Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges, who want to learn to increase the odds of improving their health by learning to live with mastery & wellbeing.

I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below and I will answer them on a future Friday in this column.

I post to this blog three times per week. Monday posts are articles I’ve written. Wednesday posts are interviews—mostly video. Friday posts now consist of your questions about living better with chronic health challenges, and my answers to them.

Someone recently asked me this question during one of my presentations:

Question: You recommend observing our behavior, but that only makes me self-conscious! 

Answer:  Thank you for that great question. Self-consciousness is the result of negative self-criticism. I’m advocating neutral, non-judgmental observation of our own behavior. Next time you feel self-conscious, see if you can become aware of all your thoughts, and write them down. Working with your thoughts is a life-long practice, and it requires support from others who are also working with their thoughts. Help can be found in an 8-week MBSR class, an introduction to Buddhist meditation,  group psychotherapy, or even a mindfulness-based individual therapy, such as ACT.

This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.

What questions do you have about how to live better with chronic health challenges?  Each Friday, I will answer your questions in Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box and you’ll see my response to you in an upcoming Friday post.