by Liz Moore

Created on: June 27, 2010   Last Updated: June 29, 2010

Each of us truly has the ability to change only one thing about our lives - and that is how we treat ourselves.  While others may give us suggestions and recommendations about what to eat, how often to exercise, when and how much we should sleep, and how often we should see our doctors, we are the ones responsible for determining which bits of information and advice will work for us.  We can choose to eat healthy foods or fast foods, to exercise or be couch potatoes, to rest or stay up all night partying and playing video games.  The choice is ours and ours alone.

Of course, we can also make all the "right" choices for ourselves and still have health problems.  The human body is a complex organism and a variety of things can go wrong at any particular time no matter how well we take care of ourselves.  We each need to realize that we must take charge when we're healthy, but we must also learn how to take care of ourselves when we are injured or ill. 

Self-healing is a way of caring for our bodies in good times and bad and knowing that we have the ability to choose to heal ourselves without the assistance of medical professionals can be an empowering experience.  This is not to say that we should all shun the doctor at all times, but we need to be self-aware so that we know when we need to take a little extra care so that we don't start having health issues.  A doctor can only tell how a patient is feeling by being told by that person during a medical visit. 

An individual, on the other hand, has a much better idea of how they are feeling on a day-to-day basis.  Someone who wakes up with a headache and a sore throat knows that they're sick and that they should take the time to rest and recuperate without having to ask for medical assistance.  That's a form of self-healing.  That same person may feel that they are "dragging" for a day or two before showing any symptoms of a cold and they can then decide that they will take steps to stave off the illness before the worst hits.  When we choose to take some time off work to relax before becoming ill we are practicing a form of preventative self-healing.

The knowledge that we can make these decisions about ourselves is an empowering experience.  We don't have to listen to outside advice about health issues if we feel that we know our own bodies well enough to be able to practice self-healing.  Each of us can easily set aside the time to practice meditation, to take a walk in the outdoors and breathe in the fresh air, to dance, to sing, to laugh, and to eat and drink in a healthy way.  We know which foods we can eat and which ones might not agree with our bodies.  We can determine which exercises are the best ones for our particular needs.

Our self-healing choices are endless and can be made at each and every moment throughout the course of our daily lives.  We need only take the time to learn more about what each of us needs as an individual and to make decisions based on those needs.  Choosing to make the right decisions is both healthy and empowering and each of us should be mindful that we are the only ones with the ability to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Self-healing is self-empowering and self-empowerment is a method of self-healing. 

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