I believe that your health and happiness is yours to control. One simple way to practice self-responsibility is to acknowledge what you know about your life and health. The fact is, most of the time, you have a basic sense of what is good for you and what isn't.

I encourage you to take a short moment to turn within and ask yourself some simple questions. You may be surprised at how readily you can tune into your own information. We tend to defer to medical practitioners too often and distrust our own knowledge of ourselves and our bodies.

You will need pen, paper, and a quiet, undisturbed, comfortable to do this exercise.

Connecting with Your Own Inner Healer

Begin by taking a minute or two to relax and settle into yourself. Perhaps close your eyes and simply notice your breath, the rise and fall of your belly and how effortless it is to breath. When you are at ease, open your eyes.

1. Working in a focused manner, make a list of things that support or encourage your health and wellness. You can write in complete sentence or simply use words, phrases, or symbols. For example:

• I know that following my diet makes me feel better, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally.
• I know...
• I know...

List as many or as few things that come readily to you and feel complete.

2. Make another list, listing the things that discourage your health and wellness. For example:

• I know that eating in the car as I'm driving is not conducive to my digestion.
• I know that...
• I know that…

Please, try not to make judgements. This is an exercise in self-awareness, which is the first step to change. An honest self-exploration will give you confidence to acknowledge and trust your own inner wisdom and shape your life in ways that promote greater health and wellness. It enables you to speak with confidence to your doctor or health experts about what you know about yourself.

You may recognize behaviours you’d like to change and be motivated to make changes to patterns that don’t serve your wellness. If you do, remember small steps are the most sustainable. Be sure to acknowledge yourself for everything you do to enhance your health.