Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, 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. When I get a certain number of related questions, I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one.

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

Here is this week’s question:

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:  You write about self-efficacy. Please explain how that could relate to my state of health.

ANSWER: This is part one of two.  In regard to health, self-efficacy—the belief that you can reach your goals—results in greater effort on your part. For example, if you believe you can successfully manage stress through meditation, you will be more likely to stick with a daily meditation practice, whereas, if you don’t believe you will be able to successfully manage your stress that way, you are not likely to want to spend any time meditating.

I will further address this self-efficacy topic in next Friday’s post.

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 that are related to the relationship between states of mind and health? 

Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box. I will post a reply to your comment, but your question may not appear in this column.