MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY 50 -THINGS I’VE LEARNED

 Excerpts from the book “Depression Free: A Wise Woman’s Guide to Healing and Happiness”

# 35 Don’t be afraid to ask the right questions, and ask as many as you need.
As a nurse, I have escorted patients into a room to see the doctor countless times. They have a 20 to 30 minute visit, and then the doctor leaves the room. When I return, often the patient still has questions that should have been directed to the doc.
“Why didn’t you ask the doctor?” I ask the patient. “Well, I thought he/she was really busy and I didn’t want to hold them up,” is a popular response. “I really didn’t understand what was said, but I didn’t want to keep him/her.” is another one.
My reply is usually the same.
“Sir/ma’am, this is your body, and it’s important that you ask the doctor any questions you have, and be sure that you understand the answers before he/she leaves the room.” At that point I find the doctor, and ask him or her to come back to the room, which they’re generally happy to do.
When I was dating, I was told on more than one occasion that I ask too many questions. Then I met someone who liked the fact that I asked questions…especially the right ones! I ask until I understand.

3 Tips
• Don’t allow anyone to intimidate you into not asking a question that you feel you should.
• Never feel like your questions are unimportant…if it’s important to you …then it matters.
• In a group setting, you may be hesitant to ask a question because you think it may sound silly, but often, someone else is thinking about the same question, and like you… feels uncomfortable asking. So take a deep breath…shake off the fear, and you can begin with “This question may sound silly but…?”

Have you had situations where you didn’t speak up when you should have or wanted to? How did you feel after the window of opportunity had passed you by?

From the desk of Ameenah

If you’d like more tips, poems, quotes or tools for a Healthy Mind, visit:
http://www.ameenahross.com/#!book/cktc