Your health is something you should always have the final say over. Staying In Control Of Your Own Health is one of the best things for guaranteeing a healthy and happy existence, and it always feels a lot better to know you’re the one in charge!
Of course, sometimes it feels like that control is taken away from us. If we suddenly come down with a cold, after being so careful with prevention measures, we can start to think we have no control over our health at all. We can feel like it’s all up to fate, or bad decisions we made in the past, and now it’s all coming back to bite us.
Staying In Control Of Your Own Health
But in truth, you have a lot more control over what goes on in your body and mind than you might think. You’ve got a lot of say over how your life is going to go, and you can make a lot of changes to make sure you’re always in the best of health. And with the pointers below, we hope to help you on this journey.
Know-How Your Diet Affects You
The diet you currently commit to will have a lot of control over how your mind and body act. For example, not eating as often as you should is a great way to lose power over your thoughts; if you feel like you can’t focus during an afternoon at work, it might just mean you’re in need of a snack. Hit the vending machine!
But of course, even when you’re on a consistent diet, that keeps you eating as and when you want or need to, some things can vary. If you’re eating a lot of saturated fats, you’re going to find it a lot easier to put on a few pounds. If you’re eating a lot of protein, you might notice yourself feeling stronger. And if you like your carbs, you’re going to be eating some very filling things that will help stave the hunger off!
If you know what you’re eating, and how it’s going to affect you and your body, you’re going to feel a lot more in charge of how your body works. And that’s key for making a change if you need one.
Know-How to Exercise Effectively
Exercise is something we all get, even when we think we’re not. Getting out of bed and walking around your house is the first official exercise of the day! You’re drastically changing your body’s position, stretching as you go, and working those muscles for the first time in hours. When you think about it like that, you might just start feeling a lot healthier than you did a second ago… Doesn’t that help you feel a bit more in control?
But being able to exercise effectively, on a long term and widespread basis means breaking a sweat and getting your heart to pound. If you’re committing to an exercise routine that feels comforting, and hardly makes you break out in a light sweat on your temple, it’s time to switch things up a little. You’re in need of a little more intensity, or maybe just a few more workout bouts through the week!
Know Your Patient Rights
If you’re going to see a doctor, it’s key to keep in mind just how many rights you have as a patient, and when they might be being infringed upon. You’ve got a lot of rights over your health, including access to your own medical records, so if you’re curious and/or worried about your medical history, why not ask to see these?
It might take a lot of courage for you to speak up, but if you’re seriously worried about a symptom you’re experiencing, be determined. For example, if a doctor responds to your symptoms with the phrase, ‘We’re not going to test that’, make sure you get it noted down that you had no tests done.
Make sure it goes into your file that the doctor you placed your health in the hands of has decided to not do their duty. Of course, you could get a second opinion, but try not to leave without having that very clear distinction made.
Know When to Fold
Folding, in terms of your health, doesn’t have to mean giving up. Your health isn’t something you can quite give up on, after all. It simply means you’re getting close to a limit, and it’s time to take a step back and assess the situation. It might just save your health as it is!
Don’t worry, it happens to us all. You don’t need to feel bad about needing to sit down and say, ‘I’ve had enough for today.’ We all have our limits, and if you want to stay in control of your own health, you’ll want to make sure you know yours.
But how do you consciously make a decision like this? How do you make sure you’re not snowballing into it? Well, you take a moment to think about how you’re feeling. You take a moment to think about everything that’s happened recently, and how it’s affected you. Even just making a habit of this, every night before you head to bed, is a good way to stay in touch with your limits.
Sometimes we need to consider the idea of checking into rehab, sometimes we just need to suck it up and go see a doctor – quite a few of us can get nervous in the waiting room, and being able to beat those heavily fluttering butterflies is a big thing! Sometimes we just need to check the local counseling directory, to find a nearby (and affordable) therapist who can help us talk things through.
Staying in control of your own health is something we all should try to commit to. If you know how your body works, and what you’re putting into it, you can feel a lot happier about how your life is going.
