I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about healing these days and what exactly it means because we have so many models for healing today.
Wikipedia defines healing this way:
Healing (literally meaning to make whole[1]) is the process of the restoration of health from an unbalanced, diseased or damaged organism.
“to make whole” is a nice thought. It assumes we begin as whole beings, perfectly intact, and most of us do begin life that way. It’s after that, especially as adults, we begin to mess things up.
Being a health coach I get to think about healing all the time. It helps, because I'm always reminded that if I want to be well, I have to put in the work just like everyone else. The starting point is always food. If the food we eat becomes our cells, why wouldn't we start with food?
Someone told me today that she really likes my book because it is not too scientific and it is not like a diet. She said it is realistic and process oriented. That was my intention. Hearing a lot of science may not be convincing when someone puts a steamy pizza or plate of cookies in front of you. What does work is developing an eating stylethat keeps you from feeling hungry in between meals. That happens with simple whole foods and regularly scheduled meals.
When I work with someone I ask a lot of questions. How long have you felt this way? What do you think is going on? When did you last feel your best? What was that like? What do you think you need to do to feel better again? Are there things in your lifestyle that may be keeping you from feeling “whole”? Poor diet? Too much stress? Loneliness? Bad relationships? Not enough sleep, exercise or fun? Are you smoking? Drinking too much?
I am certain that no one knows YOU better than you do. It’s just that sometimes you don’t ask yourself these questions, either because you’ve been told that someone or something can fix you, or because you know the answers but don’t want to deal with it.
Know that there are many ways healing can occur, sometimes with medicine, sometimes with surgery, sometimes with supplements, but always with self-care and active participation with whatever complementary practitioners you may choose to work with.
My Top 4 Self-Care Tips
If you need healing, here are the top 4 self-care actions you can take to make yourself whole:
- believe that you can get better. This is #1 because if you don’t believe this, why would you put effort into it?
- change your food for the better. The cellular structure of your food becomes the cellular structure of YOU. Think KFC and Twinkies. Then think simple fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains (okay, organic grassfed beef and wild fish, too) And when you think of protein, include lentils, beans, whole grains, tofu, green vegetables and nuts. Vegetarians and vegans, with the right food combinations, are among the world’s healthiest.
- Sleep. It’s when your body repairs itself. Your best sleep comes when you have an empty belly and no alcohol in your system.
- Don’t worry. Worry is stressing over something before it even happens, and may never happen. Save your energy for actual problems.
Look over these top 4 self-care actions. Challenge yourself and zone in on the one that needs the most work. Make a plan.
Write in the comments section what you will do to jump start your healing. Your comments can help the next person see possibilities they may not have thought about .