight and don’t allow themselves time to wind down before bedtime (busy mind = restless sleep). We often have to self-reflect and be brutally honest with ourselves. Am I overweight because I’m eating an unhealthy diet? Am I tired because I don’t try my outright best to ensure that I’ll have a good night’s sleep? Which brings us to common mistake number two.

Not seeking help when we truly need it:
It is our responsibility to act on symptoms that are influencing our quality of life in a dramatic way. We should always ensure that our bodies are operating optimally and see a doctor when we know that we are doing all we can (and REALLY doing all we can) to no avail. Once again, we need to do a self-analysis and ensure that we are not creating problems that do not exist. Secondly, we need to be honest enough with ourselves to know when we are the cause of our problems. Find a doctor whom you can trust and who has a comprehensive understanding of how the body works. Find the right doctor for YOU. Sort out any health issues that you have so that you can focus your energy on other things.

I don’t have a thyroid anymore and that has a massive impact on my body and overall health. I could easily fall into the trap of blaming this for all of my health issues. I could also decide not to try my best at changing for the better; however I believe that this would be irresponsible. I always say; You only have one body so you better take excellent care of it.

It is such a fine balance. Don’t go calling “Doctor. Doctor” for every single, insignificant thing – but do take it seriously when you know in your heart that you should. Trust your instinct – it’s usually right. The more you practice to listen to your body and to self-reflect, the easier it will become to truly know when something is wrong and when you are imagining things.

It is normal to go through different phases; Sometimes it will be smooth sailing and sometimes we might feel like we’re drowning. Don’t panic – as long as we always try our best and do not make excuses, we are on the right path.