4 Ways to Change the Story of Your Health

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the conflicting information about what you ought to eat, how often you should exercise, and what to prioritize when it comes to your health. If you’re having health challenges, there are four key ways to let go of your confusion, bring in some clarity, and start to change the story of your health for the better.

1. Be honest with yourself. Don’t shy away from the truth about what your health story is today. Be honest about what you are experiencing physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you have lost some of your stamina and tire easily, identify the emotions that brings up for you and how your lack of stamina is affecting your life. Try to articulate the beliefs you hold about this change in your health story, particularly any beliefs that are pessimistic, such as, “I don’t think I can regain my vitality.”
2. Acknowledge, feel, and release your emotions about your health story. What aspects of your story make you the most unhappy, ashamed, or scared? Acknowledge that you are scared, angry at yourself, or upset that you didn’t address your health issues before now and are having health problems currently. As you get in touch with your emotions, you may discover that what you most need to address is anger at yourself for not making self-care a higher priority. You might need to deal with your anger at others for not supporting you in getting the rest and relaxation you need. Learning from that anger and releasing it could be key to reducing stress that is contributing to your health challenges. Release your emotions through crying, or perhaps through dancing or moving in ways that allow you to let go of the energy of your emotion (such as running to release grief or anger). You might also simply sit quietly with the intention to let your emotions arise within you and flow out of you.
3. Ask your inner healer for a message about your health. Inside each of us is a wise inner healer, an aspect of our consciousness hidden from everyday awareness. This wise inner healer may hold valuable insights that can help you write a better health story for yourself. For example, it may have a message for you that you are struggling to get the sleep you need because deep down you believe that people who need more than a few hours’ sleep are weak, lazy, and unsuccessful so you resist healthy sleep habits. Consciously, you may realize that is a foolish and unhelpful belief. Unconsciously, you might be in its grip. Such insights can be extremely beneficial when you are trying to get to the core of why you are having trouble changing your habits—and changing your health story to be more satisfying. Meditate and ask your inner healer for a message about your health.
4. Get more information. It’s possible that you do not have the most up-to-date information about your health challenges and how to meet them. New research about health comes out daily, so don’t give up hope of finding key information for writing a better health story.

Whatever your challenges, let go of the feeling of being overwhelmed and confused, and take these four actions toward changing the story of your health.