Being Well Is Not The Absence Of Illness

From Felice Rhiannon of the Los Angeles Incubator.

Every day we automatically assess our well-being. Does my back ache? Did I catch a cold from my office-mate? Has yesterday’s computer headache dissipated? How are my hamstrings today?

Most of us, most of the time, can easily respond to those questions. But many people know their illness will not go away with an ibuprofen or a visit to the chiropractor or acupuncturist. They’ve seen all the wonderful healers, and countless doctors. They live with invisible illness or chronic conditions that won’t go away. And lots of them are well.

How can that be? If you’ve got an illness, invisible or not, how can you be well at the same time? Easy. Wellness is not synonymous with the absence of illness. Wellness is synonymous with manifesting our being-ness and manifesting it well.

Being well is about the quality of how we are, not the state of our body. To be well is to live life to the fullest extent possible, whatever that extent might be. It is to be in the present moment, rather than living as if the past or future were present now. We might ask ourselves is “How well am I being, right here, right now?”

 

Being well is about uncovering our true self. That self does not change when we’re ill. However, when we are in dis-ease we are separated from our true self, whether ill or not. Dis-ease is not the same as living with an illness. Being well is the first step to being our self.

Being well demands rigorous work, internal work. Finding the willingness to look inside, to see all the wonders and all the ugliness, is not always easy. Nor is it always a pleasant task to deal with what lies within. But, oh, how it changes our ability to be and to be well. While actually living in the present we relax into whatever we are creating. We focus fully on the moment, whether we are working or making love, taking a stroll on the shore or sitting in grid-lock.

Being well creates joy, even in a body that might not function optimally. We have equated well-being with the results of blood tests, MRIs, electrocardiograms and blood pressure readings. While these indicators give us valuable information, they are not a measure of how well we are. Joy at seeing a child light up with wonder, or hearing bird song, or loving for its own sake are hallmarks of well- being. Our ability to respond with an openhearted caring tells us we are well.

Having lived an entire year lying in bed or on the couch, I marked the beginning of my wellness not from the first yoga pose I joyfully practiced, but from the moment I stopped thinking about my condition and truly listened to another person. I knew I was well again though it took another six months to become physically able.

While I was ill I counted it a good day when I washed the dishes. On a bad day I crawled to the restroom. Somewhere, in the stillness of my mind, a small voice spoke to me and told me I could be well exactly as I was. I smiled and the healing began. While I was ill I learned some things about being well.

 

• Sing, chant or listen to music daily

• Say “I love you” at least once a day, to yourself or someone else

• Move your body as much and as often as you can

• Eat delicious food

• Laugh as much and as often as you can

• Love the little ones inside

• Play as much and as often as you can

• Listen to your still, small voice every day

• Do what it tells you 

It was a glorious day when my inner wellness took me to a spotless tattoo parlor to have my nose pierced! After all the cleansing and twirling I inserted a diamond. Now, every time I look in the mirror I see it sparkle and remember to be well in each moment. It is the only time I have.

Comments

[Rosalind Joffe]

People tell me I'm their"hero" - because of how I've lived with chronc illness for 30 years. I've balked at that - and usually ignore those comments. But I've come to see that by living my life and rather than complain about my health but seeing it as something that just is - this is heroic to some - and incomprehensible. But it's neither. It's will - I figure this IS my life -somedays with pain or fatigue and others without. If you dwell on it as something that's horrible or to be sad about, it's moments missed. That's why I launched my business 10 years ago - and why for the past 5 years work solely with people with chronic illness - who, too, are motivated to just "keep on truckin'" and keep working.Rosalind Joffe aka cicoach.com

[Lisa Copen]

Thank you for bringing to light not just illness but the term "invisible illness." As the founder of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week we seek to make more people aware of the fact that nearly 1 in 2 people have an illness and 96% of it is invisible. People with illness feel less alone and isolated in their pain. People without illness have a better understanding that pain is usually impossible to see or measure for another person.

I was dignaosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 24 and began Rest Ministries (a Christian organization that serves the chronically ill) by the time I was 26. That was eleven years ago. Having a goal and the opportunity to reach out to others is truly what keeps me going. Even when the body aches I can drag myself to the computer and find a source of encouragment; either through another person, a newsletter, or buckling down and getting to work.

I am often amazed at the strength and perseverance I witness every day in people who live with chronic conditions. Truly in their physical weakness they find strength they never knew they have. And oftentimes it's related to having to put "extras" aside and focus on where our true passions are at.

Thank you for your article. Lovely!