Even the happiest and most optimistic people sometimes feel physically or emotionally drained. For the rest of us, this is a completely natural state. But seriously, the sooner we find the source of the problem, the faster we can fix it.
Only from the outside it seems as if there is nothing easier than to understand why something is going wrong. After all, we always clearly see the reasons for our friends and loved ones’ concerns. But analyzing your life and well-being is much more difficult. This is where a list of several questions comes in handy.
What you need to ask yourself regularly
- How are you feeling physically today? Are you in pain, having breathing or digestive problems?
- How do you feel today mentally? What is your mood? And your general emotional state , has it changed?
- How energetic are you? How would you rate your energy level: high, low, normal?
- What is your diet like? How often do you eat? What foods and dishes are on your menu? How do you feel after eating?
- What is your sleep pattern? Are you not sleeping enough or too much? How rested do you feel when you wake up?
- If you look at your life from a non-judgmental perspective, what habits have a positive, negative or neutral effect on your health? What are these habits related to? Perhaps it is related to nutrition, physical activity, relationships with others, finances or other areas of life.
- How can you change these habits to improve your health? For example, eliminating stress triggers, improving your diet, getting more rest.
- What role does your career play in your life? Maybe you work for a company just for the paycheck, or maybe a toxic office environment is making your life miserable.
- Do you stimulate your intellect every day? Say, through work, hobbies or socializing?
- What do you always look forward to? Is there a healthy way to incorporate it into your daily life more often?
Try to answer these questions every time something bothers you. The answers will help you figure out what exactly is affecting your health and make a plan to get rid of negative factors. If you find something that particularly worries you, be sure to make an appointment with a specialist.
Why is it important to check in with yourself?
Think back to your last visit to the doctor . In addition to a routine check-up, such as taking your blood pressure, and ordering tests, such as blood tests, the specialist probably asked you personal questions. And this is not idle curiosity: our behavior and habits, as well as our family history of illnesses, can provide useful clues about our health.
According to cardiologist Michael Barber, MD, even simple conversations about certain topics, such as daily menu, physical activity, habits, frequency of alcohol consumption and smoking, can help to discuss an approach to improving a patient’s well-being on a deeper level.
Of course, self-analysis cannot and should not replace a full examination by specialists. But it is an excellent tool for monitoring your health and noticing anything wrong in time.