When I first started practicing, I felt my calling was simply to use my knowledge to help patients feel better, manage their pain, and restore movement. I defined my success by applying what I understood and how that would be enough to unlock my patient’s potential. As such, I became overly consumed by technical courses and drifted further away from a life of meaning.
The further you drift away from your inner knowing, the more you become pulled towards it. It’s like a boomerang. I took a closer look at my own world, I re-connected with myself and began listening to my inside voice and chose to step back from the noise and opinions of others. I reflected on when I became a caregiver to my dad at the onset of my career and how that shaped my life. I reflected on his day-to-day interactions with healthcare providers. I reflected on our family as a whole and how deeply we were impacted by all of it. It was during this time that my calling evolved and became even more clear.
I finally understood my deeper purpose for practicing. I finally understood what I was really trying to do but was encountering so much resistance because I was not looking intently enough. I painfully saw how my dad suddenly went from an independently functioning human being to being housebound and requiring assistance for all things, including his most basic and sacred activities of daily living.
This was especially hard on him because he recognized the support he needed but desperately did not want it. He wanted to be his own man, just as he always was. He did not want his daughter to assist him to use the bathroom, that undignified him - he was supposed to be the one caring for me, not the other way around.
My dad often took risks for the pure hope and desire to be more independent. For example, he would risk walking from the living room couch to the front door to sit on the patio in the sunlight. It was one of the things he used to do before he fell ill - he would sit outside for hours and hours appreciating nature. While unsteady and unsafe, it was his risk to take because it meant that much to him. The reward for reaching the patio chair and sitting outside on his terms meant everything, even if it could have resulted in a fall or injury, which it did once or twice.
During this time, I realized and I’ve since held onto this calling for a long time now that my deeper purpose for practicing is to be present with my patients along their health journey and to guide my patients to achieve their highest level of functional independence with what matters most to them. I promised myself that I would support patients with the care plan that they and their families agreed upon as safely as possible. I promised myself to be clear and transparent on what I recognized as unsafe and risky but would try to empathize with patients’ desires to reclaim and regain their independence.
For some patients, independence looked like returning home and being with their family as they were battling a terminal diagnosis or chronic illness - just being able to be in their own home would mean everything. For others, the freedom and ability to move meant that they could physically support their basic needs of daily living independently again. For some other patients, it also meant that they could socialize again or return to work or sport and provide for themselves and their families.
It was never about the movement itself, but rather, what the restoration of movement meant to them and all of the hope and opportunity it could bring. It meant uniting families again. It meant bringing people together. It meant connection. It meant that their journey could continue and not cease because of injury, diagnosis, or even prognosis.
One of the legacies I hope to leave is being the provider who could connect with patients who were seemingly unreachable. My dad was often regarded by healthcare providers as resistive to care, but now I understand that it is not one-sided, and we as care providers need to better empathize and reflect on our own biases, perspectives, and clinical interpretations to allow patients the opportunity to be fully themselves.
If you are a healthcare provider who is feeling stuck and unclear when it comes to your practice, begin reflecting on your own life and how it could be influencing your practice. Also, remember at the very core of every patient's concern is a loss of independence in some functional and meaningful capacity and a longing to return to a life he or she was living before everything suddenly changed. If you could simply be present with them and help them move the needle forward toward what you understand that they desire, it could change their entire life for the better.
Most of the time, I let the songs play and I feel whatever emotion comes to me at that moment. This time though, I noticed every time a Beatles song would play, it sparked so much more in me. I connected, I felt uplifted, and I purposefully reflected.
I first learned the power of empathy at a young age, not by reading books, but by reading song lyrics. I was so immersed in song lyrics that it sparked my desire to write and express myself. I would feel so moved by the stories and emotions in every song that I would memorize them and bask in the melodies that carried them through from my eyes to my ears.
The first song to play was Yesterday - do I need to say more? Just the word itself triggers so much self-awareness, which is what makes the Beatles so brilliant. The simplicity of their lyrics and the shortness of their songs, provokes deep thought and meditation.
While I feel Yesterday is more about love and regret, it made me reflect on everything I took for granted just over a mere week ago - going to a crowded gym, sitting in heavy traffic, standing in a long waiting line at the grocery store, giving my 79 year-old mother with COPD a hug and a kiss, going out to restaurants or events, and hopping on a flight across the world without a single thought. “How I long for yesterday…”
Second, Help! I absolutely love this song because of its loud and fast-paced rhythm, implying the urgency to reach out, connect, and help raise someone up NOW. Reaching out can be harder than helping out - so I told myself I would simply ask how others are feeling today as this in itself is creating a moment to offer recognition and support to someone in need.
The lyric, “My independence seems to vanish in the haze” resonates so much with me because of how life inevitably changes quickly - and because of this - I was feeling deep gratitude for the constant love and support of those in my world who I can count on through my hardships.
Third, All You Need Is Love - was so uplifting and made me realize that there is nothing that can’t be done, felt, or understood in this world if you feel love and belonging. Love for yourself, love for humanity, and love for the life you live. I believe those who struggle most in this world are those who feel unloved in some way. And so, I made it a point to tell someone I loved them today.
Finally, the piano prelude to Let it Be was a beautiful way to stroll into the parking lot. I actually played it quite loudly, attracting the eyes and ears of those nearby who instantly connected.
Let it Be is harmonious, spiritual, and hopeful. There is power in faith and letting go - faith in the departed, faith in your God or Source, and faith in one another. I trust that you are doing what you can to live your most healthy life right now and I know that you trust me to live mine. Trust your guiding whispers more than the noise that surrounds you, and there will be an answer. Just let it be.
If you want to reach out and connect, please get in touch at jennifer@jennifergeorge.co for support.
The thing about healthcare, is it is not black and white. I find that people want to sometimes put healthcare in a box - they want it to be one way or another or believe if it were one way or another, it would be best. However, healthcare is about caring for people and that is not something you can completely systemize - it has to evolve and remain adaptable in relation to those who need it. That is where the care comes in.
I still find it fascinating and mind-boggling that with all of the advancements in healthcare, like the rise of digital health and technology, patients remain unheard. I know this because I am a witness to it on some level almost every day - in my everyday life, as I meet and listen to everyday people.
Through compassionate communication - listening presently, empathizing, being genuinely interested in your patients’ lives, and advocating for the best care possible - you will be able to identify when your patient needs your help without even having to physically assess them yet.
It is your patients’ story that validates reason for your clinical assessment, not your clinical assessment that validates their story. Remember to lead with this thought in mind and you will find yourself understanding more fully.
As your patient is sharing their story with you, listen for these 3 major functional changes that indicate they need your attention now:
1. Frequent Falls of Non-Mechanical Cause - When your patient reports a recent onset of their leg(s) or joint (s) randomly giving out and resulting in falls when they are otherwise healthy and have had no history to otherwise support it. This is not normal and warrants further work-up.
2. Cannot Stand Up - When your patient reports to you that they could not get up from their bed, couch, or toilet without physical help or extreme effort, it warrants deeper attention and investigation, especially when they have never experienced such a level of weakness before.
3. Changes in their Mobility and Endurance - When your patient explains to you that they normally walk 5 km a day and now cannot even tolerate walking in their home due to pain, breathlessness, fatigue, or weakness - you need to investigate the reason for this change. Do not attribute it to anything else (e.g., stress) until you’ve ruled all else out first.
I know there are many other functional textbook changes you can add to this list, but in reality, it is variable depending on your patients and their lifestyle. These are common examples I see in my life that leave people, patients, and caregivers feeling frustrated because no one is listening or trying to understand the nature of their significant changes. In extreme cases, it has even resulted in injury and further decline.
The answer to your patients’ concerns are most often found in their story. They usually hold the key. Even if you do not have the answer, you can lead them to the provider who might be better able to help. The biggest disservice we can do for our patients is leave them in limbo - with no guidance, with no follow-up, and with no follow-through.
Here are the 5 ways I ignite my purpose every day:
1) I literally wake up and say "THANK YOU" to any higher being I am called. This could be Thank you... God, Mother Mary, the Universe, my Dad (my angel), etc. Sometimes, it is all of them.
2) I then write 5-10 gratitudes down on the notepad beside my bed. I do not sit and prioritize or judge them, I list whatever comes to heart in that moment as the idea is to remain present to your thoughts and feelings.
3) I keep a 16 Oz water bottle by my bedside and as my feet hit the ground, I am drinking my water. This detoxifies me from what has been and rejuvenates me for what's to come.
4) I establish connection - I do this in the form of audio mainly - podcasts, books, sound clips. The sound of inspirational and motivational content first thing in the morning has a profound impact on my outlook and energy levels.
5) Finally, I get into state - this usually comes in the form of being at the gym, hearing the iron and feeding off of the energy of the other early risers in the arena. I chat very little with those around me and I definitely do not watch the television playing overhead as I do not want to start my day with any negative news or draining affects. BONUS TIP:
During this time, I am also visualizing how my working day will go and often times, it usually goes as expected, but in the event that it doesn't, I feel better prepared to take on whatever challenges may come my way. Why? Because I have armoured myself with nothing but positivity, enlightenment, inspiration for nearly 2 hours before going into my workplace.
I am always looking for suggestions to build my repertoire of self-care strategies to ignite my purpose and remain mindful of my intentions for the day.
How do you awaken your purpose each day?
I am just a front line worker. I am just a front line worker who cares about my patients.
One of the biggest challenges I face is the limited time to directly provide care to my patients. Instead of resisting a system I cannot change right now, I have had to discover what matters most to my patients and what would make their time with me feel valuable and progressive.
I have been consistently active on social media for a couple of years now. It started with my own health transformation journey and in sharing that part of my life with others, it evolved into a desire to inspire and empower others to take responsibility for their lives and create the positive change they were seeking.
As much as you have gotten to know me over this time, I have also gotten to know many of you through your supportive comments, messages, chats, etc. I never realized how many people I have touched by simply sharing my own joy, success, and challenges. It humbles me everyday and I am blessed to be able to influence others in a favourable way.
The truth is though, is that it is not easy to show up to my life everyday as it appears on social media. What I share is just a glimpse of perspective, enlightenment, and connection in that moment. It takes work on my part to find the best in every day. There is a lot of self-resistance that I have worked through over the years to get to this point and I still have a long way to go in being completely unapologetically me. I believe there is a negative perception of social media when it comes to “oversharing” and the fakeness of it all, however, I have a different opinion on this simply because I know why I continue to share. I think social media is an escape (and a distraction) for many of us who are tired of seeing the world falling apart everywhere we turn. I find comfort in knowing that I have the power to follow who or what I want and consequently, am influenced by it in a way that serves my spirit. So, when I see a share that spreads success, happiness and love, I am all for it. I follow it closely. I learn from it. I model it. It inspires me to think if they can, I can. I do not assume it is fake or people are pretending to be someone they are not. I think it is safe to say we all have something going on in our lives that affects us negatively, just because some choose not to share that part, it should not be assumed that they are pretending to be happy. Perhaps in that one moment, they are, and they felt safe enough to share it with you because they thought it could help you too.
Social media can be used as a way to foster genuine connections and create inspiration universally to generate a wave of change. By supporting others, we support ourselves but by sabotaging others, we sabotage ourselves. To those of you who follow me because of the inspiration and value I bring to your life every day, I thank you. For those of you who I follow and share the most random of things, I thank you. Keep sharing and be you. Be unapologetically you. You help me too.
I am the type of woman who wears headphones in public so as to minimize interaction with others because the thought of casual talk makes me feel awkward and lacking confidence. Not to mention, the anticipation of small-talk situations can deter my focus and drain my energy. I can recall growing up as a child and avoiding sitting with company by seeking solace in the downstairs living room. I simply enjoyed my own company the most. I used to think it was because I was “shy” but now I realize it is because I am introverted by nature.
The challenging part about being an introvert is that I absolutely cherish community, connection, and I have an eagerness to learn about people as humans. It almost seems counterintuitive when I think about it: how can I create meaningful relationships when the thought of human interaction in its most basic form makes me feel uneasy? There are a few different ways I have learned to use the strengths of my introversion to get the best out of communicating with others over the years. These include: empathy, listening, self-care, and purpose.
By empathizing with others, it has helped me to be more open. I can transform any kind of small talk to a full in-depth conversation if there is common experience and mutual desire for solutions. Empathy is what connects us human to human, irregardless of titles or rankings. By empathizing with someone, you are validating his/her sense of being and creating a sense of belonging, which thereby lightens the load of any conversation.
I also seek to listen to others with the intention of understanding them fully. This gives me time to reflect and I often find through listening, people will reveal who they truly are. This practice of non-judgement allows us to connect authentically without feeling compelled to do so and creates a safe space for engagement.
As mentioned above, I still relish in my own company regularly. This seems to energize me to clearly communicate with others everyday. I try to do things that will benefit my health and vitality on a daily basis so as not to feel drained by the compounding effect of interactions. If you think about it, we have hundreds of conversations in a day verbally and in other expressive forms. This can create a lost sense of self when you are “on” all of the time. If you only have an hour to yourself in your day, you are best to fill it with what makes you feel empowered and at peace. For me, this includes: exercising, listening to music, writing, going for walks, or listening to podcasts. Interestingly, as an introvert, I do not crave quiet. I crave movement. I crave melody. I crave expressive creativity. If you do not have an hour to yourself, then I strongly recommend you wake up an extra hour early or goto bed an extra hour later to devote time to your vessel.
I have always said that I am an “introvert with an extroverted love for humanity.” For as long as I can remember, I have always felt like it was my purpose to serve others within my capabilities. I have come to find that where my introversion excels is in leading others to solutions to improve their growth, health, and well-being. As an introvert, I seek meaningful connections and there is nothing more meaningful than having the opportunity to help transform someone’s life. When I am in such a space, my ability to communicate becomes more creative, free-flowing, and passionate. When I am living in my purpose, I speak from my heart, and that is a language that everyone can connect with.