Hi all NHSers! I’ve been a big fan of your work for some time – well forever really – as NHS staff have done so much for me and my family
But because you have so many superpowers and are able to help people so much, this can be one of your biggest problems too.
Let me explain.
I grew up in a family where we really respected medical staff and would rarely go to the doctor as we didn’t want to waste their time. This meant that we would try to solve our own minor medical issues. There was no internet at that time, but there were neighbours, friends and family to give advice on what might work. We would have to be literally dying to have a day off school or work! But for the ‘serious’ stuff, the doctor would sort us out.
Fast forward to age 23… I was living the life. Fit, healthy and thriving at uni in the US when, all of a sudden, I began to feel unwell. I came home, visited the ever-reliable NHS and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The care I received was incredible, but as most people know, diabetes requires a new lifestyle and to cut a very long story short, I found it really difficult to change. I found it so hard to accept that I was no longer how I used to be and wanted to somehow continue living the life I’d had before diagnosis.
Too much alcohol morphed into hangovers, anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Things got so bad that I was on first-name terms with the staff at my local A&E.
Please note, I wanted to change. I tried so hard and would make progress, then give up and go back to the old habits which ultimately were safety behaviours. I needed the excuses and the excessive alcohol to keep me safe. From change.
Bottom line, which is where the NHS’ problem lies, I was expecting the healthcare professionals to fix me….
In 2006, I met a consultant who listened to me, gave me the biggest telling off, and finally painted a vivid picture of how good life could be if I started to look after myself.
The NHS could only ever get me halfway to wellness. The other half was down to me. I had to fix me!
So, I put my big-boy pants on, swallowed the personal responsibility pill, and went for it.
From that moment on, I have taken personal responsibility for, and become curious about, my own health and wellbeing. I’m pleased to report that the last 17 years really have been the best of my life. What works for others might not work for me, so it’s up to me to try, fail, learn, try again and see what does work.
And when I’m given advice from the NHS, I have the emotional capacity to process that information and do those things that will help me.
Deep down, we all know what to do, but we find it so hard to do it.
Just imagine if we as human beings had the mental skills to be able to make better choices and therefore get better results for ourselves and those around us? Cue a massive benefit to the NHS, our families and our communities.
Unfortunately, the education system doesn’t teach about emotional control or managing the ‘voices’ in our heads. So no wonder lots of us are finding life such a difficult pursuit!
After 17 years of continued mental, physical and emotional wellness, I am now an ‘expert by experience’, learning what works, what doesn’t, and repeating and sharing it with others. As a keynote speaker, my job is to encourage others to start their own personal journeys and ‘experiments of one’.
Do you think this is the only way to live our lives and this is the best we can feel? Or is there a better alternative? This ‘expert by experience’ thinks the alternative is worth investigating!