She told me she was dying. And it was the stress that was killing her.
I looked over her paperwork from the hospital. She didn’t have a bad heart. She had bad lungs. She had not had a heart attack. She had COPD. It wasn’t the stress, it was the cigarettes.
But when you get deeper into the story, you start to understand…maybe it is the stress. I started to sympathize. Maybe in the end, that’s what gets us all.
There’s a bit of magic I wish I could teach my patients. This is it: Find the opportunity inside the difficulty.
For my patients with health problems, it can sometimes feel the Universe is against them. Because typically nothing comes singularly. One diagnosis leads to another. The bad news just keeps coming. In other words, when it rains it pours. But maybe there’s a way to take the bad news and get something good from it.
A lot of patients have to tell me “Doc, I was doing just fine until I came here” Of course I laugh. I understand what they mean. Sometimes there’s a lot of comfort in not-knowing.
But not-knowing doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
And I think that’s kind of what I want us to focus on a little bit. The “idea” of things and how that affects us emotionally and physically and what we can then do about it.
You see, it’s not like our thoughts create our reality. But in a lot of ways they do control our reality.
Health problems can feel daunting, overwhelming, suffocating even. You may feel trapped by your own body. Helpless. But the truth is, you may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change how you react to them.
Here’s the thing…
You’re not trapped. You have freedom. You can either do something about what you’ve learned or try and ignore it. That’s your freedom.
Stop focusing on your disease and start focusing on your health and your potential for healing. When you get a diagnosis, don’t let it label you. In other words, that’s not your identity. It’s just something you’re going to have to deal with.
Decide to move forward with vigor and determination. Change your thinking and embrace a proactive approach.
Do you have severe anxiety? Clean out all the clutter in your house.
Do you have ADHD? Start making to do lists and stick to them. Set one goal for the day and one goal for the week and keep them.
Do you have COPD? Stop smoking and start meditating.
Are you diabetic? Throw out everything in your pantry and buy only food that will spoil in the next several days. Start walking 30 mins every day and lift weights 2 to 3 times per week.
Are you starting to be more forgetful? Do crossword puzzles or Sudoku every day and start following the MIND Diet.
The above things won’t necessarily cure you but they will give you something tangible you can do about your problems. And if you’re consistent, it will make you healthier. And that’s the goal, right?
Rather than dwelling on failures or setbacks, focus on what you’ve learned about yourself and your infinite potential. By reframing your thinking, you can transform your life and move forward.
This shift in thinking can change your life one small step at a time!
Talk to your doctor and get a plan.
You might be sick, but you’re not dead yet. Get after it.
P.S.
If you want to know why I’m a doctor and not a writer…
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