305 thoughts on “The True Support of Hospital Care coming from Self Care”

1. There was a key point that stood out for me in this blog and that was in the way you took care of yourself compared to the other person. Now it isn’t about competition, it is about how the two people were living and the fact that you took care of yourself is key. It is more that you took responsibility of your wellbeing that led to your experience. Whilst another will play little or no responsibility and expect others to take care of them or fix them, and hence their experience.

   It is our responsibility for our own wellbeing and the rest will follow in however it looks. Being responsible in many things then just one part of our lives, is a major component of life.

   Responsibility in life begins with the first breath we inhale as a newborn and continues till the day we take our last breath…

2. I love hearing how you took care of yourself and this is definitely true ‘Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?’ Also I am really appreciating our beloved National Health Service it really is something and definitely a service we should cherish and support ❤️

3. Beautiful to read of the level of care and honouring you accepted and put in place to support you at this point in your life, ‘Asking and being open to help as well as allowing myself to be supported and looked after by others by not hiding my feelings of vulnerability and fragility.’

   1. Vulnerability and fragility is key in times of illnesses and as women we are reluctant to allow this. I know this from past experiences and just going there feels so lovely. It also doesn’t place demands on anyone else either.

4. Valuing who we are deeply so, and knowing that we deserve to be cared for and looked after superbly well is a great ‘motivator’ to look after ourselves and in the process we are also more open to a deep appreciation of all the things that others bring to us too. When we appreciate even the smallest things, life feels much more full – it is a lot about perceptions and if we choose to see the cup as half empty or half full.

5. Preparations for surgery and hospital stays and even for childbirth can all be very practical and supportive – organising the kids, preparing some foods etc. etc. These are all very loving ways of pre-empting how we can support ourselves knowing that our body will need more rest for the recovery process.

6. Julie, I so appreciate your sharing – taking responsibility for how we recieve our health care is superbly important. We cannot just delegate the care of our body to the medical teams with a ‘fix this’ approach. It is about us taking equal and active care in deciding how and what the approach will be. Feeling and staying empowered to make decisions about our health and healthcare is paramount regardless of whether we are in the public or private system. Our health is in our hands but we are not alone with this so it is always a team approach.

7. Julie this is very inspiring, in fact it would bode well if doctors gave patients your blog to read in preparation for there operation – very supportive indeed.

8. True self-care is to care for yourself with love.

   1. Well said Mary and this comes not from a duty of care or love, but from a valuing oneself deeply so that the standard of care we offer ourselves is constantly growing.

   2. Caring for ourselves with love is our birthright, how great that more and more people are honouring this, ‘Simply put, now I am learning to live as the precious, beautiful woman I am and am willing to build a relationship with myself.’

9. Choosing to deeply care and love myself inevitably develops a deeper sense of self-responsibility as no one but me can do that for myself. Asking to be cared for by others by just demanding it and being needy has never really worked for me.

10. What a wonderful depth of care you brought to yourself that other people felt and honoured.

    I had a short stay in hospital and I wouldn’t say I was the best at self care by any stretch of the imagination but I certainly valued myself and was super honest and transparent with the staff – I’d seen how I’d got to where I was at. Staff were amazing! I was scared in the night so a nurse sat up with me until I was settled and the pain had subsided. Another patient was incredibly aggressive, probably also afraid but couldn’t show it in a way that allowed for care. I’m sure her version of the staff was the polar opposite to mine. I learnt that, given half the chance people love to show the care they have for others.

11. The more that we care for ourselves the easier it is to handle any situation that is before us.

    1. So true Elizabeth – for the care we offer ourselves supports us in forming the loving foundation that we can stand upon no matter what situation comes our way.

       1. Absolutely, building a strong foundation of love equips us to go out in the world.

12. Preparing ourselves to go into hospital (when it is not an emergency) is a really great idea. It would definitely support us to be more with ourselves and ready for what is presented to us.

    1. It would be great if people had access to this blog, or similar, to support them, prior to a hospital admission.

13. Talking about selfcare, for a woman to ask for support to the degree you did is huge.

14. What a reflection we offer others when we live self-care in all our movements, making self care our ‘normal’ confirms to others how natural and simple this quality is to live.

15. I love the way that you set up the whole process of your operation, calling in the support and being prepared as much as possible without anxious control.

16. I love your point about looking after yourself with the same tenderness as you would a baby, it puts a fresh perspective on how much we disregard ourselves – for example – we’d never take a baby outside in the cold in a t-shirt, you would wrap it up super snug so it could stay warm, the question is would we do the same for ourselves?

17. What we consider important is always exclusive (it excludes things). The question is what are we excluding and, hence, what are we saying yes to.

18. Taking an absolute equal responsibility for our part in our healing is so important if we are to truly deal with why we became ill in the first place, and to aid our recovery back to full health. I love how you looked at every detail and took full responsibility for caring for and supporting yourself- this must surely make recovery so much faster, when we play such an active and committed role in it.

    1. We can play the victim in health and healing or choose to delve deeper into the lifestyle choices that led to the illness and disease. The more we are prepared to be responsible the more we are open to healing that allows us the choice to make a life style change not for the better but for true vitality and growth!

19. I am due soon to be in hospital to have a baby – and reading this provides much inspiration for how I can prepare for my visit and what will truly support me. It is great to consider this level of detail in our days and to really nurture and support our bodies in this way.

20. We can have all the theory in the world, we can read it, hear it and know it, but until we see and feel it lived in another then disconnect between the theory and the livingness can be too wide. Therefore building that relationship with our own bodies and inspiring each other to ‘go there’ offers more and more visual representations of the power of the livingness of self-care in our lives.

21. Could the key to the outcome in any situation in life be in the preparation? Could what we consider to be the “big event” actually be the small part and the steps we take preceding the event be what is truly important?

    1. Have we ever considered sleep in this way, being the preparation for the day ahead, a equal part of the day?

22. We can keep self care merely functional but as is noted here to take it to another level involves self-responsibility, a sense of worth, and true support or care for ourselves … this asks us to honour who we are and where we come from and to live in a way that truly supports that.

23. “All I have shared is possible as a result of re-connecting and choosing to continually redevelop and deepen the care and love for myself I deserve as a woman. I am learning this is valuable as a support in daily life and I am worthy of that self care. ” Beautiful Julie. When we value and love ourselves we deeply care and look after ourselves. Could it be possible that then some impending illnesses could be averted?

24. Taking responsibility for our own care brings a whole new experience when it comes to hospital visits. I just love how you offer people in the hospital a healing by going in with self care with the reflection we offer. You realise you are a walking healing symbol when we choose to self care and live the love we are.

25. I experienced this last week being very sick and at home from work, all I could explain how I cared and listened to my body was like supporting a baby. All my body wanted was to sleep, have fluids, shower and sleep more… my mind and what I ‘think’ I need to do was halted and my body was the focus.

26. Everyone involved in supporting you would have been inspired by your level of love and care for yourself and your family. It makes an enormous difference in the healing process and recovery and what comes our way.

27. Julie I absolutely love the fact you looked after yourself with such love and care – how amazing that the way you choose to deeply care for yourself allowed others to also hold you and respond to you in that space.

28. This is an amazing article, because you put in to real life terms how we can actively influence the world around us by the way that we care for ourselves, and I find this very inspiring – to even just consider that what I give to myself is what the world gives to me in return is tremendous.

29. Just getting ourselves through is very different to actively caring and support ourselves.

30. From what you are sharing I can feel that every part matters, we have to be willing to take full responsibility for ourselves and never let it depend on others or expect it to come from others when we don’t give it to ourselves.

31. I am receiving a lot of medical care at the moment and this blog is an absolute gift. If I empower myself through the process, connect to people and ask for support I give myself the best possible care.

32. ‘Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?’ This is such a great point Julie. What we sow, we reap.

33. How important our attention to detail is to truly support our own self care and this reflection is what other respond to.

34. This sharing helped me to understand why I have had some negative experiences while I was supporting a family member in the hospital. It was as if my negative expectations and judgements about the medical system was playing out and reflecting right back to me the lack of care, profit driven, and un-holistic approach that I thought it would be. In addition, the massive level of disregard and lack of self-care I was living back then was then shown by some of the staff. But it’s also interesting to feel into that experience now, because I actually have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for all the nurses and doctors that were working diligently to the best of their abilities to keep my family member alive (which they did successfully) under a lot of pressure with a uniquely difficult and rare condition.

    1. Respect is vital and bringing that respect alongside understanding really helps in highly stressful situations. If we can live with an understanding of the ever deepening relationship of those words as lived ways in our lives, then it influences every situation we find ourselves in.

35. I really love this. The level of self-responsibility you share here is just so inspiring. Thank you, Julie. I can feel how I allow compromise and a blame-game where I am not willing to step up, and the big thing for me feels to be a judgment coming from the past experience and some other beliefs that get in the way of embracing a process with the whole of me.

36. We are obsessed with seeing ourselves the innocent victims of life, instead of realising that we simply attract and magnetically pull events that perfectly reflect what we choose. Reflection is not just a momentary message from God but a consistent reminder of our true power.

37. So interesting how we see what we live ! Such a clear example of your experience and the other patient.

38. Self-care is sorely missing from many people’s lives, taking the steps and committing to self-care brings a different quality to our bodies, it is a foundation that we can constantly build upon and supports us immensely throughout life.

39. What a great blog! How to take maximal advantage of what the medical system offers while supporting the medical practitioners. Perhaps the two go together.

    1. Yes Christoph perhaps they do go together! It isn’t rocket science is it and yet that does show us that there is a side to us that rejects love and care as it is too obvious that this is the way forward for healing.

40. “This self-care event helped me reflect on how the choice to provide true support, and really care for myself in a way I haven’t previously, was part of why I had an amazing stay in hospital recently” there are so many versions of what self-care is and is not, what it looks like and how to do it. What if as you share there can be a depth of love and care for oneself that is truly true. I’ve found that is all encompassing from the way I dress to the medical checkups I have and that’s thanks to what Serge has presented and what I’ve tested for me and feels true.

41. When we are not active in our own care for ourselves what can the foundation that the quality of care others provide us be based on.

    1. That is true, it makes it a lot harder for care-givers, even though they are used to such responses.

42. It is interesting that how we love and care for ourselves, or not, is reflected by the way we are treated by others as in the case of you and the lady in the ward with you, two so very different situations. Taking responsibility for our part in our own healing by self loving choices goes a long way in our healing process.

43. Asking and seeking help is seen as an ask when if honoured would be lived as a given.

44. Letting ourselves being deeply cared for is also something that does not come easy when we are not loving ourselves. It sounds silly but sometimes it is our protection and inability to let love in, that does not allow people to truly care for us. By caring for ourselves and loving ourselves by doing more and more loving things for ourselves helps with also accepting other people to love and care for you back.

45. We can impress the health care we receive with different movements from our part. They truly make a difference.

46. If everyone took equal care of themselves prior, during and post a hospital stay this would reform the National Health Service in both clinical outcome and job appreciation for all the medical and support staff.

47. In special circumstances we bring a deeper level of care. But why do we wait till dire circumstances hit to bring love and understanding? Perhaps as you show Julie it’s simply because we think our average day is ‘ok’ when it’s not. Living without nurturing and support is a harsh way to be.

48. This reminds me that sometimes I think we can get into a set routine or degree of care for ourselves (or lack of it!) but it’s important to stay open to feeling or sensing what is needed next, for things may change as there is always a deeper level of honouring to allow ourselves to connect with. Thank you for sharing how you “…continually redevelop and deepen the care and love for myself I deserve…”.

49. Bringing self-care to your work and life in general makes a massive difference to the quality of what you produce and how you live. Whilst the day tp day aspects of life may be similar to another, the quality can feel vastly different.

50. It does feel really lovely to have all the details accounted for. Life becomes so much smoother with the road bumps smoothed out flat.

51. Self care is a basic foundation we all need if we are to live a life of truth and love.

52. Great sharing Julie on how we contribute to our own healing and care. Bringing care from a love for ourselves instead of a function that needs to happen brings about a deeper level of care that the body can’t help but respond to. Healing loves love.

53. Julie, your blog would act as a great pre surgery leaflet for anyone about to go into hospital – really this is the stuff we need to be preparing loving for.

54. It feels completely irresponsible to demand a loving and caring approach from the hospital when one is not prepared to give themselves that same love and care they ask for.

55. This article brings to life the saying “what we put out, comes back”. The energetic out play in our lives is far greater than we have allowed ourselves to truly see and feel. But we would all do well to begin to understand this more and with the understanding take responsibility and respect what we are shown in every moment of our lives.

56. Our health care system will be changed through people learning to self care.

57. What you share is no different to how you would care for yourself in life in general. It is not that being in surgery makes this any more important than any other time. It is all equally important and that is why self care can also be normal and nothing out of the ordinary in how life is lived.

    1. True Joshua – to bring a deeper level of self-care is a natural way of living – we only have to choose it to be so equally with all else we are involved in during our day. Then it is the normal.
       “It is all equally important and that is why self care can also be normal and nothing out of the ordinary in how life is lived”.

58. A friend of mine was recently in hospital and because he supported himself whilst there he looked and felt fantastic when he was leaving hospital which just goes to show that we can self-care no matter where we are and what is happening for us.

59. Julie that level of self-care – like that we would extend to a baby – is divinely nurturing and an inspiration. We are no less deserving of that level of love. Beyond that, exercising self-care is a choice that will be felt and experienced by all – a double bonus.

60. A great point you raise Julie is “Honoring and accepting what my body is going through” for so many of us, myself included in the past, I avoided this part I wanted to get fixed. I love how in the surrender of what is going on the true healing can take place. Certainly this approach, inspired by Serge Benhayon, been life changing for me as well.

61. This is a living plan for life, a road map on the detail of care you can have for yourself if you choose. It needs to be a choice, a choice to move into a way of being that truly takes care of you and then this is what feeds you back. It’s great to see people taking an active role in their care and as we can see from this article it truly works. There is no end to this and our lives or the way we perceive life to be has a direct control on how life comes back to us. You can say the world is a horrible place and equally you can live in this world and not allow this to effect how you are.

62. I work in a hospital and can feel the difference it would make having patients and staff that self-care. It indeed would support true healing to occur.

    1. The modelling would be powerful beyond words and the whole organisation would benefit not to forget the ripple effect it could possibly have on family and friends.

63. Self-care is the foundation of every single moment of our lives. How we care for ourselves is reflected back to us often, as with the level of care you experienced before, during and after your hospital visit. Just imagine how much different everyone’s hospital visits would be if each person took the level of self-responsibility you did. It does not just have effect on us and our healing but on all those around us who are there to care for us as well. This was so inspirational to read Julie; thank you.

64. What a different health care system we would have if both patients and health care practitioners practiced self care.

    1. Yes very true Elizabeth, it seems crazy that a health care system doesn’t have self-care programs to support and nurture their staff with. I am sure there would be less sick leave and issues within the system if self-care was seen as a major factor in enhancing everyone’s work and home life in a positive way.

65. ‘Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I receive from another?’ Most definitely. This becomes apparent, not only in the hospital setting, but out in life, in shops and other areas where we meet other people. This explains why two people can have such a different experience in a similar situation.

66. Beautiful Julie – a health care model. The key point here to be aware of, and to continually being open to receiving, is taking care of yourself in detail and supporting your body and being as the tender delicate care a baby would receive and, what you yourself know how that care is needed.

67. We have a responsibility to build a strong foundation of care for ourselves, this foundation is then always with you, through all the times that lay ahead no matter what they may bring.

68. This is pretty amazing, what if what we experience in life is dramatically influenced by whether we embrace what’s ahead of us or not? It makes sense, you embraced the healing your body needed, took super good care of yourself and that enabled you to be prepared and not fighting the situation and for all the hospital staff to support you as much as possible – it makes sense to me.

69. ‘All I have shared is possible as a result of re-connecting and choosing to continually redevelop and deepen the care and love for myself I deserve as a woman. I am learning this is valuable as a support in daily life and I am worthy of that self care’ A very beautiful statement Julie, strong and powerful and very inspiring. There is still far too much prejudice and disrespect towards women and rather than fight it if we take on your way of living it is obvious that we could change a lot of the way things are by just deeply caring for ourselves.

70. These conscious choices we make, to live a life where we are choosing from a point of love first and then allowing life to play out. Its so simple even a baby can do it, yet we manage to make such a mess of it! A return to simple is such an important step and the feedback is amazing when we do.

71. I recently had my debut hospital stay and even though I enjoyed the level of care that the nurses offered, I still felt it was my responsibility to say what I needed, how I felt, when to move, when I needed help and what I wanted to eat. The care was also in the preparation before the stay – taking my own food and blanket were a must!

72. The love and preparation we support ourselves with supports the whole system. This is our loving responsibility.

73. Generally, we are met with what we have built on the inside and your example of hospital care shows this clearly.And thus, two people’s experience, at times only removed by one or two beds from each other, can vary vastly.

74. “Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?”
    Isn’t this just the nub of it all? To me the answer is a resounding ‘YES’, and in taking this responsibility for ourselves, to care for ourselves as the precious beings we are, we will not then settle for less and this is deeply felt by another.

75. Bringing self-care into our life has a big knock on effect as you describe in this blog, ‘Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?’ A great example.

76. We do have a part to play in the quality of care we receive from others, as everything is a reflection of the way we live.

77. ‘Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?’ This is a great question Julie and I feel its not only applicable when going into hospital, but something to consider in all our relationships. I have often heard it said that ‘we teach people how to treat us.’

78. I was on a school trip today that involved a lot of walking. I got home feeling really tired. Not so long ago I would have soldiered on when I got home with household tasks, but today I had a short nap. I am finding ways to make my self-care part of everything I do, rather than an add on. I now feel rested and ready to do the dinner and chat with the family.

79. This has got to be the new way to organise a hospital visit – with the utmost care and and attention to detail and finding every possible way we can take care of ourselves in an alien environment and knowing our body is going through something massive.

80. “I can see that yes I had a huge part to play in the high level of hospital care I received because that is what my body and I were putting out to receive.” What a great line, such responsibility, not leaving yourself open to that fact that you need the hospital to fix you!! But you playing an equal part in your recovery.

81. Thank you Julie for a beautifully inspiring description of your self-loving responsible care and how that supports not only you but how that was reflected back to you by those caring for you – what you give out returns to you.

82. ‘I can see that in taking time and care with my part in the procedure… my body could easily play its part by being open to the surgery and the healing that followed’ – It’s great what you’ve shared July about ‘your part’ of the operation, knowing that not only is it the surgeons and doctors job to cure/heal us, but we have an equal part to play in preparing our body for that healing and then relaying foundations for how to live afterwards.

83. Great points Julie . What we put in to life we get back – a simplicity that we often don’t practice, and then wonder why life is not reflecting what we know is possible. But we have to take that step first.

84. Truly supporting ourselves before we go to hospital is very supportive for our return, even the smallest details of making sure we have family or friends who are able to help us on our return home, from my own experience actually asking and accepting help is a major part of allowing things to naturally unfold and happen, and it is amazing how much support there is there for us.

85. Beautiful Julie, this a great blog on the important part we play in our own healing. When we don’t bring our own responsibility to care we push the responsibility onto to others. Leaving room for us to blame, criticize and make judgement on others lack, when in truth it’s our own lack of care that has created what we then live through and experience.

86. Today I realised that having a foundation of care means that this foundation is with you always, it’s not something to rely on just in times of need but to live everyday all day because it supports us to be who we are.

    1. Beautiful Karin. It is there as our constant support however this too needs care as if it does not continue to deepen and grow we will find ourselves feeling like we’re going backwards. Self care is a constant evolution in line with the constant of the expansion of the Universe.

87. There is a beautiful sense of solidity and strength of a foundation lived, in all that you’ve shared here Julie – born from the responsibility, depth of care and honouring of yourself that you have chosen to embrace in your life. I get the sense that even if you had met difficulty in the care offered whilst in hospital (or at any point from others), that from this foundation you would have been able to address this – accepting nought which would not honour you in full.

88. From my understanding this is a good example of the universal law that states – that which we express out will return to us at twice the magnitude of that which was initially expressed. That is, by virtue of our expression and the quality of it in the sense – do we express the love and truth of who we truly are, or do we shy away from this – we determine the quality of that which others express back to us. In other words we are having a symbiotic relationship all of the time with both our environment and the people in it. So in this instance, how we care for ourselves is directly proportional (and then some) to how others will then care for us.

89. As you say, the only variable in your comparison was the patients! This is becoming a key ingredient in health, how the patient approaches their own care, how they support themselves, how they engage with the support available to them and ask for support where it is not. I would love someone to look after me the way you looked after yourself but you have shown how simple it is to bring that to ourselves and I will approach today with a yet deeper appreciation that I did yesterday.

90. True, two people can be in pretty much the same situation at the same time but experience it vey differently, depending on their choices; you were met with a reflection of the level of self-care and preparation you had afforded yourself and the other person got a reflection of whatever it was that they had been projecting.

91. The process of preparation that Julie did before her surgery feels so simple, real and as a matter of course. Yet for many it is not this way the business of everyday life leaves us with little time or energy to address such simple needs. So do we throw our hands in the air and give in to this pace, or do we look at how we are living and begin to eliminate things in our days that are wasting our time and energy. So we can do the simple real things that are needed to support our bodies and subsequently all others in our life.

92. What if the care that I have for myself is governing the level of care I have coming towards me? Isn’t that a revelation in itself. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me Julie.

93. Very beautiful Julie – thank you for sharing your experience here. I love the reflection of the detailed way you approached your time in hospital. Awareness of detail is something I am learning a lot about at present. There is no moment in our lives where self-care and in fact self-love is not appropriate or applicable and this blog shows this. What a lovely way to be with ourselves – as a loving parent would be with their tender child.

94. As intelligent as we have become as a society, the true value of self care still eludes us. There is in truth a level of vitality that is not lived by many, and its foundations start with a life based on self love, or self care. That on its own is not enough to ignite one’s true potential, however, but it is a start, and in itself offers a clarity to our being that is beyond what most people experience. At first, this may seem self indulgent, and if not truly understood and not constantly refined, it can be. After all, self love is only a mental application, the application of which gives one the platform to embody true love as a lived experience.

    At that point, when one stands at the door to ones’ own Soul, a door which can only be reached by the very human and physical act of self love, one ultimately realises that there can actually be no self in love. Neither is it selfless. It is simply connection to all, to which the self is an intrinsic part, no more or less imporant than the whole. This understanding assists us to see through the absolute lie of martyrdom and selflessness that we have been sold as being one the highest attainable virtues that we can aspire to, not realising that in truth it is actually destructive to do so.

    For to subscribe to such an ideal leads one to invariably live a life of compromise, where self abuse is tolerated as mere collateral damage and the price for living a life devoted to others. And so self love, which when understood and lived properly, not as an indulgence, but as a developmental bridge that leads to true understanding of what love actually entails, is conveniently ignored by those who aspire to love as an empty ideal, as something that can be sent and given to another, but not actually lived within oneself.

95. What you share is a massive missing link in true care when we are sick. So often when one is sick they drop all levels of care and responsibility for themselves. This is a true way to heal on many levels, you can feel the love you had for yourself, and to me this is the highest form of medicine and care one needs on the road to recovery.

96. Julie, the detail and love you bought to yourself is completely self honouring and a blessing to feel and was confirmed and reflected in the treatment you received. This level of self care and responsibility is empowering and also supports everyone on the team. The ripple effect is immense.

97. We grow up learning 1 and 1 = 2 and sure just like the sensible everyday dos and donts of self care, on a surface level that is true. But when we understand the way energy works, we start to appreciate and to see that one of you plus the choices you choose equals the world we make. So everything you do and say is registered and supports or hurts everyone else. This gives a whole new understanding to self-care as you say Julie.

    1. Love your expression here Joseph, “But when we understand the way energy works, we start to appreciate and to see that one of you plus the choices you choose equals the world we make.” This is an inspiring call that empowers us to appreciate that the quality we choose in every moment has an effect on every-thing. Every movement is a communication.

98. It’s true how we can be functionally taking care of ourselves but what if like you say there is a greater depth we can go to in the way that we do things and be open to doing things differently as well. In the end how we care for ourselves stems from the quality of relationship that we have with ourself and this in my experience is something that can continually unfold.

99. You can feel the deep love and care in everything you set up for yourself before during and after your hospital visit to hold you through the healing process. It was truly stunning to read and would have been a blessing for all who experienced any part of it and saw the level of love we can support ourselves with no matter what we are doing.

100. Everything in life is a reflection as we are constantly reflecting ourselves. In light—nothing can be hidden. When we are willing to ask for help and equally willing to receive—knowing we are worth it and brotherhood is the natural way, it is common to receive help and openness reflected back. When we choose to be all of us in the world, every system cannot but feel a need to step up.

     1. I agree Adele and part of this is knowing it is OK to be fragile. When we surrender to that, we are strong and allow support in, we stop playing the superhuman ‘I can do/I need to do it all only own’ approach.

101. Sadly many in the hospital system do not often see people who are prepared to take responsibility for their health and well-being. Your blog demonstrates just how we shape our experience of the world. You look after yourself and the world looks after you in the very same way. If we are needy we are setting ourselves up for disappoint and rejection, as ‘needy’ holds an expectation of another and is a rejection of who they truly are. it is so interesting

102. Thank you Julie. Your sharing here reminds me that it is in the way I am with myself first that sets the standard for how I experience the world outside.

103. Hi Julie, reflecting on your blog I could feel a deepening awareness of your physicality and new understanding and valuing of your relationship with your body. I have spent most of my life assuming and expecting my body to meet the demands I have placed on it but after listening to the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, I realise I have not been truly living the life that has been offered to me and that instead of listening and responding to the communications from my body I have further complicated my life by ignoring and dulling the messages my body shared particularly through the symptoms of illness and disease. Thank you for sharing the wisdom of your stay in hospital, preparation before and care after, it has been deeply appreciated.

104. Julie your deep level of self care is really inspiring and applicable to every facet of life, not just the hospital visit. You took in the whole picture – before, during and after and considered so many details for your own care. How often do we just whiz through life’s experiences without stopping to consider our needs? We could in fact feel so supported in our everyday life by just considering all that is ahead of us, and how to ensure we are supported by ourselves (and others if needed) every step of the way. What a joy life becomes with our own self care.

105. Whenever I need an operation and have to visit a hospital I will re-read your wonderful blog Julie. For me your words are very supportive and your list to approach your own self care is very useful. Thank you so much for not holding back with sharing your insights.

106. By nature, we are all truly caring beings, we just get caught up with way of living that does not nurture this innate quality. All it takes is one simple choice to love and care for ourselves and the ripple effect of this can be huge. This is because we are designed to be love but unless someone chooses to live it and be that reflection for all, we will carry on entrenched in the love-less momentum we have made our way of living simply because it is the more familiar route. More familiar does not in this instance, mean more ‘normal’. It is normal to express the love that we are, it is abnormal to supress this.

107. How amazing that you you have deepened your living understanding of what the phrase, “take care of yourself” truly means. When you think about it, we all say this phrase to each other but lot of the time it is just words, with no follow up or action. The level of care you took with yourself through that hospital experience was very touching and what was even more impressive was that you recognized that you can continue and adapt that level of care into your everyday life.

108. Your blog shows me that how you are with yourself reflects how your relationship are with others. Also your level of care for yourself and openness with people supported you to experience more love and care at the hospital with the doctors and nurses. So, really what we experience in life is a reflection of how we are with ourselves, this highlights to me how much we are responsible for every part of our lives.

109. As someone who works in a hospital it is fantastic to work with a patient who knows how to best support themselves before and after a procedure or during a hospital stay. The more we care for ourselves the more it supports the recovery period.

110. The enormity of the pressure that is placed on the health systems both energetically and physically is huge when we are also not taking responsibility for our own level of care and love. This is something the hospital or anyone for that matter cannot do for us. We still must take responsibility for our own self love and care for it directly relates to our overall vitality, experience of life and indeed the level of health our body will have physically and most of all energetically.

     1. This is so true Joshua. I feel this is why our health care system are not coping with our current rates of illness and disease, I have seen many people not willing to take responsibility for their own health, their lifestyle choices and are often quick to blame the system or others. Yet, we are the ones who are responsible for our own health and care, embracing this supports us and others in more ways than we think.

111. Wow Julie – what an amazing amount of care you put into your hospital visit, hospital visits are normally something people dread and feeling incredibly stressed and disempowered about – everything you put into place would make a great booklet for people just going into hospital, so people can see that it can be an experience you take the utmost care over, and that you can be empowered about your visit.

112. “Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?” This is so valuable Julie. We are not taught about energy and that how we are affects everything – and everyone around us. I too had an amazing hospital experience last year. All patients – and everyone! – should read this.

113. Self care is the bridge that helps us to build a body that once again can feel the fact that divinity lives inside of us, and is not to be found in some external source.

114. It is so beautiful to read the level of self care you have brought into your life with all the support that was necessary, what a difference this made to you hospital stay and recovery. I love the words “Simply put, now I am learning to live as the precious, beautiful woman I am and am willing to build a relationship with myself.”

115. There is so much love in finer detail and Julie, you have gone deeply into the detail of the responsibility you can choose in self care. This has been beautiful to read and I can feel that by taking responsibility you are initiating healing that will support all that others also bring to you. We are definitely part of the equation of true healing and the facilitator of the healing response from others.

116. The questions you pose here Julie are powerful indeed and reminds me of the saying you reap what you sow;
     “Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?”
     Thank you for sharing your experiences and your wisdom.

117. Wow this is pure revelation, thanks for sharing. The way we are when we take ourselves for any treatment – whether it is a haircut, hospital stay, surgery, dentist appointment etc has an effect on the care we receive. I had an experience recently as well where I have been working in a hospital and was conscious of the energy I brought to every patient I worked with, the next day these patients rooms had a completely different quality than the ones I didn’t work in.

118. There is only so much the medical system can do when it comes to our health care. It is our responsibility in caring for ourselves that is key here as you so beautifully present in this blog Julie. The solid, loving and nurturing foundation of your livingness supported the preparation you put into preparing for your operation. This is so inspiring, imagine if we all took the same level of responsibility for our choices.

119. “I have learnt I have as much responsibility for my health and well being as the care they offer.” Caring for someone who is taking responsibility for their part in the process is a shared enjoyment whereas caring for a patient who expects others to do it all and is judgemental of the efforts of others is inevitably not going to have the same experience and connection between patient and carer.

120. Julie your blog about deepening your level of self care and supporting yourself while in hospital is very inspiring to read. My body has been communicating to me to have more attention to detail and that is still something I am working on but as you have described it;’This meant that all the details had to be looked at and this felt natural and effortless.’ I feel it is simple and easy the moment I take more responsibility for my own body.

121. Julie, what I so loved to feel in reading your article tonight is how supported the hospital staff must have felt in nursing and caring for a person who is living life responsible for themselves; so therefore in supporting self, as you did, you are in full support of them. They would have felt your acceptance of your part to play in your body’s health, and that in this instance no one was demanding a quick fix from them. Extraordinarily awesome gift to all of your medical staff.

122. The energetic quality we hold ourselves in is clearly felt by everyone around us and therefore is the reflection we receive. So this lady had a choice from her “negative” experience to either blame others or take the opportunity to instead appreciate them for the reflection they were providing to her showing her she needed to care for herself more deeply.

123. It’s always quite fascinating how our own attitudes flavor our experiences. That your fellow patient had a completely different hospital experience while in the same ward as you Julie is a great example of this.

124. Self care supports us and and true self care can’t help but flow over to care in everything and with everybody and then we are supporting everyone and everything. It’s just an ever expanding flow.

125. We are responsible for our self care and when others feel this they are able to support us with this. Conversely when we give the responsibility of our self care to others instead of being responsible ourselves we are clothed in expectation of what others should do and it does not support us in any way. Thank you for sharing, Julie.

126. Julie – I absolutely agree that we have a big part to play in our healing and how other people respond to us. We have a responsibility not to give our power away and make ourselves someone else’s problem, but rather to look at how are we living, how are we communicating. Then as you have personally experienced, everything changes.

127. It’s easy to get stuck in a certain way of doing things, a familiar way of caring for ourselves but if we’re open there is often more and new ways of doing things to greater support our vitality and the quality we then go about our day and all our interactions with.

128. You show us all Julie that self-care doesn’t live just in the ‘nurturing’ thing we tick off a list, but is a quality that naturally flows into every moment. So I can care about my hands as they touch and type this message, and care about everyone who gets to read each letter and each word. And so it goes in the day there is so much room for care, in our way. And most of all to start to let ourselves feel the true care that is actually already there around us in this world, instead of sitting here shut down saying what a mean and heartless place we have found. In this all it comes down to our choice to care and open up our heart to life and all of what comes.

129. It’s gorgeous to feel the level of care and preparation you gave yourself Julie, to then have that reflected back to you.

130. The difference between your experience and that of the other lady is an incredible reflection in itself. It’s so true that the level of love and care we give to ourselves is what we reflect out to others and therefore this is what comes back to us. We’re all walking around as large, human-shaped mirrors 🙂

131. Whilstever we simply expect the hospital system to “fix us”, we will invariably be likely to want to blame them when things don’t go as we would like. It is a much more respectful philosophy to look at your own part in things equally so, and in doing so that creates the space for a deeper appreciation of what doctors and the medical profession can truly bring us.

     1. Yes Adam, and what stands out to me in what Julie offers us here is just how we attract and call in all that occurs in our life. Such is our power with a magnetic effect, so where are we and in what reality when we say ‘oh this incident just happened to me accidentally’?

132. Julie I love your very practical approach to your self-care. I can feel the way you considered what you needed and put it into action for yourself. There is real preparation and support here for not only yourself but for your children and anyone caring for your children. There is great support for the staff their too, by presenting someone who to the best of their ability was being open and honest with themselves. Who said that self-care was selfish?

133. I love how you were so accountable and took charge of your self in this process, Julie. Too often we blame the systems which are often less than perfect but equally we have a part to play. The difference is clear with the two different hospital experiences that you described.

134. I do not doubt our hospitals do our best, but they are overwhelmed by a public that for the most part refuse to take responsibility for their own health. That creates quite the burden. it is no wonder our hospitals are overwhelmed. Everyone cries out that our doctors need to be responsible and accountable, that the system needs to be perfect? Where is our own accountability?

     1. It is the wanton way of the wayward one (the human spirit) to take the reins and run the physical vehicle it resides in (our human form) into the ground. We, in this state, then have the arrogance to expect another to fix the mess we have created. If it can’t be fixed, we simply wait for the next life and if no alternate choice has been made to take responsibility to live otherwise, we simply allow our spirit to take that next vehicle for a joyride also. At any stage, any one of us can arrest the chaos of all we have created and hand the reins over to our Soul. This great body of light knows and breathes the harmony and truth of our divine origins and as such will lovingly steer our physical form to move in and with the love that we are, rather than create movements that seek to oppose it.

        Our hospitals have become dumping grounds for bodies that cannot sustain any more abuse…but equally they can become places of true resurrection once the choice to renounce such recklessness is made.

135. It is very interesting how two people can be in the same ward in a hospital and have two completely different experiences. It just goes to show that how we are within ourselves affects those around us.

136. I found it fascinating Julie the contrast of experiences with health care between yourself and the other patient. The quality of how we choose to live has a momentum. The saying “reap what you sow” comes to mind.

137. Thank you for sharing how your deep level of self care was reflected back to you in the level of care you received from all the hospital staff. I would imagine that it was a delight for them to care for someone who had taken such good care of themselves in the run-up to the operation which will have made a big difference to how effective it was and the length and effectiveness of your recovery. Having a patient that takes such an active part in the process must make a refreshing change when so many feel a victim of their circumstances and fail to follow medical advice about how they could support themselves during any process.

138. This is fascinating. Not only is the quality of care we receive strongly predicated on the level and commitment to self-care lived by the giver or provider of care, but also on the level of self-care already lived and brought to the healing process by the receiver. Both have a responsibility for the ultimate outcome, the ultimate level of care received by the patient themselves and therefore the potential for healing that can be offered to the body. It’s an entirely logical equation, yet one that really focuses attention on a shared collective responsibility for the quality in which we each live our lives.

139. It is beautiful to take the time to really consider what you will need and what will be the most nurturing way of caring for yourself when you are at your most vulnerable. We can look at our everyday lives and consider bringing the same level of care to those days too so that we can live as the precious people we are.

140. What a great example and sharing Julie. To have developed that deep self nurturing relationship with yourself and maintained that throughout and since your Hospital visit is wonderful! I can understand why your visit went so smoothly.

141. I’ve only had to stay in hospital once in my adult life and the care and skill of the surgeon was superb and he made a good job of pinning my collar bone back together,but the after care was shocking, I won’t go into details. After reading this blog I Looked at how focused was on the operation without giving any thought to my aftercare. I even told the surgeon how gentle he had to be with me but then left the aftercare in another’s incapable hands.

142. This is another lesson in self responsibility as how can we blame others for not giving us due care if we aren’t giving it to ourselves.

     1. A great point Kevin – we can’t expect from others that which we are not prepared to give ourselves.

143. Your deep dedication to yourself can be felt by me as I was reading. What you are presenting here is a wonderful example of the Way of the Livingness in practical application. I especially noted your comment that the lovely level of care you received was as a result of what you prepared for and allowed yourself and your body to receive. Thank you, this is a timely reminder to me that life doesn’t just happen. I am in charge of my choices all the way along and what comes back to me will be a direct reflection of the quality of those choices.

144. I feel truly inspired by all you have shared Julie. Your experience is testimony to the fact that we treat people how to treat us. Beautiful.

145. Ps I am pretty sure that our hospital wards and general health statistics would be very different if everyone were as responsible as you and contributed to their own wellbeing and healing process by committing to caring for themselves to enhance the care prescribed and delivered by conventional medicine.

146. A beautiful sharing Julie that highlights how we can not only care for ourselves in a functional way but there is also a deeper nurturing that brings a whole new level of commitment to our daily lives that nourishes us all and supports our ability to heal.

147. Amazing, thanks for sharing. It isn’t until now I realised the powerful impact that a nurse or health worker can actually have on someone when they are doing their job. I am a student Nurse and have done some training in a hospital, but now that I can see and consider how sensitive every experience is for a patient it has been amazing. Its really great to appreciate just how much a truly loving and caring approach can means to someone, and to claim this, and know it as I do my job would be amazing as Nurses often don’t value what they are bringing and it can become a very exhausting profession.

148. Hi Julie
     I love the responsibility you felt to self care and prepare for your experience. We are all worthy of this care if only we choose.

     1. “We are all worthy of this care if only we choose.” This a good point to raise Kathryn as feeling worthy to give ourself and receive care is what needs to be realised as it is easy to slip into thinking when one can receive support from another Oh ‘I’ll just do it myself’ which is an old pattern of mine and probably many women!

        1. Oh so true Julie… the old ‘I will do it myself’ is our default and yet to know that support is something that we all deserve can sometimes feel uncomfortable. Time to shake that one off. Support is a two way street and both parties benefit.

     2. I agree kathrynfortuna. There is so much care and precise detail that was taken on board prior to the hospital visit that shows the level of self worth and appreciation that Julie had for the recovery process.

149. Julie the way you prepared for your hospital stay and recovery is truly inspiring, the level of detail and care is beautiful to read and a great support for others who may need to go to hospital as well.

150. It’s very inspiring to read the detail of your preparations for your hospital stay and for when you arrived back home. I feel your willingness to connect to the staff and build relationships would have made a big difference in the level of care and attention you received. Sometimes people can take for granted those whose job it is to care for others.

151. I have recently had a few experiences of being in hospital too, and prepared myself well beforehand for each occasion, and taking responsibility for how I cared for myself was a key part to the whole procedure. I found the hospital staff amazingly caring and supportive. Self-care and lovingly looking after ourselves plays a huge part in our everyday Livingness, and as a result it is reflected back to us.

152. Its something we seem unwilling to admit, but all our experience points towards the energetic fact that our choices impact each and every events and person in life. There is not a thing that is outside of this magnificent magnetic scheme. So not only is the beautiful self-caring way you describe so supportive for you and health – but it actually supports all of us everywhere to choose self-care.

153. Julie, I love the care and preparation you have taken to support yourself while you were in hospital and recovering. I can feel how this has not only supported you but has supported the carers of your children and the hospital staff. With this kind of self care everyone would have felt supported and therefore were free to give the quality care you received. It just shows how self care emanates out and becomes care for all.

     1. Yes I agree it is magical how “self care emanates out and becomes care for all.” 🙂

        1. What I have noticed is that the doctors and nurses feel supported because their efforts are going towards someone who is appreciating the care so much that the patient is caring deeply for themselves. It is the most lovely knock on effect.

     2. The self -care that was shared in this blog is no different to the quality we can bring to our everyday lives. Making meals ahead of time in order to not rush at the end of the day, taking the time to get dressed and not race out the door in the morning. There are so many big and small ways that all add to the foundation we can then start to set up that brings the quality of who we are. Definitely a great blog to appreciate.

154. The medical system can go so far, but it is fundamentally about our own commitment to take responsibility in caring for self that makes difference, and so many of us do not even know where to begin with it. Julie, your list is very inspiring and really shows how self-care is not a one-stop solution, but is a way of living that sets the foundation for even deeper nurturing to be available when needed.

155. On re-reading the blog, I was reminded of this functional way I used to care for myself. It was perfunctory, ticked the box but no love there. I’ve found that all it takes is say a few extra moments in the shower to just stand and feel the water, or a minute longer in the kitchen to appreciate the flow. Outwardly hardly anything changes, inwardly a whole world opens up to me.

156. What stands out the most in your blog Julie is how much you appreciate yourself for all that you bring to your day through self care and how this appreciation supports you to deepen the self care and also within that there is a deepening of the appreciation you have for yourself and others. There seems to be no end to the depths of appreciation we can have for all that life presents to us in any given moment.

157. Bringing the gentleness to ourselves that we would bring to a baby changes everything from the quality of our thoughts, our movement, the way we speak to each other… everything.

158. A perfect blog for me to read today, confirming yet offering some tweaks to my preparation for surgery. Thanks Julie!

159. Julie this is a great example of what self care and taking responsibility for ourselves looks like, and although most people would get ready for a hospital stay by arranging an overnight bag and someone to look after their plants and animals, what you have done is taken self care to a new level. This is evident in the detail, after all, the last thing you would have needed to worry about was how things were going at home. This is a great example of self care for all situations in life.

160. “All I have shared is possible as a result of re-connecting and choosing to continually redevelop and deepen the care and love for myself I deserve as a woman. I am learning this is valuable as a support in daily life and I am worthy of that self care. ” This is such a supportive article, not just for those contemplating a hospital stay, but for everyone in their everyday lives, treating ourselves with honour, love and respect, not just pushing through,,,,

161. Really like what you say about true self-care not just being for those times when we’re seriously sick, or off colour or in a bad place, but something that we do for ourselves every day, as part of valuing ourselves and confirming our self-worth, men and women. Making this commitment is key to our vitality and wellbeing.

162. How we treat ourselves will be reflected back to us by how others treat us, thanks for the revelation Julie

163. Hi Julie, the love and care you showed toward yourself and in relationship with others allowed for real relationships to develop. What a loving experience for those nursing you through this time. You said – ‘I was expressing how amazing the staff had been and the high level of care I had received’, the healing always goes both ways, you took responsibility in your own care and in care of others and this was met in return.

164. It feels very supportive to have put these things in place for yourself and accepting the support and help from friends and family. I am sure this goes a long way to aiding the healing process, as you are working along side the medical profession to aid your recovery and not expecting them to do it all for you.

165. The list of your ways you refined your self care and preparation for healing are inspiring to read and to feel your commitment to caring for you is truly beautiful, thank you Julie.

166. I love how you share that you were in hospital with another person at the same time for the same length of stay and yet you had both had such different experiences. My experience has been that the more I love, care and accept myself, the more I receive the same from others. Could it be that what comes back to us a reflection of what we emit out?

167. What you have shared Julie is so powerful in that you have offered that there is another way to approach surgery. A way that empowers you play a part in your own healing before you even get to the hospital. The level of care you chose in supporting yourself through surgery is so inspiring and the points you shared would make an awesome guideline for patients to have as a brochure of things to consider before going into surgery. As when we offer the doctors and nurses a body that is open and ready for healing we then are working together a whole team for the best possible outcome.

168. I loved reading all the ways in which you prepared yourself for surgery, I can feel how this would have greatly impacted the way in which you went into surgery and how it also assisted in your recovery. It would be great if doctors/nurses talked to their patients in this level of detail about ways to support themselves before and after surgery as part of their procedure.

     1. “It would be great if doctors/nurses talked to their patients in this level of detail about ways to support themselves before and after surgery as part of their procedure.”
        This is a great point, Melissa and I have experienced some nurses expressing similar guidelines however I wonder, until we see illness and disease as a blessing and not as the curse most think it is how many would be willing to listen as they do not see themselves as the main part of their own recovery and healing ?

169. Wow Julie you left no stone unturned in your preparation for your hospital stay and your recovery afterwards. It is beautiful to read how deeply honouring and loving you are towards yourself – your relationship with self is ever deepening and super supportive and a gorgeous inspiration for us all.

170. Our own level of self responsibility is super important in our health and well being. This is something we have given away and rely totally on someone else to fix the problem we have created. It just doesn’t cut it anymore and really never has.

171. Your blog utterly confirms that there is more at play than just what we see and hear. The energy that we give ourselves, i.e. The self care and nurturing energy must align with the same that is around and in others. I have noticed that when I care for myself less, there is always something that happens to remind me that I have slipped. Recognising these cues is the key to getting back on the nurturing self care path.

     1. All very true Matthew Brown and beautifully expressed.

172. ” … or with a sense of worth, true support or care for myself.”
     Thank you, Julie, for highlighting this approach to oneself … it has reminded me how easily I also slip into functionality and thus miss myself and the fun & joy of caring for me.

173. I have often thought this.
     We are not the helpless subjects to events, such as being a patient in a hospital.
     We have a very large part to play also. By providing a strong foundation of who you are and what you represent the care can very easily flow in that direction.

     I have also noticed this in many other areas in my life including starting new jobs, going new places and meeting new people.
     The experience is not completely dictated by external factors (forces) and we have as much say in how things will be as the other people in the same situation.

     1. Absolutely Luke – great comment, I love the expansion of opening up the possibilities in all areas of life according to our own choices leading to them.

        1. Agree when we open our hearts the possibilities to do more is always there. Our behaviours even change when we are more open with people.

        2. And – as do theirs as they are met and able to be open also – strange that as a society we have not allowed ourselves to be aware of this!

174. Thank you Julie, for such a beautiful sharing, of how, when you were deeply honouring and caring of your self, this was reflected back to you in the very caring treatment you received during your hospital stay. I am inspired to treat myself with the same care as I would give a baby.

175. Julie what a truly inspiring post. I can feel how different hospitals would be if we each took that level of responsibility for ourselves.

176. Julie you have given everyone a beautiful reflection of how to care for oneself and it proves how we all have affect each other. The other thing is how you showed that self care has so much to do with preparation to what is to come and therefor self care is for ever developing as we are. I have noticed with myself when my work is asking more from me I tend to care less for myself instead what is truly needed to deepen the care. Becoming aware of this pattern has given me the chance to adjust my preparation(time) and deepen my selfcare.

     1. This is very true, Annelies, the times when we need a deeper or different level of care is the time we can slack off and we drop the things that support us most. I am learning its knowing what my supports are so then I can notice if I drop them.

177. Julie you should write a little hospital guide for people and hand it out at your local hospital to inspire people to prepare themselves with the same care you did. This is absolutely awesome and your list reminded me of the steps I take before traveling as I travel a lot and the more I take care and prepare the better I am supported during my travels. So much of what you present is wisdom of a daily self care routine that supports us in everything we do. Great sharing!

178. I am re reading this article tonight and the following sentence stands out for me. ‘When I look at this now, I can see that yes I had a huge part to play in the high level of hospital care I received because that is what my body and I were putting out to receive.’ The more love that I accept and allow for myself the more I feel it from others. With no wanting or needing it to be there. How we live and care for ourselves very much influences each and every moment of our lives.

179. The very real phenomena of playing a role in the way we are treated is such a sign of the magic of god and the science of life as it really is. That everyone feels everything and responds to everything felt is an amazing fact and truth of life.

180. You have brought to my awareness a new level of self-care and love, the detail and planning involved and the self-responsibility of that. Thank you for pointing out the importance of bringing this throughout our daily lives, not just in the case of going to hospital.

181. Julie, your eyes touch the skies, as in it reaches deep. It is a true blessing to read your sharing. It truly makes sense what you share on self-care and the development with that – that causes in other situations to receive that equal care towards you and openly receive it. It is awesome to hear those different experiences, with how you had experienced the stay in the hospital and others. Does this tell us something about how we live that we than also can receive? So if we truly take care of ourselves, we automaticaly pull people to also take true care of themselves, and in some situations (in the case of your surgery) also for you? Truly revealing.

     1. Dear DannaElmalah,
        “So if we truly take care of ourselves, we automaticaly pull people to also take true care of themselves, and in some situations (in the case of your surgery) also for you?”
        This sentence is beautiful, for in it lives the essence of true love. Once this is lived it can and is felt by others and it does inspire others to also choose it if they want to. This plainly shows that our only responsibility is to truly lovingly care deeply for ourselves and be open to all that comes with such a choice.

     2. I love what is written here “So if we truly take care of ourselves, we automaticaly pull people to also take true care of themselves” this shows how our actions are never in isolation to another and just for us. How we are with ourselves is always a reflection to another which includes all the choices we make. Thank you Danna.

182. How very creative your ideas of self-care are – wow! So inspiring.

     1. Absolutely – I agree felixschumacher 8. So inspiring to take care of yourself when going to the hospital in this detailed way. If I ever have to go… I know what to support myself with. Yum.

183. Julie what a wonderful post on self-care not just in hospital but for life itself, you show us the positive effects of deepening this care and its importance. How you prepared and cared for yourself felt so deeply honouring and it is without surprise you found the staff carry on with this same level of honouring…because they could feel a preciousness within you naturally deserving of their love. This post has made me really reflect on the foundations we set and refine for ourselves everyday, and how they really do affect what then gets ‘sent back’ to us, for our enjoyment or otherwise.

     1. So true Zofia, the level of care we set for ourselves is definitely felt by others, so it makes sense that staff would continue to honour Julie with a high level of care as she had already begun this way.

184. “Could it be that how I cared for myself before going into hospital meant this way of being continued once I was there? Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?” These are great questions Julie! Reading your great blog, the answer becomes crystal clear. Taking responsibility for our own body is a great platform to live in this world and deal with what comes up.

     1. This stood out for me as well emfeldman, to power that taking self responsibility in support of the healing that the medical team can offer…

     2. Likewise – and taking responsibility does not have to be trying to ‘fix’ everything, but simply being very real and honest, considering the whole, taking care and most importantly… feeling.

185. Your development and deepening of the love and care you nurture yourself with is just gorgeous and your self-caring list for a hospital visit should be given out to all patients as a deeply beautiful support guide.

     1. Great idea Samantha…everyone in the hospital would benefit from this, staff and patients.

186. Julie the detail and care you expressed here was absolutely beautiful to read. Thank you.

187. The way you took in lovingly supporting and taking responsibility for yourself before, during and after your hospital stay would have been felt and truly appreciated by all the hospital staff members, which they then reflected back to you. Thank-you Julie, for this beautiful example of how important self-nurturing is.

188. Very inspiring… Putting extra measures in place to take care of yourself during a hospital period. Even more amazing to read how the staff responded to this level of care and continued to support you through it. Great contrast to the other patient in the same ward who experienced the same health care however had a negative experience.

     1. I know Luke it is quite a profound thing! Its a lot to reflect on being a student nurse. It helps to put things in perspective and to hone in on exactly what the healthcare experience could be like for patients and workers.

189. All of that just from connecting? It seems well worth it then!

190. I love your expression Julie, thank you for taking the time to share your learning. I too am learning to live as the precious, beautiful woman I am and the gorgeous thing I am learning is gosh I am worth it. Bringing a deep level of care and love to our bodies is so supportive and feels super yummy. We all deserve nothing less than absolute loving care and this first starts in our relationships with ourselves 🙂

191. Julie there is such felt love and tenderness in your expression. It is painful to know that the majority of the worlds women would not be able to give themselves the level of care and support that you did. Not for material reasons but because of the beliefs that they hold about the role of women and especially mothers.

     1. This is a good point to raise here Alexis how it is for no other reason than the beliefs we hold as women that stop us from even considering that we deserve to love, care and support ourselves on a daily basis which is exactly why I was going into hospital for surgery!

192. A beautiful article Julie. I can feel that the loving care you were taking of yourself was felt by your children and friends so they too felt supported while you were in hospital and when you returned home feeling fragile and vulnerable. This shows the truth and depth of the teaching of Serge Benhayon that in loving yourself you also love others.

193. Thank you for sharing the very practical aspects of the care you offered yourself before, during and after your hospital procedure. You experienced a beautiful reflection of how you have honoured yourself.

194. So inspiring Julie. This is something I am looking at in my life and I have realised each small act of true self care and honouring has a huge impact on the amount of love I can feel.

195. It is beautiful Julie, to feel the love and care you have put into the preparation – so inspiring!

196. To care for oneself, to not override what our bodies are telling us, to take the time to listen both within and without, to develop the conscious presence and reconnection to one’s self that brings by its very nature self love, is true evolution

     1. Very true cjames2012, an expansion inside that everyone can feel – and it offers everyone we meet an opportunity to connect to that and feel a bit more of themselves.

197. It is great how clearly and practically you write. I too have had to learn self-care over the years having in the past overridden myself and my body. It makes me wonder though that we as a society have to learn these things that are so simple and natural. How strange that we have allowed ourselves to get so far away from something so basic.

     1. So true Nicola…must be time for a u turn back to the basics of self-care, back to simple natural basics that were once everyday normals….how far we have slid from this.

198. I find it amazing and an everyday miracle that your experience on the same hospital ward, with the same staff, was so different to another who was there at the same time. Rather though than being lucky, to me how you have described your preparation reads like the science of self love and care. The support you sought for yourself that involved your family and community feels like it came from a deep sense of your worth and love for yourself. It is a privilege to be able to read what you have shared and wonderful to know it is posted on the internet for others to find too.

199. A very touching and beautiful article.

200. That was a beautiful blog which ended up being my bed time story. So now I will be dreaming about re-connecting to my body and choosing to continually redevelop and deepen the care and love for myself I deserve as a woman. Ohh I can’t wait to go to sleep now.

201. I could deeply feel the level of self honouring in your blog Julie – it felt you created such a loving space around you that you and your family could simply be held and supported in that love as you went through your hospital stay and recovery period. Beautiful.

202. What a most beautiful experience you had in hospital, going into every aspect of what was going to happen and how it was going to happen with such openness and willingness to understand. So many when faced with surgery fall into emotional states of fear and unsureness, it was super refreshing to read how it can be when we are open and accepting of what our body needs to support it to heal.

     1. I agree Leigh, I hadn’t considered all those steps could be ones to consider before going in to hospital but you can feel that not only was Julie supporting herself, but also her children, her friends and those who were to support her – even the medical staff. She had considered their workloads, and her arrangements had appreciated the support they were offering her but ensuring the extra work was spread so as not to overwhelm. I am sure I will consider this more and not just if I need to go into hospital but related to many facets of my life.

203. This was such a deeply touching read at the same time as a call to deepen self care in everyday practical ways and with so much more quality and warmth. I felt humbled by the raw fragility you so beautifully share, and empowered by the amazing key question, “Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?”

204. Thank you Julie. What stood out for me in this blog was how the Nurses and Doctors had cared for you during this whole process which was a true reflection of how you had honoured and cared for yourself. This is inspirational and a reminder to deepen my level of self care.

205. Thanks Julie, something that grabbed my attention in your blog is the statement you made about looking after yourself as if you were a baby. I will try and incorporate that into my livingness.

206. Love it how you took care of yourself in the hospital. The line taking care of yourself as a baby struck me. That is a deep commitment, because we generally don’t. I do not at that level. I will take that with me into my weekend and see what that brings. The word tenderness comes up, let’s see the coming days.

207. Thank you Julie for sharing your experience with us. It makes sense that the care you have for yourself prior to going into hospital then reflected back with the care you received from others. This has inspired me to look at my own preparation for an up and coming hospital procedure and that it is ok to ask for support and allow myself to feel vulnerable.

208. Wow Julie. I felt your tenderness in how you wrote. A true depth of care that you made.

209. Hi Julie, this was so lovely to read as I could feel the true commitment you have made to bringing self-love and self-care into your life. The level of detail in your preparation before and after your hospital stay was amazing and made me appreciate how this level of planning would have made your healing process a quicker one as the stress and strain would not be there. There is so much beauty in what you share and I feel inspired to look at my own level of self-care. Thank you.

210. This was great to read Julie, and confirmed what I recently witnessed. In Vietnam, Hoi An I was having some clothes made and was having the best experience, incredible service and dedication from the staff helping me. When I went in to do the final fitting and pick up my clothes there was another lady there clearly very angry and upset with her service, yet they were the same lovely people that helped me. She was getting what she wanted by being demanding and pushy, it was horrible to watch.

     I have a deep level of self-care and respect for me that transferred to the ladies helping me and hence had an experience with them that reflected this. I made some deep connections and truly appreciated the work that was done for me… not one problem. This was great confirmation for me about the love I hold myself in and thus others is the way forward.

     1. Zoe this is beautiful, showing two different ways of being and how this is then reflected back. Your deep commitment to your self and love and appreciation of others is definitely the way to go.

211. Wow Julie, the choices you describe sound so simple yet feel so powerful. What comes across clearly is the sense that we confirm and start the level of care we will receive with our own actions and energy. In this we become active participants not recipients of life. This blog has got me deeply considering, do I bring this care that a baby deserves to all of my life? Thank you for caring for you and inspiring me to do so too.

212. I find it fascinating when I hear a story such as yours Julie where two people have vastly differing experiences from the same circumstances. It shows to me the huge influence we have on the care we receive and how much our own willingness to look after ourselves also makes us more able to consider and care for others. I am sure the hospital staff would have felt this self care you had and been able to respond to your needs more easily. This is surely a preferable way to approach healthcare, putting the onus on ourselves first and foremost, far better than expecting others to fix us up.

213. What a gorgeous experience Julie and I love how you have shared the small details that you chose for your self and shared them as examples for us – this brings great inspiration to becoming more aware of even more places where we can truly honour ourselves.
     I also love what you have shared about having a seemingly very different experience to another, I myself find this working at the opposite end in the hospitals, that I can have a completely opposite experience to my colleagues and we are all apart of the same shift taking place. Self care is so important.

214. Reading how you prepared for your operation very clearly shows how much you deeply cared enough to do all that, it is very inspiring to hold yourself with that much preciousness. I guess the reason you were able to do all this quite naturally is because you learnt to give yourself this care every day. We dont need to wait for an excuse, it can be how we prepare ourselves each day, and at the end of each day, then when there is something ahead of us like an operation, we naturally can deal with it very well. Thank you for sharing this Julie, very helpful in so many areas of life.

215. Julie thanks for sharing the steps you took to support yourself with your time in hospital. Imagine if we were all as responsible and self loving as you are?
     Imagine if we all treated ourselves as we would if we were babies. The hospital stay for many would be a very different experience. Deeply caring for ourselves is a responsibility that can inspire others and one day change the concept of visiting the doctor not to be ‘fixed’ by something ‘out there’ but by making choices ourselves to support true healing.

216. Julie, thanks for sharing this – I too have experienced how important it is to acknowledge what a huge part of recovery self care is and that taking responsibility for our own well-being every way possible as well as asking for and allowing support, is one of the main aspects of true healing.

217. Wouldn’t this be wonderful as a step-by-step guide leaflet to hand to patients when they are preparing to come in to hospital for surgery or even having minor procedures with their GP, rather than just the usual clinical forms we receive and fill out? It could make the whole process a supported and supportive one on both sides and also take a huge amount of pressure off doctors and nurses.

218. I love this Julie… My life = my responsibility.

219. Hi Julie. This is a beautiful example of the impact we can make by taking responsibility for ourselves through the choices we make. Thanks for giving us a better understanding of how we can bring a greater level of self care into our everyday life.

220. Thanks for sharing your story Julie , the way you have dealt with self care is quite inspiring and has taken me to a new understanding of self care and where I am at.

221. Beautyful Julie, this is so true, the care we have for our self will also be the amount of care we can receive and appreciate.

222. Thank you Julie you have given me greater understanding into the true nature of self-care.

223. Julie, thank you for sharing your experiences about self-care and your willingness to deepen the level of this self-care. A great example of how important the quality is in what we do. I love how you have honored yourself in the preperation to and in the hospital. And we can make the choice to bring this same quality of self care in our daily life.

224. Yes it is these small gestures that make a difference to ourselves and others. Enjoy your stay – an amazing date with yourself!

225. Julie, thank you for writing this blog. I am due to go into hospital soon for a procedure and although no overnight stay is intended, what you share is a great way to adopt. I especially love how someone unpacked and created a space for you when you returned to the ward. I am due to start some voluntary work at my local hospital and it’s these small gestures that can have a HUGE impact on how someone feels.

     1. Beautiful shevonsimon, for as you share it’s actually the small gestures and nurturing cares that really count and ‘can have a HUGE impact on how someone feels’ which of course has a significant ripple effect on their healing process.

226. The power of just making the choice to be involved in your life and acknowledging that the outcomes of that choice are yours can be scary, but is more importantly empowering. Living this way asks for responsibility, integrity and a willingness to feel all of life – the true beauty of life is the result of making this choice and meeting the true beauty in others. Thanks Julie for making it so clear, how simple it can be.

227. When we deepen the care we have for ourselves that love comes back to us from those around us, even in the smallest of ways, and this blog clearly shows this in your hospital experience. Thank you Julie for reminding us of this truth.

228. Lovely blog Julie. The different perspectives you and the other patient had whilst in hospital just highlights that, if you are prepared to honour and make self-loving choices for yourself, then that is what will be reflected back to you. Thank you for sharing.

229. Rereading your blog today Julie, I feel a deeper feeling of the quality of care you speak of. It’s in those little details, claiming with no fuss or drama what is needed and taking the time and care to set it up. It’s funny, as I read it I can feel in me that little bit of me that as I grew up was told to “get on with things and not make a fuss”, and in that I can over-ride what I truly feel is needed in self-care for me in any moment. So I’m learning to catch that, and to be lovingly patient and tender with me as I break the habits of old; the old ‘this will do’ attitude. And you remind me that self-care is not a rigid routine or discipline but an evolving and ever changing loving act, a taking of responsibility for oneself. And the really beautiful thing about this is that in doing so, I get out of that old game where I blame another for how I’m treated – so easy to do. I now see that my self care starts with me, and that in taking that time and care for me I clearly set out a marker for me, and for everyone around me to take that same care. I effectively normalise it and that changes everything. Thank you once again for a truly profound blog.

230. Thank you Julie. Your example of the experience of the same hospital, same ward, same staff at the same time but a completely different experience for each patient is clear confirmation of our own part in any medical procedure. Your sentence “Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?” is a great lesson in the responsibility we have for ourselves.

     1. Very true Mary, and a very important point and subject. If we were taught this from young we would naturally be living very differently as adults and hence our world would be very different, we all have a responsibility to stop and really consider how we are living so that we can make truly loving choices moving forward.

231. Julie, I love what you share here, how your willingness to take responsibility for you and put in place self care and support for you as part of the process greatly supported you and those around you, and assisted in the healing process – this is fantastic. One thing I got really strongly from your blog, is how we often struggle through or just do enough to take care, as you note we wash ourselves but don’t always fully embrace and support us and our bodies and I feel in your experience that you broke through this, which is very inspiring and supportive of us all. I feel in me this ‘that’s enough’ or ‘that will do’ quite strongly at times, my level of self care has definitely increased massively and there’s a level of tenderness there that was absent before, but your post has me pondering where I still (and I know this is common in the world) cut corners, as I write, I understand if I cut corners with me, and don’t take true care, I will allow another to do the same (ouch), and not truly support them to truly self care either. That’s another reason your blog is super then, thank you. As we care for ourselves more, we open up the space for another to do the same.

232. Julie, your article really underlines how important it is that we take responsibility
     for caring for ourselves.

     1. Exactly Jonathan and then when we do how different the care we receive is. It make sense though if we are more loving and caring and take the time to be open and chat with the care staff then naturally will do the same.

233. There feels a joy in the opportunity we have to connect with people. To show appreciation for the wonderful job that all hospital staff are doing can surely help them to appreciate themselves more and thus make them better able to be the carers we need.

234. Your approach is a wonderful blueprint for self-care, Julie, which should be given to anyone about to undergo major surgery! What jumped out at me was ‘ allowing myself to be supported and looked after by others by not hiding my feelings of vulnerability and fragility.’ So often we put on a brave face and become a coper for those around us, perhaps because we don’t feel worthy of the attention or don’t like to be seen to be out of control. So we deny our fragility and vulnerability at a time when we most need to express it, thereby denying the opportunity for support from others that they’re usually only too willing to give, when asked. What you present here role models an entirely different way.

     1. This is very true Cathy about putting on ‘a brave face and being a coper’, and ironic because quite often this is contributory to falling ill in the first place!

     2. I agree Cathy – there is a completely different approach to illness and surgery presented here – perhaps it is time to look at a new way to deal with huge events like this?

235. Yes Johnathan, I feel this should be a protocol handout to all who are anticipating surgery!

     Julie, This is taking our preciousness into our own hands. We have wanted the doctors (and others) to fix us and do all the caring…but it has not been so fun…something was missing! I feel there it is quite powerful when we treat ourselves with care and others are moved to match the precedence we have set.

     What potential for a ripple effect.

     1. Well said Jo, a prescription of self care should definitely be a standing order or protocol for not only all anticipated surgery but to support the healing process of all acute and chronic illness and disease. How different the health care system and our health statistics could be if we were all actively responsible in the preparation and delivery our own care when and as we are able to.

236. Totally agree susang12. Thanks Julie for giving us such a detailed account of the way you looked after yourself with so much love and care before, during and after your hospital stay.

237. Julie, this is an amazing example of the level of support and care we can give to ourselves and then that quality is equally matched by the support and people around us. Very inspiring.

238. Thank you Julie, for sharing that by taking care of ourselves enables others to support us in the way we wish to be supported. The loving detail you express demonstrates this so well and is an inspiration. As this is such practical advice, it would be so beneficial to be made available for anyone about to undergo any experience where they are needing to be supported, not only when going in to hospital.

239. Each detail of self care and self nurturing towards, during and after your surgery is inspirational. I love how naturally you communicate the practicalities, they all feel so doable. You’re smooth and successful recovery from surgery are evidence enough that those care-full and loving choices play a significant contributing factor in this.

240. Hi Julie, all the points you have made are so important to share, and the confirmation of how you looked after yourself throughout is inspiring. It is wonderful to feel that this level of nurturing is now the norm for you, and that struggling on is a thing of the past.

241. I love how you have shared looking after yourself before going into hospital. Sharing the detail of every choice, in the planning of what was needed is inspiring. It is also fascinating to hear about your experience in hospital compared to another patient and that your experiences were so very different because it was possibly down to the choices you both made.

242. I have found what is expressed here to be so helpful as I go through various medical investigations. It is a wonderful reminder for me to care for myself and my body, especially in preparation for medical procedures. I have also found that if I approach the experience openly, and do not expect the medical profession to do all the work for me, but show a willingness to participate by taking responsibility for all that I can, and not expecting a miracle cure, then the response I receive is invariably caring and attentive. I also always express my appreciation of this.

243. The tenderness and Love I feel as I read this is heart-opening. I cried to feel how hard I’ve been with myself – your words melted this away. Thank you Julie.

244. Julie, this blog would be a great accompaniment to any hospital documents issued to prospective patients before surgery! Thank you for sharing this with us and demonstrating how self responsibility and self love make our lives flow so much more smoothly…

245. What a beautiful sharing, I could really feel the depth of nurturing you chose for yourself. And the confirmation you received from the hospital and its staff is inspiring for us all. Thank you.

246. Thank you for sharing Julie. The normality with which you present the loving care you prepared yourself and your family with for your hospital visit is a joy to read.

247. Beautiful Julie, your journey with your surgery, the preparation and love that you honoured yourself with is very inspiring. Your recognition of the level of care returning to you in hospital because of the loving regard you have shown yourself is amazing, and you ask a very powerful question… “Could it be I have a part to play in the quality of care I will receive from another?” It is clear that how we treat ourselves also affects the way we treat others, and the level of love and care we choose to express, returns to us through all our choices. The depth of the love you show yourself and others clearly came home to you when you really needed it. Thank you for being such a beautiful and deeply loving woman and sharing yourself so openly.

248. Julie, the way you cared for yourself in each detail towards, during and after your surgery is inspirational, and your amazing healing and recovery has been lovely to witness. What you offer here is HUGE, thank you for sharing this – I loved reading all the practical ways in self care that you supported your body, your children and all those at hand who were looking after you. How you have expressed this here shows me that self care not only supports oneself (deeply so), but many others in the process.

     1. Absolutely Rosanna, I found this very inspiring and something that I got from it clearly, was how much Julie’s self-care supported everyone around her. Imagine the pressure that would be taken off our doctors and nurses if we all took this level of responsibility for ourselves.

        1. I agree Fiona – wow what a difference we would see.

     2. Thank you Julie and Rosanna, the place that others have connected to as so aptly portrayed in your blog Julie, is the love that has been so obviously felt by them, this has inspired me to bring more love into all I do. The simplest part is to live in that self nurturing essence we all come from or live lovingly. The importance of this connection to my essence has been presented to me by Serge Benhayon.

     3. Thank you Julie and Rosanna, the place that others have connected to as so aptly portrayed in your blog Julie, is the love that has been so obviously felt by them, this has inspired me to bring more love into all I do. The simplest part is to live in that self-nurturing essence we all come from or live lovingly. The importance of this connection to my essence has been presented to me by Serge Benhayon.

249. Thank you Julie for reminding me how to deeply honour and look after myself. A timely reminder as I have let my dedication to this slip of late. Your article has definitely inspired me to return to looking after the precious woman I am, thank you.

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