What is a Health Coach?
I had no idea that health coaching even existed when I was at the hardest parts of my chronic illness journey.
Had I known that they existed, and what they could do, I think I would have found my way to Chronic Wellness much earlier. At the very least, I would have felt more supported on my chronic illness journey.
Because I had no idea about health coaching when I could have used it most, I want to share this post with any of you who are in the same boat that I was. I will explain what a health coach is and how the right one can support you on your chronic illness journey.
What Do Health Coaches Do?
As a health coach, I am certified to help my clients deal with the in-between -- the details of their day-to-day life that can help propel them forward or hold them back from reaching goals related to their health and general well-being.
I support clients as they go through the process of envisioning what they want, setting goals for themselves and figuring out how to get there.
Health coaches are not doctors or therapists. So what do they do?
I provide a framework and a process for my clients to tune into their priorities.
I support my clients as they determine their roadmap to obtain their goals.
I support my clients as they start to implement their plan. (I have an app that allows us to communicate between sessions and provides a way for them to track certain goals).
I help my clients break down overwhelming and seemingly impossible goals into small actionable steps.
While the actual achievements look different for each individual, I know that the end result for my clients is that they:
Feel less overwhelmed;
Have defined priorities;
Are confident that they are capable of reaching the goals they set for themselves;
Know that there is no such thing as perfect implementation; and
Know they have someone who will be there to cheer them on and to help them when things don’t go as well as planned.
I love being a health coach because I am able to help others avoid a lot of the pitfalls I fell into while living with recurrent lymphoma and autoimmune issues. While I can’t necessarily cure disease, I know I can help my clients find more space in their life to heal.
How Can a Health Coach Support You?
Have you been following doctor’s orders and still feeling like you should be doing something else to support your healing journey?
As an integrative health coach, I help clients fit doctor’s orders into their lives. AND, we also take things a bit deeper. I work with each client to find what they uniquely need to thrive with chronic illness because there seems to be no one-size-fits-all path.
I help my clients find their own way and support them on that path by helping them:
Take an active role in their life and health
Tune into what they want and need
Get clear on priorities
Find balance
Set a roadmap with small action steps
Feel supported at each step
How Does Health Coaching Look Different When You Have a Chronic Illness?
In my practice, health coaching looks different for clients with chronic illness because they have unique needs that require a unique approach. Chronic illness clients deserve a specialized approach to health coaching - one that reflects their challenges.
The typical goal/accountability approach doesn’t always quite fit the bill. This is because it doesn’t make sense to set out a time-specific goal when a client has unpredictable symptoms. We simply need to make goals more flexible to accommodate for the uncertainties of chronic illness. I work with my clients to find a way to stay on track while not causing negative feelings if a specific action step did not happen due to a symptom flare, etc.
This is why I tailor my health coaching to ensure that each client and I are finding ways to add flexibility, reality and more coaching support to the goals they decide to set. We work to find ways to give them something to reach for in a truly realistic way - step by step, while accommodating symptoms.
I work together with my clients to make sure goals:
Allow for rest/recovery
Allow for symptoms, flares and fatigue
Have flexible (or no) set timelines
Are simple and uncomplicated
Reflect the client’s priorities (and how those may shift)
Are based in reality
Include self-compassion
There is no shame. No tough love. It is all about finding a way to support my clients on their individual journey to thriving with chronic illness.
How Can Health Coaching Help If You Have Brain Fog?
When my clients have issues with brain fog or other cognitive issues, I help them work with it. I do this by helping my clients to get crystal clear on their priorities. From there, we make a plan.
We may have certain visual reminders of their priorities or actions steps - whether it be in paper form or on an app we use. I also support them by helping them to find what tools will work for their life in order for them to set up reminders, alarms, etc. The way this ends up looking is different for each client. Sometimes it involves them taking the initiative to set alarms or have checklists, to name a couple of strategies.
In addition, I provide additional support and encouragement by checking in with my clients in between our sessions. Having friendly, regular support to ask how they are and how they are doing on certain matters, tends to really help them stay on the general course that they set for themselves.
How do you think a health coach could help you on your chronic illness journey?
If you think health coaching might be a good option for you, apply to work with me. We can schedule a time to chat and explore how we could work together - whether that is through my THRIVE program or a Chronically Well Membership.
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