One of the things which we help patients do, regardless of their health challenges, is to redefine themselves. So often when a person lives with chronic or acute conditions for years or even decades, it becomes part of who they are. This old identity includes habits and practices which make it easy to keep a less healthy status.
Making a choice
Human beings are amazing, resilient creatures. We can redefine ourselves, sometimes on a moment’s notice, to become someone we never were before that instant. In many cases, it’s easy. For example, when a woman
becomes a mother, she transitions from being childless to being the center of a helpless infant’s every need. Her role and life are redefined with the birth of the child. She has been redefined by that event.
While one does not always have the option of how their life will change, sometimes they do. Furthermore, sometimes, one makes a wise and willful decision to change it and must redefine themselves in the process. It is at this point that one also must examine old habits ruthlessly to determine if they may be blocking progress.
As an example, a patient with back and knee problems can no longer keep a cache of sweets: they prevent him from losing those extra pounds. The former smoker has to avoid going into convenience stores where there are a plethora of tobacco products in view at the checkout counter. The depressed person has to minimize contact with toxic relatives. In the process of turning toward new life choices, it may become necessary to eschew the old ways.
We believe in our patients. We think they can overcome the obstacles which prevent them from achieving their health goals. The change may start with nothing more than a patient waking up one morning and saying, “If I want to be something different, I have to do things differently.”
Change takes courage
The moxie to prioritize new behaviors to suit one’s goals cannot be underestimated. In many cases, the need for change involves some seemingly self-centered choices, as well as the resilience to follow through with change. But, the courage to change is the lifestyle equivalent of putting on one's own oxygen mask before helping others: the ability to care for oneself instead of bowing to social or marketing pressure is a crucial and often overlooked step in the redefinition process.
Partners
We understand that our patients may face obstacles and that some changes will be difficult. But, many patients who come to us have already decided to redefine themselves; they only need us to provide the tools, encouragement, guidance, or medical assistance. We are proud to be a partner in this process, and consider it an honor when our patients choose us to help them and to cheer them on as they learn to redefine themselves and live their dream.
If you are in or near the Scottsdale area and need a wellness partner to achieve your health goals call New Life Wellness Clinic at (480) 510-5344.
