Inspirited Wellness Podcast Notes: Episode 4: Managing Expectations
I often get the opportunity to talk to people about their health challenges and goals and I find that many have unrealistic expectations about how things are going to happen, which leads to disappointment and disillusionment, which leads to giving up. You can be successful in setting and achieving your health goals, but you have to be smart (and realistic) about what to expect and ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success.
Generally, I see 3 categories of people with unrealistic expectations:
Category 1
The person who has been let down by conventional medicine and swings to the extreme other end of the spectrum – thinking that natural medicine is going to be the miracle they need and that conventional medicine is “bad.”
I really feel for these people because I’ve been there. They’re reacting to an event, or series of events and their trust in the system has been broken. They’re hurt and feel let down by people they’ve been taught to trust. Our medical professionals are supposed to have our backs, and it can be traumatizing when we go to them for answers and they don’t have those answers, or even worse, they actually make the condition worse. There’s also the unacceptable situation where people have been belittled and dismissed by their doctors.
As terrible as that is, people often have unrealistic expectations of the medical community. It’s dangerous to put doctors up on a pedestal. Not only can they not know everything, because that’s impossible, but they’re human beings. And human beings are fallible, imperfect, and we always bring our own biases and ignorance into everything we do.
What Place Does Conventional Medicine Have?
Conventional medicine does have a place in our lives, we just have to be discerning about what that place is. It’s overused, and in most cases, should not be the first thing we turn to. In emergencies, for diagnostics, and when surgery is necessary, conventional medicine can be lifesaving. However, in the case of most chronic disease, conventional medicine just doesn’t have the tools to actually heal. They can really only band-aid and suppress symptoms, which leads to deeper illness later on down the road.
Pharmaceuticals can have a place in our lives when the benefits outweigh the risks. There are many people here today who wouldn’t be if it weren’t for the medications that keep them alive and able to function.
I really hope that there will one day be less antagonism between modern medicine and alternative medicine and that we can find a way to work together for the health of everyone. Unfortunately, this history of modern medicine has always been very aggressive towards competition.
Category 2
People who don’t have a realistic view of how long it can take get healthy. They think that all they have to do is eat better, maybe get some exercise, and use natural medicines and they’re going to be healthy and never get sick again… and become disappointed when things aren’t moving as quickly as they envisioned or they don’t get the results they were hoping for.
Using alternative medicines by themselves, without healthy lifestyle changes will not bring fast or complete results. You must think holistically.
Don’t use natural medicines with the same mindset that you used pharmaceuticals – they’re different!
The reason for using a natural medicine, such as homeopathy, is because it works in harmony with the body’s innate, natural healing process. It supports the healing that the Vital Force is working towards, instead of suppressing symptoms.
Reclaiming Health
As adults, we really need to be thinking in terms of restoring our health. In most cases, we’ve had 20, 30, or more years of poor nutrition and lifestyle choices and negative patterns that have had an impact on our health. Our immune system, vitality, and organ systems are run down. That’s not even bringing inherited weaknesses into the picture! A couple months of using homeopathy or herbs is not going to turn things around. It can take YEARS to truly regain health and rebuild the immune system.
I don’t say this to discourage anyone. Of course, it’s never too late to make healthy choices, and in most cases, you will feel results quite quickly. But from the standpoint of recovering our immune systems and improving any chronic conditions we might be suffering from, that can take time. Prevention is always better than trying to fix something that broke!
Even children now, as vital and resilient as they are, can take time to recover when their immune systems have been damaged. It took several years of hard work and diligence (and homeopathy!) to recover my daughter’s immune system and heal her eczema when she was very young.
Category 3
Those who set healthy goals, but don’t plan for what happens when the excitement wears off and motivation wanes – and I’ll tell ya something, it always does.
Whenever you’re making lifestyle changes, you have to be strategic about how you’re going to make this new thing a habit. Motivation never lasts, my friend. Your brain does not want to change its comfy pattern and will start to give you all the reasons why this isn’t a good idea. (Get my Self-Coaching class to learn all about this). Then when you do go back to your same-old, same-old, your brain says,
“See? This just doesn’t work for us.”
“It’s always been this way and I can’t change.
You’ve just gathered more evidence for why you can’t eat better, lose weight, stick to an exercise regiment, etc.
What to do?
So, how can you be strategic for this weakening of resolve that WILL take place?
Expect that you’re not going to always feel like doing this thing – and PLAN for it!
Decide ahead of time to be the person who keeps the commitments you make to yourself, but not in a perfectionist, judgmental way. Jody Moore says that commitment is flexible and kind, but perfectionism is rigid and critical. Don’t always be looking for what you did wrong. We’re all imperfect humans, but we can make changes if we really want to.
Plan for the unexpected things that pop up in life. Life happens. But don’t use that as an excuse to totally let go of the commitment you’ve made to yourself.
Self-Coaching
There needs to be a strategy for dealing with your mindset and your expectations with any new goal that you embark on.
Ask yourself, “What is the result I’m trying to create?”
“What action do I need to take to achieve this result?”
“What thought do I need to think in order to drive that action?”
If you need help going through this process, sign up to be a Subscriber Insider and go through my Self-Coaching Class.
Mental Housekeeping
I listened to a podcast interview with Peter Crone a couple weeks ago and am going to paraphrase something he said.
“If you don’t create a beautiful future for yourself, then your brain will do it for you – and it probably won’t be that great because your brain is about survival and past experience. You have to do your mental housekeeping.”
Whether you envision a wonderful outcome, or allow your brain to run away with anxiety and fear, both of these scenarios are made up. Our brains like to dwell in what could go wrong. YOU have to decide to take control over your brain.
If you’d like to know more about how I can help you with your health challenges and goals, contact me for a free strategy session and I’m happy to get you pointed in the right direction.
Until next time, much love and many blessings to you and yours.
The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and not a replacement for medical advice. Any questions or concerns regarding your specific health-care needs should be addressed to your health-care provider. The author is not a medical doctor and will not be held liable for any outcomes linked to this information. The user takes full and complete responsibility for all outcomes to yourself or any other party as a result of any information contained or linked on this blog.
