Sometimes my patients get into black-and-white thinking when a health issue comes up or they don’t see a major resolution of a health complaint. They are working on making healthy changes in their life, and they may ask “what’s the point of all of my work?” They might even give up the healthy changes they made because they don’t see that it’s “working.”
My message today is that optimal health is not perfect health.
Optimal health is about supporting your body to be in the best possible health.
Optimal health isn’t the glossy magazine image of perfect health.Comparing ourselves to that glossy magazine image always means we will fall short. Optimal health does not mean that you will never experience disease or illness or discomfort or pain in your body. That would be perfect health and perfect health does not exist because our bodies change.
All I can say is that change is part of being alive.
We can’t perfectly avoid illness or pain or suffering. What we can do is strengthen and support our bodies to be the healthiest possible. By building this strong foundation of health we create resilience so that we can heal and recover from illness. We may not be able to always cure illness, but we can manage it from a healthier place.
More consistently, you can experience better energy levels, a strong immune system, quality sleep, healthy digestion, hormonal balance, and a healthier, happier mood. You can feel more freedom and ease in your body.
If a health issue comes up or a health issue doesn’t completely resolve, take a deep breath and remind yourself all the ways your life has benefitted from optimizing your health. It may not be perfect, but you may see that the benefits are totally worth it.