Happy July! In just a few days we will be celebrate when our nation declared its independence from the Britain Monarch and it got me thinking about what independence really is.
When I looked up the definition of Independence, two phrases really stuck out to me.
1. Not influenced by the thought or action of others
2. Not depending or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc.
Let’s talk about these today.
I first want to talk about how often people in the United States have become dependent on our healthcare system and the medications that it has provided them. The United States consumes 80% of the world’s pain medication while only having 6% of the world’s population. This has led to the number of deaths from pain medication abuse outnumbering deaths from traffic accidents in young adults. It has also been found that every 19 minutes an American dies from prescription drug overdose…
These are some super sad statistics, especially when there may be another option for you when you are in pain.
As a chiropractor, I believe in relying in the power that made my body to heal me and to keep me well. This is true independence! And this is what I wish for you all! To be truly independent and to allow your body to take care of what ails you and avoid running to the medicine cabinet for a little ache or pain.
You now understand how powerful your body is when it is functioning optimally and how you no longer need to take the pain medications that you were taking prior to coming into the office. This is all because your body is functioning optimally and can be healthy and strong!
*I am not saying that medication is never needed, as I am aware that it is at times, but we need to be aware of when it is being used too frequently and when we are being too dependent on it.
The other component to our independence is finding internal peace and not being influenced by the thoughts or actions of others. There are so many components of this, but one that I have talked on several times, is how we talk to ourselves.
When we allow what others think of us to control what we think of ourselves we are not independent. But, when we break free, control our thoughts to only those that serve us, then we truly have our independence and can go out and live our best life!
There are several ways to do this, but one that is super effective is to use affirmations to build yourself up. If you are wanting to learn more about affirmations, you can sign up to receive a free handout here!
So this Independence Day, I challenge you to not only have fun celebrating with family, but also search for your true independence. Maybe that looks like coming in for regular adjustments so that you are no longer dependent on over the counter pain relievers, or maybe it looks like setting up some boundaries so that you are no longer influenced by the negative words of those around you.
Whatever it is, I would love to hear what you are going to do to find your independence this month!
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