Becoming – and remaining – well involves an element you might not have consciously noticed. But, in those who have returned to being well, especially after more serious illnesses, you’ll often find it.

The needed ingredient is empowering yourself. In effect, making the effort to get knowledgeable about what you need and strong enough to stay firm in what you’ve decided, no matter what others think. What’s most true for you is what you figure out for yourself. The other piece is giving yourself permission and power to stand up for that.

It’s sad that we put more research and effort into buying our next car than finding out what we need to know about our bodies in order to be well. Sad … but very fixable.

Here are a few suggestions to start building your wellness power:

• What do you want regarding your health? What matters most to you? Don’t go down one path because someone else suggests it. Take back your power – your knowing – and pursue what feels most important to you. Just because someone else is all over clean eating, that doesn’t mean that’s your ticket into wellness.
• What works for you? What doesn’t? As you try various avenues, keep notes so you have a base to work from. It doesn’t matter a bit if I’ve had great success with it — or your best friend Sally. It only matters if it helps you.
• In both of the above, what also helps is listening to your intuition. What is that nudge you get to do something or check something out? What catches your eye? What did you think of doing but too quickly set aside as nonsense?
• Do you have to visit the doctor? Do some homework first. Know something about what you are going to discuss. Have an idea of what choices you may want to make and what you don’t. Know what you need to find out.
• When you visit a health care professional or take part in anything health related, remember who is in charge. You. Yes, you. You are an adult; you get to make whatever decision you want. Take back your power as a consumer instead of releasing it and acting as a victim. Remember, this is one hugely important “purchase.” You don’t go into a store and allow the clerks to load up your basket and force you to check out, do you? Don’t do it anywhere else, either. If it’s not an emergency, slow down, get some extra info and really check what makes sense to you.