— Elena Michaels PhD, CCH, LMFT
We are all very busy! There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day, and everyone seems to need us…at work, at home, our friends, and family. We barely have time to take care of ourselves. And if we don’t have others depending upon us and needing us, then we distract ourselves with diversions…television, shopping, projects, activities, the “busy addiction”, you name it. The one person that needs us to focus on them the most isn’t getting any energy at all. Guess who that is?
I ran into a therapist colleague recently who shared that she was experiencing many physical and emotional problems so she had her HRT (hormone replacement therapy) dosage increased. Her mother had passed away from breast cancer. I was horrified that she was on HRT with her history, and shared with her recent published research in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) regarding the connection between HRT and cancer and that HRT doesn’t even seem to protect the heart and bones. She told me she is “too busy and overwhelmed” to think about the hormone issue or to educate herself, and is just trusting her medical doctor.
A man came into the office recently, having just been to the emergency room suffering from severe abdominal pain. The doctors found nothing and sent him home with a powerful antacid. He’s a very busy and successful businessman, who is quite overweight with many health issues. After doing nutritional reflex testing and finding out there were several areas that needed nutritional support, we created a precise nutritional plan. He called recently saying that although he really wanted to feel and look better, he was just too busy with work to stick to his program, and didn’t want to spend the time “learning how to take care of himself”. I wondered what he was waiting for?
Everyone has his or her own path, and there are times when I just “let go”. If I want them to be healthy more than they want to be healthy, I feel a moment of sadness and then I focus my energy into working with those who are committed to their health and wellness. These people achieve excellent results from their efforts and this brings me great joy and substantiation that I am doing my life’s work!
Why is it that people refuse to take responsibility for themselves? If you have some kind of “condition” it is your job to educate yourself about it. Be your own advocate. Get informed and find a healthcare professional to “coach” you! It’s time to “step up to the plate” folks. What is keeping you from taking care of yourself? As an advanced stage cancer survivor coming up on my five year anniversary, I can tell you that nothing is more important that our health! Please do not wait until something radical happens to force you to focus on yourself. Do it now. And, sometimes even if we have taken excellent care of ourselves, our health can be compromised. There are no guarantees but at least you will know you did your best.
Don’t let yourself be the last in line. That person who has needed your attention more than anyone else, and who has wanted your energy and focus…is YOU!
Dr. Elena Michaels is a Doctor of Natural Health, Holistic Psychotherapist, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and has been helping others for more than 3 decades. She can be reached at 661 250-4395, 661 255-3388, [email protected] www.DrElena.com and at www.facebook.com/DrElenaMichaels