By
Melbourne Functional Medicine
Bee Pennington
Medically reviewed by:
Whenever you want a different outcome, you need to do something different. Fact - that means change.
We know that change can be one of the most challenging and confronting elements of the healing process, but without it, everything will either stay the same or slowly degrade even further.
Here’s what we know about change: it’s difficult but not impossible, and it’s where the most significant potential for improvement is. So you begin to make changes and implement the recommendations of your practitioner – but this healing experience is taking waaaaay too long! You feel impatient and perhaps even start to give yourself ‘opt-outs’ – reasons why you’re unable to make those changes. So here we begin to see a somewhat unbalanced see-saw where the desire for improvement does not match the perceived difficulty of creating new habits and behaviours. Therein ensues frustration.
If making the changes required for optimal health was easy, you would have done them already, right? So if you’re finding it really difficult to implement change, it could be because:
Health and healing is not a linear process. We do not generally transition seamlessly from experiencing poor health to having excellent health without some bumps in the road. So do we focus on the bump? No, we pay attention to the gains – no matter how big or small. We stay focused; eyes fixed on the end result – the goal, the trophy. THAT is why it’s worth it.
Learning to deal with that temporary frustration of not making progress is, in fact, an extremely important part of the path to excellence and a better health picture.
What can you do to help stay on track when you’re feeling wobbly?
Over time, given new stimuli and the opportunity to reset and heal, your body will adapt, and you will transition to the next level of health. It might be different from what you expected it to look and feel like, but it is a sure sign that you’re making progress.
It is the feedback that you are, in fact, making an effort. Lean on those close to you, ask for help, and stay clear about your health goals.