Creating health - do you love yourself enough?

I was walking and talking with a dear friend in the Surrey countryside last week. We met on one link of the National Cycle Network with no set plan about where to go or what to do - and just followed our noses, intuiting the right next step as we went - and one thing flowed quite naturally into the next, like the river that twinkled and sparkled its way along beside us for much of our route.Anyway, our walk spanned several hours and over this time our conversation, like our walking, took on an intuitive pattern of its own. We covered many different topics (as good friendship tends to) and, as part of this, our conversation turned for a while to health.My friend, who had for some time been doing a very demanding, responsible (and much valued) job in the voluntary sector (working to help tackle one of the most pressing themes of the day - environmental changes) had, because of the demanding nature of her role, got to a stage where her energies - and in particular her mental energy - had dropped below a level where she could effectively function.Now, working in the field of complementary healthcare, with its emphasis on preventative care, I was only too aware that, once our energies drop below a certain level, we no longer have the energy to care for ourselves and, to put it quite frankly, are laying ourselves open to developing chronic health problems if this pattern is left unchecked. If we value ourselves and the our lives we need, at this point - as my friend did - to 'put on the brakes', and 'call in reinforcements' to help recharge our batteries to the level where our own resources kick in and we can self-maintain again.The conversation got me thinking: how many of us out there are similarly depleted yet still driving ourselves to accomplish, perhaps feeling that we 'can't' stop (which is of course, one thought pattern that's ripe for challenging, if we can), in denial of the fact that until we refuel our energy tanks, we can be of no earthly good to ourselves or others? I think it was Dr Rosy Daniel, creator of the excellent Health Creation Programme, that identified that until our energies are above the 30 per cent mark (and there are ways of measuring these things), we often haven't the reserves to put into correcting our path and need instead to allow ourselves to be nurtured (and if we don't feel we can do this, reach out to an organisation or individual that can help us do this). Sometimes, if we value ourselves enough (and this is a different issue) we are prepared to take 'drastic' measures, hole ourselves up at home, cancel all prior engagements that are not absolutely essential, pass on to others anything that involves effort or planning and take on a good quality complementary therapist from a particular discipline that fits our condition to refuel our tanks until your own self-healing mechanisms have a chance to kick in.If you're not sure where to start on this process, please feel very comfortable about getting in touch. I can either work with you, on an individual basis, to help identify areas where you can make changes in your life or, if it suits you better, you can come along to Creating Health, a workshop I run offering practical ways of working through these issues and creating a positive, long-lasting plan for maintaining your personal health. I also have a network of complementary health practitioners and contacts that I can recommend if this is of value to you.