To Be or... To Give Advice
Hi Byte Wellness Fam!
How are you feeling?
I feel comfortable. Comfort was the theme in this week’s #PhyteWellWednesday workshop about healthy fat. We were reflecting on the discussion question (below), talking about how we approach talking about healthy eating with friends and family. We all mentioned that it’s hard to have those types of conversations. With any type of advice-giving, there’s always the risk of offending our loved ones and straining relationships. Sometimes people ask for advice but don’t really want to hear it. Other times, we make the mistake of giving unsolicited advice. I don’t know if you can relate, but I’ve been on both sides of those convos.
Check the discussion question below, and keep reading.
Discussion Question
In your friendships, are you the friend who gives or gets advice? How long have you played that role?
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As we talked, Dr. Bridgette made this mind-blowing observation: We don’t always HAVE to give wellness advice (especially if no one’s asking for it).
Here’s why this resonated with me. So often, we feel like we need to do work to be supportive in our relationships. We feel like we can’t be good friends and family members without laboring at it. Especially, having lived with social structures that tell us we have to prove our worthiness (think racism, sexism, etc), we’re programmed to think we have to DO MORE.
But, maybe, just maybe, BEING IS ENOUGH. What if our presence is enough. How much does our living, just being our best selves on our wellness journey have a positive effect on our loved ones? When folks see someone living differently, making different choices, sometimes that’s the spark they need to start considering new options for themselves.
In the spirit of just being, I won’t say too much more today.
I’ll just encourage you to check out the video above to learn how important it is for us to eat the right types of fats. Try using the WHOLE CPR strategy to breathe new life into your eating habits.
Whole CPR emphasizes:
Whole food plants over packaged foods
Cut the fat in meat and animal products (low-fat, skinless options)
Plant oils instead of butter for cooking
Replace dairy products with nut/seed alternatives (almond milk instead of cow’s milk)
Let me know where you fall in the conversation about giving advice vs. being an example. How does the idea vibe with you?
Happy Healthy Living,
Dr. Wuse