However, in common usage across various spectrums such as health, wellbeing and spirituality, its interpretation is often based on several misperceptions. Let us examine some of these:

Self-help means do-it-all-by-yourself

Opting for self-help means that you accept responsibility for your own welfare. You become the active participant in understanding your challenges, researching options, selecting and implementing your own plan of action. Instead of being passive and dependent on some one else’s decisions, you are the principal player in your progress.

But this path involves others as well. Reaching out to those with greater experience in managing your area of concern is a part of self-growth. Exploring books, training and other processes from those who have demonstrated some degree of success provides you with useful options. Yes, you can do a lot alone, and you definitely can’t do anything without your own help/motivation, but there will be areas where you benefit from others. So self-help doesn’t mean being a lone ranger.

Self-help excludes professional help

This is one of the most common myths and is actually the other side of the above-mentioned myth. Remember, self-help is about being in your own driving seat. But opposing qualified assistance can deprive you of timely and appropriate help. There will be situations where you are way out of your league, or your mind and body are struggling for coherence. These are not situations where one should stubbornly insist on remaining the decision maker. In this case, it would be more prudent to play an active role in trying to understand the situation and offering your views, but leaving the driving seat to a trusted professional or family member.

You can do a better job of helping yourself by including the right assistance. For example, selecting the right doctor and hospital are not matters to be taken lightly. In this
case, self-help is demonstrated in the research and discernment with which you select what is most suitable to your particular condition and mindset. If you are willing to make lifestyle changes and minimise medication, then you should settle on a doctor who can support you in doing so, instead of trying to self-medicate.

In other matters too, it may not be possible for you to master all the knowledge that a qualified consultant would possess. You are an expert on yourself but partnering with a professional will result in a powerful pooling of resources.

Self-help is a passing trend

Guidance for self-improvement has been around since ancient times. Disguised in the form of religious practices, scholarly texts, spiritual guidance or community traditions, support for improvement has always been available.

Modern times have allowed for a greater variety of channels and a faster spread of information. And no one school of thought can be considered as the most commonly prevalent or effective one. Easy availability and a wide variety of information encourage a sampling of different items on a rapid basis. The impression that all these are passing fancies is largely due to the changing popularities in media or social interest. While the process or tools may change, an underlying commitment to personal improvement remains constant. Whether on the path to greater peace, health or productivity, the seeker does not treat this as a temporary distraction, but as a way of being. And for the seeker, the support is available consistently.

Self-help does not require investment

Self-help involves equipping your self with the appropriate knowledge, learning it correctly and implementing it regularly.  This naturally necessitates investing sufficient time and energy to make this effective. Like everything else, the process of acquiring these skills may also involve training aids or consultations, which require money. Consider these as investments, which when utilised correctly, can provide long-term benefits. To expect to receive valuable inputs at marginal costs is not a realistic approach.

All self-help is a money-making gimmick

A multi-billion dollar industry with high cost speakers, workshops, DVDs, and the works…the scepticism is unsurprising. Like any other industry, this one also has a fair share of people exaggerating their capabilities or being dishonest in their quest for profits. But it cannot take away from the fact that there are also many outstanding examples of those who have translated their own challenges, knowledge and experience into transferable and useful tools, thereby benefiting countless others.

In most cases, these are people who have invested significant energy, time and effort to distil and present their valuable offerings in a usable manner. It is only fair that they make a livelihood out of such service that is being provided with sincerity and honesty. If you select your resource material and your guide with due diligence, you can receive more than generous value-for-money.

Self-help provides quick-fix solutions

In a world that has grown accustomed to instant gratification, most people are looking for an instant resolution of their problem. Genuine and deep-rooted change is often difficult and may require dedicated and consistent efforts. Look at self-help as a way of bringing about systematic change through consistent application. It is not about applying a band-aid to the wound, but discovering and healing the root issue itself.

Self-help doesn’t work

People often give up on self-help too early. If you have taken shortcuts in the learning, understanding or application of any guidance, you cannot expect to reap the promised results. For example, it is not uncommon to modify suggestions as per convenience, or practise less regularly than advised—and then feel disappointed with a diet or meditation technique.

Over and above this, each one of us is unique and the time, efforts and efficacy of results vary from person to person. This is not a smooth disclaimer but a reality of life. It is up to you to persist in efforts to identify what is most suitable to your individual situation and then implement it consistently, for as long as is required. That is when you will be able to make a significant difference to your life.

I can compartmentalise my problems, work on some and ignore the others

There are many looking to manifest intentions, improve their financial state or have other specific aspirations. If you go looking for ways and means to improve only one area, you could end up neglecting your health, your relationships, or some other area of your life. Mindless pursuit of one at the cost of others has its consequences.

If you embark on the path to self-improvement, take a holistic approach to achieve meaningful change. Otherwise, any immediate benefits may come at significant unforeseen costs. While a particular self-help technique may provide specific steps to address one area of your life, the overall plan should take all factors into account. The foundation of self-help lies in building a maturity that enables not only financial but also physical, emotional and spiritual growth.

Self-help is for “losers”

If you have realised that there are areas of possible improvement in your life, you are anything but a ‘loser’. In a society that shies from admitting the need for counselling or support, people are often hesitant to express themselves. Options can also be limited because of finances. While self-help may come at a price, it may still be the only affordable option for many. Turning to self-help is the sign of an empowered individual, who is doing the best she can, under her present circumstances. If anything, that makes her a ‘winner’, because she is at least trying to bring about positive change.

You must share what you’ve learnt with others

Reading a few books or attending a couple of workshops frequently results in an excessive enthusiasm for sharing. One of the reasons that labels like ‘workshop junkies’ and ‘marketing ploys’ have sprung up is because it is common to see newly enthused people advising others with sure-fire means to change. This is unnecessary, inappropriate and most importantly—self-defeating. Until you are able to demonstrate some change in your own life, your friends and family are likely to feel that your latest self-help discovery is of little use. This can contribute to scepticism, aversion and also a lack of support and encouragement for your efforts.

Inculcating what you have learnt and practising it will have a greater inspirational effect, than preaching. Be the change you want to see and you will automatically have others asking you to share your experience—when they are ready for change. Besides, there is no need to insist that others follow your chosen path.

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If you examine the ADR disclosures that come with the medicines you have purchased, you may get the shock of your life. Common antibiotics can have as serious an effect as a dangerously reduced red blood cell count. Some blood pressure medications affect your kidneys. Frequent use of painkillers damages your liver and kidneys. Visual impairment and muscle degeneration are reactions of some other drugs.

Here is what you can do to minimise the risk of ADR:

Choose your doctor with care

Some doctors are eager to dispense off their patients with a quick-fix cure, while others are more cautious in their prescriptions. Very few doctors have the time to be updated on all the fine print that accompanies the drugs that medical representatives offer them. Only make a trustworthy doctor your family physician.

Share it all with your doctor

Discuss your medical history with your doctor before he prescribes any medication. He must be fully aware of your diet patterns, genetics and lifestyle; all these factors impact your risk evaluation.

Never pop pills on your own

Popping pills for short-term relief is downright dangerous. Resist the temptation to take a painkiller or antacid just about anytime. You might not realise how these simple medicines could react with other medications you may be taking or with your body and cause unpleasant reactions. It could even trigger some more severe infections or health complications.

Buy medicines from safe sources

With so many medical shops now available, it becomes easier to buy medicines from just about anywhere. But doctors recommend you must buy medicines only from trustworthy sources. Some shops do not clear the expired drugs and give it away to unsuspecting customers. Consumption of such drugs is extremely dangerous and can have drastic effects.

Read medicine pamphlets carefully

All prescribed medicines come with a pamphlet that lists information about the drug such as the indications, right dosage, who shouldn’t take the drug and signs of ADR. Read the pamphlet carefully and report to the doctor immediately in case you experience any of the mentioned symptoms.

Be natural

Instead of popping a pill for every little ailment, first try some simple home remedies to cure them [only for minor health complications]. These remedies may not cure you but they will at least give you temporary relief till you can consult a specialist. Also, the reactions these remedies have on your body will also be much less severe in comparison to drugs. You can also try natural healing techniques like Reiki, Emotional Freedom Techniques [EFT], or energy healing.

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For example, if you are having pain in your legs and since your legs take you forward, ask yourself if there’s any fear or discomfort with moving on from some situation? If you have a headache, and since your head is used for thinking, are you overwhelmed with thoughts and worries? With habit and growing awareness you will begin to understand these correlations easily. When you are deeply hurt, do you notice a stabbing pain in your heart? When you feel burdened with responsibility, do your shoulders feel heavy and painful?

Often, this awareness and understanding itself begins to relieve the pain. And as you take healing or corrective measures for the underlying emotions or thoughts that you discover, the pain is likely to reduce substantially, if not disappear.

PET scans [scans that measure important body functions] have shown that it doesn’t matter whether people actually perform an activity or just vividly imagine it—the same parts of the brain become activated. This means that just as you can become a victim of your painful thoughts/memories, you can turn this around to your advantage, by changing your thoughts. A change in your thoughts will induce a change in the physical body.

During times of stress, endorphins [neurotransmitters produced in the brain that reduce pain] tend to fall and that causes aches and pains to increase. At other times, when endorphin levels rise—because of exercising, listening to music, or spending enjoyable times with loved ones—aches and pains diminish.

Alternatively speaking

So, how can we manage our thoughts and emotions? What are some of the alternative ways to manage pain? The power of your attitudes and beliefs influences the results of any therapy. So, first become open to the possibility that any one or all of these may work for you and then try them. Here are 12 alternative healing techniques that help ease pain.

1. Drink water: Dehydration is often the cause of many problems, including pain. So it is important to keep yourself hydrated. You can also charge the water with healing intentions. Hold the glass or bottle in your hand and focus loving, healing intent into the water for about a minute. Then drink the water.
2. Visualisations: Harness the power of your imagination and imagine yourself looking relaxed, and in perfect wellbeing. Try guided visualisations if you have difficulty imagining on your own.
3. Biofeedback: For headaches, focus your attention on your thumb and try to raise the temperature by a degree. If required, hold a thermometer with your thumb and forefinger to aid you. This attention directs more blood flow towards the thumb, away from the head, resulting in lowered pain.
4. Rapidism: As suggested by Serge Kahili King, a practioner of Huna [a Hawaiian healing philosophy], rapidism is the rapid non-stop verbalised repetition of the desired, healed state for 5 –10 minutes. So for a sprained ankle, repeat ‘Healed ankle’ non-stop for about 10 minutes and see if it improves.
5. Switchwords: These are like universal commands to our subconscious. The switchword for defusing pain is ‘Ice Blue’ and for defusing pain and inflammation is ‘Curry’. Keep your attention on these words or repeat aloud till pain subsides.
6. Meditation: Learn any form of meditation that appeals to you. The key is regular practice. The simplest form is to sit comfortably in silence and watch your breath. Research shows that regular meditation improves immunity and helps faster recovery from physical challenges.
7. Chanting and prayer: These are allied ways of calming the mind and body.
8. Heart math: Shift your attention to the area of your heart and breathe slowly and deeply. Activate and sustain a genuine feeling of appreciation or care for someone or something in your life. Send these feelings of care toward yourself as also the area of your pain.
9. Laughter: See a funny movie, read a comic, have friends over, or join a laughter club.
10. Energy healing techniques: These are extremely effective in pain management. The techniques consider energy disruptions as the root cause of emotional and physical disease and are geared towards correcting this energetic imbalance. I have seen astounding results from Reiki, Tapas Acupressure Technique and Emotional Freedom Technique.
11. Reflexology: Nerve endings in the palms of the hand and soles of the feet correspond to the various organs and body parts. Stimulating these points with mild pressure encourages healing and pain relief.
12. Massage: It helps relax the body, flush out toxins and increase endorphins.

Just as it is easy to get a loan when you have the collateral, it is best to be convinced of an alternative pain management tool—especially when not in pain.

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