What's A Life Coach?

By Elisa Lipnick

Sometimes we can use a little extra help in our lives, especially when you are diagnosed with a chronic illness. Need help with finding what's next for you in life, defining your goals, getting a job, etc., a life coach can help you.

The definition of coaching per the International Coach Federation:

ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

        Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve

        Encourage client self-discovery

        Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies

        Hold the client responsible and accountable

         

This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.

FAQ’s:

http://www.coachfederation.org/need/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=978&navItemNumber=567

FAQ’s for me as a Life & Wellness Coach:

What is coaching? Coaching is a partnership between coach and client. Through creative process, the coach will assist the client in getting from where they are to where they would like to be.

How is coaching beneficial? Coaching is beneficial for many reasons. Clients see many different benefits. Personal development is one of the biggest benefits. Clients go through the coaching process and discover many personal opportunities and aha moments.

Where do you meet your clients? I meet me clients be phone. We have one-hour sessions each week by phone.

Is these homework? Yes, if a client needs certain tools for their growth they will be provided with these tools.

Can I do group coaching? Group coaching is an option. We will have a conference call style coaching session with the clients who are interested I group coaching.

What does the process look like? This is a creative process in which the client has full control of the direction of the coaching. I will check in with the client and make sure we stay on track with what is on the client’s agenda.

Will you give me advice? My job is not to give advice; this is a discovery process for the client.

Is life coaching similar to therapy? No, coaching focuses on the present and how to move forward into your future.

How long does it take? This depends on the client, but most coaching relationships last six months to a year.

What is the client’s responsibility? To call in, be present, and do the work.

How do you chose the right coach? Make sure you find a coach that you feel comfortable with. That is very important. Not every coach will work for every person.

Is there a time commitment? One hour a week every week.

Here is a review from a former client Erica Cenci:

Working with Elisa really helped me gain a better understanding of myself. Through our various sessions, Elisa made me feel safe, and allowed me the opportunity to open up and be completely honest with inner-self — something I have struggled with in the past. Her questions were thought provoking and brought me to a place of greater awareness and peace. Through her coaching, I was challenged and stretched to new levels, moving me closer toward my goals and desires in life. I would recommend Elisa to anyone looking to get greater clarity, understanding and movement toward their goals in life.

Dealing with changes in your health

Guest Blog Post! By Sara Hunt 

Like sufferers of most chronic illnesses, PH patients have to deal not only with the symptoms and impact of PH itself but also with sudden changes in our health and lifestyles. Booking a holiday a year in advance feels like tempting fate. Life is suddenly so much more unpredictable and fragile than it was pre-diagnosis.

My health has been particularly unpredictable. Changes in my health have happened practically overnight on more than one occasion. Three years ago a lung haemorrhage caused a dramatic increase in my pulmonary pressures and I went from perusing a promising career as a dancer to using a wheelchair for any kind of outing. Then, February this year, I simply woke up with worsening breathlessness that never got better. I'm now on the transplant list.

There's something about breathlessness and fatigue that once you settle into a routine of avoiding the amount of exercise that makes you feel unwell, you don't really notice improvements in your health until you're forced to do something you don't usually do and find to your surprise that you can do it without extreme breathlessness or dizziness. Worsening breathlessness is easier to notice and you suddenly have to make changes to the way you live to deal with them. Of course it's always important to do as much as you can but PH symptoms are so unpleasant it becomes impossible to push beyond a certain point. You have to make changes and this can feel like your disease is controlling your life.

Given the increasing unpredictability of my life I feel I might be able to offer some advice here.

1. Stop comparing your life to the lives of those around you.
Everyone is guilty of doing this. We crave constant reassurance that our lives are good. Imagine a healthy person exactly how they are now, but everyone else in the world is Ussain Bolt. Their health and lifestyle would be exactly the same as it is now, it's only in comparison to all the Ussain Bolts that makes it seem mediocre. It's the old the grass is always greener on the other side. But if you constantly compare your life to others you'll forget to enjoy it. Do what you can, there are always things you can do, no matter how ill you are. 

2. Don't compare your health now to your health in the past.
On a similar note, it's important not to lament the past. Treasure the good memories rather than becoming bitter about them. Make good memories for the future, you'll probably need them!

3. Find ways of making things feel normal.
Although your life is going to be affected by your health, it doesn't have to control it. Making small changes and making an effort to go out and do the things you used to is important. From simply having a evening meal with your friends instead of a late night out to going to see a show instead of performing in one yourself.

4. Learn to adapt. It's easier said than done but humans are designed to adapt to change. It's much more nurture that gets us stuck in our ways rather than nature. We are designed to survive and do it to the best of our ability. It's not easy but it's completely possible and your mind and body is designed to do it well.

5. Help yourself feel in control.
We are all in control of our own lives and having a disease doesn't mean you're not. Making the effort to change the way you do things rather than cutting them out of your life completely is how I maintain some kind of control over my life. There are things you can't change but there are lots of things you can, concentrate on those. 

6. Get out and try something new!
So you can't do some of the things you used to but there are plenty of new things to enjoy. Go to a food festival, check out the local book stores and go to a reading of an author you've never heard of, go to a comedy show, visit the local zoo, do something you'd never have thought of doing before and take a good friend along with you. It's easy to get stuck in a routine but new things and regular outings are brilliant for maintaining your sanity. And spending time with people you love is an extra special bonus.

Hopefully these were useful. You're probably doing all these things already but this post should give you fresh drive to this summer and you can never have too much of that!

Feel free to post any advice you have for dealing with changes in your health or even dealing with a new diagnosis. 

For more blog post by Sara visit her site at http://thegirlwithheartdisease.blogspot.com/2014/03/big-decisions.html

Be Like a Kangaroo!

By Kiara Tatum

A few days ago, I was reading my daily devotional, and it was talking about how kangaroos -- due to their shape of bodies and large tails -- cannot walk or bounce backwards.  However, they bounce in forward movements very easily.  And I thought about how I move in my life, and how I can get stuck in certain places.  But the kangaroo can’t go backwards, and they move forward as part of their nature; I want to be like a kangaroo.  I want to always be moving forward.

This sounds easier for a kangaroo to do; since, it’s their animal nature, but it’s a lot harder for people, especially those with a chronic illness like PH to follow this concept.  To add this concept as part of our human nature; it seems almost unnatural.  As a PH patient, I’m always having thoughts about why did I get PH; what if I didn’t gain so much weight, would I have gotten PH; if my pediatrician saw the whole in my heart when I was younger, would I have PH now; if I didn’t decide to go back to work would I be dealing with Social Security complications; and so on and so on.  I don’t want to stay stuck on those things of the past because it's a lonely, dark, sad place to stay.  As I read in the devotional I can’t really live there, and I don’t want my PHriends to live in the past either.  I had to learn and I’m still learning these lessons in life:

1. Leave the past behind you
2. Reach for things ahead of you
3. Think positively 
4. Be hopeful
5. And know you’re never alone

I will be like a kangaroo; always moving forward.  I will learn from my past, but leave it behind me, so that I can live a more fulfilled, joyous life.

PH Goes to College

Part I by Kiara Tatum

It’s August, which means its back to school time for students.  But when you have Pulmonary Hypertension, it can change the flow of the college experience.  Whether you are a commuter or live on campus, having PH and going to college is rough.  I had symptoms of PH while enrolled in college; however, I wasn't diagnosed until two years after graduation.  However, I know how difficult it was for me to get around the college campus and to balance the shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pains, and stress of the college course load as well as a social life with friends.  Here’s some helpful advice that might be helpful to you during your college days.

1. For those living on campus or away from home, find a PH specialist that is near your college campus that you can turn to during a medical emergency.  However, you should be keeping in contact with your PH specialist from home since you will be returning home for doctor appointments and care while not in school.
2. Go to the campus disability office or office of accommodations right away.  By going to the disability office you can find out what services are offered to students with disabilities and what your rights as a disabled student are, especially if you have to be hospitalized and will miss classes as well as need to make up exams, labs, or special assignments.  Make sure that the disability office has a copy of your necessary medical documentation on file.
3. Let your professors know that you have Pulmonary Hypertension.  Explain to them that you may miss classes due to your illness.  However, you will inform them via email or voice mail, so that you can continue to keep up with your studies and assignments.  But you may need extra time to complete assignments if become hospitalized or have bad PH days.  
4. Whether you live on campus or commute, be prepared for a medical emergency.  Keep the emergency documentation on the room refrigerator, keep in backpack, or even put on your cell phone.  And make sure the campus medical office has a copy of your medical records as well as wear a medical alert ID bracelet.
5. Use your academic planner to keep track of not only of all your assignments and due dates, but of your medical appointments, medication reorders, and medical contact information.  This will help you be less stressed when trying to balance the college life with your medical world.
   
6. Get email and cell phone number of at least one person from each of your classes that you contact and obtain a copy of notes and/or class assignments if you have to miss class. This will help you to stay caught up if you have to miss classes due to bad PH days or hospitalization.
7. Stay in contact with your parents or caregiver.  This is especially important for those who will be attending college for away from home.  Those who love you should hear from you each and every day.  It can be a quick text if you’re busy, but they should know how you are feeling in regards to your PH and well being at school.  If you’re not doing well, then be honest and let them know that today wasn't such a good day and explain to them why. 
8. Oxygen can be an asset when walking on a large college campus.  Getting around on the college campus can be difficult, so adding oxygen or using medical equipment like a scooter or motorized wheelchair can help you get around the campus with ease.
9. Take good care of your physical and emotional needs especially if you live on campus and are away from home.  Always make sure that you take your medication as prescribed and use your coping tools to get through stressful times.  It’s great to have a social life, but keeping a good balance will help with the course workload and keep your body and mind less stressed.
10. Know that it’s okay to say that you have to go home or that you have to drop a course.  Sometimes you will miss too much class due to hospitalizations or bad PH days and need to drop courses during the semester.  You may not always be able to keep caught up during that semester, so taking a leave may be necessary.  Just be okay with that decision and know that you can always go back next semester.  Even though you may feel angry and disappointed, stay motivated and positive.  You will get your degree, no matter if it takes you a little longer than someone without PH or a chronic illness.

Stay tune for PH Goes to College Part II.  Hear from the voices of current college students that are diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension.