Healthy Spaces
creating healing environments
If you are anything like myself, we dismiss the warning signs of failing health until we are smacked in the face with a health crisis. After my brain cancer diagnosis, my initial priority was simply - to survive. Once I pulled through my initial surgery and follow-up treatment, my priority turned to looking at what I could do to prevent recurrence.
To Create and Immerse Myself in Environments that Heal.
With over 30 years experience and qualifications as a health practitioner in various environments (Exercise Physiology, Chiropractic, Health Promotion, and Occupational Health and Hygiene), I knew that the causes of chronic health crises are usually multifactorial and complex. Furthermore, the environments in which we live, work, play and learn influence our lives in many interrelated ways (physically, psychologically, emotionally, financially, socially...).
Therefore, I knew that I needed to address all these factors, especially since my goal was not just to survive, but to thrive.
Not only to be cured, but to be healed.
I never set out to live in a 'sick' environment, although I had not made creating and maintaining my own optimal healing environments a high priority until my hand was forced. I thought I was invincible. It turns out that I am not. It wasn't enough to know, I also needed to do. Funny that. So how do we easily and practically create optimal healing environments that nurture healing; that foster thriving; not just surviving?
This is what Healthy Spaces is about.
Optimal Healing Environments
Each of the environments shown below (Internal, Interpersonal, Behavioural and External) and their constructs work synergistically to support and stimulate health creation and healing.
INTERNAL
Healing Intention
Personal Wholeness
INTERPERSONAL
Healing Relationships
Healing Organisations
BEHAVIOURAL
Healthy Lifestyles
Ingtegrative Care
External
Healing Spaces
Ecological Resilience
MAKING HEALING AS IMPORTANT AS CURING
How is this page different?
These environments are addressed extensively in academic literature and our social media is also devoted to certain constructs especially 'Healthy Lifestyles.' However, what has been incredibly lacking is the translation of research into practical tips on how to effectively create optimal healing environment in our everyday lives.
Whilst this page touches on each of these environments, it will have a particularly strong focus on the "Healing Spaces" construct. I decided to focus on this because it is how I was able to most easily, practically and cost-effectively be proactive about my health and life choices after my diagnosis; at a time when I felt that my physical body - my life, was in the hands of medical specialists. Furthermore, I was desperate to make healing as important (if not more important) as curing since recurrence and metastases are hallmarks of the type of cancer I was diagnosed with. I needed to be ok with what my future held (cure or not). Talking with other people who have been diagnosed with cancer (or any other health challenge), I know that I'm not alone with this ultimate emotional challenge. It seemed necessary then, that I needed to take an holistic approach and consider all of the environments in which I live.
So, I invite you to take some time to explore the blog, look at or watch something interesting through my other social media links, find out About Me, or view products or services that have been used throughout The West End Project,
