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Being selfish is the best thing you can do for those you care about!
That’s right!
Even though that sounds counterintuitive, I believe that whether you are a parent, caregiver, a patient or a healthcare professional, one of the best things you can do is to become selfish.
Put your well-being BEFORE that of your patients, children, family or friends.
We have all heard the announcements in the airplanes, to put your own oxygen mask before you help the others, be it your child, family or a stranger in the next seat.
Or the saying; “You can’t pour from an empty cup!”
Because if you’re depleted, or you’re not safe or healthy yourself, what good are you to others?
I get it. It takes every grain in your body to ignore the call for help, especially when it’s your child, or someone you love and care so deeply about or for the healthcare professionals, when it’s your patients for whom you’ve sworn to help to the best of your capabilities.
As a physician, I was trained to care for others’ health and welfare, and to put my patients' needs first.
It’s justified in that our patients come to us with an expectation and level of trust in us that we will do everything in our power to help them in returning to a state of health and wellness. However, when one sees 25 patients a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year for 25 years, how is that sustainable?
Not only that, we still have our families, other personal responsibilities and obligations to attend to as well.
But we all know, it’s hard to care for others when you’re feeling depleted yourself. At least not effectively and even that is only feasible for so long!
Poor physical and mental state of a physician or any healthcare professional has a direct impact on their patients’ wellbeing and the quality of care their patients receive. Physicians and healthcare professionals are role models. The health habits of physicians influence the counseling they provide to their patients and also their credibility as shown through research. A physician is not believed if they do not practice what they preach.
Similarly, we all know that children are like sponges, they absorb everything, they follow the adult role models around them, most closely their parents and caregivers. Setting good examples by prioritizing personal wellness, sets them on the right path.
All changes begin at a personal level.
Personal wellness entails all the things we all know and preach:
Get adequate sleep.
Hydrate, eat healthy foods, preferably plant based.
Lead an active lifestyle with regular physical activity.
Surround yourself with people who will support your efforts.
Set healthy boundaries. Take breaks during the day.
Develop a support network.
Maintain intellectual pursuits and hobbies across your lifetime.
Manage your finances.
Care for your spiritual needs, and so on…….
In order to get you started on this path of personal well being, we created a series of brief but mighty strategies that you can implement anytime, anywhere!
At Proactive Pain Solutions, in launching our new YouTube channel, we purposely focused on offering a brief video series for self care. These simple breathing, acupressure an self massage techniques demonstrated in this series offer you quick tools to;
Relieve pain, sore, tight muscles, tension
Provide relaxation
Enhance mindfulness, create focus and attention,
Conserve energy and energize,
Enhance mental clarity, and decision making capacity.
We all know that nothing feels good when We do not feel good!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful when you feel reinvigorated, refocused, and free of physical discomfort?
So use this resource from our YouTube - Long Lasting Pain Relief & Relaxation Series to take care of yourself.
Become selfish!