12 Secrets Of Divine Health

By Nicole Y. Edwards DO

Spiritual leaders and parishioners are givers by definition, selflessly devoting all of themselves to their congregations and communities, often to the detriment of their personal health. In The 12 Secrets of Divine Health, physician and minister Dr. Nicole Edwards takes a deta

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purposely Created Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781948400640

Book preview

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Meditate Daily

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

Picture, if you will, the daily life of a busy Family Medicine Physician. I wake up, get myself and the kids ready, take the kids to school while listening to their singing and playing, and sometimes fighting, then make the drive in to work. At work, I see 20-25 patients per day, in 15-30 minute time slots. Those slots often aren’t long enough, so I fall behind, which is frustrating for the other patients and for me. I deal with patients who are ill, dying, scared, and sometimes angry. They bring me their problems, coughing and sneezing in the room, covering me with their germs. They cry on my shoulder, try to prove they are smarter than me with their Google searches, and sometimes cuss at me because they’re mad at their failing health or at the insurance company for not authorizing the test or medication they wanted. Occasionally, but rarely, some say thank you. It’s not uncommon to have to stay at work past the time that the clinic doors actually close, trying to complete charts and sign off on paperwork, and argue with the insurance companies on behalf of patients. I’m rarely home at a decent hour. Then I go home to make dinner, help the kids with their homework, clean up, and try to spend some time with my husband before finally falling into bed, exhausted and often dreading having to get up and do it all again the next day. I had to develop a coping mechanism.

With a schedule this demanding, I had to figure out how to locate some peace and quiet so I could energize myself. I started by taking the 20 minutes of quiet time in the car after dropping off the kids, to turn off the morning radio show, and either drive in silence or with some calming peaceful music. I made a playlist called Morning Smile to listen to, and help me clear my thoughts and prepare for what could be a hectic day. You know what I found by doing that? I found that the days didn’t seem as long, and I was able to better handle some of the stressful situations. I also began taking a minute after seeing a difficult or angry patient, to take a walk around the parking lot or down the street so I could pray, sing, listen to a happy song, or sometimes just scream to the atmosphere, instead of taking my frustrations out on the next patient or my staff. I found that locating that quiet place in my spirit and mind helped to keep me grounded. I now incorporate quiet meditation into my day as a routine, and I have seen the difference it