‘Thank you for changing my life.’ 

These were the words of a patient I worked with recently.

This is  the power of Health Coaching in the NHS. When you create space for people, it can really be transformative.

So what exactly is Health & Wellbeing Coaching? 

Perhaps you think a Health & Wellbeing Coach might tell you what to eat, and how much exercise you should be doing?

If so, I imagine that might put you off a bit, after all most of us are already quite good at berating ourselves for not doing any those things ‘well enough’. Why do we need anyone else judging our supposed ‘inadequacies.’ One lady even said ‘I have been quite anxious about this appointment – I thought you might be really judgy.’

Luckily, she took her chances, and thankfully by the end of the session, her perception of health coaching had completely changed to the point where she said ‘I am so impressed this service is available on the NHS.’

My initial conversations might go a little bit like this…

‘So do you know what today is about? Do you have any expectations? What are you hoping for today?’

And very often the answer is ‘I am not really sure. The Doctor suggested it might help to come and talk to you.’

So my response might be; ‘Well it’s really the opposite of anything else you might experience in the NHS. I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to create space for you to reflect and get some clarity on what taking care of yourself means to you and I can support you to take better care of yourself. For some people that might just be a couple of sessions. For some people it might be a little longer. That is something for you to decide.’

On more than a few occasions, this has been greeted with a deep sigh, sometimes the odd tear, and very often huge gratitude for the Doctor who suggested that this was exactly what they needed.

Our health and wellbeing is so often a much more complex picture than a 10 minute GP appointment allows the Doctor to be able to hear.

The Doctor might refer patients who want support to lower cholesterol, manage their diabetes, lose weight, or manage other lifestyle related conditions. However what lies underneath is often a much more complex picture. Many people have often put their own wellbeing at the bottom of a very long ‘to do list’ for many years. Life can also be incredibly stressful and overwhelming at times, so very often we support people to manage or reduce that stress, which underlies so many chronic health conditions.

We sometimes give simple, collated information, or help to break down the ‘information overload’ but, mostly we create a safe space to listen, and we support people to come up with their own solutions.

It can take time to change the habits of a lifetime, and creating moments for self-care is an alien concept for many people in their busy/ overscheduled lives. However, it is creating these consistent ‘moments’ that is the key to creating health, and a real sense of wellbeing that can become both effortless and sustainable.

Self-care does include making time for movement, and eating well does have a huge impact on our long term health and immediate wellbeing, increasing both our energy and our mood. However it needs to be implemented with compassion.

‘I eat nourishing food and move in a way that makes me feel good, and I make time to rest and to sleep. I make time to do things I enjoy, and spend time with people I love’

This has a very different energy and comes from a place of self -compassion. This is the way to build meaningful, enjoyable and sustainable health and wellbeing.

I have seen a huge shift in peoples’ mental and emotional wellbeing and resilience, when they commit to simply carving out moments each day for themselves, or simply taking a walk in nature!! Nature and movement have the power to shift our perspective and our focus  of attention so profoundly, but the simple truth is we need to create the space to do these things.

One lady said she had really felt the benefits of having several appointments over a few months, and simply feeling cared for was so helpful. So many people spend their lives caring for others without taking the time to refill their own cups. In order to care for others it is critical that we carve out time to care for ourselves too.

Another lady I have worked with over several months said:

‘I don’t know where I would have been without this service. I now know that all these tiny practices really do help; the journaling, the gratitude, the heart math, the meditation. It all works. Some days it might be difficult, but I just don’t give up. I come back to them because I know more often than not they do help, and that I have the choice to reach for these things that help me to feel better.’

Working as Health Coach is an absolute privilege, and not something I take lightly. I get to hear peoples’ incredible stories, to witness their strengths, their resilience and their gifts, and I get to reflect all that back to them like a mirror. I have seen people come alive through coaching. I have seen them inspire themselves with all that they have already achieved in their lives, and I see hope, and possibility again!

I have seen people smile as I start each session with ‘what’s going well?’. You see we were all born with a negativity bias. We have to make a conscious effort to reflect on all that is going well in our lives, but once we start to practice it, it is really quite transformative. I ask people what they are take away from our conversations, and all too often it will be ‘that I’m actually doing really well, and I just need to keep on going’.

It’s not false positivity. It is acknowledgement and hope and we all need that to fully experience a sense of wellbeing.

What I have seen and what I know, is that people are strong and capable. Although life can seem like a never-ending series of ‘ups and downs’ when we make time for our wellbeing we will find that we have all the energy we need to really enjoy those highs and all the energy we need to navigate those inevitable storms.

We can choose to create space in our lives, to do all the things that give us energy and we can make time to do things that make us happy, even for moments in time. What gives you energy, what makes you happy will be unique to you. You know what you need. You have everything you need inside you already. Sometimes you just need someone to listen and be with you while you figure it all out for yourself!

Health Coaching plays such an important role in primary care. It empowers people to take back control of their own wellbeing. Creating that safe space for people helps them to feel connected and less alone with their challenges. It empowers them to take back control of their own wellbeing and helps to build confidence in their own abilities and the resilience to navigate any challenges going forwards. It also plays a critical role in reducing the burden on overstretched GPs and primary care teams.

Coaching conversations sometimes really can be life-changing. It is just so important that we keep these conversations going.