5 Ways To Make Your Life Better

Classic scenario: you finally got to the doctor after being nagged to do something about [insert problem here] by your loved ones, not to mention it has gotten worse.

You have an idea what the problem is but didn't want it to be true so you put off seeing a professional hoping it would just go away. It's just old age creeping up on you and if there be anything in your power to keep it at bay you will do it, even if it means ignoring. So you are waiting. Waiting for those words to seal your fate. It is incredible the amount of control fear has.

Many people live in this fear in an attempt to stave off the aging process, as if aging needs to be a bad thing! My dad would ignore problems. In fact there was a time he was so yellow with jaundice he couldn't ignore it anymore! (After an extensive hospital stay and answered prayers he is back to his jovial self). We should not be afraid of our bodies and age, but our attitude tends to be like teenagers throwing a wild party half afraid their parents will get home early. As a massage therapist many of my clients come in fear that their shoulder pain means a torn rotator cuff muscle or their back pain means a herniated disc all of which ends with surgery and immobility. Take a deep breath is my advice. No need to be jumping to conclusions. But human nature tend to remind us there is an end and once things stop working the way they used to, well it's time for the nursing home. You don't need to fall victim. You don't need to limit your bodies' capabilities to the experience someone else had in a similar situation. Here is my list or arsenal to attack those thoughts with:

1. Management. The biggest thing I took away from schooling is that you can't "do whatever you want to" when you are young. There are consequences, sometimes that means you are dealing with an issue now that could have been prevented IF you hadn't [fill in the blank with personal scenario]. Well you can't change the past but you CAN change what you do today. So make positive changes and move on.
   
2. Use It or Lose It. Move! Somewhere along the road we give up playing. Probably because responsibility tires us out. I urge you to regain your childish adventure and have fun with moving! Don't just take your kids to the playground and watch them-get in there with them! Not only will you challenge your body to move in different ways but you will also be connecting with your kids in a way they will cherish forever. If you don't have kids to take to a playground, what is stopping you from going anyway? Be wise and choose a time that the park will not be filled with kids however.
3. You Are What You Eat. How many of you just rolled your eyes remembering your mother saying that? She may not have been a dietician but she was right. If you eat nothing but junk then your body will start shutting down and sputtering out the same quality back.
4. Mind Over Matter. The brain is a powerful thing and many fail to give it proper credit. It is pertinent to keep in mind that you can think your way to illness or health. This may sound silly but there is truth to it. In every research study there is a group that scientists will give a placebo (or fake) to so that the recipients believe they are getting medicine when in fact it is a simple sugar pill, yet they will report improvement in health! So you can view setbacks as the end of the world or as a challenge.
5. Do Something About It. No sense in speculating catastrophic scenarios, do something about it! Seek help in managing. Change your habits. Find a way to overcome and move on. The longer you sit wondering, worrying the chances are you will regret missing out on life because it may not have been as bad as you thought. On top of that, for change to happen you need a treatment plan so go get some help and fight it head on!
   

I have seen all sorts of clients in my years of massage and with that comes many stories. Some of those include people convinced, by their own means or another health professional, that their situation would require drastic measures to remedy only to find a trigger point in a muscle to be the cause of their pain. It is always a gift to be there when all the fears are melted away due to such realizations. I urge you to be aggressive in your quest for answers and not settle until you have exhausted all avenues. Every health professional has their strengths and weaknesses, specialties and unfamiliarity with certain situations that it is up to you to advocate for yourself.