Controlling your health –part 3

By now you should be aware of how your perceptions affect your health. You have considered internal and external perceptions and how you will be examining your chance perceptions of health. Have you noticed how these perceptions influence your approach to managing your health? If not, please take a moment to think about the benefits of understanding your beliefs, values, and ideas of health. You probably understand how important these belief systems are in taking the correct step towards your well-being and being accountable towards your health.

Chance health perceptions

Einstein once stated that God doesn’t play dice with the cosmos, and neither should you in regards to your health. Now it may seem fairly devious that having no plan of action or control of your health is a bad thing, however, many still act with self-defeating attitudes towards their health. Moving from acute to chronic lumber pain is a prime example of when you leave your health to chance.  Your chance at health becomes a bet, and why bet with your health?

Identify your chance health perception

For each of the following, mark the most appropriate answer. Do this in private and be honest with yourself, knowing that you won’t be judged.  Score each answer from zero to ten.  Zero being no confidence and ten being maximum confidence.

1. My belief that health and healing are a matter of fate and nothing changes that result.

2. My belief that when I get sick or become disabled, it is a purely random event over which I have

no control.

3. My belief that regardless of what I do, it will not affect when I will die or how sick I will get.

4. My belief that one genetic makeup determines one future regard lees of what else may happen.

5. My belief that we have little control over when we get a disease or die.

 

Scoring your chance health perception

0-25:  Low confidence in random health actions

26-37:  Average confidence in random health actions

38-42:  High confidence in random health actions

43-50:  Very high confidence in random health actions

Understanding your score

What if you fail to see a link between no belief in yourself and poor health? Imagine that your health is simply a roll of the dice. You’re probably starting to feel how these thoughts are in some way crazy.

Passive coping

Passive coping  (thinking the pain will simply “go away”) and fear avoidance (avoiding specific activities out of fear) are both forms of a chance health perception.  It is within these perceptions that disability blooms. Disability and chronic pain are direct by-products of self-perceived poor health (Linton, 2000). The lumbar spine, in particular, requires identifying these ill-fated perceptions to avoid the reality of becoming non-organic (chronic). It may seem common sense but, as you already know, sense isn’t always that common. If you don’t see any point in taking care of your diet, managing a healthy life-style, taking your medication, or listening to your health care provider’s instruction, then you shouldn’t plan on living an optimal life. Simply put, there is no upside to a high score. The good news, however, is that there is a positive association with a lower score. The lower the score the more accountable you are and the more you are seeking the ultimate solution to your predicament. I trust that, by now, you are realizing how your perceptions affect your health. Develop new skills, get support, learn the true depth and value of how amazing you are, and feel empowered to take charge now.

Acknowledgements

1. Dr Frank Lawlis

2. Dr Craig Liebenson

3. Dr Phillip Mcgraw