Health and well-being are key contributors to a happy and fulfilling life. A sound body, mind, and spirit empower one to pursue life's experiences and opportunities with more energy and zest.
But with life filled with financial, professional, social, and many other demands and pressures, health and well-being tend to play second fiddle in most people's lives.
It can be challenging to find a balance between pursuing health goals alongside other major life goals. As a result, poor health may start materializing in the form of stress, burnout, anxiety, lethargy, weight changes, illnesses, or more.
If you constantly find yourself struggling to prioritize your health and well-being, you may greatly benefit from quality coaching.
Who Is a Coach?
A coach is a trained professional who acts as a guide, helper, and accountability partner in making lasting positive changes, pursuing one's goals, and generally designing a happy and fulfilling life.
A coach can provide support in many facets of life including health and wellness, social, financial, professional, and personal matters.
The Role of Coaching in Maintaining Better Health
Identifying Barriers to Better Health
With life being multifaceted, many things can rob people of their well-being. Trying to figure these out alone can be overwhelming or seem unimportant. One may also fail to consider all plausible factors.
Good coaches listen intently, get to the depth of matters, and help individuals bring to the surface whatever could be standing in the way of their good health. These could include bottled-up emotions, finances, poor habits, or relationship issues.
Goal-Setting and Action-Planning
Having established where one currently is and the underlying obstacles, the next thing is determining where one needs to be with regard to health and well-being. A coach helps in setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) health and wellness goals. Setting goals brings clarity, and clarity inspires the motivation to pursue one's goals.
After goal-setting, a coach helps an individual identify the positive changes they need to make to achieve their health goals.
Good coaching adopts a holistic approach, considering an interplay of all the factors that have a direct or indirect bearing on one's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Some action plans may include:
- Stress management
- Adopting healthy habits and breaking bad habits
- Self-care
- Good nutrition
- Physical activity and fitness
- Maintaining good sleep hygiene
- Building healthy personal and professional relationships that help one grow into a better person
- Mindfulness, self-awareness, and building self-confidence
- Staying on track with doctor's prescriptions, appointments, and regular health checks
Making Progress
Setting goals and planning only scratches the surface. Taking action and staying committed to goals are what make all the difference and this is where most people go off track.
A survey conducted by Forbes Health/Poll One revealed that only 13% of the participants stuck with their New Year's goals for four months, with resolutions lasting three months on average.
Most goals don't come to fruition due to a lack of self-discipline, motivation, and accountability. Plus, some behavioral changes can really be challenging, for instance breaking addictions.
In situations like these, good coaching can move the needle. To help one stay on track with their health and well-being goals, a good coach can:
- Establish strict accountability and goal-tracking measures
- Cultivate intelligent decision-making
- Provide motivation, support, and guidance in any way possible
Navigating Life's Changes and Transitions
Change is inevitable. But life's changes and transitions present their own set of challenges and demands. Some life changes include divorce, getting married, retirement, a new job, job loss, becoming a parent, and more.
It's during these turning points that one's health and well-being can take a nosedive. Overwhelm, stress, anxiety, fear, and other emotions may set in and a person may feel lost, stuck, and aimless.
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So, if you ever find yourself defeated and wondering, “How can I go about finding my purpose in life?”, a coach can help give meaning and direction to your life during these critical phases through:
- Assisted introspection — an inward look into one's thoughts and feelings for self-discovery purposes
- Rethinking personal values
- Identifying strengths and interests
- Readjusting goals
Working With a Coach
Coaches aren't there to force or prescribe anything, but rather, to support and motivate individuals to make their health goals a reality. Even when actively undergoing medical interventions, coaching can be a good complementary option — addressing any physical, mental, and emotional needs one may have like staying on top of prescriptions.
A coach can work with you in person or online, and attend to you individually or as a group. Good coaching takes a personalized approach, aiming to understand a person's unique needs and the best strategies for meeting them.
A coach may integrate active listening, questioning, assignments, reading, writing, educational resources, and other effective techniques into their coaching toolkit.
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Some factors to consider in finding a good coach are experience, certification, testimonials or ratings, and the type or scope of their coaching.
Conclusion
Health is a critical element of personal growth and development. With good coaching, you may soon start seeing the positive changes you've been yearning for, enjoying good health, and thriving in other areas of your life.
