611 thoughts on “What is the responsibility in our work as medical professionals?”

1. When I look back 13 or so years ago I would say I was living irresponsibly although to the outside world I was very responsible, I was a single mother raising a child on my own, I worked full time. I was ticking all the boxes that society expected of me. But then I discover there’s more to life than ticking boxes to get by until you die, that seemed a very boring and monotonous way to be.
   So reading how you live Lieke that there is another model of life that is so very fulfilling that being responsible is as natural as breathing and not the burden we all may think it is. This is refreshing because now humanity has a real choice.

2. Lieke you’ve highlighted some interesting statements for us to consider, not only for our health care systems, which I also work in, but any industries people work in.

   We are in the 21st Century, and modern technology is constantly changing, faster this or faster that, yet people are no faster and the toll is often on them. However, you have some gold suggestions that if we take care of ourselves and take responsibility, the quality of our care or service will be reflected in not only what we do/be, but how we do/be. And this is a reflection for others to do/be.

   This integrity is very important in our present, and future industries and it starts somewhere and at sometime. Why not you and why not now?

3. Does this get taught to healthcare professionals now ‘So our first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves, to make choices every day that we know and feel are supportive and healthy, so that we can be truly supportive to those we care for and inspire them to take care of themselves also.’ The self-care aspect, saying that this should not just be for healthcare professionals but for all!

   1. Vicky to my understanding, this is not taught in our healthcare professionals. And if it is, it is taught probably in the usual format, exercise, diet and sleep. When all of this is essential but often not the answer. It is in the quality we do all of these in that impacts our workforce. And totally I agree, self-care is for all…

4. I agree – choosing responsibility places me in a position where I become aware of the power on the other side of the same coin, and be humble at the same time that I am prone to make mistakes therefore willing to be corrected and accept deeper level of responsibility/power.

5. Thank you Lieke, it’s a very supportive blog about what care and responsibility mean in the world, and how this begins with ourselves. I know for me there are new levels of caring for my body waiting for me to take action on, and I appreciated your words about how what we do in private does matter because it has an effect on us, and is what we then take to people.

   1. Melinda I feel this is what we want to ignore that how we are and what we do has an effect on us and therefore all others as we do not live in the separation we like to think we do. We are all interconnected and we feel everything all of the time. So it makes sense if we want to change the world and most of us say we do then we have to live in a responsible way that is then reflected and felt by all others.

6. Health care isn’t an easy job for sure but thats why each person needs a self-care game plan.

7. “the way I think about myself matters” Recently I had a friend staying with me and she remarked at how hard on myself I am. I had thought that this way of being with myself was a thing of the past but the truth is I am still judging myself at times and bringing myself down – not that I am expecting to be perfect. If how I am with me is how I am with others and even just a negative thought can impact those around me it is worth becoming more aware in this regard and stepping up the love and goodwill towards myself and then I shall be doing that for everyone.

8. The cut backs that we have in many of the health care systems today is a huge part of what is happening in lots of countries, and as the services get tightened even more, it is amazing to see all the people who work within healthcare who continue to give their all and provide the best possible service that they can, given the services and the resources available to them.

9. This really should be in the manual for all health care professionals there is nothing much more important to learn then if you don’t look after yourself you can not look properly after another.
   Our health care industry needs to learn this for if not someone starts off healthy and in good health only to burn out soon after starting. Where is the common sense in that?

10. Unfortunately I have seen this happening more and more in increasingly strained health care services, that things are becoming more rationed or reduced down to cope with the demand e.g. people being only able to get a phone appointment with their GP and not a face to face appointment etc. In the increasing health care crisis whatever care was there is being squeezed out even more.

11. True inspiration happens through living and moving what you feel is true. Words are then even not needed, as we recognise movements way before we respond to words.

    1. You can see it in a person’s body if they live the ‘healthy lifestyle’ they talk about or not.

12. “Another aspect of our daily choices that has an impact on the level of care we deliver is based on another saying: ‘walk your talk’. In other words: do we live the advice we give to our patients?”. If the answer is no to this question then we have a responsibility to know why we don’t. It may be that we don’t agree with the advice that we give to others and if that is the case then we have to be honest about that within ourselves and go deeper in order to bring a greater truth for all.

13. I love what you have explained here Lieke, how we are responsible for what we put out by the way we live and how everything we do or not do gives a reflection to all those around us, the way we are with ourselves, the way we move, eat, sleep, talk, etc. And I agree ‘Therefore, to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself – as you are the person living in a body well cared for.’

14. It is interesting to ponder how irresponsible it is to give up on ourselves and not commit and engage in life.

    1. It is a very selfish choice to do so. No one around you plays any role, but your own little world you cycle around. We are here to inspire each other and everyone contributes something that no one else could otherwise. True brotherhood honours that and is the only way out of the mess we are in as humanity in todays world.

15. ‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’.… Yes indeed there is a saying that states this… And this should be the motto on every portal of every educational institution that trains people in looking after another human in any modality.

16. It is beautiful to feel that when we commit and deeply care for ourselves, we are committing to living in honour of the truth. Our cared for bodies and being then can bring an honouring quality to all that we do, one that we all deserve to feel. More and more I love responsibility as when it is embraced, the enrichment it brings to all aspects of life is deeply fulfilling.

17. “To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me” – this is very beautiful and says so much about where our sense of self-worth comes from.

18. I am currently reading a book about a first person account of the medical profession. 90+ hour weeks and an uncaring system yet they are supposed to care. There is no care when someone is burnt out and trying to stay awake under massive pressures (such as life or death choices). Bringing in the responsibility to care for ourselves over and above the demands the job places on us is hugely supportive not just of ourselves but everyone around us.

19. Being responsibility has no bells and whistle hence why there is a boring factor attached to it. There is the opportunity to build a solid foundation that over times holds in full when life can be taxing and send you some curve balls. The difference between a slight wobble and choosing to give up!

    1. Responsibility is a beautiful surrender to living in honor of what is true.

       1. I love that simple, clear, truly capturing statement. Beautiful expressed.

20. When we care for ourselves people automatically see this and this inspires others to care for themselves too…..so imagine if all doctors, physicians and medical practitioners did this, not only would this be felt by their patients, but the medical profession would be able to offer support in a more practical way based on their own livingness.

21. I totally agree, that to give anyone advice we absolutely need to walk our talk otherwise “the advice we give will come empty of lived experience and authority”. And this just does not apply to medical professionals but all those caring for others, in fact it applies to anyone who is sharing what they feel to be wise advice, otherwise the advice is simply empty words with no lived foundation to inspire another.

22. ‘Another aspect of our daily choices that has an impact on the level of care we deliver is based on another saying: ‘walk your talk’. In other words: do we live the advice we give to our patients?’ In a discussion recently I raised the view that we have an expectation in health and social care that resources spent in preventative measure will have an effect if planned well but what if those delivering such measures are not living in the way they are promoting – who will take notice?

23. Interesting to note our relationship with responsibility generally, as a society, and clock that it’s something most people probably consider as boring and a bit of a drag.. it’s certainly not something we’re taught to aspire to actually enjoy, as we’re growing up. How beautiful then to discover that true responsibility is nothing to do with burdens but everything to do with loving and caring deeply for one’s self so that there’s less ‘stuff’ in the way of letting out that inner shine and expressing who we truly and naturally are out into the world.

24. You’ve made a good point here Lieke about healthcare professionals giving advice and then doing the opposite themselves. This I feel is probably very common.

25. I once visited a dentist and the smell of tobacco smoke on his hands was as though he put a cigarette in my mouth – once was enough, I found a different dentist.

26. Most health professionals I see are taking responsibility for things they shouldn’t be (i.e. taking on full responsibility for patient healing and outcomes) and not taking responsibility for things they should be (i.e. their own self-care and wellbeing at work and at home).

27. Many medical professionals do not take their own advice and are unhealthy and we champion these people to lead the way in dealing with health – does not fully make sense.

28. Looking after ourselves is key to being able to offer others medical help, I have often seen dental practitioners and nurses compromised by back issues which could be avoided if self-care had been a priority, looking after ourselves in order to look after others is self responsibility.

29. It is so true Lieke how can we truly guide, support and inspire another to take responsibility for their health and well-being if we ourselves do not live it. Seems like common sense to me, however this does not seem to be common practice. For when we take responsibility for how we live we then share a lived wisdom that is very relatable, as we know precisely what it takes, the challenges that can arise and truly offer guidance and support that comes from first-hand experience not just a text book or knowledge-based information.

30. One big responsibility is to avoid burnout, however hard that is.

31. You’ve covered this beautifully Lieke, and we can apply what you share from your dentistry perspective to all other professions and situation, because fundamentally our choices on a daily basis and our responsibility and relationship with them are what make our quality of life.

32. There’s a also a saying that goes something like that: “the shoe maker is always barefooted”. It goes to demonstrate just how poor the perceptions of our society are, that at any job we put the needs of others before ours. But, and especially in the medical profession, how can we truly care for people when we ourselves are exhausted, depleted and unwell…?

33. To work alongside people who take real care of themselves is very inspiring. It makes me uncomfortable sometimes because it flags up where I cut corners in my own self-care.

34. ‘Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’ If we were to ask the patients or clients or customers what they would prefer we would most likely get an answer for more care and quality time with nurses and doctors, dentists or other health care professionals. When someone says they just want the doctor to get on with the job it is usually because they want everything to be over as soon as possible, not to feel anything and just get back to denying themselves and pretending they don’t care- even about themselves.

35. Attending appointments with a health care professional who is heading for ‘burn out’ due to not taking care of themselves is a vastly different experience from meeting with a practitioner who lives true self care – the quality of their reflection is one that heals in itself.
    “Taking care of ourselves is a key part of the responsibility of being a health care professional”.

    1. It is true and I think it is not only the health care professionals, it is the whole world that is out of balance. People getting more and more ill and this is also exhausting an already exhausted health care system. We need to change something fundamentally to how we all are living and taking care for ourselves is a great start.

36. It is such a simple concept but so very true : we cannot care for another if we do not care for ourselves first. If this was fully understood and embraced the changes it would bring would go far beyond the medical and health care professions into our roles as parents, teachers, partners, etc etc.

37. I used to make what I had to do as a health care professional so complicated. I love the reminder and inspiration this article is that so much healing can happen just in the reflection we offer when we take loving care of ourselves.

38. Over the years the way that we use food has changed. When I was growing up we ate three meals a day and that was it, now we seem to be constantly eating from morning to night. Could it be that we have more tension in our bodies than ever before which we are desperately trying to suppress with food.

39. Lieke one of the things that I love about what you have shared here is how you can feel that we can’t separate any part of our life from another. Everything matters and everything influences everything else. So self-care is something that supports everything in our life not just that of work and the opposite must also be the case that if we are limiting the way we self-care then what are we limiting in our own life? Super simple.

40. Do we live the advice we give out? This is a very good question and something I recently pondered on working with young people and talking about relationships and the relationship they have with themselves begged me to ask the question what needs changing with the relationship I have with myself and reading your blog this really stood out for me ‘The word responsibility and our relationship with it.’ Asking what is my relationship with responsibility as it would seem currently I am skirting the edges with this!

    1. Vicky, this is wonderful. A great insight.

41. There is always a greater depth to learn about responsibility.. today’s lesson is that being responsible doesn’t mean being nice and making everyone feel good about themselves, appealing and appeasing, but being real and honest: which is far more loving, far more evolving for everyone, than the nice and polite.

    1. This is a great point, Bryony. It is uncovering a false or detrimental way that we or others have been living that is truly loving.

       1. Yes.. even though we might feel raw and uncomfortable during that uncovering, as false ways of living and being are exposed, there is also a level of honesty which feels refreshing, clear and vital. It’s like some old heavy cobwebs have been swept away, and it’s only uncomfortable because we chose to lodge ourselves in those old webs and patterns.

42. Being able to accept and understand pain is the stumbling block that causes so many of us to lash out and look to escape this world.

43. “…becoming very emotional, e.g. angry or frustrated, and taking on too much from or for others, are also signs that we are not truly well and not taking care of ourselves first.” I have found this too. I find that I get easily frustrated or irritated with others when I have not taken care to live in a way that supports me. When I turn this around and implement more self-care into my life, like magic I am then totally different with others and do not get irritated. So the irritation and frustration is actually with myself. A huge lesson here.

44. There definitely seems to be part of us as human beings that believes that being responsible in terms of considering how our actions and even our own lifestyles may affect others, is boring. It seems a lot of the time we prefer the ‘I can do whatever I like whenever I like’ approach, not realising or remembering that this is not our natural way of being and in the end this approach comes back to haunt us, for societies and communities degrade and break down the more this occurs, which in the end affects us all one way or another.

45. Imagine taking a multiple choice test but only answering the first two questions. How could we expect to pass? And so in life we do the same thing, for we tick certain boxes that we like – but totally overlook and miss the caring and the love we are here to bring, and after all as you show Lieke, that is the main thing.

46. It makes sense that we need to care for ourselves first before we provide care to others, because focusing on others can have us discarding ourselves which runs us down then we can’t care for them because we haven’t cared for ourselves. So simple yet we need to chip away at that belief that we have to solely focus on the other before and above ourselves.

47. “It therefore makes sense to also live these things ourselves; otherwise the advice we give will come empty of lived experience and authority.” – When I read these words it reminded me and explained so much how in school many times the students (including myself) would listen to the teachers asking us to do something, but we could all feel that the teacher never lived this way themselves, and therefore there was almost a rebellion against following the teachers demands, as if to say ” Who do you think you are asking us to do that when you don’t do it for yourself?”

    1. I am reminded of an overweight Physical Education (PE) teacher at school when I read this and there is a rebellion and from myself a mistrust in others when they say one thing but do another. But then I have to ask myself – Do I do that? and if so where?

48. I have always thought that taking on others’ stuff was what drained us – full stop, and here you say that is already a sign of not taking care of ourselves – woa. That is so true. And here I am being asked to look at my own relationship with what I considered to be responsibility. Thank you, Lieke.

49. Thank you Lieke, it’s a surprising thing to realise how great true responsibility feels, as opposed to the false version where we see responsibility as a burden and something to get out of. Being responsible for ourselves is living a very self caring life and building our love for ourselves, and that love and care then naturally flows outward to others.

50. As a health care professional my responsibility is to love myself to the bone so that I reflect to another that this is possible and that it is what supports true health.

    1. Elizabeth now thats an amazing change of view on responsibility and one that the industry certainly needs.

    2. Gorgeous I love this and can feel how you do Elizabeth….and it awakens a deeper love in me…this is what being a health practitioner is all about, this is what brings a healthy humanity.

51. I have been unwell recently and although I dislike having to rearrange appointments with people, I am bringing a reflection that it is more important to care for ourselves than continue dragging ourselves on in exhaustion.

52. “Therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, …” – If we were taught in school just how much our every move ripples out and either heals or harms everyone and everything around us, this would empower our children to take responsibility for all their actions in a joyful way, knowing how much they impact the whole.

53. When what we say comes from our own lived experience, it comes with much more depth and authority and is more likely to truly inspire than when it is not.

54. We have a responsibility in any job that we do, and indeed in any activity outside of work. What we do has an effect on everyone else. Once we understand this our life can never be the same.

55. The spherical nature of our lives as you have illustrated here demonstrates the gift of living life with responsibility. If that is boring then count me in with a capital B! We cannot offer another what we have no awareness of and therefore to tell people to look after themselves when it is not something you do yourself just feels empty and does not give the person listening an inspiration to know it is worth the initial effort. We are so familiar with that way of working and listening that when you meet someone who speaks what they live it actually stands our like a sore thumb – you cannot help but notice.

56. I’m trying to think of a job where it doesn’t matter if you are connected to yourself or not… At the moment I can’t think of one occupation where if we are disconnected, the ripple effect goes out onto many people.

57. By taking responsibility of our self care and wellbeing, is actually what feeds back into the health care system. Ultimately, if more health care workers initiated self care, the system in which we work with would also have to undergo an upgrade in the way it supports everybody as its people who make up a system.

58. The health systems across the world are definitely in crisis mode at the moment. There is overwhelming demand placed on them from the tidal wave of illness and disease that is largely caused by a lack of self care in the general population, and you also have the health care professionals trying to deal with this tidal wave with limited resources, but from a place where they are not taking care of themselves to the level that they could which is definitely reducing their ability to cope with the demand and the stresses encountered. So self care has the potential to support everyone in the health system.

59. I am a health practitioner, talking about wellbeing…how important is it that I consider and care for my own wellbeing….it is vital, otherwise I do the talk but it has no walk….

    1. I think we underestimate, arrogantly so, the ability for another to clock what is being reflected though the body and the words being expressed. It is far more inspiring when the words being expressed match the body it is expressing from, as such the lived wisdom shared is felt as the truth that it is. True reflection equates to true inspiration.

60. Working with our emotional reactions to situations is such a foundational element to sustainable wellbeing, in the sense it upsets the bodies’ own natural harmony and order.

    1. I agree, we take our emotions as who we are without questioning why we have them / choose them, and they create illness in our bodies.

61. There is nothing more inspiring that working with people who walk their talk… the power of example and role modelling is humungous compared to words, however wise or ‘right’ they may be.

62. I know I have a tendency to cut corners at work just to get the job done. I know I do this with my body too. I do just enough to enable me to be healthy but stay on the ‘it will do’ level without really taking the time and the care to do a really good job. Our responsibility is to take care of ourselves and extend this to whatever we are doing and not settle for ‘it will do’.

    1. I love your honesty here.

63. Looking after ourselves really has to be our number one job, all else follows after that.

    1. Absolutely. We have got this idea that it does not matter in what state we are in when we do things but it does matter a lot. Just the difference between a nurse who is tender and loving because she is her natural self and feels good in herself or a nurse who has run herself down which results in her now being rushed and harsh ie. not her true self.

64. This is of course the breakthrough that everyone is looking for… That responsibility is spherical and not linear… And when this is understood unilaterally, everyone will have the opportunity to energetically evolve.

65. Perhaps one of the issues is that junior clinicians are exploited through very long hours, which is a form of abuse. As a doctor, one may have to break through a number of consciousnesses before one can seriously engage in serious self-care – the fact that the administration abuses you, the samaritan consciousness of selfless sacrifice and that you are in constant contact with people with ailments that are often the result of abuse or self-abuse. To be different in such an environment is the only way to be, though.

    1. Good point regarding the unrealistic and abusive expectations and work practices that junior doctors are placed under at the start of their careers. To say no to the work hours or to speak up is often unwise and has consequences on the rest of your placement or even career.

66. I love the fact that you have flagged up that responsibility is not a burden but a blessing – a point of inspiration and support for us as we build our fitness for the work we love.

67. “What is the responsibility in our work as medical professionals?” – the simple answer is to just be ourselves, to take loving care of ourselves so that we can care for others.

    1. Yes, to be all of yourselves, especially when you know that your natural and true expression is love.

68. “… taking on too much from or for others, are also signs that we are not truly well and not taking care of ourselves first”. We are so conditioned into thinking that it is a good thing to take other people’s problems and fight their corner, that we rarely regard it as a state of illness. It is not until we heal the need in us to take on other people’s problems can we really appreciate how ill it makes us, often contributing to unexplained depression and exhaustion.

69. How do our doctors and dentists live? Are they providing us with good examples of true healthcare? It makes a huge difference when practitioners walk their talk and can truly inspire their patients / clients.

70. We have a responsibility to ourselves first and foremost. I know that if I haven’t taken good care of myself before showing up at work I am not entirely fit for the job, therefore I affect my productivity at work as well as affecting everyone else. It is becoming more and more clear.

71. The key may be to know HOW to live responsibly. If you feel battered by the day it can be very hard to live responsibly.

72. We all have a responsibility to lead and inspire by lived example, as opposed by empty intellect where often what we’re giving back or teaching to others has a second agenda of recognition and self gain.

    1. this is so very true Susie, and I am reminded of this often through the reflections of the people around me. At times I can still come from knowledge instead of a full lived experience and it is always a little ouch moment.

73. Caring for ourselves changes and develops as we deepen our awareness of what care is.

74. I am working temporarily as a care worker visiting the elderly and sick in their homes, and it is imperative that I care for myself and put things in place that support me. If I don’t the shift is very long and affects my mood and the following day – it’s just not worth it. The days when I have supported myself, I often feel tired but bright at the end of my shift, and I know the quality of how I present myself also differs.

    1. Julie, this is beautiful!

75. “to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself” – Seeing responsibility as a linear thing is to see it as a burden; thinking that right at this moment you are being asked to do something and that you have a duty to get it done that means you can’t ‘enjoy life’ (which is the attitude many of us have to the word) is not appreciating that responsibility is actually being part of a flow of doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done and has nothing to do with time but the space that is available for us to do these things.

76. If being the greatest carer means, caring greatly for us first, which it does, then we truly need to reformat our education approach. Our current system prioritises productivity over quality in a big way. Thank you Lieke.

77. We have a responsibility in our work as any kind of professional. In fact we have a responsibility in life, full stop. Wherever we go we are being observed by someone. It is up to us to live in a way that inspires and does not simply add to the rot and the disregard.

78. In a world filled with inconsistency, the one thing we can always count on is that there will be irresponsibility happening some where in some form or shape. And this is not always so easy or pleasant to see, and at times it can be disheartening to acknowledge, especially when the inconsistency is coming from yourself.
    But, with all of this awareness also comes a deeper understanding, that we are all journeying through life, with many great lessons to be experienced, and if being consistent gives space for another person to grow and change, then is it perhaps worth every moment of dedication to one’s constant presence, to be able to offer true service to all those that we live and work with and every one that you meet?

79. This is a great blog Lieke. We cannot blame the system even though it is cutting down on staff and making it ever more difficult for medical employees to get everything done and also care for the patients. Our reaction to this situation can be anxiousness and stress, thus putting a huge strain on our own nervous systems which culminates with us exhausting ourselves and becoming ill. The situation is as it is because we as a society have, at some level, asked for it. And so the true way forward with this is exactly what you suggest here – connect to our essence and true quality and work from here. From here things will truly change.

80. Without modelling our own self care as health professionals we offer empty support and no inspiration to others.

81. Healthcare professionals taking responsibility to take care of themselves you would think makes common sense, it reminds me of the phrase ‘lead by example’ yet how many health professionals are under stress and burn themselves out, it feels like self-care needs to become a fundamental part of their training, along with individual responsibility, it should be part of the employer’s responsibility too.

82. We cannot always change those things around us, however, what we can do is work on ourselves in terms of healing our hurts and hence taking on more true responsibilities that allow others to be inspired by.

83. ‘ To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, ‘ Bringing responsibility back to pure basics like this is very supportive because it is something we can all easily do and if we can’t there is oodles of help out there, you do not have to have an entry exam or any qualification from the world of acadaemia. It is a fascinating journey where we learn things about ourselves all the time, where our standards are likely to change and we enjoy ourselves, in the long run, more also.

84. Couldn’t agree more Lieke…”So our first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves..” as this enables one to sustain longevity of working in a demanding health care system. Its not just physical fitness, but perhaps emotional fitness more so.

85. I and most observers would agree that the health care system is under significant strain. Until we as consumers stop expecting ‘someone’ to fix us and health professionals stop taking on that responsibility we will continue to struggle with increasing healthcare costs. A re-vamp of the system is needed not only structurally but with a true and solid energetic foundation.

86. This is true Lieke, “when we do not make sure our body is well cared for we might get tired, exhausted or even ill to the point we cannot care for another anymore.” It is those small deteriorations, those small acts of self love and care neglected, that in fact change the quality of love and care we are able to offer another.

87. I think taking equal care of ourselves is a key part of responsibility in all professions. Often in healthcare I think there can be the mentality of dis-regarding your own body and wellbeing or the pressure to do so because there are such demands on our healthcare systems but it’s super important for healthcare practitioners to equally care for themselves and this is something I think generally more people need to be supported with.

88. “There is a saying that goes something like: ‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’.” This is a saying that so many of us have heard, yet it’s something that hardly any of our systems, societies and people embrace and have as part of the day. The systems we have for healthcare seem to take us further and further away from people into factory settings and the practitioners, the doctors, are the ones that end up getting worn down to the point that they don’t take care of themselves and the whole cycle of non care continues. It sounds a bit doom and gloom but as an example in our local GP Surgery noticing small changes in the way the surgery may work to book in its patient shows we put efficiency for the surgery ahead of human connection and care.

89. I remember going to doctors surgeries as child and being acutely aware of the lack of love in the room. It felt so clinical, and smelt like chemicals with no connection or warmth from the doctor. There was no encouragement or inspiration for self-care… or any true care at all. This blog is a great reminder of how inspiring we can be to others and what a great healing that is for all.

90. The stress on health professionals is ever increasing, however it is not enough to impose more policy and protocol as a means of maintaining standards of health care. As described here there is more responsibility needed at the individual, system and patient level so true care can be offered.

91. ‘Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’ Action without connection is cold, uninviting and harmful, as it breeds separation.

92. Responsibility is built by habit consistently by feeling an impulse to not stay in the same place for the truth is we can’t as nothing stays the same, it is always deepening and expanding. A huge force needs to be imposed for anything to remain the same.

93. Absolutely Gill. We are much more observed than just what the eyes can see – the quality of our care for self and for others is felt.

94. Responsibility is the foundation of all health… whether we are practitioners in healthcare, patients or general public caring for our own wellbeing.

95. No matter what our profession, the care or lack thereof that we treat ourselves with is what we then bring to work as a reflection for all. It can be felt and sensed very clearly.

96. As someone who offers Healing and Bodywork sessions I notice the difference in the sessions that I give if I have not been working on myself or making choices that will advance me, both physically and energetically. If I have been coasting there is not the same power in the sessions, and I do not feel that I can offer a reflection that serves. When I have been really on it in terms of making constant choices that support me and help me to advance I notice that the sessions I give are very powerful, and I can feel the inspiration that I offer the client. This is first hand experience and observation of the importance of walking our talk and providing an example for others to see and feel in order for them to make their own changes.

97. The bottom line is that it is not very inspiring to see a health practitioner who is obviously unhealthy. What this represents is the permission for us all to be unhealthy. There is then no pull for us to be anything else or make an effort to change.

98. “…. you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself”. So true Lieke, yet so many health professionals don’t look fit and healthy at all – no self-care there. This has always been a puzzle to me – why would I want to take health advice from someone who clearly doesn’t follow their own suggestions? Which is why – when I came across Serge Benhayon – I was struck by the integrity of someone who has only ever presented what he truly lived.

99. It makes sense that as health care professionals we are healthy… If someone was selling kitchens (the only example that comes to me in this moment!) the showroom would be full of bright, gleaming, well-built models… ones that work and ‘sell’ what they are selling. If doctors and other health care practitioners are not healthy and do not make healthy choices what inspiration do they offer their patients? What are they selling? If the system is so that it becomes hard for medical professionals to make good health choices because of demand and pressure, then we need to seriously look at why our professionals are not being nurtured, taken care of and looked after!

    1. So spot on Rachel. Carers need to be cared for and if they are being burnt out then we all suffer!

100. Responsibility has the ability to slip through our grasp if we do not appreciate how much of who we are, which is intricately tied to us being responsible so we have the capacity to Love and thus evolve.

101. “Walking your talk’. This one is huge when we look at what is played out so often in many relationships and work settings. We all know the difference but whether we are willing to go there and discuss this openly is the difference between truth and lies.

102. I let myself be more and more inspired (rather than challenged as in years past) by other people taking care of themselves; I watch and ask what others do to self care and then practise myself seeing what really supports me and my work/life and what does not. It feels really great to be building a foundation of self-care that supports me not only to do, but also to enjoy, everything I choose to fill my days with.

103. “What is the responsibility in our work as medical professionals?” – or as any profession too Lieke.. for what you share on choice and responsibility and the impact of this on others is universally applicable to all jobs, careers, sectors and industries.

104. If the relationship I have with the word responsibility is one where I consider another before myself or more important than equally honouring my own needs and feelings, I can easily take on another’s situation and get caught up in their emotions. This can cause a draining and depleting effect which is not helpful for either person.

105. No matter the profession if we choose not to model a way that is supportive and loving to the body we are adding to the disease of how so many work places are running that no longer see the human being but are invested in the production of a machine.

106. There are a lot of aspects in life that are just about getting the job done, and I suppose that when this is placed in to the health care sector it really stands out, but the reality is that wherever there is work or business there are people, and so whenever a task is being completed purely for the mere functionality of it, then we all miss out, because the quality of that completed task does not have the light of the soul of the person who completed it embedded and laid down as a confirmation that we are all so much more than what just this physical world has to offer.

107. As health professionals we have a responsibility to look after ourselves but we also have a responsibility as patients to look after ourselves as well and then if we do need to visit a health practitioner it is not because we have been in disregard of ourselves but rather have an opportunity to clear ill patterns that no longer serve us..

108. Taking care of ourselves as health care professionals feels like a really fundamental and foundational building block if we are going to reverse our increasing ill-health and arrest the waywardness of our lifestyle behaviours.

109. In health care systems pushed to the limits and overloaded if becomes even more important that the systems support the health care workers and do not push them past unrealistic limits.

110. Doctors are well aware that they need to take care of themselves in order to do their work well but many manage to do their work but get burnt out in the process and don’t know how to change that except by walking away to a greater or lesser degree.

111. Responsibility and our relationship with it is very much related to how we are with people, how much we love people. The moment we feel connected and being part of humanity, responsibility comes as a natural understanding and impulse.

     1. This is beautiful Alex. Responsibility is natural if we are open to loving people.

        1. “Responsibility is natural if we are open to loving people.” – The simplicity and yet great relevance of this has stopped me in my tracks. Thank you.

     2. Agree Alex and would add definitely how much we love ourselves also.

112. A client shared a story of working in a care facility and how all employees were asked to cut back in their hours so it would be easier for management to schedule them in. There was no care for the consequences this had on the employees and yet those were expected to care for others. Self care and care for each other is everyone’s responsibility all of the time.

113. In a recent self-care workshop for healthcare workers the first and foremost reason to not take care of themselves was the pressures of time and workload. This is generally believed to be an unsolvable problem in healthcare and aged care. Yet to take care of ourselves is not something we need to do alongside or even outside our working hours, nor is it a great thing that needs a lot of time. All it takes is a shift of focus, a connection and an awareness of our body. At first this will take some extra effort but if practised it will become a natural way of being.

114. It is important to consider that we need to make systems for people not just make people fit into systems. Otherwise there is no true care in the system even if it is very productive or efficient.

115. Caring for ourselves nourishes and builds us from within which undoubtedly is far healthier for our health and wellbeing than being dependent on an external source of recognition and reward which can run hot and cold.

116. Physicians and Dentists are one and two for the highest suicide rates because of high job stress. What if self-care was taught every day in the years of training to become a medical professional? And, or people in general looked at their part in unhealthy living that feeds a system that is busting at the seams. Without change, the system will become the snake eating itself.

117. I was at a talk the other day where we were discussing what we can do to heal our health service. One of the key points raised was the importance of us all taking far greater responsibility for our health, both to alleviate the burden of our lifestyle choices on the health care systems but also as a point of inspiration for others to see what is possible.

118. We are led to believe that what we do is our own affair and doesn’t impede anyone else. This is just one of the many fallacies of life. we are influenced by other people and everything around us constantly. And what we are reflecting back to each other is, it is okay to be irresponsible.

119. Being who we are 24/7 is our responsibility on and off work – the rest then is taken care of.

120. This is brilliant, there’s much more to the job description of a medical professional (or any job) that just having a firm grip on the knowledge needed and I love how simply you’ve laid out these other responsibilities.

     1. And how cool and supportive taking responsibility is… not some burdensome chore, but actually honouring, appreciating and taking care of ourselves so we can fulfil our potential in the world.

121. “‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’.” This makes sense and is a vital ingredient in all our lives no matter who we are with the responsibility needed in humanity today and the true level of care so missing in the world and is especially important within the medical and care profession in lighting the way by example.

122. I find it interesting how we have been set up to think that taking care of ourselves is a chore, boring and something to be avoided. It makes no sense that we disregard the most precious thing of all, our own body and being.

123. I think this is something that all of us in every profession or role in society need to return to to truly support ourselves and one another equally.

124. The responsibility of looking after ourselves is full of love, tenderness, openness, allowing ourselves to receive, surrendering to the intelligence of our body, respecting and appreciating ourselves unlimitedly … and so many more stunningly beautiful ways.

125. Would the first responsibility be to have the necessary knowledge and fulfil the legal requirements? But wouldn’t it be equally important to look after yourself and to do so thoroughly?

126. The responsibility and reflection of our own self care is vital in our lives and is a refection for all. We are our own role models and this is much needed in the healthcare industry and everything can be felt by all of us and allows true inspiration and healing in our health and well being and for others from here.

127. People go to health practitioners seeking advice based on their knowledge. And, by and large, they are able to help. The case of health care professionals, however, stands on a slightly different foot. The strength of their advice is certainly increased when the patient is able to feel that it comes from a body that consistently lives what is advising. Only someone that is in the livingness of something can help another one to explore anything and everything related to the problem you face.

128. ‘What is the responsibility in our work as medical professionals?’ We come into the health care profession because we want to serve and support others… a lot of our greatest work is done in the reflection of how we live, take care of ourselves and embrace the responsibility for our health and well-being.

129. We’re not here to do life on our own, and if we know what’s true and healthy for our body but struggle to live this then there is a reason why, and this is something we can definitely explore, rather than ignore or tolerate!

     1. And that is especially true for health professionals!

     2. Well said Susie, we all know the basics and yet find it hard to live this in our daily life. Instead of looking at quick fix solutions we should be asking the question of what is going on the grand scale.

130. The crazy thing is if all the money that is spent on arming the world to kill each other, and supposedly protect ourselves was spent on health, education and making sure everyone had a safe warm place to sleep we wouldn’t have the cuts to healthcare, there would be an abundance of resources and staff and healthcare professionals could spend more time and money on research also.

131. Many of us have learnt and believe that it is all about getting the job done rather than placing equal focus on the quality we hold whilst we do the task.

132. Living in a lot of nervous tension or energy is another way we can drain and exhaust ourselves. Not often feeling it till we come to a complete stop or rest moment.

133. Looking after ourselves brings a great clarity we can then bring others. Without this we are in the mud pointing to the edge of the mud pit but unable to lead the way.

134. As a health care professional, and in discussion with other health care professionals, we have noticed how the intensity of our work has increased and continues to do so. Self-Care is so important for our own health and wellbeing for this intensity is not going to change any time soon.

135. Inspiration has been one of the greatest forms of healing in my life, so in this sense we are all health care professionals and when we start to truly see this and live this the ratio of fire to prana will tilt on its axis and we will be well on our way home.

136. The responsibility we all have with true self care is very obvious and important as it changes everything allowing ourselves the care first when lived in our bodies is what becomes natural for us and for others to feel also.

137. How often do we think our choices doesn’t matter because no one can see us? I have been there myself. Your blog is a great example of how every single one of our choices does matter, and it has an impact on us, everyone around us and beyond.

138. There is responsibility in each and every area of life, it’s just about whether we choose to accept and embrace it or fight it off.

139. I find that committing to ever deepening the relationships with my clients and colleagues contributes to the ease and flow of performing the work tasks that are needed.

140. This is very wise and inspiring Lieke ‘.. to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself – as you are the person living in a body well cared for.’

141. If there is an ever deepening level of care that we can take with ourselves, it makes sense that the quality of care we offer another can be deeper as well.

142. I work in skin care. My job is to have radiant skin. The way that I choose to live takes care of that. Customers comment on my skin, but they can also feel the way I live. I have people wanting to book skin consultations and mini facials with me on the shop floor. They can feel the integrity in the way I live. If I lived in a way that was disregarding the same pull would not be there.

     1. You are a great reflection for The Way of the Livingness.

143. Our relationship with responsibility says it all – how committed are we to living love and evolving ourselves and humanity.

144. Doctors, dentists, chemists, nurses and anyone involved in the support of the public with medical services deserves to be healthy. They deserve it in the same way that the general public does, and so that then means they need to participate in their own wellbeing with self-care and thereby embrace the responsibility they have for their own health.

145. It was pointed out to me that I can only offer those I work with the quality of my livingness, which makes perfect sense but for most of us we want to get away with a level of disregard that doesn’t really support us and therefore anyone else we are with.

146. The responsibility for healthcare workers to take great loving care of themselves first and foremost goes without saying as living by honesty and example is foremost in our lives and simply makes sense.

147. Working in the health care is not only demanding physically but also psychologically, there is always a lot going on for the people who come to visit you and being able to observe this and not absorb other peoples emotions is very important. The more I am solid in myself through caring for myself the more I am able to deal with this aspect of working in health care.

148. Medical professionals have always been healers, but we have used them to just fix us because of the disregard we have towards our bodies. These professionals are now standing at the low tide waterline and daily face the rising tide of illnesses and are just managing to tread water. Is the only way to save them from drowning by taking responsibility for how we are living and what we are doing to our body?

149. ‘ offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for’ is very beautiful, and really a natural part of nursing or being a health practitioner, But without knowing and appreciating the beauty of this in our own body first, it is impossible to truly care for another.

150. In many ways it is worrying that such a fundamental understanding is not given the important focus it ought to have during nursing school or other such education.

     1. Yes, I agree with you Joshua. This should be one of the main and foundational subjects in every school at every level.

     2. Yes I agree and the more we talk about it and bridge this chasm of common sense, the more opportunity there will be to inspire a shift in our approach to health care, both for those who work within the system and those who use it.

151. It is a great question you ask Lieke. Why is that we willingly do not pay attention to what our bodies are telling us, constantly? And why do we not lovingly care for ourselves? As the way we care for ourselves has ramifications in the way we work and the degree of care and quality of service we offer in our workplace. Saying ‘yes’ to living with responsibility is saying ‘yes’ to the potential of living with the utmost joy – as living in a loving, caring and honouring relationship with ourselves is far from boring, and is in fact what allows us to live with integrity and share our wisdom through what we do.

152. Taking evermore responsibility is never boring; responsibility is an enrichment that imbues life with purpose and makes us commit. There is nothing more interesting and rewarding and it beats alcohol, entertainment, cigarettes and drugs hands down.

153. No matter our profession or roles in life we all have a responsibility to live in such a way to inspire others to live who they truly are.

154. Actually responsibility is innate. When we do not take responsibility there is a niggling feeling we feel, we can certainly find many ways to ignore it but eventually it still comes up as a constant tension. So letting go of taking responsibility is actually choosing a more complicated way ultimately.

155. I work in health care, and there is no way I could do what I do without caring for myself first, not only would I know myself to be a hypocrite, something that if I realise I am doing I swiftly change, I would also find it unsustainable physically. Health professionals need to make self-care a priority.

156. I have come to appreciate more and more over the years that we cannot give more than we give ourselves – the quality of our care is determined by how we are with ourselves

     1. The positive side of that is that if we take very good care of ourselves then it is easy – if we have the technical knowledge – to take care of others in our profession.

157. A lot of health professionals do shift work and the only way that we can do shift work and not be affected by it is to learn to self-care. I know because I have done it for many years and it works.

     1. Not only have you shown that it works Elizabeth, you have shown that it is a very rewarding and energising role to hold.

     2. I too do shift work and have come to enjoy it more and more the more I take care of myself along the way.

158. A great article reminding us all that in order to sustain health and wellbeing whilst working in health care, it is necessary to take responsibility in how we look after ourselves.

159. “I found that living responsibly in my day to day choices is incredibly satisfying.” It is! And it’s far more supportive and stable than a moment of irresponsibility. Those ‘oh just one biscuit’ which turns into the packet or that accusation towards another when you don’t know the full story then have to apologise. I could come up with loads more examples but the choice to be irresponsible always has to be cleaned up.

160. There comes a point of caring for ourselves that we end up with plenty of energy after a day’s work as the work does not exhaust us anymore. Once that happens our life is vastly more enjoyable.

161. In a nutshell, beautifully said. Thank you, Elizabeth. And I understand what you mean about not taking on other’s ‘ailments and emotions’ – staying steady, really listening but not absorbing problems that are not ours (which doesn’t help anyone and leaves us carrying a lot of extra ‘weight’).

162. I keep coming back to this article because I love the call and invitation to take care of ourselves as part of our responsibility as health care professionals. It simply makes great sense.

163. There are many levels of self care and responsibility and addressing our reaction and subsequent emotions and thoughts are just as important as caring for our bodies.

164. Our bodies tell us as soon as we have acted irresponsibly towards them in any way, but we choose to ignore that uncomfortable feeling, in the body and ourselves. We also know that when we have, our bodies and ourselves feel joyful and light and things go well. We have the choice.

     1. That is true, even under pressure do we have that choice.

165. Taking the steps of responsibility in our own lives first, and we naturally deliver true medicine.

166. The responsibility we all carry within ourselves in the way we live and the consistency honesty and understanding called for with caring for others can only truly come from here and our lived example and presence. Medical professionals espcially carry this level of responsibility and being taught this as part of the training would be an amazing start to change and allowing true medicine and healing to occur also in our own hands.

167. If we had to run a marathon, or something else requiring physical activity and prowess, we seem to recognise that we need to take care of ourselves and ensure that we are prepared for the task at hand on all levels. So we understand about the need for preparing and being responsible. How come it has become acceptable to not apply this level of dedication to our chosen occupation?

168. It all matters as we are all part of the whole so everything affects everyone so we may as well be joyfully responsible so we can spread the joy.

169. And when you consider that we are all ‘practitioners of life’, it is also all of our responsibility to take the lead.

170. Walking your talk is super-powerful for role modelling in healthcare. We have become apathetic about changing our health behaviours as we see the rest of the herd is doing what we are and they are equally tired, sick etc. Our patients need to see something else, that there is a simple way to live that supports the body and well-being. It may or may not come to having a conversation but by the way we are living which will be felt.

171. There is such a strong belief in our society that it is selfish or a bad thing to self care but this does make any sense when you consider that the quality of care or attention or respect we are able to offer anyone in any moment, is based on how we have been with ourselves in all the moments leading up to that situation.

172. Taking care of ourselves does make a big difference to how we handle situations and pressures that are put on us – in my experience it helps me to see things more clearly and what is needed to be done without so much of the stressing, so essentially helping me to be steadier and more committed to life…

173. I see there are a lot of cut backs to staff in the aged care homes but what I also see is that many of the staff are not caring for themselves in the way they need to and this puts pressure on their bodies and minds and they struggle to get through the day. We definitely need to support the care staff to care for themselves as this would make their working day a lot easier, even with the staff cut backs.

174. Self-care is a loving responsibility that everyone in the world can adopt, and it will support them in their work and home life.

175. People notice a healthy, vital body, and are naturally inspired by the ease and joy this brings to life.

176. There is nothing more inspiring than a health professional that lives self care rather than offering advice to follow.

177. The responsibility in our work as medical health care professionals is to be ALL we are, living our life as consistently as we can, being loving and caring for ourselves, which reflects a way for everyone to feel.

178. Great Article I found as a carer for work and at home with kids with autism I didn’t have much time for myself it was very detrimental to myself in all aspects even down to not being able to eat .so I do think it is vital we take care of ourselves in order to give the very best for those we care for

179. The reflection we offer is far greater than anything we say. A dentist living self-care and responsibility is far more powerful than any tooth-brushing and floss advice they might give.

180. I don’t work in the medical profession, but I have to say that one of the inconsistencies I have felt is someone telling me not to do something they do. It does not make sense to me.

181. To fully understand the importance of truly caring for ourselves before we can offer anything of true quality and care to another, is still far fetched for the many who have fallen for the belief that we should always put ourselves last and that anything else is selfish.

182. A true ‘healthcare professional’ is just that; an expert on health, and an expert on care. This involves living these two things in our everyday.

183. I love exploring responsibility and our relationship with it… although it makes me very uncomfortable at times as I feel how much I have avoided it. The simplicity of what is presented in this article is inspiring… we establish and commit to taking care of ourselves and we are more able to tend to and support others.

     1. Same here Matilda as life in general is geared towards being irresponsible it can ruffle our feathers when we are called to be responsible. But Gosh, it feels amazing when we do as it releases the tension that is created by being irresponsible.

184. Responsibility in life also encompasses how we treat ourselves and others. Taking time to really connect with ourselves and others rather than staying focused on tasks and achieving.

185. The cut back in the nursing homes is putting huge stress on the workers and the quality of care is what suffers as there is often only time to get the job done and no time for connecting with the elderly. An elderly resident I spoke to recently said that when she first came to the facility the staff would talk with her and now they just rush in and out without even saying hello sometimes. Pretty dismal that it has come to this.

186. I have found that to be true Lieke, that I become frustrated and emotional when I am tired, This starts an abusive cycle. We need to pause and give ourselves the time and space to reconnect with ourselves and begin to feel what true care really is, that is respect and being aware of all that is happening in and around us so that we may change the patterns we have been living in. We owe ourselves this amount of loving attention so that we may become vital and alive again and benefit our own lives and others.

187. Making choices to the best of our awareness is responsibility and therefore why would anyone do this when asked or offered to them if they are not asked by someone doing and living this themselves. An assessment of fitness to practice should include this commitment to life and reflection to others.

188. Reduced staffing and not feeling valued is a recipe for burnout. It leads to more sick days, which puts more strain on the already reduced staffing levels. This is why it is even more important these days to really care for ourselves 24/7 so we are able to deal with the intensity as work. When I was younger I couldn’t see that what I did outside of work had anything to do with my work. Now I can see clearly the more prepared and cared for I am the more I can bring to work.

189. “Another aspect of our daily choices that has an impact on the level of care we deliver is based on another saying: ‘walk your talk’. In other words: do we live the advice we give to our patients? ” I feel this is so important, we need to make sure we walk the talk, there is no foundation to tell others to do something if we are not living by example, these are just empty words.

190. At some stage self-care and self-care programs, will have to be integral in the training of medical professionals… Unless of course everything keeps careering on in the way it is with everyone ignoring the glaringly obvious.

191. “To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, I know it is all felt as soon as I meet someone.” . . . . making everything matter is truly committing to life.

192. What I get often is “you’re so good” meaning you look after yourself and I don’t so I’m bad. There is a culture around taking care of ourselves and our bodies that is created from an ideal of being good or bad. Then depending on what choice we make needing to follow up with a reward or relief.

193. The responsibility we all have to care for ourselves is paramount with health care workers reflecting to their patients another way to live and look after ourselves which is an amazing offering that should really be seen as normal.

194. Could our full responsibility as health professionals lie in actually reflecting or presenting a body as a true marker of health, wellbeing and vitality and not just learning information and coming up with solutions to health problems?

     1. Yes I would say so. And that actually people are often more inspired to make changes for themselves when they simply see someone else living in a way that is healthy and caring… no words or advice required.

195. If we all approached life in this way, that state of the world would be in a very different place.

196. And of course one day people will read an article like this and say what on earth were they talking about… Of course one has to look after oneself first before one can serve anyone else; how could it be any other way?

197. It is the powerful reflection of consistently loving, caring and super-responsive bodies (quality first), that we need in our workplaces… and everywhere. This is the true and most beautiful education.

198. Living what we share and sharing what we live with others, whether they are our patients, clients, neighbors, family or friends is the only way. If we tell another what to do without our own lived experience it is just knowledge and the other cannot feel the supporting energy to make a different choice.

199. How can we support another when we are not living the support offered? There is not one ounce of love giving of the self (including money) without first giving to the self… this is a lie that is deeply embedded in the world.

200. There is a big issue in the health service in the uk generally, where staff do not walk their talk and live what they tell others to, it comes with no foundation. People do require support and teaching and we are lacking in true role models.

201. When we give advice empty of our own lived experience there is no true inspiration or reflection offered.

202. ‘This raises the question: Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’
     I love this question. It makes work about quality first and not just about outcomes. If we only want to get to the end result we make life narrow and we forget what life is actually about: connecting with each other and growing and learning together.

203. What does ‘Deeply care for’ mean? Do we fully understand the delicate balance that exists in our bodies? We think they are rugged and can take a few hard knocks, but in truth the smallest detail matters, we don’t get away with anything.

204. It makes sense that if we are practitioners of health that we are ourselves are role models in this area. In this way true support is offered to patients.

205. Working hard and caring for others makes us feel good, as if we are making a true contribution to our community, which is fine, but if we burn ourselves out in the process then that helps no-one, we need to deeply honour our bodies every day.

206. “It therefore makes sense to also live these things ourselves; otherwise the advice we give will come empty of lived experience and authority” – yes, and when something is lived truly, its message, advice, counsel, communication is never not felt by the open ear, eyes and body, and always is greatly received.

207. Valuing our body and supporting our expression in life by caring for ourselves is key, it’s essential if we are to truly and sustainably care for others.

208. We have a responsibility to show others how life can actually be lived, in the flesh.

209. Lieke, you are spot on with sharing that as Health care Professionals, it is for us to set the example, to be the role models for what we are actually asking people to step up to. It is a classic scenario, where a gardener who does everyone else’s gardens has an unkept garden at home; or a cleaner who cleans others houses, has a messy house at home; or a plumber who has poor or broken plumbing at home etc etc. And so the list goes on. We laugh at this and see this as normal, but what are we then setting up as an example? We can see that this is not actually something that support those around. And the same of course goes for any health professional, be it a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, a phyio, a complementary health care practitioner etc. It is for any one of us in society to step up to being a leader, by setting an example of self care that can then truly be there to inspire others to do likewise.

210. “Responsibility” is a funny word…one that we tend to fight and resist so much, and yet it is something that is freeing and feeds you back energy… to take on more responsibility. I know this has certainly been my experience – to resist it only to find that I have been fighting the very thing that I actually enjoy and love. Responsibility in the end is something that supports us and others in so many ways, from the responsibilities of caring for ourselves, caring for others, to the jobs that need to be done in order to keep everyone’s needs met and more. Once embraced, responsibility becomes our friend rather than the foe we perceived it to be.

211. You put it in perfect perspective what true responsibility is:
     ‘To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, I know it is all felt as soon as I meet someone.’
     For me it also means not holding back all the love I am and feel inside and share this with the world.

212. This raises the question: Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for? This is an important and valid question Lieke, as all too often we get caught up in getting the job done under the pressure of what is there to do, which totally leaves out any room for true care or quality, or, actually meeting those we are bringing a service to.

213. Our Universe is based on the Law of Reflection. The way we move, speak, think and act is all governed by the energy we align ourselves to, be this love or be it not. Once we understand this we understand the huge responsibility we carry to reflect all that is of truth, love, care and decency in a world that has strayed so far and accepted so much less than this, our most natural way of living.

     1. Spot on Liane – the law of reflection is very powerful and supports us to grow should we choose to use it as such!

214. Looking after ourselves and our choices on a daily basis is crucial Lieke, as this affects the quality of what we bring to our day. When I understood that every little choice makes a difference to the way my day flows, I feel the responsibility of each decision but that is a great focus to be aware of. It returns us to the purpose of why we have chosen our own profession.

215. It’s crazy how people do not take care of themselves and then expect a health professional to fix it. It’s even more crazy that a health professional who does not take care of themselves is looked to for help by those who need it. It’s like the blind leading the blind! There is more responsibility called for here on all levels. Health professionals need to lead the way in health care by providing an example of true health. If this was the case with every health professional what an inspiration our health system would be!

216. ‘Taking care of ourselves is a key part of the responsibility of being a health care professional.’
     What I am seeing working in an Aged Care facility are some burnt out carers and nurses who are unable to give true care to the residents because they are too tired or they have a throbbing headache or sore lower back or frozen shoulder or very little sleep the night before, and the list goes on, or they are so overweight that they struggle with their duties. Every day a staff member complains to me about at least one if not more ailments they have. Great example of carers needing to care for self first.

217. When we make life about ‘getting the job done’ we cut our selves off to our most valuable ally within us. Taking care to consider the quality of how we do things re-connects us to our bodies and an inherent wisdom that has the wellbeing of all at heart. When we make this the core of any teachings, on health and otherwise, we re-introduce a powerful and sturdy foundation from which to live all of life.

218. The medical profession is a caring profession… but only when that care is true care, and role-modelled by those working in it, will our healthcare system start to transform in a positive and inspirational way.

219. Could it be when we “walk our talk” that this level of lived wisdom exudes from our body. So that others simply feel this level of living as a truth, which because it is lived can be shared for it is felt as non-imposing.

220. If this is the way our bodies naturally work, why do we live against our nature? It doesn’t make sense.

221. This is perfect for me to read today, as I realise I have been taking a bit too much on and therefore not being able to give the quality I feel is needed.
     This is huge what you write LIeke every health professional should read this as if we do not have our foundation right we will never be able to deliver true care.

222. We tend to focus our understanding of disease and our bodies on our anatomy, function, complex physiology and all the microbes that affect us. It makes sense to me to then add to our studies the impact of our daily choices because everything we put our bodies through is in fact one huge scientific experiment, the results of which are clearly reflected in the quality of our everyday health. When we bring these two approaches together, our entire understanding of medicine will go through a much needed and very powerful shift.

223. We have a phrase in our society that goes something like ‘Every man for himself’ and many people live by that but where is the responsibility? ‘Every man for humanity’ sounds a bit weird, but it wakes us up to the responsibility we have knowing that everything we do affects everyone else, everywhere.

224. This is a great question LIeke: “Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?” Everyone looses when the whole focus is on ‘getting the job done’, ticking boxes, meeting KPI’s and running health as a business first rather than the caring profession it is. Care needs to be the whole focus and intention – sure there is a business behind it but that suffers if employees and patients feel the lack of true care.

225. “What is the responsibility in our work as medical professionals?” – what you write Lieke is spot on for all and every profession because essentially every single profession is dealing with or involves people, and how we deal with people is by how we deal with ourselves first, with care, attention, respect and love.

226. ‘Knowing that our choices and actions do influence all others…’ – the simple fact of not making it about oneself but being inclusive and in consideration of others so that we all are equally regarded gives us a sense and understanding of a way of living that serves and supports everyone equally. This is a very balanced way to be.

     1. Yes Alex and from that it’s easy to feel why the world is toppling over, because we have made it all about us as individuals.

227. As healthcare professionals we are looked at, we are watched and ultimately it is the care we take for ourselves that matters most in inspiring patients to change their lives, therefore I see the true responsibility to be the quality we live above everything else.

228. There is a huge pressure on the health system in many countries, in the UK the NHS is used in a way that doesn’t support it or its staff team, people go there to be fixed when things go down hill and yes it is great to have the support if we are sick, but it is not there to fix, but to support, they are very different. For staff working in demanding environments, it is crucial that they self-care to support themselves, this is something that is often neglected as they choose stimulants and comforts to get them through the day, rather than self-care that can support their foundational way of living. I do not judge, but I do observe that making self-care a priority in my own job in healthcare and general life has been deeply nourishing and supportive in all areas and the quality of care I offer is a reflection of it.

229. If we have the choice between a healthcare professional who is well cared for by both themselves and the medical profession, or the current model which would we wish. It’s a pretty obvious answer, but then the real question is why don’t we do everything in our power to make this so?

230. “Taking care of ourselves is a key part of the responsibility of being a health care professional.” Imagine this being a degree course, an essential qualification that all health professionals have to attain if they are to work in the health arena. This could completely revolutionise our entire approach and understanding of medicine.

231. ‘living in a body well cared for’ makes total sense if we want to support and care for others.

232. Caring for others can take many forms, and it can sometimes be very imposing if we do what WE think is best for the person rather than do what we truly feel is appropriate. Sometimes we don’t need to do anything but simply be there, calm, observant and in tune with our own bodies.

233. The more responsibility I take for my body, my choices and myself in life, the lighter I feel.

     1. This is very true yet how absurd that we often describe responsibility in terms of it being a ‘burden’ as evidenced by the expression we often use – ‘the weight of responsibility’.

234. Great blog Lieke. It shows that whilst it might be seemingly easier to point the finger and blame another for their choices and actions it is completely arrogant for us to do so if we are also making the same choices or actions. In this case it is from reaction and hence in pure judgement of them. If we had truly moved on and are no longer making the same choices or actions then we are less inclined to react to the ones they are choosing.

235. ‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’. This is so true, for if we are not willing to take true care of ourselves first, how is it possible to take true care of another?

236. With the rise of illness & disease and over stretched health care systems, it is the people who work in these systems that require support. Self-Care would have to be the keynote initiative to maintain the health and wellbeing of our future hospital systems and of people.

237. This advice is very sound, it only makes sense that our relationship with everything and everyone around us is simply an extension of our relationship with ourselves. So if we dedicate care to ourselves, then naturally this care is felt equally by all others. The health revolution we have all been waiting for actually lays in the words and quality of this blog.

     1. So true Sarah, the truth is already known now we need to initiate the responsibility to bring this truth into our everyday.

238. Wellness is not just the absence of illness, it is our ability to have harmonious relationships and to have harmony in our body

239. If we aren’t true role models within our professions, then nothing we say or do will come with any authority, and there will be no inspiration for others to make positive changes in their lives either.

     1. It is true that we are more inspired by lived examples than by words and information.

        1. So true Matilda. The words without lived expression of them are harmful in so many ways, causing lack of trust and validity in the service offered.

240. For a medical professional to deeply care for themselves, and joyfully take that responsibility, is something hugely powerful for patients (and co-practitioners alike) to feel – as it reflects, without judgement or lecture, what is truly possible.

241. Lieke you bring the reality of our choices and self care to another level of responsibility allowing a beautiful understanding of the power and presence we offer to ourselves and everyone around us with such simplicity and joy all round. Thank you

242. If we do not ‘walk our talk’ then when we suggest to a client to do something we do not practise our self then it comes with empty words and the client does not take notice. Similar if you were a drinker and you tell your kids to not drink, they just will more likely ignore you.

243. “Knowing that our choices and actions do influence all others is a huge support to keep making these choices for myself, but also for all others I meet” – wow Lieke when you put it like this, then we live, we eat, we breath, sleep, walk, talk, relate, and so on … for mankind, for humanity. That is the greatest responsibility to connect to, to uphold and to live.

244. We cannot underestimate the value of self care for anyone working in health care. One of the things that I have observed is that we have all gone into healthcare because we love people and want to care for people when there health has changed for some reason. We each go into different areas of health care, for the qualities that we know we can bring. But we end up putting those we care for ahead of ourselves in a lot of cases or we think we need to take on our patients emotions, to help them feel better. Self care not only supports our bodies to work in vigorously challenging (emotional and physical) areas, but it also allows us to take that step back and see what is going in in the background for a person and not take on, what is for them to learn, which is why they may be sick in the first instance. When someone sees their own choices and the effect of those on their body, they then in that moment have a choice. When we take that on for them, they don’t see that. So therefore we remove that choice for them. For me learning to truly observe (including observing myself) is one of the greatest things to learn as a health professional.

245. No one teaches this level of responsibility at university when you train as a health professional. We are taught to behave in a professional manner, respect confidentiality etc. But there is nothing said about the way we live and how foundational that is to the quality of our work. I have been finding that there is no professional and private life divide, as the life I lead at home is in the body I bring to work. And the more I take responsibility for that the deeper my enjoyment of my work.

     1. Beautifully said Fiona… there is no demarcation line – all that happens at home comes with us to work, and vice versa… so the quality we choose to live every day, in every moment, is the quality we choose to bring to everything we do.

246. So good to bust the myth that responsibility is boring and to be avoided! It is the absolute opposite that is true.

247. ‘do we live the advice we give to our patients?’ A great question Lieke, as this is where true inspiration can be imparted.

     1. and also true responsibility taken.

248. Self-care started for me with being at-least gentle first on the steps hat I had to take to start my journey towards being caring.

249. ‘The way I am learning to do this involves a dedication towards preparing myself each day with gentle exercising, healthy food, going to bed early and waking early, going for regular walks, deepening my relationships with my family and colleagues and so on.’ – It kind of goes without saying that these preparations are something that is much needed to maintain a healthy and vital body in every persons life, medical professional or not – so why is it that we often neglect or even fight that which will truly support us?

250. I have on several occasions visited cancer support units and the staff always seem different – I’m not sure if it is because there are more of them, or because of the type of patients they are dealing with, but the atmosphere always feels quieter and more supportive than in other sections of a hospital.

251. To work in the care of others it is absolutely necessary to care for ourselves, indeed what quality are we living and in a sense what is the true nature of the work delivered if it not based on a relationship with self-care first?

252. Lieke, ‘ I have recently found how very true this is; ‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’, having pushed myself with work and not looking after myself I have then not been feeling well at work and have as a result not offered all that I can, feeling a bit tired and a bit ill, this has been a lesson for me in how important it is to consistently take care of myself, above all else.

253. Everyone can smell hypocrisy a mile away if not two miles. The ‘do as I say not as I do’ approach simply doesn’t work. True change I have found occurs when someone is living and breathing what they then talk about, like Universal Medicine does.

254. As blinkered as we all feel at times, we are all actually aware of everything constantly and so we are therefore aware that everything and everyone falls into one of only two categories. Either the category of truth that is constantly calling us home or the category of lies, that is constantly enticing us away.

255. Regurgitated good advice that is not based on someone’s livingness of what they tout is destined to fall on deaf ears – it might sound good but cannot gain any traction.

256. The real support from being cared for by a health professional that takes true responsibility with their own health and well-being, is the inspiration it can offer their clients and patients.

     1. Totally Yes. There is a heightened vulnerability and sensitivity for a patient in a hospital bed or as an outpatient, so when something is done that is lacking in care in some way, it is absolutely felt more acutely by the patient. Self-Care of a medical professional is foundational for the patient and, equally important for the health professional to withstand the pressures within the system they are working in.

257. “Taking care of ourselves like that is often seen as boring and hard” but when you really take it on, the quality of health experienced elevates our entire appreciation of what true responsibility really means.

258. Irrespective of our profession our responsibility is always to be responsible for ourselves so that we can then be responsible for others.

259. To look after oneself in the work that you and other health professions do surely must be number one priority! Great to know young people taking on these professions are getting it right!

260. More and more I see that if we feel disharmony in the world it is reflecting a disharmony in ourselves, possibly hidden and needing to be shown the light of day. Taking full responsibility for this we can then do what is necessary to clear this harmful energy from our bodies; this transmutes and leaves a clearer space for us all.

261. I used to be a full time massage therapist. I found that it was almost impossible to treat my body in a way that was abusive and still offer a good service. I needed to prepare my body to support myself in my job. Any disregarding behaviour and I would get totally exhausted from my work. My body was showing me the way.

262. ‘Responsibility and our relationship with it and ourselves’ What a wonderful topic for conversation whatever our age.

263. This same question can be applied to all professions as we are all connected, regardless of what job or task we are performing.

264. I’m always inspired by anyone who takes good care of themselves. Therefore if I am in the presence of a health professional who radiates health and vitality they have already done their job! I am not so inspired when the person giving me advice appears to be struggling with their own health. What you are saying makes complete sense.

265. Just imagine if all professions took on this level of responsibility… How everyone everywhere would feel so honoured and cared for that humanity would start to heal on so many levels.

     1. It would indeed offer a true reflection, one that in turn would inspire others to take the same level of responsibility. The ultimate domino effect.

        1. And really… This is how simple it is. That beautiful ripple effect when one person takes responsibility and lives life in a way that reflects the grace and beauty that is innate within all of us

266. My studies with Universal Medicine have enabled me to see that my responsibility to be fit and well for work means that I have to take care of every aspect of my life and how I care for my body. It is no longer acceptable to indulge in behaviours that affect my ability to deliver a top quality job. Imagine this being taught in all our training institutions as the foundation to everything else you have to learn, what an enriching quality this would bring to all our services and industries.

267. Sometimes it seems that we compartmentalise responsibility. For example, we are responsible when we are at work because we are paid to be there and there are policies and procedures and managers and supervisions etc. Then when we have a day off there can be a sense of ‘letting our hair down’. I am finding that in truth it cannot work this way and that responsibility is a full-time activity or choice and not something we can apply to some areas of our lives and not others. When we think about it, does living irresponsibly every truly work…or do we always have to be responsible in the end?

     1. By letting responsibility take a ‘break’ it doesn’t go away but condenses as a tension – most in my thoughts and my body, then it’s catch up time! These days I’d rather stay with the responsibility to see it through and clear the way for the potential of what else is possible in life.

268. A big part of being responsible is noticing that being regularly exhausted is not being responsible unless there is an ongoing emergency.

     1. A great point Christoph, we should not pride ourselves for being regularly exhausted – it is quite the opposite of being responsible if it is caused by a drive to be ‘responsible’.

269. “…deepening my relationships with my family and colleagues and so on” – yes Lieke, such a great point — choosing to actively deepen the relationships with colleagues too.. . as we deepen within ourselves, so too are we to deepen with all others irrespective of who they might be in relation to us, personally or professionally.

270. We can mostly accept that nourishing food, and good sleep are good for our health but we don’t think about how we are in relationships, and our ability to be in all relationships without emotional reactions means that we don’t set up unnecessary tensions in our bodies.

271. Absolutely Lieke and this is so often missed from our understanding of delivering care. It’s not just about getting the job done and ‘improving’ someone’s day in the way of ‘doing good’ but to truly meet them and let them feel true care.

272. The quality of service we offer others is always determined from the quality of relationship we have with ourselves.

     1. Yes, and how much are we ready to be seen expressing that quality.

273. ‘Do we choose to deeply care for ourselves such that we are truly ready to care for the sick and ill people we are working with?’ How much do we truly care for ourselves? And how fit are we for whatever job we do?

274. With a physically demanding job it’s so important to get ‘fit for life’ so that we don’t get exhausted each day, and this includes exercise, diet, rhythm, sleep and the wider picture of how we are in relationships etc.

275. The best conversation I ever had with my doctor was when we talked about lifestyle choices. I found it very empowering, as he was encouraging me to look at the areas in my life where I could make changes for myself first and then be supported by medication if required. The awareness is becoming more widespread, so to see it being lived and applied by the profession themselves would bring a huge power to this approach, as the results of these choices would make it very apparent what true health is.

276. What is our responsibility in life, as people?

277. I would love to see this blog in the form of a charter on every hospital ward and every medical centre etc and that it become a living way for all health professionals. It feels to me that this is how we will practice in the future because what we are doing now is leading to huge amounts of burnout amongst the health professionals. Take care of ourselves and then we can care for others.

278. ‘Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’ and in so doing offering them the opportunity to feel something within the physical body.

279. First responsibility of a medical professional: Living healthy yourself to the best of your ability.

     1. Alex if this was not only understood but lived each day by society and the medical professionals, just this one point, it would be the biggest revolution in the world. It would change everything.

280. Without any allowance for consideration or care towards collegues workplases are left destitute and hence can easily become a breeding ground for politics and abuse.

281. It really brings in a whole new level of responsibility when we consider the possibility that not living what we share can then mean that our words come across as empty and offer no inspiration.

282. It is beautiful to read how you are learning through your work and study, how you take special note of each aspect of your life and relate them all back to the quality of care that you give. This all encompassing way of living is what makes life so full and enriching and so when you walk in to the treatment room this is what you bring.

283. Our responsibility has to be first and foremost to our bodies and then another’s, the reason there is so much burnout in helping professions is that the patient comes first and foremost, that sort of thinking is thwarted as a foundation and will never truly support.

284. ‘You can only truly care for another when you care for yourself… this is a beautiful understanding and can be the foundation for a re-connection with ourselves on many levels.

285. When there is quality in all that I do I can bring so much more to others.

286. “This raises the question: Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?”. I like applying this question to all person to person relationships in life.

287. We can all make choices that don’t support us thinking it only affects us, but that’s not the case – everything we do including how we live can be felt by the people around us and how we live will either inspire them to nurture themselves or encourage them to be as care-less as we are.

     1. Great point Carmel. I have been recently reflecting on ‘behind the scenes’ – applying it to the jobs and the end product and/or service we get. So I was considering all the practicalities of a job well before it meets the final consumer. That part was vast and something that we sometimes do not take into full account. Then in my reflection I considered that there was much more ‘behind the scenes’ that meets the eyes, and this is the quality of live lived by us in everything that we do that, exactly as you said, will affect the end product/service and the people who will receive it.

     2. Very true Carmel. We attempt to kid our selves that it is our body and we can do what we like with it, totally ignoring the impact we have on others. The subliminal messages we play to one another have a huge influence so meeting a medical professional who takes great care of their health and well being magnifies the quality of their work a thousand fold.

288. We must nurture our medical students at the education phase so that when they go into work they are not already burnt out and depleted, but revitalised and committed to serve.

     1. Well said Michael – an equal amount of focus on learning how to truly support themselves in health and welbeing would be a powerful addition to the course content of their studies.

289. Yes Lieke, Live it, Walk it, Talk it. The responsibility is ours in every moment in all we do, as we are connected to the whole continuously. If we are in health care it makes sense to live that care and take it out to others, bringing that quality that can be felt.

     1. Yes and discovering new depths of care as we deepen the relationship and awareness in ourselves.

        1. Love the new depths of care Lucy, I am finding this is an endless discovery- and I love introducing or refining some self-care rituals. And amazing to see how it affects other areas of our life. Today for example I was cleaning the patient’s chair at the dental practice where I work and I was really enjoying how it looked so clean and just recently I started using a new cleaning solution in between patients as well and it leaves a fresh subtle smell. And I instantly reflected on how I have also started using different cleaning products and routines at home! And also some new hand creaam and lip balm! It is all so related.

        2. So true! I read another blog this morning which talked about compartmentalising our love and I realised that by letting small areas of our self care go we actually let it go for everyone as everyone could have benefited from that moment of self-care. The ripple effect of what we could consider an act simply for ourselves is huge!

290. It’s the same in any industry. You have to practice what you preach otherwise there is nothing for the customer to be inspired by. I work in skin care. If I don’t look after my skin it doesn’t make sense.

291. Living responsibly does indeed feel very spherical as it always brings us back to ourselves as we feel the impact of how we have lived our day. At the end of the day where we have been energetically responsible we can feel the flow and innate naturalness of living a simple life and being in connection.

     1. Beautifully described Susan.

292. The theme in this blog could be applied to any industry not just health-care. Do we focus on the end product or the bottom line or productivity and efficiency only, or do we make it about people and relationships first knowing that it is the quality of these relationships that builds the organisation that then supports its clients or customers so much more.

     1. What we have been doing on Earth has not been working and is sliding further into self destruction; I see a future where we actually have to try something different.

        Imagine if more and more of us understood and made life to be first about people and relationships…

        It is the quality each of us brings by the choices we make in every area of our lives that gets shared through everything we do…

        …so why not work toward bringing true care into our own lives so we then can build the organizations that not only support people in all the ways they already do but on many more and deeper levels.

293. Lieke, having previously worked in this industry, what I found was that how I was was the most important thing. If I was feeling well and not pressured or rushed then I had a lovely connection with the clients I cared for and that everything was done with a beautiful, tender, loving quality and it was this quality that made all the difference and was appreciated by my clients rather than how much I got done. I was also very efficient when I was calm and present, so to answer your question, for me quality was the most important thing; ‘Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’

294. It’s crazy that self care is something that has to be taught, but it does and is something we all need to learn if we are to do a responsible job of what we do. Some of the health care staff look like they aren’t far from being patients themselves and could change this so easily by changing their diet and sleeping patterns.

     1. Agreed Kevin, seems ridiculous that we should have to educate our selves in this way, but it is evidence of how far we have drifted off course. We can make such simple changes to the quality of our health, even when having to do shift work, by addressing our diet, sleep and exercise patterns. Our bodies work supremely well on the simple things in life.

     2. Great point Kev, having to be taught to care for self… as being caring is a natural quality we all have.

295. We are coming to a point now where taking responsibility for the quality of our health via our lifestyle choices is going to be the only way out of the mess we have created. Educating those who deliver the frontline services about self care is a powerful support in turning around our trend of wanting other people to fix our self made woes.

296. Taking care of ourselves is so important to assist us to function on a daily basis and in supporting others. Without the foundation of caring for ourselves first, the care we provide to others can not sustain itself. Sooner or later exhaustion and even illness can easily creep in and this is what we are commonly seeing in the healthcare profession. Your blog Lieke is really supportive for us all to read.

297. It is the quality we bring to our work that is deeply felt and remembered by others.

298. This question has really made me consider where we are at in healthcare…”…or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?” This really is crucial for employees and patients. The focus in hospitals these days seems to be about getting people in and out, and patients are moved from room to room in their often short stays – how unsettling and disturbing is this for the patient’s healing, and does this truly allow for deep rest and true care? Employees, who came into the profession because they care, often feel frustrated in a system that has become a business and is no longer about true care.

299. ‘our first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves, to make choices every day that we know and feel are supportive and healthy, so that we can be truly supportive to those we care for and inspire them to take care of themselves also.’ – In other words to be able to reflect true health you need to live true health yourself. I once was having a ‘lecture’ about food and nutrition from a doctor specialist in the field of high cholesterol, who was severely obese, I have to admit that I did not believe a word that came out of her mouth because she was reflecting the opposite of what she was saying.

300. “the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, I know it is all felt as soon as I meet someone.” When we start to appreciate the quality we can bring and that it matters, that every choice is in fact, in a way, on behalf of all others, it’s then natural to want to deepen our responsibility.

301. Obviously it all comes back to first living what you then like to share or do with someone so that it comes from experience and a lived knowing. That way you are authentic with no need to be perfect and live the level of responsibility you are at with transparency.

302. “first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves, to make choices every day that we know and feel are supportive and healthy, so that we can be truly supportive to those we care for and inspire them to take care of themselves also.” I completely agree it starts with the self, when we build this solid foundation in our selves we are then ready to support others.

303. I do hope dentists floss as much as they prescribe it – it’s almost militant from my experience! 😉 But you’re right, when health professionals don’t practice what they preach it’s a little like saying ‘do what I say, not what I do’. Which can be a little confusing if you’re a patient – are you supposed to take it seriously? But if you deliver those same instructions from a lived experience, they will be much more powerful as they can be felt. That is responsibility.

304. Imagine if the training for medicine, dentistry and nursing included modules on reflection and how in these professions you are a role model for everyone who walks into your hospital or clinic. Medical professionals are some of the most trusted people in the world and their advice can shape the lives of many, so is this not something incredibly important to discuss with trainees and even those interested in the profession applying from school? It would also help enormously with stress and exhaustion too, understanding the deeper relationship between a doctor/dentist/nurse and their patients.

305. Your raise very important points – the system is being squeezed by the ill health of a society that is only increasing as the way we live deviates further and further away from one that is in line with what supports the body, and to cope they are doing all they can to keep going and manage, but as you say in doing so are compromising the staff and the care. As a society, we need to take a long look at what it is when take into the halls of our medical systems, and how much the way we have chosen to live has contributed.

306. This is the realisation that is required by the health and social care sectors as a whole; however there are those who have chosen to enter into these areas in a way which a void of this self-care and have this approach to how they work. This is seen in the ‘putting others before yourself’ approach and those who believe this is the right way to be when this is actually so harmful, to not only them but also those they purport to support.

307. We do find these rare gems of people that are naturally loving and caring. How do we support these snowflakes in the coal pile? We can start by telling them we appreciate them and the quality they bring to all.

308. When I meet a doctor or the like who takes great care of them selves, the quality of their advice carries more weight.

309. This is beautifully inspiring, a way to be in our lives that supports ourselves and all those around us and way more.

310. No matter what our roles in life and work without a foundation of our self care what we offer to others is empty of that quality.

311. We talk about ‘the system’ like it is a hard, immovable concrete thing – but isn’t the reality that it’s not a place organisation or hierarchy, but the system is actually a way of being energetically? And as long as we subscribe to being less, to settling for things we know aren’t true, for living with disregard for how we feel, for blocking out – then we perpetuate and support the system to continue to grow. And equally when we live with care as you show Lieke we rewire any situation. Every choice we make, has a huge effect in a much grander way than we could ever imagine – and this is God’s system of perfect reflection.

312. No way to argue with the simple common sense of your presentation. Now it is a choice for everyone being aware of the undeniable logic to either embrace it or find any justification to ignore it.

313. The fact that we consider taking care of ourselves as ‘boring’ shows how far most of us living from feeling the exquisiteness of feeling and expressing that grandness that we all inherently are. Because once you witness that in another or feel it within yourself, there is no way that you would imagine being uncaring and reckless to yourself as exciting highlights of your life.

314. The way that health care professionals are paid, looked-after and supported is going to (already is) bite humanity back very, very hard. It is extreme short-termism at the most foolish and ignorant level.

315. I’m not a healthcare professional – but every single word of this blog is relevant to me and my work.

316. “We recommend no sugar, no smoking, brushing our teeth twice a day and flossing just as an example. But, do we live these things ourselves?” – It’s true, and the only way to confidently deliver this advice with the authority of knowing exactly what benefits living this way has, is to simply live it ourselves… The system we have is very backwards.

317. This is something that ought to be taught in 1st year of Medical school Lieke… as 101 fundamentals of professional practice.

     1. Absolutely Jane great point, I don’t see many people manage their work and home life in a way that supports them to be really vital and well. It ought to be part of our education from the start of school, since that is where we are being ‘prepared’ for what it is we will eventually contribute to society… at least at a temporal level.

318. The quality with which we do any job is what matters more than the amount of work we do

     1. Absolutely Carmel, it is about the quality and not the quantity of work. When we bring that lived quality and connect to true responsibility we are reflecting to others.

319. The only way we can ever be inspired to live something is from another living that from themselves in their own life too. Without it, it is just another rule or thing to apply in our ever busy day.

320. It is difficult to cope if demand for what you do is almost unlimited but funding is limited. It sounds as if those in health care are forever trying to do the impossible.

321. Society separates the human being from the activity they perform. It emphasises what we do, not who and how we are. For example, you can train as a teacher and 80% of your training is about curriculum, child psychology and emotional well-being. Rarely, if at all, will you be asked to reflect on yourself and the effect you have on the classroom environment, pupil learning and well-being. The person of the teacher is completely ignored. How are teachers to know the impact they have on others, if they are not made aware of self care and energetic responsibility.

     1. My way as a teacher came, not from any training I was given, but a deep knowledge of how to be with children, speak to, support and nurture them. I was simply myself. They felt this and together we built a loving learning environment.

322. Ultimately it is our responsibility to get out of the way completely, so that all we are is a medium through which God’s light can pour.

323. Each and every question arrives back at the same point – an inquiry into how we are each living and the quality in which we live and therefore reflect to others – are we a true living example of responsibility or not?

     1. Deborah that’s so true it always comes back to us, are we living the true responsibility or not as, we are constantly reflecting to others around.

324. It’s the quality of our choices that form our daily medicine. When a health professional makes choices that truly support their health and wellbeing, what they share with their patients about self care then fully supports all other medications prescribed.

325. How often does taking care of ourselves become vanity? We go to the gym to stay fit and can fall into just push a bit more! Medically, we can have implants of all sorts. Watch any US movie and be blinded by their brighter than white teeth. All that is required is for us to feel comfortable in the body we live in and ensure it is loved and cared for!

326. ‘Therefore, to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself – as you are the person living in a body well cared for.’ – Love this Lieke, taking responsibility is key to living a life that feeds you back in every sense and is far from being a chore.

327. And bringing this awareness into all professions and workplaces – we all have a responsibility to show and share a deeper level of love, care and commitment to ourselves and others.

328. As medical professionals we have a responsibility to be role models for our profession, whether that be dentistry, medicine, nursing, physiotherapy… we need to be walking the talk.

329. Responsibility for ourselves naturally flows into all other areas of our lives.

     1. Paula beautifully and simply put “Responsibility for ourselves naturally flows into all other areas of our lives.”

330. We have this responsibility as health care professionals to take care of ourselves to the very best of our ability because we know our choices and actions do influence all others. The more we do this, the greater the power within us grows and shows.

331. “Therefore, to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself – as you are the person living in a body well cared for.” How amazing would it be if all health care staff were to fully understand and implement this for themselves before emabrking on any kind of educational training in this field? It would make an enormous difference to the health care system in general.

332. Doctors are there to give advice on health and wellbeing and their responsibility is to live in a way which matches their advice.

     1. Exactly – the walk your talk principle is something that would serve all of us in life, no matter what profession.

     2. So true walk the talk, but how many Doctors actually understand this and live it? There is much work to be done here, where Doctors actually start to take true responsibility for their own self care.

333. The enormity of the irony in a health and social care system which is not healthy or caring for its staff.

334. Our relationship with responsibility is paramount. We can have a tantrum within ourselves and resist it but it doesn’t change the fact that we need to be responsible. Some people spend a life time blind drunk or out of their head on drugs to resist this. When we choose not to numb ourselves we have to feel the results of not being responsible. And when we do start to take responsibility it is wonderful to notice the difference.

335. The more we care for our body, the more our body will care for us.

     1. And that should have an effect on the cost and availability and need for health care.

336. Medical professionals spend hours and years studying to gain the knowledge and experience required to do their job, and many start their careers exhausted if they have not learned to care for themselves by then. Perhaps Self Care could be a compulsory subject in all medical training.

     1. Agreed Carmel, perhaps self care should be a core curriculum subject in all training, not just trainee doctors. I’ve witness the impact of five years intensive medical training on my young niece. Just qualified as a doctor, she’s now learning to balance the rigours and demands of the job with a responsibility to care for herself.

337. Reading this – I also apply it to my role as a mother. What are my actions and my movements around my daughter and where am I at. She feels everything and is a great indicator of where we are all at – so no surprise she takes things on when we do. Which reminds me of my responsibility in how I am choosing to live.

     1. Like you HM, I’ve applied this wisdom in my relationships with family. Instead of waiting for family to be this or that way, I took responsibility for how I am with family and noticed changes happening organically, relationships opening up and healing.

338. For so long we have given our power away to the outside world and this or that professional thinking they have the knowledge and know all about what is good for us. Well yes they can to a certain degree, but only our own bodies experience everything and so therefore are the best ones to consult with when we need to know the cause of something. Practicing self care is a great responsible way to do that.

339. If there was more personal responsibility in medicine – both from the patients who are seeking support and from the health professionals supplying the support, then the whole system would look very different and would be much more supportive of everyone.

     1. I agree if there was more personal responsibility in medicine things would be very different. But unfortunately there is a lot of misuse and lack of responsibility which is why there is a problem in the system.

340. “I found that living responsibly in my day to day choices is incredibly satisfying.” This completely flips our understanding of responsibility on its head. When we choose this level of integrity in our lives, it underpins a truly successful way of living that engenders an internal steadfastness and health that offers a true quality for others to refer to, learn by and flourish too.

341. In life we are all healthcare practitioners: how we are and the quality we bring to others can affect their choices, sense of well-being and inspire them to take more care of themselves.

342. It is so obvious, and we could say the same about any profession… don’t be that hypocrite saying ‘do as I say not as I do’. But if we’re really honest with ourselves, do we live like that?

343. A great question Lieke – is it about getting to the finish line, or does it make more difference the quality in which we make the journey. I was brought up to just focus on the end, and am still learning that actually its each step that counts as that then guarantees the end result.

344. Self care is not just for self, but for all.

     1. So true, we get caught on it being about self and not realise that how we live reflects to another, everyone is affected. Therefore starting with self care for self is the great foundation.

345. The truth is we can not love another until we love ourselves. So, why should the relationship of medical professionals be different? Could this be even more so that is a job dealing with people and their ill choices? What a great role model for patients on how living a healthy lifestyle feels and looks like.

346. Everything about us affects everyone else, and so it is that when we stop to care deeply for ourselves, we nurture and re-generate ourselves to that we bring the all to the work that we do and we also inspire others to do like wise. Thus it is important to care for one-self before caring for others, so that we are fresh and recharged but also showing them the importance of self care.

     1. I love your clarity of a great truth revealed here.

347. I recall a friend of mine who is a nurse and was still working until she was about 8 months pregnant share something very practical with me – she said that she was very happy working throughout her pregnancy, but there came a point where she just knew it was time to stop – this was when she started feeling resentful of patients and their normal care demands and the duties that she had to do for her work. To me this was a very practical and honest way of simply honouring the body, but at the same time also honouring the patients – for had she continued, she may have begun to make mistakes, been too tired etc etc. But instead she continued working in her full capacity till such time that she knew to stop. This is one way of being responsible in the work place.

348. A wonderful reminder for us to look after ourselves first and even though I have heard this many times before you have shared your own experiences and the truth comes through very strongly. Why wouldn’t we look after ourselves we may ask? I know for myself I often push aside those little reminders because I’m in a rush, but I realise it is vital if I truly care and love others, to do the same for me!

349. The underlining truth that we can all feel energy and everything is energy brings up the fact that if we do not walk our talk this is felt by another no matter how much we try and allude them. True support for another is to walk our talk, so our reflection backs up all we say.

350. How different, and how amazing would our world be if energetic responsibility was the first and foremost thing we were taught from young – at home and in our education system.

351. A pertinent reminder, thank you – “Knowing that our choices and actions do influence all others is a huge support to keep making these choices for myself, but also for all others I meet.”

352. The simple art of taking care of your physical body as you work is a major step forward from the override most live with.

     1. Absolutely Vanessa – and beginning to make our bodies sacred again.

353. And this counts for all health professionals and when we take it even wider it counts also for parents.
     A lot of teenagers are in problems and need care. The same we see people putting a high level on demands put on doctors to take care of them and their symptoms the same we see with parents demanding the teachers to do better. But what if we all take ourselves loving care about ourselves first? What will that mean for our children? How will it effect them if they see we take care of ourselves?

354. Beyond all the physical tasks we perform in our job the level of professional responsibility you speak of ultimately deepens the QUALITY of service we offer.

     1. So beautifully said Abby – the first stages of learning about responsibility are often focused on the physical performance which of course is also important, however, the full responsibility only ever comes when we couple the physical performance with the quality of how we are in every moment and hence offering true quality of service.

355. Leike as you have shared taking responsibility brings a quality that enriches life not just for ourselves but for every one else too.

356. It is so cool to bring self care into the sphere of being an essential responsibility for all of us as health care practitioners… this starts to debunk the martyr mentality which is so rife and serves no one.

357. Yes, Lieke, I wonder how many health care professionals follow the advice they give to patients about how to look after themselves. Its the same with teaching. I see how we often ask pupils to do things that we ourselves are not doing, eg being OK with making mistakes, saying sorry if we have hurt someone, taking breaks when working so that we give our bodies a chance to rest and recharge etc.

358. Wow every health care professional should read this, what you write in this blog Lieke is fundamental to all health care practitioners.

     “To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me”

359. A beautiful blog Lieke sharing the absolute importance of how we live with the quality and integrity taking care of ourselves is calling out for. Walking our talk is felt by everyone and for our medical practitioners is paramount reflecting a way for others that is deeply felt. The presentations and reflections from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine on Energetic Integrity are immense reflecting the standards our very living and moves have on ourselves and everyone else and this has changed my life profoundly and that of many others bringing a true quality and joyfulness to all.

360. To teach self care in our medical schools empowers the student doctors and nurses to truly appreciate what good health looks and feels like, a solid marker to take forth into their jobs. Otherwise what they offer their patients is just empty theory.

361. Taking responsibility boils down to the ability of taking care of, and not dismissing / overriding ourselves

362. It is indeed this responsibility that we need to take for ourselves before we go preaching to another about the way they choose to live their lives.

363. A great blog and so relevant for all professions and work.

364. You talk about your self care and mention regular walks as one of your supports, I agree, even though we may have a physical job, I learned a few years ago that walking is a lovely way to reconnect with the physicality of our bodies as well as giving us some aerobic exercise, especially if there are some gentle inclines to go up and down.

365. Perhaps there are those who work in health and social care who are working in those fields as it makes them feel better about their own life to support those with health or social care problems. Therefore these people are actually working to supposedly support others to avoid truly making responsible choices in their own lives – what quality of support is this?

366. Lieke, thank you for writing this article, I can very much relate to what you are sharing here; ‘I have to make sure I look after my body well and ensure that it is ready for the work I have to do.’ I feel this also in my profession – working wth children, the importance of looking after my body. When I overeat or go to bed late or get caught up in an argument that is not then resolved I notice the huge knock on effects that this has on how I am with the children, I do not feel playful or joyful and my work becomes hard rather than enjoyable, it is the looking after myself that I have found key to how I am at work.

367. I was introduced to Energetic Responsibility through the books and presentations of Serge Benhayon and by starting to live by those values my whole life has totally transformed in the most wonderful and miraculous ways. Energetic Responsibility has to be one of the greatest underappreciated and underlived joys on earth.

368. Responsibility is FUN, it is the coolest way to live.

     1. I love it Nicola, presenting responsibility as the inspiration, fun and catalyst for really enjoying life that it is.

369. A constant learning and growing is to accept, without fuss, the responsibility that is presented, as our awareness becomes more expanded and honed. As was presented to me today, to not live the level of responsibility I am aware of is what keeps us in an internal battle. One that will only cease when what we become aware of is the platform from which we live, hence our responsibility deepens and expands constantly. Responsibility is never boring, it is however deeply honoring, humbling and brings a grace to life we all know and ultimately want to live with.

370. Committing to ‘live this level of responsibility’ is not a boring or arduous task but a choice that enhances and enriches our lives and the lives of those we meet.

     1. I agree that responsibility can be a beautiful thing but it’s meaning has been twisted and reinterpreted to mean something else that feels much more heavy and arduous. Ironically I reckon we get a bad taste in the mouth about responsibility when we are told we have to do something or live up to something by someone who is not living what they are talking about! This gives responsibility a bad rep!

371. When advice is given and it comes empty of lived experience and authority it is no wonder that the advice gets left by the wayside, however when a lived way is shared, it is far more likely to inspire the other to try the same.

372. It’s interesting that taking care of ourselves can be considered to be boring when in fact it is quite the opposite. If we are in good health there is so much we can do in life, and we can even enjoy our jobs! To me it is boring if I don’t take care of myself, as I always feel like I’m on catch up and that I can’t fully participate in or enjoy life.

373. What is clear is that the roles that medical professionals play can only be as strong as the willingness that each medical professional has to true care, true support for themselves. The same goes for all industries from teaching to farming, what if the quality of care of the farmers supported the world to eat with greater care and support for themselves?

374. As health professionals, we may have to work with a constrained system sometimes, but we can reflect a different way by caring for ourselves and embracing taking full responsibility in our job roles.

375. I used to think that taking responsibility made life boring, but the more I resume responsibility for myself, the more amazing I feel and the greater I enjoy everything in my life, work, relationships and all. True responsibility is the medicine of the future.

376. “Do we choose to deeply care for ourselves such that we are truly ready to care for the sick and ill people we are working with?” Our first responsibility is to ourselves and looking after our body in such a way that can then support others. Without this foundation we can not truly support and care for others.

377. It is total common sense to say that the more we self-care the more we have to bring in caring for others. A bit nuts that we haven’t collectively clocked this. Thank goodness for Serge Benhayon who has brought this message and livingness through so simply and powerfully for us all.

378. It is the gift that keeps giving – deeply loving, caring and living a quality that is rich in stillness not only gives to others but magnifies the giving to ourselves.

379. All the issues in the areas you mentioned in this blog Lieke to me are a result of us not living who we truly are. It feels as if we on purpose make the system fail, do not walk our talk and do not take responsibility in life, just to make it possible for us to maintain the life in disconnection with our Soul we once have chosen for.

     1. Wow. If this is the case, and I do agree with you, this has got to wake us up to the responsibility we have and actually the power we have to make changes too.

        1. Hi Matilda, for me it is clear that we all have to come to this realisation, and one day we will, will it be by our own choice or with a little help from nature or our body that will show us the need and urgency for choosing this responsibility as our way of living.

380. The concept of “you can only care for others if you care for yourself” is not new, but it is also not lived by very many. So why is that I wonder, why do we know that caring for ourselves is important, yet ignore it so. The responsibility and the power of someone living with deep care for self is perhaps sometimes too much to feel.

381. I agree it’s very hard to take a health professional’s advice seriously, even though it may be ‘good’ advice, when what is reflected back is a person who is not taking responsibility for and care of themselves. However our key responsibility is to be first responsible for ourself in how we choose to live and the more we care for and nurture ourself the more we can inspire another by ‘walking our talk’ to take responsibility for their own self-care. There is so much pressure and reliance on the health professions to fix us and the main way to begin to relieve that pressure is when we are willing to take responsibility for the way we choose to live.

382. Our roles as medical professionals is to be role models of responsibility that then inspires all those we communicate with to also be responsible.

     1. Well said Paula, it is all about reflection and magnetic pull.

383. Responsibility is key here – it is our responsibility, our willingness to be responsible, that affects our daily choices which then affects the system. Change comes from within.

384. The emptiness of a presentation given by someone who is not living it is obvious, how we live and what we present to the world is always in our body and no amount of words can persuade, convince or inspire if our words do not match what our body is expressing.

385. It may be inviting to respond to the pressures of health care and patients by exhausting ourselves as the numbness that comes with it reduces the awareness of the pressures, but that exhaustion easily turns to burnout.

     1. When you describe it as such Christoph, is sounds like a setup, that the system must fail to keep us in the illusion and not to allow our awareness to expand.

386. I love how you write that “deepening my relationships with my family and colleagues” is part of your dedicated practice to you.

387. Gorgeous Lieke. I love the fact that you are claiming responsibility as the norm that it should be.

388. This should be on the front pages of all health professional magazines. It applies to all people regardless of their jobs but like you say some professions are about caring for others and are often very hard on the body of the carer. It is vital that carers take care of themselves.

389. I love that you have exposed that without living what we tell others to do, the advice we give is void of any lived experience and thus easy to ignore or discard. However from a body that lives the truth of what they speak, the authority they command is a powerful blessing and not so easily ignored.

     1. Absolutely Samantha. I have been pondering on this point too as we do have so many health professionals and so much health professional advice – and why is it that most advice is not followed? Yes everyone has its part on it, both the practitioner and the recipient, but if all health professionals were listening and living themselves the advice they give to patients we could be seeing a different reality with regards to the ill conditions.

390. Thank you Leike. I find it is so important that what is shared is lived, as you have in your blog, for when it is lived, this quality is felt and can inspire.

391. The quality that is offered to the patient by the practitioner/nurse/doctor makes the world of difference to the way they feel before during and after their treatment, to the potential of their recovery, and on into the choices they will make in their own self care. The quality we offer to another can not be underestimated.

     1. That’s an excellent point Rosanna, how the quality offered by a practitioner can affect the choices of the client afterwards.

        1. This is a pertinent point Priscila, and the giving up (lack of inspiration) only goes to reinforce the belief that it is too hard to (in this example) lose weight, yet there is so much more at play to arrive at that point. True inspiration supports us to cut through all of those road blocks and diversions that will otherwise happen.

     2. Very true Rosanna. Having had regular sessions over the past few years I am aware that perhaps the most important time in any session is what happens prior to any treatment begins. The quality of that initial meeting with the practitioner is crucial and when it is presented with love and integrity, the healing has already begun.

        1. Jane, what an interesting observation the taxi driver made. What can happen also is people listening to advice like this, doing it for a while and it fades away, it is not long lasting as there was no reflection from a body who lives what it being advised.

     3. Yep this is so important Jane to have Healthcare Professionals that take care of themselves is an awesome reflection to everyone. And of course for all of our Healthcare Professionals to be appreciated and supported for the role that they do .. this is just as vital.

     4. Yes Rosanna and Priscilla, the same extends to other areas of our life: the quality offered by each one of us can also affect the choices of friends, family and colleagues afterwards.

392. ‘Walking one’s talk’ has been given a whole new meaning by the teachings presented by Serge Benhayon through Universal Medicine. They have certainly transformed my life, at every level, but particularly in terms of the quality of care I now offer clients in a practitioner role.

     1. Absolutely Jenny. I work as a health practitioner and I am constantly reflecting on the effects of the way I treat myself has on the patients. It is a win win situation as whenever I apply more care to myself, the patients too get more care.

        1. Yes agreed Priscilla, the effect is immediate and obvious. It is how I came to understand what responsibility was really about, that if I chose not to take care of myself, or to let go of myself in some way, then all my clients felt the impact of that.

     2. And the simplicity of this when lived… walking our talk is enough in itself to reflect the integrity and commitment of our work in health care.

        1. Yes Matilda, there is nothing special to do or to show, just the simplicity and integrity of living what is true.

393. Taking on other people’s stuff is exhausting – we engage in sympathy or emotions and that doesn’t really serve anyone

     1. Doing that gives the other a temporal relief and lasting damage to yourself.

394. ‘It is becoming clear to me that I have to make sure I look after my body well and ensure that it is ready for the work I have to do.’ This is awesome Lieke as sometimes we assume that our body will just do what we need it to without us having to prepare it or nurture it for the purpose in a loving and supportive way.

     1. That is true, I sometimes moan about not having enough energy or space in my day but the truth is I know that I have not supported my body to work as efficiently as I know it can.

395. It makes absolute sense, how can a health professional truly support people to restore true health if they are not an embodiment of vital health themselves. Otherwise it is just a case of “the blind leading the blind”, a scenario we have been running with for far too long.

     1. And also the impact of telling someone what to do as a good idea is worlds apart from the inspiration offered through personal example and sharing what is lived.

396. Lieke I’m not a medical professional but I love what you’ve presented here and I think it applies to all jobs. What I notice more and more is that it’s what I do outside of work, and how committed I am outside at home and in how I care for myself and others that actually determines the level of commitment and care I can provide at work.

397. It takes dedication and commitment to not look after ourselves… we are committed to over eating and drinking and staying up late to watch TV, what if we switched the commitment the other way and took care of what we ingest and our sleep patterns and exercise? Isn’t it well worth the effort?

398. Great blog Lieke and so needed in our nowadays societies. Walking the talk for instance, how many people can do that? There are always flaws allowed to the principles and ideal held in people’s lives which then can be defended with something like ‘but in the weekend I deserve my piece of chocolate for instance while you are a healthcare specialist looking after obesity. Or me, being a electrotechnical engineer from profession, responsible for planning safe and properly working electrical installations, making unsafe electrical installations in my own house because I am in the belief that I know what I do so I can make it, not considering the fact that other people in the house for instance which are less aware of handling with electricity safely can come into danger. That is the responsibility we all one day have to come to in oreder to restore true health, decency and care to the world.

399. There are so many great points in this article Lieke. One that I only became aware of many years after training as a nurse was that we do have to walk our talk as health professionals or the unwell that we care for do not get to feel a lived example of how they can live to restore wellness. This is not just about being a healthy weight or going to the gym. It is about all the little details of care that come so easily when we consult our body first rather than look to a book or an expert.

400. If we want to reflect and inspire others then it is crucial to ‘walk our talk’ otherwise it is only empty words and the recipient will feel that.As you say Lieke taking responsibility for how we care for ourselves need not be a heavy burden but simply something we do lovingly for ourselves and reflect this to others so that they can be inspired to make the necessary changes in their lives which will support them to become more self-caring and responsible.

401. We always have energetic responsibility however there are certain professions which are highly regarded and respected in the physical world. These professions, such as doctors, have the responsibility of authority to live to as well.

     1. As do all professions too, imagine a police officer allowing himself to violate laws in his free time like speeding or allowing corruption how small it is for instance. Walking the talk to me is very rarely seen as a consistency in life and can be felt when any advice is given from these people and therefore not be received as a truth.

402. Part of our training as medical professionals needs to be how to truly care for ourselves, a way of living throughout our course/degree, and if we have a true level of self-care then we are able to practise. How different would our healthcare system be then?!

     1. With medical professionals taking absolute care, patients would be inspired and encouraged to take the same care for themselves, and other staff within the system would also be inspired to develop true care. Then there are all the friends and families of these people… and so the ripple effect continues.

403. We make the excuse that responsibility is hard and boring because we dont want to see where we are being irresponsible and we are comfortable in our irresponsibility – we don’t want to make the consistent effort to be responsible. However, being responsible brings so much healing and inspiration – for ourselves and for others – that it is so worthwhile making the choice.

404. It’s like a lot of things in life looking after ourselves and being responsible as far as not smoking or eating sugar or getting caught up in emotions has a bad press and it is considered only normal to do them. However when we take the trouble to change these habits we get to feel the benefits and wonder why on Earth it took us so long to really honour our bodies and live healthily and in a way we know can prevent illness and disease.

405. It is so easy to blame the system for how we are feeling at work but as you say, Lieke, there is so much we can do to support ourselves at work through being responsible for our own self care and then this flows onto the care offered to our patients. A thought provoking article, Lieke.

406. “So our first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves, to make choices every day that we know and feel are supportive and healthy, so that we can be truly supportive to those we care for and inspire them to take care of themselves also.” This is so true it starts with our own self care, only through reflection we can we inspire others.

407. I remember when I was young visiting a dentist who gave me all the usual banter about tooth care and then I watched him go into his office to write out my report – and he started smoking. Hard to take him seriously and I never went back there.

408. Superb article for all – not just healthcare professionals – because, actually we are all healthcarers – of ourselves and thus, as your blog so perfectly explains, of each other.

409. “…‘you can only truly care for another when you care for yourself’…” This statement should be presented at the beginning of any Uni course, health care or business, as looking after yourself is in fact supporting another, through service and reflection, to self care.

410. Yes it is pretty simple to understand that our work will be of more quality when we are feeling good, vital and joyful. Yet the thing is that we need to keep it up and commit to this way of living that would make us feel great and I noticed this is not always what people are willing to do.

411. ‘Therefore, to take responsibility is no longer seen as a heavy task; it gives by its spherical nature back to all involved, that is the people you care for, work with and eventually also yourself – as you are the person living in a body well cared for.’ I love this Lieke as I do your entire writing, the problems we face in the healthcare don’t need any solution but a change in the foundation of what care is and how we can truly support ourselves in order to take care for the ones we are caring for. It is for us all to feel responsibility in the way you’ve described it so we don’t take anything on our shoulders that is not ours.

412. I volunteer at the local hospital and I am in full admiration of the nursing staff who manage to take such great care of the patients in spite of the fact that they are short staffed and therefore always very busy. They manage to have fun with each other and this sense of fun does ripple through the wards. Just the other day a nurse was washing and drying someone’s hair, the nurse was enjoying washing this woman’s hair and the woman on the receiving end was lapping up all the love and attention she was getting. Everyone seemed relaxed and enjoyed the conversations that were bouncing across the ward as it brightened up their day. It helps to lift them out of the sluggishness that can permeate their bodies.

413. One of the myths of self-care is that its a chore and even possibly boring. But this is very far from the truth. For it actually feels pretty amazing to live in a body that is cared for and nurtured to the best of our ability.

414. I remember being X-rayed by the most loving, caring, and genuine professional. He brought such detail and consideration to every part of the process and he was a lovely human being. That experience helped me to heal the trauma I was in from an accident, it offered a profound support, although it was a clinical environment, because it was one human being truly caring for another.

415. I was speaking to a woman recently who went into hospital for a type of breast surgery. At one point of her stay she had to ask the nurse to not use her body as a table, for she had rested a tray on her chest. The care and respect being offered by the nurse to her patient could only equal the respect and care she gives herself. We have a very long way to go to reach a decent standard of care within our medical system that truly honours people.

416. The best reflection of self care is to live it and then share it with others, not from a place of, this is what you need to do, but from a place of feeling firsthand what is supportive and what is not and having an understanding of another’s situation, and being able to relate.

417. When we can make professions part of our living way, not something we switch on and off, we may see more people who walk their talk. Importantly, the education systems that train health and caring professionals need to base the foundations of their work on self care, this is vital for the wellbeing of students and for the true understanding they can then bring to health care from their lived way.

418. Lieke – you share so powerfully how everything matters, even if no one sees it, they get this from you when they do see you. This is huge and changes how we seek to satisfy this double life of doing good to others but not being true behind closed doors. A big one to look at for me.

419. It is ironic that the health and social care system is such an unhealthy environment in which people work.

420. In any profession, do we live what we practice? This doesn’t necessarily mean keeping our finances tidy if we’re an accountant, but do we take the detail and precision we apply to financial reports etc. back into our every day life, making sure that all the numbers, our relationships and movements in our homes ‘add up’ and make sense to the bigger picture?

     1. In many professions, it seems to me that the exact opposite of what we preach is actually lived. For example; the legal industry is rife with lies, injustice and subterfuge, politics is riddled with self and personal ambition.

421. It’s so important that health professionals recognise and accept that they are role models for those in their care, so if the advice they gives comes from a body that is neglected and disregarded and is just knowledge, not lived, it comes with no integrity or lived wisdom, no role-modelling, so the words are absolutely empty.

422. I would add Lieke for the system how healthcare professionals are trained. In my experience with studying dentistry, we study a lot in detail in the dental curriculum, however the most basic subject is missing: the care for ourselves first and foremost. I am having the opportunity to re-study dentistry again in another country where I also have the opportunity to meet people who qualified as dental professionals in different parts of the world and I see that the basic subject of care for the self is not taught.

423. Stunning blog Lieke. I also work in dentistry and I have asked myself this same question: why is it that these days we have so much dental professionals, so much advance in dentistry, so many dental products and yet the general oral health is not as good as it could be. And talking to a complementary health practitioner friend that’s exactly what we spoke about: are we as healthcare providers walking our talk? On the very basic aspect of dental care, for example, are we looking after our teeth, gums and diet? I attend many courses for dentists and dental care professionals where there is sugary snacks in the breaks, which goes exactly as the very opposite advice we give to our patients.

424. Integrity is such a powerful thing. When we live, breath and walk our talk there is such congruence in our expression that doubt is obviated. Have you ever truly ‘heard’ someone who says ‘do as I say not as I do?’ To me, the lack of integrity in such a statement leaves it empty and void of any conviction.

425. When we meet a health professional who is valuing their own health, worth and wellbeing we are presented with a true picture of health. This alone gives us, the patient, real evidence of the efficacy of their advice that can encourage us to take responsibility for our own health as we have something true to re-orient our selves to.

     1. This is true Rowena, because we can feel the health care professional and how they live. On many occasions I have been given diet, health and well being advice from nurses at GP clinics who mean well but are living in a body that is clearly not living the advice they are giving out.

426. Something is wrong when a hospital I visited in Mississippi, USA is staffed by nurses, many of them young women and morbidly obese. Not a surprise when you learn that “Mississippi has the second highest adult obesity rate in the nation (USA). Mississippi’s adult obesity rate is currently 37.3 percent, up from 23.7 percent in 2000 and from 15.0 percent in 1990. The health of healthcare professionals simply reflects of the state of health of the nation.

     Ref: The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America released August 2017
     https://stateofobesity.org/states/ms

427. This makes sense Jane, years ago I had a lovely GP who I had known for many years and one day I went to run something by him and he looked so ill, and I could not resist telling him that he looked sicker than I did and that he needed to take some time off to recover. He shrugged it off and said he was ok.

428. it makes sense that if medical professionals look after themselves they are ‘walking the talk’ and inspire their patients to do the same. They are also in a better position to take care of others.

429. Until the true meaning of health is understood to be more than an absence of illness and disease and accepted as the quality of well-being, energy levels, relationship with self and others, we will continue to have ‘health care’ systems serviced by ‘healthcare’ professionals who self neglect simply by not knowing how to take care for self.

430. When we live something and it is in our bodies then we can deliver it with authority. Within the caring professions if we are asking clients to care for themselves but don’t have that livingness ourselves then the words are empty and there is no solidity there to inspire. It has to come from the body, not the head.

431. Lieke thank you for breaking this down so clearly. Me and some friends were talking about the system, last night as many of us work in caring professions, but ultimately it came down to us and our relationship with the word responsibility. Just as an example, we talked about how many healthcare professionals don’t look very healthy themselves, and then the topic of doctor suicide rates came up. The picture is pretty grim at the moment.

432. Yes, there was an arresting report that the mortality from elective surgery, i.e. usually non-urgent surgery, rises with every day of the week, with Friday’s mortality being much higher than Monday’s.

433. Forcing people to work very hard, beyond a long term sustainable level assumes that there is an abundant number of replacements available when people burn out. That may not actually be the case…

434. “It therefore makes sense to also live these things ourselves; otherwise the advice we give will come empty of lived experience and authority.” Lieke that is so true and I love what you have exposed in your honest blog. I am sure most people in the health care industry are not aware about it. As I am working as well in this industry I can say that also most of them – “because of cutting the number of employees back to a minimal level” in the hospital – they are working in constant overwhelm and that is really not healthy at all.

435. Isn’t that interesting we keep hearing that the medical system is not coping and it is in financial trouble – which is also true where I live, but we also hear that the doctors are making more money? How does that work?

436. I agree Lieke. Let’s not forget Love here – a Harmony lived in the body. There is more to what we just do in our professions … I live from that untainted harmony within and grow that in myself first – my love, and energy I then hold in my body. This offers through my actions and what I deliver through service and products a love that is felt by others. Similar to what Lieke is saying.. Love in the system, love in our daily choices and love in our relationship with ourselves. The world changes through the energy of Love. It is therefore of utmost important to define the true meaning of that word love and give it true definition – it is a connection to Our Soul not our wayward otherwise separated being within also that thinks it is in control, the Spirit.

437. One can offer all the advice they like but if they are not living what they themselves are suggesting another to do they are speaking empty words that simply cannot be heard as they sound like blah, blah blah.

     1. So true there is a lot of blah, blah around I even hear myself speak it at times and it does not feel good. Speaking from our lived experience has a totally different sound and quality.

438. We do tend to take on a lot from others or for others because we can get recognition for being ‘helpful’ but if we exhaust ourselves in the process then it helps nobody because our bodies reflect that self disregard to others and an epidemic of overwork is the result.

439. Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves first in the way we live and act in this world. Therefore the more we set an example to others, (as Serge Benhayon does) the more change we see in this world!

440. Just gorgeous Lieke, when we view responsibility as first being to ourselves and then to all others as being just a foundation for all and that it simplifies life for all of us. And I love being reminded that in fact taking on things from others is also a sign that we are not truly well and is something we can often overlook, and it’s another level of our responsibility to both ourselves and others.

     1. It is actually very irresponsible to take things on that are not ours to take on.

441. Absolutely Lieke, it’s important to recognise that becoming very emotional, e.g. angry or frustrated, and taking on too much from or for others, are also signs that we are not truly well, and therefore have not been taking care of ourselves first.

442. Great article Lieke and this applies for everyone.

443. Such important points you raise Lieke, these are the foundations you lay out for the ‘helping professions’ really, all of them but actually they apply across the board to every last one of us, no matter our work. The quality of care for another and for whatever it is we do is reflective of our own self-care always. If the latter is lacking, so will be the quality of what is offered in whatever we do.

444. ‘Taking care of ourselves like that is often seen as boring and hard in our society – you are being ‘too responsible’ if you do all this, but is this true?’

     Yes, some like to see people who live responsibly as the ultimate party-poopers, but really they’re just feeling their own discomfort at receiving a reflection of how life could be were responsibility fully embraced. I’m with you Lieke, the more responsibility I bring to my life, the more deeply satisfied I feel. It’s a state of being that’s congruent with the Soul, not eternally in opposition (and therefore a state of tension) to it.

445. It is so important for us to be having these conversations as we all feel the strain of what it is like to live a life based on function instead of connection.

446. What we promote is not truly felt unless it is lived.

447. When we appreciate the power our reflection has for others, responsibility becomes a joy and not a chore because we realise that our every move, when made in accordance with the love that we are, affects every single person on the planet whether they are in physical contact with us or not.

448. Beautifully expressed Lieke. In truth we are all responsible for the current system as we are collectively supporting politicians who repeatedly ‘cut back’ funding for healthcare. I feel that many do this in the mistaken belief that they and their loved ones are well enough not to be affected by the cuts directly as it’s not until we see how we are directly affected by a choice that we feel motivated to change it. I also wonder if we secretly know that throwing money at the health system is not the true answer as we all know that the majority of the world’s population lives in a way that is detrimental to their health. We are all responsible for the state of our respective health systems and right now it is very sick.

449. I have also found, ‘that living responsibly in my day to day choices is incredibly satisfying’ especially as my body responds with increased vitality, clarity and lightness.

450. Taking care of people and inspiring them by action to take more and more care of themselves, this is true relationship. It’s great to see there are people entering an industry and system in this way. Bringing the focus and the dedication back to themselves as the leaders in their field and community that they are. There are enough shop fronts in the world, meaning there are all manner of people telling us what we should and shouldn’t do and now more and more people truly living what they are saying. It changes the whole game of life, to live to inspire not just by words but by a dedicated action on how you move each moment and not just when you are in the perceived ‘lime light.’

451. Great blog. There is much to say regarding the system and why on earth resource and finances are being pulled away more and more in many countries to do with health and well-being, particularly hospitals, doctors and nurses. Which of course is automatically going to put more stress on them. We are currently not as a society or humanity in the position of absolute true health and well-being where it is okay for resources to be cut, in fact I would say the complete opposite. Which brings me to it is great that you then go on to talk about our responsibility (or the medical professions) responsibility in looking after our health .. we all need to be more responsible for our actions and choices with regards to our health (patients included) and if we truly start to do this then we would be in a lot stronger position than we are now. And yes this as well is super important ‘do we live the advice we give to our patients?’ because empty advice can be felt by the person receiving it and definitely will not inspire them to make changes they need. Also why do we see being irresponsible as being fun?? If being responsible is boring then being irresponsible must be seen as fun .. this is so exposing for us just in itself.

452. “Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?”- so much in today’s society is about ticking a box, just getting a job done, just being able to say ‘that is done’ and so the aim becomes the completion of a task. But in this process the quality of being and doing is lost, and so the true value of the task at hand is not honoured. And so too does a person (the carer or the cared for) not get treated as a person, instead they get treated as part of the task, with no personal connection to who they actually are. This is a cold way of operating, one that is void of all true responsibility – for in the end what other reason is there for us to be here on this planet if not to learn and appreciate how much we all mean, how precious we all are, and to learn to work with this and from this.

453. “To live responsibly for me means to know that everything I do is felt by everyone else, therefore the way I move matters, the way I think about myself matters, the way and what I eat matters even if nobody can see me, I know it is all felt as soon as I meet someone.” this I do know but is lacking in my conscious presence at times. Our responsibility is huge and far reaching touching everyone.

454. Lieke, awesome blog on the simple facts that we all have a choice to embrace no matter what our walk of life is. For after all, no matter what, we are all role models…the question is what kind of role model do we want to be?

455. The level of responsibility here described is deeply enriching and gives our life purpose – it is also forever evolving and thus, it never gets boring.

456. When a health professional applies their advice to their own lives, it magnifies the power of their treatments because it offers their patients a living example of what true health looks and feels like.

457. From our education and training we tend to think that caring for ourselves or living well is something you do – a box that you tick or an action you complete. Yet what I have found is that it’s the opposite, a constant development and opportunity to go further. ‘Ok you nurtured yourself great but how can you take it deeper today?’. It’s not a competition, Love has end no point or place it is finished but in every day and moment we consider its way we are in ourselves in a complete state. Without this purpose our words and actions become routine, individual and mundane, whether is is going for the shopping or brushing our teeth. You show here Lieke how we are born to always go deeper with Love.

458. “Do we live the advice we give to our patients? ” Great question Lieke, I would say very few actually live in a way that offers another a reflection that they can aspire to. If we drink alcohol yet tell a patient they should quit alcohol because it is making them ill then what message are we sending out not only to our patient but to the world. ….That it is ok to drink alcohol when in truth it is an addictive poison, that our organs have to work really hard to rid the body of. We live double standards rather than setting standards that could change people lives

459. ‘…otherwise the advice we give will come empty of lived experience and authority.’ How many times have we rolled our eyes or thought to ourselves ‘whatever’, when someone has advised us on taking care of ourselves? My feeling is it’s because we are responding to the person’s lived or lack of lived experience. When the suggestion is not delivered with authority from that persons body, it falls on deaf ears. So yes, responsibility is absolutely necessary here for the sake of our collective health…because we know when all we’re hearing is empty words.

460. The reflection offered from self care is a truly loving invitation for others to be inspired by.

461. It is a well-known adage that we can only care for another as much as we care for ourselves. We all know this but we don’t tend to apply it so much – and this also includes people in the medical profession. It is not just the doctor’s skills that are needed, but the doctor himself. If we don’t have the latter, the man or the woman who has taken care of themselves, we are being provided with a functional aspect of medicine to administer a solution to our problems but without the care underpinning it. And the thing is, we cannot reduce ourselves to function, because as human beings this is very far from what and who we truly are.

462. In my experience, you can never be “too responsible”, in fact the more responsible we are the more easily life flows, not just for us but for those around us. Unfortunately, the majority of humanity don’t view responsibility this way, but as something that feels way too onerous and that needs to be avoided at all costs. It is in the way that we are responsible for our own lives that will reflect to others that there is another way to live and that to me is a joy-filled responsibility.

463. What a great revelation for medicine to consider that one of the key things that health professionals could commit more to is taking care of themselves and being as dedicated to this as they already are to caring for other people. Would this not change the quality of medical care and of our medical systems?

464. When I was a kinesiology practitioner I used to say, ‘Do as I say not as I do’. What a cop-out that was and I believed I had integrity because I was being ‘honest’ (or so I thought then). What a difference I have discovered through the example of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine Practitioners of the difference in the quality of care that is delivered when one ‘walk one’s talk’

465. I feel that it is our responsibility whatever we do to take care of ourselves first, as you say to make those choices that are going to support us. So that people that we meet where ever we are or where ever we go have the opportunity to be inspired or not by the way they can feel we live.

466. Only true self care and nurturing will prevent the high numbers of burn-out and suicides within the medical profession.

467. When we truly live with integrity around things such as healthy self-care, patients and others can intrinsically feel it in us. It’s as if we subconsciously project it outwardly. At times, I wonder if we even have to say anything for people to notice. I believe that they sense it in us already, creating a profound connection That said, we must always communicate about it with others– without making it all about ourselves.

468. It is interesting to note (without judgment) how unhealthy so many healthcare professionals are. To learn how to self-nurture amongst all the stress and to work on the self-worth to do it, is the ultimate in terms of responsibility. So much of us learn that carers have to put everyone but themselves first but this is so counter productive.

469. The self care also applies to anyone who is in a caring role, whether a mother looking after a sick child or a partner looking after a sick spouse – we can’t do it all, and if we have friends who can support us, we need to ask for help, making sure we eat well ourselves and get sufficient sleep.

     1. Raising children and caring for the elderly or our partners and family or even ourselves when we are unwell or otherwise, is a community responsibility. If we isolate ourselves in thinking that we are self-sufficient and pride ourselves in all we can do by ourselves, then we are in effect being exclusive, and there is no openness to brotherhood in that. I know for myself that I tend to fall into this self-suffiency very easily, and in this I bring it upon myself to ‘make do’ and ‘manage’ things myself rather than call out for support. There is a pride in knowing I can do this myself, but in this I actually damage myself, I pull away from people and isolate myself. These days I am learning to reach out much earlier, and call out for support, despite the fact that I don’t want to be “a burden to others in their busy lives” – this is one of my biggest myths to bust, and one that exposes that I don’t value who I am and what I bring but instead see myself as a weight to others. Such a learning in this, and what a beautiful one too!

     2. Very true Carmel Many adult carers neglect themselves when caring for others. When we regard the sick person as more important than ourselves, we run the risk of compromising our own health and damaging our body. Asking for support is important, as is expressing how we feel with others.

     3. Asking for help can be such a big one for so many of us. Why do we think we have to go it alone? What are we trying to prove? All it does is leave us exhausted and run-ragged.

470. Lieke, this is so true we need to be at-least self-loving as a practitioner as all we do has an effect on our clients and this I know from years of experience. Now as I have turned my life around it is about being there for the client and not indulging in things that would adversely affect them.

471. As you say, Lieke, anyone can spout the talk from learning from books, we all know what we should be doing but it can definitely be felt when you tell someone to do something that you yourself do not do. As a physical therapist, I am always encouraging people to be active and I do keep active myself too, but I know that if I had a rhythm of deeper levels of self-care for myself, I would reflect deeper levels of care to others. It is a giant responsibility we all carry.

472. Man what a beautifully simple yet very influential blog Lieke. Imagine the potential savings in our health care system if we were to recognise these facts more formally. But more of the issue is how willing are we to equally reflect back responsibility to clients when they are not willing to live such responsibility themselves in what they do?

473. Responsibility is something that can truly nourish us and support us to be and express all that we are for the benefit of all, if we interpret it as a set of rules or restrictions then it is like a constriction or burden that we put on ourselves and is something we impose on ourselves rather than live from our inner-most out…

474. To walk our talk as health professionals can be so much more powerful than talking the theory and giving advice.

475. “do we live the advice we give to our patients?” This is a very simple question to ask and very wise to do so. We underestimate greatly how our own living ways effect others.

     1. So wise Esther, even the smallest thing has had adverse affects on some of my clients and I am learning that not to “underestimate” the way I live as I am learning to walk my talk!

        1. It shows us how much power we actually have, whether we are aware of it or not. And what we shouldn’t forget is that with power comes responsibility. So here again, it is wise to be aware of what our movements bring.

        2. Spot on Esther, our movements dictate so much of what we bring to our-self and then thus to others.

476. Great points raised about the responsibility of those working in the health and care sector. Especially as so often those working in these areas do not do as they would advise others.

477. The saying “do as I say not as I do” comes to mind here. We learn via reflection and feel when words are not lived. Thus no inspiration and no opening in another to change their ways. When someone is living something truly amazing we can be inspired as we are presented with the two ways (our way and their way) and if we admit our way may not be truly sucessful then that’s the open door for change that we open for ourselves with the support of that other way in another.

478. “So our first responsibility as healthcare professionals is to take care of ourselves, to make choices every day that we know and feel are supportive and healthy, so that we can be truly supportive to those we care for and inspire them to take care of themselves also.” Lieke what a simply, powerful but completely life changing statement all wrapped up in one. It’s like all of us, even those of us in healthcare, hold back from the depth of care for ourselves and put our job of ticking off boxes and workloads ahead of the real work of bringing a depth of love and quality to every moment.

479. When we find ourselves angry or frustrated at another, or a situation, it’s our responsibility to look within: what is it about ourselves that led to the other person acting in a certain way, or a certain situation unfolding around us? Not in a way where we blame ourselves, or beat ourselves up for our choices, but in a way where we can hold ourselves accountable and responsible for the choices that we make, and learn from them. If we’re constantly blaming others and the outside world for ‘what they did to us’ then we don’t heal what we need to heal and learn what we need to learn.

480. It is true we often think that because people cannot see us that our movements do not affect anyone, but the reality is that everything we do affects everyone. So in effect there are no movements that do not involve every single person on the planet, no matter how small – I am definitely a long way from this level of responsibility but working on it.

481. Staffing levels at residential elder care homes are cut back to the bone. Pay is low, carers work incredibly long shifts and extended shift patterns mostly 12 days at a time without a break. They work with client’s with complex psychological, emotional and medical needs, some challenging, the role is routine and repetitive and tasks often unpleasant. Yet carer’s own well being is neglected: they are not supported to understand the importance of taking care of self, except for moving and transferring clients. True self care as described above and responsibility for it should be mandatory training for all medical professionals.

482. What would medical professionals look like if they could feel everything they do to their patients? There are many that are walking the talk, but how many others have had to subscribe to the system that is overworked, underpaid and understaffed? There are more and more initiatives to help address these self-care issues in the health professions but should these be taught as a just as important course in their training?

483. Healthcare professionals are on the frontline of reflecting responsible lifestyle choices to their patients and the importance of ‘walking their talk’ is huge as this is felt by all they come into contact with. The pressures of the system will always be there but are not an excuse for lack of self-care and irresponsibility in how we move through life.

484. Thank you Lieke, this is very relevant to the work of elder care workers. In my experience when carers neglect their own health, the quality of care offered to clients suffers as does their own. Unfortunately, few people are aware of, or deny the central responsibility they have to take care of themselves. As you say, always putting other people’s needs before our own is a sickness in itself.

     1. True kehinde2012 always putting other people’s needs before our own is a sickness that can lead to illness and disease in the body. When we live the wisdom that’s in our body we will know what to do, how to do it and when it is needed and all will benefit from this quality lived including ourselves.

485. “you are the person living in a body well cared for” simple common sense that the choices we make to care for ourselves are reflected in the health and well-being of our body and how it feels to us and to all we meet and care for.

     1. Mary likewise we are living in our body, do we take care of it or not, and if not why not given we are the ones that are ultimately responsible for the quality we are and then how that affects everyone else.

486. We learn as much, if not more through the reflection of those who walk their talk than those who just ‘talk the talk’. When I reflect on my school days, I realise now that I learned so much more from teachers who ‘live’ their subject rather than just teach it. In the embodiment of walking our talk, we make far deeper connections with others, and hence leave a much deeper impression.

487. Lieke, this is a great question; ‘This raises the question: Is it just about getting the job done, or is it also about offering a quality that makes the employee and the patient feel met, seen and cared for?’ When I worked as a carer I noticed that if I was rushed and stressed and trying to get the job done that this felt awful in my body, meant that there was no connection with the person I was caring for and meant I made mistakes, so for me the most important thing was about the quality of care I offered, which started with how I cared for myself and whether I was present with myself rather and being my naturally gentle, tender self.

488. In the past I blatantly ignored the fact that being emotional had an impact on my wellbeing but I have found out and now accept that any emotion running through my body harms and harms much more than I ever wanted to admit. But by feeling and nominating the emotions in my body knowing what it feels like when there are none I am finding extremely powerful and incredibly loving too.

489. ” Do as I say, don’t do as i do.” I remember this saying from my childhood. The advice that followed wasn’t believed or followed….

490. “Another aspect of our daily choices that has an impact on the level of care we deliver is based on another saying: ‘walk your talk’.” This holds true in many areas of life also. bringing more self-care into my own life has had a tangible effect on others around me, especially if they ask for advice about well-being. Giving advice if we don’t live that is hollow.

491. This is great Lieke and the truth of the matter is all this applies to each and every profession in equal amounts. We do need to look after ourselves so that the energy of our work is the highest quality and our responsibility is no less important in whatever we do.

492. I love this deep dive into the power we all have Lieke. For a while, I have considered that what I do effects others, but to know that even the thoughts and type of energy I allow is having a huge impact is massive to feel and accept. What you say reminds me that we have a strong capability to change the systems and circumstances we work in, if we just bring absolute responsibility to every ‘small thing’. Only then will the outer bigger parts we get upset by change. Thank you for this scientific investigation of our Livingness hygiene.

     1. Love this Joseph – energetic hygiene… are we bringing a quality that is clear and unimposing and healing wherever we go with our movements in daily life or are we bringing something else? You could also say that whichever quality of energy we are choosing to live in, either love or not love, both are highly contagious!..such is our responsibility and our influence on everything around us and beyond.

493. Such a simple premise but so rarely fully lived. What is the difference in being given advice by someone who walks the talk and one who does not. I would imagine that it is received in a very different way, and that this while unseen is a hugely powerful difference.

494. Health care professionals and even lay people in daily life who has taken on a caring role such as teachers, mothers etc. it is common that we want to take care of others before ourselves. As if there is simply an ingrained gap in understanding that care starts with ourselves. When life becomes more full, the depth we care for ourselves has to be constantly refined, and when we lose this care for ourselves over anyone else, our body will let us know and we will get sick physically or mentally.

495. Regarding the system, we should be investing in our health services (responsibly so), not cutting them back or subjecting them to bottom-line scrutiny to either add to shareholder coffers or save tax payer dollars. For one, we need them – and will increasingly need them in decades to come; and two, we need to honour deeply what the people providing care do, and the value they add to our societies. Essential, foundational services like nursing, teaching, garbage collecting, doctoring and the like need to take primacy in our approach to our economies for without them, we fall over.

     1. I agree, health care services cannot be run like a business where profit is the main aim. You cannot put a price on a person’s life. Saying this, many of us don’t take responsibility for our health, and have a head in the sand approach to the harm we are doing to our bodies in the daily choices we make.

     2. I couldn’t agree more Victoria. Investing in our foundation services is investing in the future wellbeing of our community.

     3. I totally agree, Victoria I was in hospital last year and where I was, was ridiculously understaffed and they all felt like they were going through the motions. Here in England the police have been given a 1% rise after years of no pay increase and they are saying that they will have to cut police numbers to pay for the rise. Unless we value what people do whatever that is we will never move forward as a society.

     4. Well said. And let’s face it, the tragedy our society is heading may appear healthier from the choices on the shelves, but it’s certainly going the other way from a health perspective. If this was a rising flood, we’d be preparing…so why not do the same with our health system(s).

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