You ALWAYS hear us reminding you….
drink more water…
epsom salts bath…
take time for you…
practice “self care”…
stretch…
meditate….
journal….
We can even give you the tools you need to help you manage the things we want you to put into practice! Show you the stretches… help you find the yoga class that’s right for you… recommend the Wellness Professional who will continue to help you on your wellness journey… provide you the water… give you the epsom salts…
We are fabulous at talking the talk! We have the knowledge to guide you, support you, nurture you, make you feel your best, or at least help you start on the right track.
We know the things that help people be their best. We know the ways to help people thrive. (see what I did there? 😉
We have the knowledge, the tools, the right practitioners around us…. and yet, we are sometimes the worst at “walking the talk”.
For Health Care Professionals, our lives revolve around helping others. We are driven to help others feel better, mind/body and spirit. That’s the reason we love what we do. It’s what makes those of us who do this stick with it for the long haul. We love helping. We love gifting wellness to others. We want you to succeed…. we just struggle sometimes ourselves to walk the talk.
I’m often reminded of this when clients come in exhibiting the very things that I am struggling with. The Universe’s way of pointing out the ways in which I am failing at my own self care. Sore neck? Check. Digestive issues? Check. Trouble sleeping? Lack of exercise? Overwhelmed? Check. Check. Check. Sigh.
I recently saw one of my own Health Care professionals, who said to me “It is literally your job to set the example for your clients and their health and wellness and if you don’t, you’ll eventually lose credibility.” Not subtle but true.
We have the knowledge, we see the effects of stress, overwork, lack of sleep, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and still, we often put ourselves at the bottom of our own “to do” list. I am envious of those who seem to have mastered the fine balance of family, work, personal time and fun time. I always find myself completely imbalanced in all areas, all the time and working hard just to keep all of the balls in the air. But… I’m now realizing (yes, just now, at 40) that they will never be completely balanced equally, but they can all have their allotted time frame and that I control that completely.
That same Health Care Professional also said to me “I’m losing sympathy for you because you completely control your own schedule, and yet you are refusing to carve out time to take care of yourself”. Sigh. Again, not subtle, but so true. And it really was the kick in the pants that I needed to push myself to start walking the talk.
So, even though I love all of my clients and would typically always put their needs before my own… it is simply time to set the example for my clients.
I am going to start walking the talk.
For those of us in the service industry, carving out the time is very difficult as time literally means money for us. But at the end of the day, living a happier, healthier life and prolonging my ability to do the job that I love doing and continue giving of myself to my clients, work team and family means taking care of myself and showing them by example, how to do the same.
Bear with me…. I’m a work in progress. Better yet, walk with me as I begin. We can walk the talk together 🙂
Tammy Sherwood, RMT