Our health stories are often reflected in what we say casually to others when speaking about our health. Pessimistic stories about health challenges we’re struggling with can lock us out of believing we can experience greater wellness and a sense of well-being despite our difficulties. How often do you tell yourself or others a story such as “I know I’ll never lose this weight,” or “Everyone in my family was anxious, so there’s not much I can do to reduce my anxiety”? You might want to write a health story that offers new possibilities for a better relationship with your body and any conditions you might have. My guess is you have taken actions to improve your health, whether you’re aging, trying to recover from an injury, living with a mental health condition, or a combination of things. After working so hard to fix your health, maybe you started taking comfort in the familiar story of “This is how things are and always will be.” Does that story work for you — so well that you’re sure you want to give up hope for something better? It can be painful to try again to improve your health only to fail. Giving up hope can seem like a sensible choice that will spare you pain. But what if you could tolerate the emotional challenge of disappointment and remain open to new possibilities for improving your health? Then you could write a new, more satisfying health story and perhaps begin bringing it to life.
Even when people have received a dire prognosis, managing their stress and setting new priorities can often improve their health. It may be that a new story called “I am living each day as fully as I can, appreciating what is good in my life, and prioritizing what feeds my soul” can actually program your body to fight cancer cells, repair cellular damage, and make you feel vitalized and energized. Is that potential payoff greater than the payoff of doing nothing? Doing nothing might help you avoid the anger, frustration, and sadness that arise when you experience a setback or discover that a new intervention isn’t working after all. But is that a better payoff than potentially improving your health?
Your new health story doesn’t have to be, “I’ve solved the problem once and for all and never have to think about that health issue again.” That story may By Carl Greer, Ph.D., Psy.D. A Health Story That Offers New Possibilities healthy living February/March 2019 15 healthy living not feel realistic for you right now. But imagine if you rewrote your story called “I’m afraid I’ll never lose the weight,” replacing it with a new one called, “I’m concerned about losing the eight and looking at my options even as I love and accept myself. I am enthusiastic about improving my health however I can.” How does it feel to contemplate this new health story?
Let’s say you have a health story called “I’m afraid I’m going to develop diabetes, like everyone else in my family seems to do in midlife.” What if you changed that story to, “I’m concerned about developing diabetes and open to the many ways I might discover to prevent this disease”?
Possibilities abound when you are willing to be honest about your current health story and whether it is working for you. My own health story these days is “I am loosening up the constrictions that served their purpose in some ways but that are now holding me back from what I want to experience.” I dance, moving my body freely as I listen to music I enjoy. I laugh. I stay present in the moment as I walk in nature, feeling my connection to the vastness of the earth’s beautiful, creative powers that generate new life continually. I see possibilities around me, and ask myself a question you might want to consider asking yourself, too: “What could my new health story be if I were to let go of something that no longer works for me, regardless of the comfort I take in its familiarity?” Be willing to let go of the health story that restricts you from experiencing what you desire and let yourself begin to imagine what might take its place. If fear arises, explore why you are afraid of letting go of the old and bringing in the new. When the fear of possibility constricts you, free yourself to believe something better is possible — a more satisfying story of your health and your life.
Carl Greer, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a practicing clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst, and shamanic practitioner and the author of the multiple award-winning books Change Your Story, Change Your Life and Change the Story of Your Health. He teaches at the C.G.Jung Institute of Chicago.
This article is a part of the 2019 FEB / MAR issue of Whole Life Times.