I know for sure, that I’ve gotten in the way of my health in the past. I’ve done it so many times before. You know how it is: You know what you need to do. You understand that what you’re doing or eating is wrong. But you can’t pull yourself together; you can’t get your head on straight to move forward with your health.

While you may think you’re the only one. I assure you, you’re not alone. I think our crazy, busy world has created a culture of busyness and overdoing, to the point where we no longer have the time, the motivation or the ability to properly look after ourselves.

We often get to the point, usually in midlife, where we wonder: How did we get here? It wasn’t like this before. What am I doing wrong?

You need rest

But you see, we can’t expect our bodies to be capable of running so efficiently for so long if we don’t have proper rest. If we don’t slow down long enough to listen to what our body needs. If we don’t fuel our body and soul sufficiently. And if we aren’t addressing the emotional and relational components of our well-being.

Sure, you might intellectually know that you need to meditate daily, eat homemade foods, exercise for at least 30 minutes, do stretches, lift weights, connect with your loved ones, and so on.

But really who has the time for that kind of thing? Who can find time in the schedule to do all of the things that are required to look after these vehicles that house our souls and spirits?

I know it’s hard. Especially when you’re busy, when you have kids when you’re tired and unmotivated. But what happens when you run out of time entirely, when you reach that point, somewhere in your 40s or 50s, when the doc. says:

“nope, there’s nothing left to do but to cut it out, or use this medication”

Or some other last-resort medical treatment.

For you see, it’s the things that you choose to do daily, the way that you think about things, the way you approach your feelings, and the way that you talk to yourself that influences your long-term health.

The influence of society on health

And one of the major influences on how we live our lives has always been the overculture of society. Our mainstream media has influences beyond our capacity to imagine. We are drawn to this connection with others through billboards, advertisements, social media, radio and television. Telling us how we should be, relating to us in a way that makes us believe that we need to live our lives in a particular way.

But if we can isolate ourselves from this overculture and draw in our energy for ourselves. And look inwardly, for a very long time, not looking out, but in. We can begin to truly see that what we are doing is slowly eating away at us. Those tiny decisions that we think won’t affect our health, will, in the long term contribute to chronic health conditions.

And once we reach that point, we will realise that it’s all gone too far. How did this happen? It seems like it crept up overnight.

What’s in your control

You see. Although there are so many factors that contribute to our well-being: Our genes, upbringing, beliefs and so on. To a lesser and greater extent, there is so much more that is in our control, including:

The food we eat, the people we associate with, our environment, our lifestyle and how we process our emotions, our relationships and our connections with others. All of these things, and more, are largely within our control.

And if we allow ourselves to quietly step away from the pack, and begin to listen to the needs of our body, the needs of our soul and spirit, we begin to find the time to do the things we know are important to our health. We begin to relish the morsels of time that we have for ourselves. To nourish our souls. And properly care for this vehicle that we call our body.

You’re the one

These are our choices, and for the most part, we’re the ones who play this role in creating our health. We’re the ones that get in the way of moving forward with our health goals. We’re the ones that decide how we’re going to react to situations, and what we’re going to consume: socially, emotionally or nutritionally. Ultimately, we’re the ones who are going to get in the way of our ability to move forward with our health.

I hope this helps you to understand that you’re the one who has the power to move in a forward motion to improve your health. You may need some guidance, and that’s where I step in as your naturopathic health guide. I can help you to take the reins of your health and take greater control of your well-being.

Are you ready to move out of your way and make your health and well-being a priority?