The Animal Within

DISCLAIMER: Always seek out medical advice and be sure to rule out anything serious before attempting to self-treat or self-diagnose.

I have no trouble identifying four over-the-counter fever reducers off the top of my head, but I still struggle to locate the root cause of my indigestion. We’re taught to trust the person in the white coat, but aren't taught how to trust our instincts. It can be challenging when the solution takes months, not minutes, and requires a responsibility we’d prefer to outsource. When it comes to health here in the west, we place much of the responsibility into the hands of others—doctors, pills, surgeries.

We reach for Tylenol for headaches, instead of asking what’s stressing us out. We like our quick fixes, apps, fast food—our shortcuts.

Holistic health looks at all aspects of health: exercise, diet, relationships, connection, stress management, career fulfillment. It’s the combination and interaction of these aspects that contributes to what we physically feel. Therefore, if something is out of whack, there is very little a pill can actually fix, at least not permanently.

Animals can sense danger, find mates by smell, hunt without binoculars, adapt in changing climates, find their way home without a GPS. Humans are animals, too, but we have relied on invention over intuition for so long, leaving us a little rusty. All those instincts are there, free, and waiting to be used.

Tip: To get reacquainted with your inner animal, it can be helpful to sit quietly for a moment and try to feel your heartbeat. It’s a great way to ground yourself back in your body.

We like to think of ourselves as more advanced and evolved than animals (as if they are beneath us). With all our growth in technology and our ability to control the world, many of us reject the idea that we can find our own way by simply being quiet and letting our internal GPS guide us.

We outsource almost everything (you want coffee, you go to Starbucks instead of making it, you want music, you download it instead of playing it). Outsourcing has become streamlined, thanks to technology. There are many great health-related apps, including MySymptoms, FODMAP and Calm, just to name a few. Though they can be extremely helpful for some, for me, apps can be extraneous and counter-intuitive. I find the most effective method of healing comes from asking my body what it needs. Relying on a digital app to get more in tune with myself seems ironic.

It’s important to remember that our bodies are amazing machines and ecosystems (more complicated than any man-made technology), able to reproduce, transport energy, pump blood, breathe, all without having to think about it. We have built-in mechanisms for protection and healing that occur without us having to push a button or click “Send.” Our brains produce natural painkillers, without any of the harmful side effects. Our cuts heal on their own without us getting them surgically stitched up. Fevers are the body's way of fighting off viruses.

We are sitting on some of the most intricate healing abilities, and sadly, many of us still don’t know our bodies’ full potential. I have to constantly remind myself that no one (doctor or otherwise) knows my body better than I do. But that requires some stepping up on my part, to acknowledge this and take on the responsibility that comes with it.

So let’s talk about our responsibility.

Assuming we can identify the underlying issues that are making us feel unwell, taking action to resolve them is the next step. We need to shift our focus away from victimhood, and start to see health as a choice we make for ourselves, to either get sick or get well. 

I recently read The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Bensen. In it he asks us to consider the role stress plays in high blood pressure. Gretchen Rubin, an author focusing on good habits and happiness states happiness is 50% genetics, 10-20% life circumstance, and the remaining 30-40% comes from our thoughts and attitude.

Just using these two examples, we can understand that we can reduce high blood pressure and increase happiness with adjustments to life circumstances and attitude. We cannot change every life circumstance (such as living in oppression), but we can reframe many things that we allow to cause us stress. And we all have that freedom of choice and can decide to be happier.

Of course this flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught: Only a doctor/surgery/pill can fix the ailment.

To really understand the role of choice in my health, I had to redefine responsibility. I used to think that by making my own doctor’s appointments and driving myself to the pharmacy, I was being responsible for my well-being (look at me being all grown up and responsible!), when I had not done a shred of inner reflection, slowed down, or even considered that I could heal myself.

I was driving myself to the doctor, with the expectation that they would fix me. I had to be turned away by dozens of doctors with a clean bill of health before it sunk in: No one is fixing this but me.

I want to acknowledge that taking responsibility and choosing to be healthy and happy is not a simple switch. I absolutely needed to self-heal, but it was difficult to get off the ground for fear of change. Stress and pain were a part of my everyday existence. Unbearable as it was, it became a part of who I was. There’s a duality in us all—the part that is desperate to heal, and the part that is scared of change. It’s about readiness.

It’s been an ongoing process to listen to my inner animal, to know what is right and not right for me. I have to regularly check in with myself to see what feels good, and sometimes, that means doing absolutely nothing! I no longer take any and all suggestions people throw at me, just because they’re “experts” or because those things worked for them.

With all we have at our innate disposal, the free and natural remedies we possess, I can only hope we start to take more charge of our own health, trusting that we are capable of so much more than we think.

When it comes to your wellbeing, what are some ways you can un-delegate responsibility to others?