Live good, Feel Good: THE Original philosophy

Originally written on May 6 2019

What does it mean to live good?  

To me, living good is all about living and loving in every moment.  It’s about inspiration and passion, compassion and commitment. It’s about doing the things that light your soul on fire. It’s about waking up every morning and doing the things that inspire you to keep moving forward.  It’s about embracing the lows and celebrating the highs. It’s about living each moment to the best of my ability to do good in this world.

I feel that the lows tear me down and second guess my entire being but the highs build me up and prove to me that everything is worth it. By embracing the lows, you can use them to  fuel your highs. To live a good life, you need to experience both but not dwell. You learn from the lows in life and cherish the highs. You cannot have one without the other.  Living a good life is about using the highs to fuel your fire.t

Most importantly, I believe that living good for each person looks slightly different.  What sets my soul on fire does not set your soul on fire.  What gets me out of bed in the morning, does not necessarily get you out of bed in the morning.

AND THAT’S OKAY.

We all are our unique beings. If everyone lived their “good life”, I believe the world would be a better place. If everyone spread their version of good around, the world would be a little kinder, a little cleaner, a little brighter and a little better. If every person reading this, did three “good” things every morning, the change would be palpable. And I’m not talking huge things like donating massive amounts of money to a charity or curing cancer.  I am talking about the small tangible everyday things that can go a long way.

Living good is not only about how we treat the outside world but how we treat ourselves.  We can’t expect to help and inspire others when we can’t show the same kindness to ourselves.  Living good is about doing the things that make YOU happy every day so you can then go off and do better things for the world.  If you don’t serve yourself first, how can you serve others?

How I <try> to live a good life:

1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night because I am a MUCH kinder human when I am well rested

2. Eat good, healthy, whole (if possible homegrown) foods. This is two fold-- when I am hangry, I am NO use to anyone (myself included) and I believe that by fueling myself properly I can accomplish more in my day.

3. Move my body everyday in same way.  Movement helps me release stress and tension and inspires me to help others and show them the way to pain free movement.

4. Drink lots of water.  Dehydration makes me seriously fuzzy, foggy and cranky. Similar to hangry, I am useless.

5. Smile at every patient that walks in my door

6. Ask every patient how their day is and how they are feeling and truly listen because most times patients just need to be heard

7. Respect & understand that what is important to me is not important to every patient I treat or client I work with and respect that

8. Treat the patient, not the diagnosis: This is a pillar of my Physical Therapy practice and I think it goes a long way to helping people

9. Inspired others to move. A little bit of movement can go a long way to alleviating pain, lifting mood and improving outcomes.

10. Be kind.  If all else fails, especially when dealing with particularly rude people, #killthemwithkindness. It usually works because it either a= confuses them or b= inspires them to be nicer to you.

At the end of the day, I know that living good is one of the best ways to feel good..

What does it mean to feel good?

Feeling good is a physical, mental, and emotional sensation.  

Feeling good physically is waking up in the morning and feel strong, capable, and confident.  It’s looking in the mirror and feeling like the badass babe you truly are.  It’s about knowing that whatever life throws at you, you can handle it.  Whether it is pain, sickness, or dis-ease.  Your strong, capable body can fight and push through whatever this life throws at you.  I know I am feeling good when I dance around my bedroom in the morning.  When I am eating good food and truly enjoying each bite with an audiblMmmmmmmm”.  Feeling good physically is trying new things and pushing your limits, even if it doesn’t look perfect.  It’s about moving the way you want each day and not being afraid to do so.

I went through a stint of not feeling good this summer and it flat-out sucked. I didn’t realize the full power of what feeling good did for my mental health and energy levels.

I believe that feeling good physically goes hand in hand with feeling good emotionally and mentally.  I think that if you feel good physically if helps you feel good mentally and emotionally. On the other hand, I also feel that if you are feeling good mentally and emotionally, you are more likely to feel good physically. Our emotional, mental, and physical health are so deeply intertwined.

To me, feeling emotionally and mentally good is about feeling calm, peaceful, energized, and productive. It’s about doing the things each day that help me feel inspired, happy, fulfilled, and free (my current core desired feelings). It’s about taking the steps I KNOW to help me feel good overall. Moving, breathing, loving, laughing, adventuring, inspiring.  

What does this have to do with healthcare and Physical Therapy?

I think too much of medicine right now is Black and White. This or that. Diagnosis and protocols.

I’ve seen firsthand (in my own body and my patients) how much stress and mental health play a role in pain and dis-ease.  I’ve seen and felt the negative effects of doing the things that DON’T make me feel good. And even to this day, I still see and feel those in my own body as I transition into a different phase of my life and career.

As a healthcare professional, I believe we are at a turning point.  As a Physical Therapist, I know that my role in helping patients heal from pain is SO much more than the diagnosis and protocol.  Helping others heal from pain is so incredibly multi-faceted and if you approach it from strictly a black-and-white ideal you are doing your patients a disservice.

I have seen how helpful talking about stress, breathing, mental health, sleep, good nutrition, hydration, and doing things that are fun can be for patients’ recovery.  I have seen how limiting it can be to tell a patient “STOP Everything you love because it is bad for you.” I have seen how working with a patient to support and guide them physically, mentally, and emotionally through the recovery process can create better relationships, deeper trust, and better outcomes for everyone involved.

To sum it up, I believe that everyone CAN feel good.  I believe that by living good and doing the things that make YOU feel good, everyone can feel good in their body. And most importantly, I KNOW that it looks different to everyone.

And that’s why I am here to help.

Because Who doesn’t want to feel good?

I understand that pain and dis-ease are daunting, frustrating, and sometimes a downright terrifying process.  And that’s why I am here to help.

I want to be your guide in reconnecting to your body. I want to support you in living a good life and feeling good in your body.

I am here to help create the best program to help you live the life you want to live.

I truly believe that by living a good life full of love, movement, mother nature, and fun that every single person can feel good in their body.  On the other side of the coin, I think that feeling good in your body is the route to true happiness.

And, I want to help you live good and feel good.

Because, seriously, who doesn’t want to feel good?