It’s Your Health Story. How Do You Want It To End?
As someone who writes stories, I often think about where I want a character to “be” at the end of their story. Are they the hero or heroin? Is it a happy ending or tragic missed opportunity? In fiction it is made up and crafted. But, in real life, we take bumps and have real obstacles which require real solutions. I believe we can influence our health problems and the ending of our own stories when we consider that we are the main character and each sentence, paragraph and chapter is leading to a final hurrah.
Most stories are told to make a point or get to a punchline. Life for everyone is lived and then it ends. Just like a story, there is a point. This is your story. Are you living into that point and telling the story you want to tell? The ending is not a punchline, it’s a true story about you and how you lived and loved, or not. Who do you want to be in the end of your tale? How do you want to maneuver your life as you move towards an ending you desire?
I’m suggesting we consider the stories we tell and think about conclusions of our own chapters and our state of health in our own ending. Like I do in writing, we can use questions, to guide our health path more strategically.
Certainly, a story timeline can be in different time frames. We have birth stories, love stories, accident stories, injury stories, athletic wins, weight gains and losses, diseases, surgeries, and more, which are all stories of health and our physical bodies. We can consider all of them are relevant to our overall health story. But some, we hang on to and tell repeatedly. A health crisis could be a chapter or a whole book. Retelling has value in the overall understanding of a persons life, but I’m wondering if or why we keep some alive and not others.
Here are some of the best questions I’ve found to get to the real story about your health. Your answer to these questions invites insight into the stories you tell yourself about your body and the limiting beliefs you might have that impede full recovery.
Your answers to these questions allow you to fast-forward through thoughts about your current body and health to focus on your ending. Rather than ignore, worry or reject your state of health, choose to accept, attend and appreciate better health and wellbeing.
“Rather than ignore, worry or reject your state of health, choose to accept, attend and appreciate better health and wellbeing. ”
Sit with and answer these questions for self-improvement, evolution, even healing.
1. What’s the difference between how you tell your health story and the story you want to tell? The stories we tell ourselves about our ability to be well influence our expression of wellness. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful about the stories we tell and the actions we take. The more familiar you are with your story the more likely it is to play out. It’s your health story. How do you want it to end?
2. What story do you tell yourself or others about your health? Especially, about aches, pains, injuries and even the perpetuation or relief of a health crisis? Is it old news or a real belief in your capacity to be well in the present and future?
3. What health alarms do you need to address sooner than later? Of course, you can’t control everything, but you can control your thoughts and actions which do affect your behaviors, chemistry, physical condition, mental state and motivation. Symptoms can be sneaky and slow. With health, prevention and early attention is usually better sooner than later. Listen to and take care of your body, it’s your actual home.
4. Do you only respond to alarms, or do you keep your health in the safety zone? Don’t ignore pain, aches, discomfort, lack of motivation, lack of participation, mental fatigue, emotional stress, sleep and much more. Generally, the further you venture from well, the slower the return to health.
5. Do you believe you are healthy or can be? Whether in your own mind, or out loud to other, you want to tell stories of healing, relief, and belief. It’s easier to do this if you believe in innate wellness. Maybe we don’t know exactly how your physical body knows to beat your heart, take in breath, absorb nutrients, remove wastes, heal tissues, or do its job in order to live but it’s designed to be well. Get your mind on the same team and trust the miracle your body is. I believe it wants to do it’s job. Sometimes you need to get out of its way, even if we do that by asking for and getting help.
6. What do you say to yourself or others about how you feel? “I am well, I have recovered, I’m stronger, I take care of this to prevent that, I’ll do whatever it takes, I am doing all the right things body, mind and spirit, I’m a little better every day.” Your body may be following your lead. Choose your words, and infuse your beliefs to match your desire.
7. Are you open to help? If you need help, ask for help, get help and accept the help. There is help. We cannot know everything or do everything for ourselves. It often takes a community of council or experts. Even a small team of friends and providers help keep a well person well.
8. What if you never tell the back story? Do we need to keep the past alive? What emotions do you feel when brining up health history? That was then, what is now. Tell a new story and see how it makes you feel. Better?
When you think of your life as a story you decide your ending. My hope is that each chapter moves you forward. As you consider the ending let it inspire you to take care of you now. In the end, I want your story to be a tale of your own making with you as the hero or heroin. The ending is up to you. Make it a good one.
