3 Tips For Working with Your Chronic Illness Practitioner

Today, I want to share three tips that have made all the difference in my own healing journey when it comes to choosing and working with a chronic illness practitioner on our health. I’ve been on this journey for many years now and during that time, I have found certain things to be of the utmost importance in order to make progress forward. I’ll discuss those in this article so you can keep them in mind as you go along your own personal healing journey. 

Before we dive into that, I want to remind you that healing takes time and consciously getting (and keeping) our minds in the right place.

Mindset is everything.

You’ve heard me say that ^^ a million times before, and I will certainly say it a million times more.

Hey, that rhymes! 🙂

Regardless of what condition you might be struggling with, chronic illness will have a dramatic impact on your daily life, your mental and emotional well-being, and the way you approach your life now and in the future.

If our minds are not in the right place, it’s going to be close to impossible to get our health on the right track, no matter how hard we work.

1. There is No Single “Thing” That Will “Fix” You

I’ve been in the online real food / natural health world since 2009. Dang. A whole decade has passed since I started my first website to now, standing here at my desk typing this article.

Every single day I get questions about, “What do you recommend for this condition?“, “How can I heal that illness?“, “Will x,y,z help me?“, “What are your thoughts on this food, that supplement, or the newest diet trend?“.

And it’s no wonder. Everywhere we turn online, there are grand promises that if you just follow this diet or take this supplement or eat this superfood, or work with this practitioner, you will POOF! be healed.

I am here to tell you that no single practitioner, no single supplement, no single superfood, and certainly no single diet is going to be the be all, end all when it comes to health and healing.

The one thing that WILL help you though is your intuition. Always listen to your intuition. And if you’re not in touch with your intuition or feel like it’s leading you astray, keep reading the articles on this site (and subscribe to my newsletter here) and I will help you reconnect with that innate wisdom already inside you.

2. Use Your Intuition

Over the last decade of my own healing journey, I have worked with countless practitioners, some of whom have been a great fit, while others have not. When choosing a chronic illness practitioner to work with, I always go with my gut and listen to my intuition. After our first meeting, I asked myself:

What was my initial gut feeling about the meeting?

• Do I feel that I was heard?

• Do I feel that the practitioner really has MY best interests at heart (or are they pushing their own agenda)?

• Is this a person that I feel confident investing my time and my money into?

• Do I feel that I can talk to the practitioner honestly, openly, and vulnerably without fear of judgment or ridicule?

There have been times when I have known from the very start that the practitioner was a good fit for me. I remember one practitioner that I fell in love with right away, from the moment she introduced herself. The energy and honest care for me and my story were evident from the beginning.

Then there have been other practitioners who seemed aloof and distant. They would ask me about my story, but as I told it, I didn’t feel like I was really being heard AND understood. It was almost like they were busy formulating a game plan and their response to my story in their head without really stopping to tune into what I was saying.

And then, there have been practitioners who fall into the spectrum in between.

That’s why over time, I figured out that it was more beneficial to have a “health team” of sorts. I realized that there was never going to be one single practitioner who could give you everything you need for your journey. I discuss this in-depth in this blog post and video about Why I Have a Health Team and Why You Should Too.

I’ve had the best success in healing when I’ve worked with a couple of different practitioners simultaneously. Now, there is something to be said about having too many cooks in the kitchen, so you will need to find the sweet spot that works best for your unique journey.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up (or Walk Away)

When we approach practitioners to help us with our conditions, try to approach them with an open mind and heart. But at the same time, don’t lose sight of the fact that you are your very best advocate. No one knows your body better than you.

If something doesn’t feel right, speak up.

If your chronic illness practitioner makes you uncomfortable, speak up.

If your practitioner doesn’t make you feel heard or understood, speak up.

Remember, your doctor works for you, not the other way around. It is their job to serve you in a kind, compassionate, and supportive way. If you are not being treated in a way that feels good to you, then find a new practitioner to work with.