This one might be a rocky ride. Possibly going to offend a few people too.

Sorry, not the intention, if it helps just one person move forward in life, it is all worth it.

So what am I prattling on about?

The impact on you that chronic and poorly treated conditions have.

In my time across many claims and personal situations when it comes to medical conditions people fall into two distinct camps.

• Those that have a condition that they will do anything to find a cure and get well

• Those that now identify with their condition at some level, and it now forms part of their identity.

For the first group, this blog probably isn't about you now, but the second group is a place you want to avoid.

For the second group, you may not be aware of the situation, and you may be actively avoiding or disengaging in the healing process because of it.

This article I came across the day after I started writing this talks about what I am talking about from the perspective of someone in camp two. Why people are afraid to recover from depression

How can you tell?

Let me ask you this question if you were presented with a possible cure to your condition; would you want to know more or would you dismiss it?

You would have a good look at it, right? Possibly not. Let us just stop for a minute, and you really ask yourself this question.

If I found a cure for my condition today would I be happy about it?

If you are feeling anxious, angry, frustrated, challenged or all manner of quite negative emotions that are not joy and happiness, then you may be in the second camp.

This is where your condition has manifested for so long that it now forms part of your identity. To take it away from you threatens your very identity. Which often triggers the fight/flight response you may be feeling.

This is the question, if you have reacted poorly to my previous question, my really challenging question for you while being triggered and challenged by my previous question.

Is getting well something you really want to be?

• No, then this is the point you move on to another article.

• Yes, then there are steps that can be taken to improve your situation. 

The first step it to engage with the right health professionals around you and ask the very genuine and very challenging question; What can I do to get better?

Then try what they are suggesting. Some of it will work, some won't. Not every treatment will work for everyone. 

Which unfortunately is part of the challenge that has probably got you where you are now.

Being sick is not a holiday.

It is challenging, it is a full-time job getting better. Moreover, life does not stop around you either.

Which is why having the right support around you is so very important. You want people who are going to help, support you, lift the load and make life for you easier.

Those that drain your energy, add to your stress or increase your burden are not the people who are helping you. They often are holding you in place, for reasons that are often linked to their own fears and anxieties.

In helping people through recovery over the years, I have noticed two distinct challenges. 

• The medical profession, like any profession, is full of humans. Which means that care and treatment can have its inconsistencies. People make mistakes and flavour treatment in their own way. If it is not working for you find a practitioner where it does work, you have the right to change. 

• The other is friends and family around you can have interesting reactions to you being sick. For some reason, your illness manifests some challenge in their life, and that is your fault, and they turn your illness into something all about them. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with their issues. You have a choice, engage with it or stay the hell out of it. The latter is our suggestion, it is not helping you, get on with getting well.

How you manage this and engage is going to directly impact your recovery.

You need people that are going to lift you up.

I never said this was going to be easy, change is hard. When you are inflicting it on loved ones around you, it is even harder. 

You have to put you first, then everyone else. You first means you can then develop capacity to help others after your wellbeing has been taken care of.

Which brings me to the other reason for writing this post.

The latent impact that untreated and unaware health conditions have on productivity.

Situations where the balance of workload ends up with people who are overworking the situation to please others, often those that cannot be pleased.

Distraction and barriers that slow people down and reduce productivity. 

Successive governments have complained about productivity but haven't invested in holistic and mental health in a meaningful way.

I use the analogy of the Auckland motorways. On a dry day, they can flow well, when the rain comes people seem to forget how to drive, and the motorways turn into frustrating carparks. 

The same can be said for the latent impact of poor health outcomes in businesses and workplaces today.

We accept that life is busy and stressful, but don't realise how this impacts on health and how unhealthy this really is long term.

With the majority of the disability claims we have dealt with here and in previous roles being depression and anxiety, we have seen the impact of all of the things discussed here, upfront and personal.

If you have questions

Concerns or just want to chat about what you can do or where you can go. We are an impartial ear you can turn to. 

Helping people through some of their most challenging times is what we do, for many that is not just dealing with a financial claim with the loss of a loved one, it can be much much more than that.

Yes, we advise on insurance, but more importantly, we care about the people we work with. You may not realise it quite to this level at the time we arrange your cover, but you will if you face any of the things we have described here.

We not only want our clients to have good cover, but we also want you to have the best possible life in the process, especially so if you have claims and face adversity as a result.

We want to see you survive them, recover from them, and continue in life in the best possible way.

When you are fit and well, it may seem like life insurance is a hassle and a cost, when you face adversity with your health you then realise how valuable both a good insurance plan and a good adviser is to you and your family. 

I hope you and our clients never have to find out, but when you do we want to make sure you get the best possible support in the best possible way. 

That is how we help you fulfil the best possible life for you.