Simone Giangiordano, creator of BalanceUP® Community, is a business and lifestyle coach with nearly two decades experience as a business analyst and consultant and 15 years of entrepreneurial experience.
Your relationship with your health is one of the most important connections you'll ever have. It influences every aspect of your life, from your daily routines to your long-term goals, how you see yourself, and even how others perceive you. Whether managing a chronic condition, recovering from an injury, or simply striving for overall wellness, how you approach your health can make all the difference. Yet, for many, this relationship can be complicated, filled with frustration, guilt, or even shame.
Why is this important? In the United States alone, about 60% of adults have at least one chronic disease. This statistic highlights the widespread importance of fostering a positive relationship with your health.
My own journey of living well alongside health challenges has taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, self-compassion, and the power of perspective. Let's explore how you can begin changing your relationship with your health and how that can positively impact your life and work.
Awareness: The first step to change
This first step requires curiosity. Take a moment to reflect on your current attitudes and behaviors surrounding your health.
Do you struggle with fatigue, pain, or other symptoms, or do you have days where you feel “off” yet tend to deny that health issues are impacting your life?
Do you try to hide your challenges and push through, or do you honor these challenges and adapt to them?
Do you ignore symptoms until they become unbearable?
Do you say you’re fine when you’re not?
Do you engage in negative or critical self-talk when you are not feeling your best, or are you kind and caring to yourself?
If you answered yes to any of the above, it might be time to reassess how you engage with your health. Observing these patterns isn't about judgment, it's about awareness and understanding. By recognizing your current relationship with health, you create space for positive change so you can better support your well-being.
Reframe your health narrative for growth
The stories we tell ourselves about our health can significantly impact our well-being. Instead of viewing health challenges as a burden or constant struggle, try viewing them as opportunities for growth and self-discovery. This shift in perspective can lead to several benefits:
1. Increased resilience
When you view health challenges as chances to learn and adapt to your unique needs, you build emotional and mental resilience. This strength will serve you well beyond your health journey. For example, it will guide you in setting healthy boundaries that support your well-being and success.
2. Improved self-compassion
Reframing your health narrative to acknowledge that we all have challenges and all experience suffering in life, can lessen feelings of separateness and open the doors to greater self-compassion. By being kinder to yourself around your health, you are supporting your overall well-being.
3. Enhanced self-acceptance
Letting go of judgment and observing your health challenges as opportunities to gain experience and grow can result in creative solutions that better support your well-being and success. It’s crucial to let go of any denial and embrace where you are right now, so your decisions come from a place of greater clarity. This level of self-acceptance lends itself to finding solutions that work for you!
4. A mindset supportive of healing
By approaching your health and well-being with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion, you empower yourself to honor your well-being needs and make decisions that best serve you, your health, and your healing. This shift in your mindset can have a positive impact on how you approach each day, the decisions you make in your work, and even the health of your relationships.
Sustainable habits for your path forward
As you reflect on these concepts, consider which areas resonate the most with you. What small step can you take today to improve your relationship with health? Here are a few samples:
Journal each morning around “What do I need today?” Look for patterns and then incorporate a new well-being activity to support that need. For example, would movement, talking with a professional, or a better diet best serve you? Allow your decisions to come from a place of honesty.
Incorporate a short loving-kindness or self-compassion meditation into your day. Pay attention when you have any self-critical thoughts. Take note and offer compassion around these thoughts.
Pause throughout the day to notice how you are feeling physically and emotionally. Be curious as to what deeper needs might be behind those feelings.
Write down three things you appreciate about your body or health, no matter how small.
When determining which activities best support your health and well-being, it's important to be intentional. Too often, we overwhelm ourselves with a long checklist of daily well-being activities, a list driven from a place of fear or a reach for perfection. Supporting your health is not about having a long checklist of activities, and it is not about reaching perfect health.
A healthy relationship with your health is about self-acceptance, self-compassion, and the grace to be imperfect. It's about honoring the needs of your health so that you can participate more fully in life and share your gifts.
You can learn more tips, strategies, and benefits in this article, 5 Unexpected Benefits of Creating a New Relationship with Your Health.
A final word
Remember, your health journey is uniquely yours. By cultivating awareness, reframing your narrative, and building sustainable habits, you can create a nurturing relationship with your health that empowers and enriches your life.
Simone Giangiordano, BalanceUP Business and Lifestyle Coach
Simone Giangiordano, creator of BalanceUP® Community, is a business and lifestyle coach with nearly two decades experience as a business analyst and consultant and 15 years of entrepreneurial experience. Despite chronic health challenges, Simone has empowered clients to create businesses that are aligned with their unique lifestyles and that support their well-being through her Building Balance to Empower® programs. Her signature program, The Power of I Can't®, focuses on helping individuals with health challenges live a life of peace, joy, and success.
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