Quick Fix

The other day I watched something happen that I think you’ll recognize in your own life. My husband and I were driving down the road and something fell out of the back of the truck. My husband got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in and we were off again. Less than a mile later, it happened again. And again he got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in. We go a little further and sure enough….we’re in the same situation for the third time, but he’s furious now. One could reason that it should have been tied down, the roads need to be bladed, etc… etc… but outside of that, what stuck out to me is that immediately after that happened he grabs for the bottle of Ibuprofen he keeps in the pickup and says, “I got so mad I gave myself a headache.” Now the nurse and healer in me know that this headache isn’t here to stay. It’s merely a side effect of his blood pressure skyrocketing due to his anger about the events that had just taken place. Cause and effect, ya know. Instead of taking a minute to calm his breathing and lower his blood pressure, laugh at the situation and let it go, he reached for a “quick fix” medication. The knee-jerk response was a pill that treats a symptom. 

We know I don’t judge, it’s not my place to chastise him for the decisions he makes, but it is such a great example, I had to share it with you.

How often do we do things like this in our life? 

“Man, I’m tired I better drink another cup of coffee or an energy drink.”

“Shoot, my joints ache because I don’t drink enough water, but I’ll just take that glucosamine, it seems to help.” 

“I have acne, so I’ll take birth control instead of changing my diet and skincare routine.” 

“I’m lonely so I’ll scroll around on social media so I feel more connected to people I never reach out to in real life.”

The list is endless. 

We live in a society that believes in quick fixes, fast wins, and symptom management. While I’m a big fan of a fast win and immediate results in a dire situation, I prefer the approach of finding true wellness instead. For instance, if you’re in a Blood Pressure crisis and at risk of a stroke, then yes, let’s medicate you to prevent a worsening situation. However, let’s also look at ways to change your lifestyle so you can prevent the need for daily medication. If you’re not sleeping at night because you’re consuming too much caffeine, bringing home too much stress, or staring at too many screens, then let’s look at changing those routines. Instead of the quick fixes like using sleeping pills to fall asleep at night and caffeine to stay awake during the day. Whole30 is really good at teaching this approach of a lifestyle change instead of a “diet”. Helping you to learn what serves your body and what doesn’t so you know how to honor it moving forward. We need to approach our overall wellness with the same philosophy. Learning and understanding what choices we make that are causing the symptoms we have, and how we can correct it at the root cause level.

This might be your physical health, your mental health, or even your spiritual health; maybe even all three. I encourage you this week to take a step back and look at how the choices your making are affecting you. Instead of reaching for that ibuprofen bottle or that 5th cup of coffee, take a beat and investigate. What is my body really asking of me right now? How can I correct the problem instead of treating the symptom? 

Every choice you make has a consequence. You get to choose if those consequences help get you closer to achieving your life goals or keep you stuck on that same ol’ hamster wheel. 

If you’d like to start making changes today, check out this morning routine. 5 simple steps to start the day feeling in tune with your body and in control of how you handle the day!