I’ve mentioned in a previous post about elements of a health check-in.  Here’s how to make space for this reflection when you are facing a health issue or challenge. Take a time out….take a whole day or at least half a day. Stay at a hotel room, lounge in a coffee shop, and take a moment to get outside your daily routine.

Bring a journal or your phone. First get into a relaxed state of mind. Slow down your breathing. Write down and analyze the situation, all of the pluses and minuses. If you’re not sure where to start, some things to consider are resistance to cooking, not liking vegetables, emotional eating, or getting more sleep. Brainstorm all  the possible ways your situation can be resolved.  Trust your inner wisdom. Imagine what the ideal outcome could be. What would be the perfect scenario for you? Sometime stating your intention allows the universe to support you. Then you can make list of possible actions. Finally, consider reasonable alternatives. Just the act of writing down your thoughts, fears, and feelings will help you on your healing journey and may lead you to an unexpected answer. You may be surprised at the answers you already have.

Sometimes the best solution is to wait and see, or to do nothing. Waiting is actually pretty active. This can be a time to just observe what your patterns are around the big issue. (Any issue that affects your health is huge since our bodies are constantly changing.) For most people, we use this thought process for big decisions, whether or not to take a certain job, where should we move to.  What if we were to be this deliberate about our health? If we were serious about taking charge of our health and having the best possible chance to add to the quality of our life, isn’t it worth taking a mini-retreat to imagine the best outcome? If you have been recently diagnosed with illness especially, planning and preparing for the future can bring peace of mind. We all tend to take our bodies for granted, until something goes wrong. Remember that your health is worth fighting for.

Can you make more time for an annual wellness retreat or add this inner work to a planned vacation? When I’m at Kripalu Retreat Center and other favorite places, I make time to reflect on how I’m taking care of my health. I like to think about the areas of my life that are going well and the other areas that are neglected. By bringing deep focused attention around our physical well-being, we can learn to be mindful of our health and listen to our own wisdom in this area.