We all have one right? I know I do.
Our masters in google.
Proudly framed and displayed on a virtual wall.
Yet, it only gets us so far. Especially when it comes to our health. The frustration quickly becomes palpable once you've grown tired of treating one symptom after another only to have yet another popup. “I must be getting old” you say. Meanwhile an 84-year old has just finished running a marathon in record time.
What do they know that we don’t? (It’s not luck or genes)
Your health team. How to build one so you get your health back without feeling overwhelmed
You’ve hit a point where you’re over it all - the googling, suggestions from friends ("my uncle/sister/cousin/neighbour saw this guy and….."), article forwards, and podcast suggestions. Though well-intended, they often leave you feeling more confused and pulled in many directions. So before you reach for your credit card and buy that weird contraption that said uncle/sister/cousin/neighbour used, or book that retreat because maybe you really just need to find yourself, try this….
Let’s build your dream team together so you go from wishing someone would just take all the pain and ache away to feeling confident in your plan.
Questions to Consider When Building Your Best Health Team
First and foremost:
What are my priorities?
What do I not yet know?
What professions/avenues am I open to exploring? (meditation, acupuncture, kinesiology, coaching, therapy, nutrition therapy, etc)
What am I willing to spend monthly? Yes, health will cost you. Disease costs as well so don’t fool yourself. The difference between the two is the fine line of choosing where you’ll spend your time, focus and money. Each of these moves you either towards or further away from health.
These initial questions are intended to help you get clear on your wants and expectations first, before you ever go searching for support. Skipping this step is what will create overwhelm and feelings of “I can’t make any decision.”
Before your first meeting with any health or well-being professional:
What are my expectations of them?
What do I want to walk away knowing?
Am I expecting this person to have all the answers?
Am I expecting them to have some secret magic solution or protocol for me? (We all want the fast and easy route back to health. I hear you. It took years to build the habits that created your health decline. The likelihood of reversing those decades of work in 21 days is unrealistic.)
While in research mode for said health professionals/modalities:
Have I gone too far down the rabbit hole? When you have pause and grab some water. Come back to it another day with a fresh mind.
Am I looking to confirm existing fears (or biases) or really valid guiding information?
Am I willing to be wrong in my biases or assumptions?
At your first meeting/consultation:
Am I being seen as a whole person or just a disease?
Do they listen when I express concerns?
Am I being heard or dismissed?
Are they asking root cause based questions? As a holistic professional I ask questions that don't appear to have anything to do with your health, yet all of my “no one’s ever asked me this before” questions, when charted, lead us to a conversation on the root the decline.
Do I feel like I’m trying to be placed in a box (though nothing about my condition fits the norm or average)?
Would I be embarrassed or confident to recommend them to a dear friend?
Post meeting reflection:
How do I feel?
Was I pleasantly surprised or disappointed?
What surprised or disappointed me?
Did I feel calm in their presence?
Am I trying to talk myself into liking them because I secretly want them to be the answer?
These are just a sample list of questions to ask as you begin to build your best health team without feeling overwhelmed. When working towards health and deciding to move beyond Dr. Google, building a quality team takes time. It’ll help you move out of frustration and into a place of feeling confident and (to use an overused word) empowered. You’ll be clear on who is and isn’t for you and feel free to move on to finding your ideal fit.
Now I’d love to hear from you. What question or group of questions resonated with you the most? Share with me in the comments below.
