To Be or Not to Be... Gifted with a Label!!

How comfortable are you when your body goes belly up! and you’re gifted with a label. Think about a time somebody referred to you as a non person, a time you were objectified. Choose something simple like …move him/her over there and I‘ll deal with them later. Ugh right?

Instead of (t takes 2 seconds) asking you your name and referring to you by your name in a respectful way. What happens after that interaction will be the same, but a totally different experience for you.. I used to be really brilliant at remembering peoples names, and for many years now, I am not. It frustrates me and I have tried lots of different techniques but so far nothing has worked. If i was to use an excuse, I could say I remember the important information which is obviously important. It simply isn’t any more or less important that the person in front of me. Depending on the setting I write that persons name down. People matter to me.

Thankfully, I always remember the persons story, something that person told me about themselves and I always refer to an aspect of that story. It’s important, particularly in the type of work I do, that people feel they matter, they are heard and not simply a label. I have the advantage or training, many years of professional experience working in healthcare and the uncomfortable muscle memory in my body of what it feels like to be objectified as a chronic disease. I don’t ever want somebody I interact with, to feel that tightening of their neck and shoulders or uncomfortable in the pit of their stomach because I effectively looked through them as opposed to engaging with them.

I’d love to know what you think about labelling or being labelled?

The Song Went Like This

Photographer William White Photo

I don’t have have a note in my head, and sadly my piano teacher told my Mum I was tone deaf! so there ended my future musical ambitions. And yet recently I joined a great music group, a community of people that comes together sharing sounds and encouraging one another. Still not quite sure how I got in! Plus it’s great craic. Friday nights get better and better.

It’s interesting how encouragement or otherwise influences the choices we make on a daily basis. Also how encouraging others enables them to try. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do, because everybody is gifted. They might just not realise it yet. I always thought growing up I wasn’t that good at anything in particular. Thankfully it didn’t stop me trying new and different things. Maybe part of me was looking for an area I could excel in.

Quite quickly I realised, not having my own lane enabled me to explore and be open to trying new things, to see what worked for me. To get to know myself by taking action and filling my life with people from an eclectic mix of backgrounds.

Of course I had found what I’m good at. I know where my strengths lie. With the added plus of doing activities I am utterly useless at! But sur, I’ll give it a really good go! Being in unfamiliar environments I am comfortable not excelling and just experiencing. I’m also happy to shine for moments because everyone should.

Being in a room full of strangers and having the opportunity to talk to people I simply have never met, takes confidence and if I’m totally honest deep breaths at times. The ability to smile is quite helpful and its contagious. People feel great when they smile so help them out. The easiest way in a room full of strangers is to forget about yourself and find out about other peoples lives. Be interested. People with ordinary lives can have an extraordinary impact on yours.

I want to enable people who have had to change lanes lots because of a chronic health issue. Perhaps a significant diagnosis with a frightening future or life interrupting anxiety that holds you back from progressing in your life. Sometimes they go hand in hand. With illness often comes a dent to confidence. I do not do talk therapy, although my skillset and training provided a lot of experiential learning. Doing my job requires communication skills that are very different to doing an IT job. Doing my job requires the ability to communicate effectively with people from any background.

It’s my life experience outside of the professional, that gives me an extra level of understanding. I’ve been there, done that and happily glide in and out of lanes, because life is short and I’m never going to stick in the slow lane. I recommend you don’t do that. Nothing will change unless you make changes.

A chronic disease can often feel like a series of rapid lane changes on a somewhat regular basis. It is not something you cannot excel at, although you might try your hardest to be the ‘best’ patient. We can only always do our best and that is enough. Just keep doing that consistently.

And so, the song went like this ’You’re never too tall and you’re never too small, you’re never too fat and your never to thin……. you’re never to anything because that’s where you’re at…’ It was a really amusing delivery that packed a punch, accompanied by a banjo, best happy sound ever. It completely resonated with me, and probably most people in the room. Hello freedom, the healing power of music and community, I love you.

Simple Acupuncture Demo

The Wonders and Downsides of Wearable Technology

We are human and by default we have a different modus operandi!

I love technology, at least the logical side of my brain does.

I’ve been to conferences where the magical attributes of new technologies are beautifully demonstrated, with lots of smiling people, which will save lives… potentially. If the promotional hype won’t save your life, it most certainly will promise to significantly improve your ability to prevent poor health, in chronic disease management, in your future. Great I hear you say, the machine will do it for me I don’t have to change a thing!!

I’ve listened to very excited healthcare professionals about the wonders of this new gadget and how transformational it will be for me or the person in front of them. The irony is, it is hard not to get excited by the potentials and the possibilities, and anything that provides practical advantages and hope is a good thing, right?! I think yes and I also think no.

As a healthcare professional and on a personal level, I’ve seen and used technology on blood sugar testing, go from dipstick for glucose to glucometers the size of a brick! to a neater futuristic at the time glucometer, lots of different designs & colours, to a pen size to a 25mm continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to a €euro size CGM. Fantastic right? Well yes but also no.

As a holistic healthcare provider, I see clients arriving and wearing not only one wearable device but two, for all that extra up to the minute information about how your body is performing! ECGs, oxygen levels, steps, pulse rates, blood pressure. I’m just waiting for a wearable that tells me the length of my telomeres any day soon! Is this a good thing? Well yes and also no.

We are human, and behind all the hype and all the results, managing fear around all this information is key. Give a perfectionist a wearable, there is anguish or frustration ahead. Managing fear that your pace maker might give you a unexpected thump from the inside. Managing fear that your results aren’t as in range, as all those smiling promotional people obviously are! Managing fear around oxygen saturation levels in the middle of the night. Managing fear when life throws you curveballs and all your devices are reassuringly scaring the bejaysus out of you because stress impacts our physiology. Nothings in range.

A constant reminder that you are not ‘normal’, a constant questioning are you good enough? Are you doing enough? Enough? Enough? Enough? Who needs coffee when you have so many devices to speed up your heart rate.

We used to get news every few hours, then on the hour, then on the half hour and now there are channels 24/7 with news. At least you can switch that off. You cannot ignore your health, you cannot switch off a chronic health issue. It is important to get to a happy place, not the smiling people happy place, but the place where a wearable does not create anxiety, does not rule your quality of life and where you can trust yourself and listen to your own body cues. I’ve had a lifetime of training and I still have ‘flip out; moments. I’m just a lot faster at tuning back into my body.

The beauty of your body is that is that it is totally subjective. It is not a machine. It works in a very personal way. It is on your side even when it feels like it isn’t. It is consistently doing it’s best to rebalance your physiology. All you need to do, are the simple things, socialise, laugh lots, exercise (preferably with a dog although optional), healthy eating, keep your brain busy.

One of the reasons I love acupuncture is that it works on the body. Calm the body you calm the mind. Stress and inflammation are reduced and if done regularly, you will not only get an extension on your life but a guarantee of a better quality of life. In fact I’d hazard a guess those smiley happy people had a session before their photo shoot!