Hello friends,
Let’s face it. As much as we all would like to be in perfect health forever until we drift off to sleep at an old ripe age without so much as a twinge of pain, such a life is a rare occurrence.
In fact, many of us go through life having experienced not one, but many bouts of illness. These episodes may or may not be life threatening, however I would be ignorant to discount the impact that they can have on a person’s mood and function.
As a medical doctor, and perhaps more importantly as a patient in many past instances, I can empathize with the struggles brought on by ill health in all its ugly colors. Whether it is a temporary condition or a chronic disease, the burden of sickness weighs heavy on all of us. It affects those directly afflicted, as well the people who care for them. On a larger scale, it significantly drains from the medical system as a whole.
To the individuals who are struggling with illness, I offer my utmost empathy. I believe you when you say the words “It is not easy”. I know it to be true.
In my practice I can offer many things, though for many patients the tools of my learned profession are rarely satisfactory on a spiritual level. Yes, I can prescribe antibiotics for an infection or pain medications for sciatica. The answer to suffering, I find, rarely lies in those treatments alone. I think that the practice of medicine can be best summarized by the following quote from Hippocrates, who is considered by many to be the father of Western medicine.
“Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
As much as I wish it were so, neither my prescription pad nor the surgeon’s scalpel can alleviate all the maladies known to man. Human beings are intricate and complex, as we are much more than a bag of fluids and electrolytes. Furthermore, perhaps more than any other species, we FEEL.
“Feel”, incidentally, is the word I hear most in primary care. Patients, as human beings, desire to feel well. To feel well is more than the simple absence of pain or discomfort. The concept of “wellness” transcends biology and psychiatry into something more…indescribable.
Perhaps the word is spiritual. Every patient I have ever seen, without question, desires to feel at ease with their lives in some way. This can mean that they wish to experience less pain, uncertainty, fear of death and emptiness, amongst other things. They may wish to feel loved and cared for, or they may wish to be financially supported. Most of all, I find, they wish to be heard.
I often state to patients that I am on their side, no matter what. And if you are reading this and are suffering, I will say this as well.
I am on your team.
Your suffering is real. No one but yourself, though we try to relate, truly understands your struggles. Every day has its surprises when you are sick. Today might be a good day, and yet tomorrow you may feel as if your world is coming to an end. However, let me say one thing. Your life is so much more than your present suffering. Your gift to the world is much more than your illness. Sometimes, incidentally, it is illness that brings out our innate potential. Human beings are adaptable creatures. When life closes one door, it often leaves a crack for another. It is up to you to step through it.
Whether your limitations are physical, mental, or even labelled to be terminal, they do not define you. You can and will become the best version of yourself.
On this topic I offer you some tips to remain positive in spite of poor health. I do this not to simply distract you from illness, but to remind you that your mind is a key aspect of your lived experience, and perhaps, just perhaps, a positive mind IS health manifested.
Number one: Connect with others.
Dr. Hegde, an Ayurveda Medicine practioner who I admire, has a quote which I believe to be true.
“Illness starts with I, whereas wellness starts with we.”
Despite your issues and struggles, there is perhaps no greater relief than the experience of human connection. This experience can be as simple as sharing your emotions with a willing listener, or helping someone through their own issues via your lived experience. Volunteering, I consistently find, is among the most popular activities reported in my healthy old demographic- That is, people who are elderly with only few diagnosed conditions, on the least amount of medicine, and who are the most functional despite the number next to their age.
Even the sick can help others by guiding them emotionally through a lived experience. In this way the best patients are those who band together. Becoming a part of a community is, in my opinion, an innate desire embedded in our very nature. Perhaps science is only starting to catch up to this innate understanding. For example, a recently published article detailing the most common traits shared by “Blue-zone” inhabitants (Blue-zones are areas of the world with exceptionally long life expectancies) showed that being a part of a community was a key trait shared by all of these communities.
Whether you are sick or not, I offer that instead of withdrawing into yourself, to express yourself outwards and open yourself up to positive interactions. Some examples include:
- Joining a community group
- Volunteering in local charities
- Connecting with your loved ones and friends
- Seeking out new activities with like-minded individuals
- Join a church if you are religiously inclined
We as human beings love to connect. In doing so we are not only protecting health, but manifesting it.
Caveat: I realise that this article is published during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please take this advice as general tips, rather than something you ought to do tomorrow. Please adhere to local public health recommendations regarding social distancing, so that we may flatten the disease curve and prosper together.
Number two: Don’t forget to move.
“Flowing water never goes stale”
-Bruce Lee
I believe that our bodies are designed to move through space in one way or another. Moderate, regular activity has shown conclusive beneficial effects on things like high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and early heart failure. Yet I do not believe that the benefits are limited to these things alone. As I have mentioned, science is partially innovative, but also partial confirmatory of innate, ancient understanding.
Just now there are the studies and guidelines being made to include physical activity on the spectrum of treatment for human illnesses, and yet their benefits are something many of us have always known. There is no question in my mind as to whether physical activity has a role in the healing process. I have seen people reverse certain chronic diseases through simple exercise, a healthy diet, and a positive attitude alone.
The blue zone article I linked above also mentions the benefit of movement, stating:
“Move naturally. The world’s longest-lived people do not pump iron, run marathons, or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and do not have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.”
To experience the true benefit of physical activity, one has to believe in it. That is, it cannot be seen as a chore or nuance, but as a healthy expression of our human bodies. I will add my personal suggestion here as well: Try to move in nature as much as you can.
To learn more about the benefits of movement, check out this article.
Number three: Practice Forgiveness and Compassion
If in order to get, you must give, then ask yourself: What must you do to forget?
There is a cliché that anger is a double edged sword. In my experience this is absolutely true. While I do not have statistics to back up my claim, it is my observation that patients who have persistent anger, grudge, and hatred suffer the most mentally and physically.
The world has not always been kind to each of us. Whether it is an abusive relationship, a stressful commitment, or a toxic asset weighing on the mind, stresses seldom ask politely to interfere with our happiness.
But I offer you an analogy. If your mental health was a bowl, and the stressors in life are streams of water filling it, how do you prevent your bowl from spilling? While you can try to divert the streams, you seldom eliminate them all together. What you must do is to enlarge your cup. In order to do so, you must increase your mind’s resilience. By practicing compassion, love, and forgiveness to those who welcome it, you are recharging your positive energy. As for those who shun these things, politely reserve them for others who do not.
Do not hold grudges. Say to yourself “I forgive the universe, because I am the universe.” Remember, hatred lives in the past, anxiety lives in the future, and peace lives in the present. Meditation is my medication of choice for a chaotic mind. While I do prescribe anti-depressants and mood stabilizers in my profession, I always recommend meditation as an adjunct to healing the mind. This advice, along with those above, does not only apply to those with a diagnosed psychiatric condition, but to everyone in general. Our modern lives are chaotic and stressful, and unless we can disconnect altogether, the next best thing is to do what we can to ground ourselves.
This concludes my tips for remaining positive during ill health.
Before we sign off, I wish for you to consider some things. Is health truly an objective measure? Can other people truly tell us whether we are healthy or not? Is health completely up to the physician to label?
My answer, if you haven’t guessed, is a firm no. Health is defined by you. A healthy mind is the start of a healthy life.
Until next time.
Your friend,
-Tie
Thanks for reading my article. Here are some other articles on health. Enjoy!
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