We don’t often talk about it, but many of us face a moment when our health no longer feels fully in our control. Even as a physician who teaches lifestyle medicine and wellness, I’ve felt this deeply in my own life.
This article is part of a new reflective series where I explore health through stories, ancient philosophy, and modern medicine. If you enjoy this kind of writing, I invite you to join the newsletter for more pieces like this.
A Moment of Honesty
I haven’t written on my blog or newsletter for months.
Not because I didn’t want to — but because I felt like an imposter.
I teach people about well-being.
I run a health channel.
I guide patients every day.
And yet… I’ve been struggling with my own health too.
Every Monday, I tell myself, “This is the week I get back on track.”
I’ll sleep better, stress less, eat better, walk more.
But life happens:
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stress
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responsibilities
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problems I didn’t expect
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emotional exhaustion
And by the end of the week, I feel defeated.
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone.
What Stoicism Teaches Us About Control
The Stoic philosopher Epictetus said something that has guided people for centuries:
“Some things are in our control.
Some things are not.”
He couldn’t control the world around him.
But he could control how he responded to it.
Control, to the Stoics, wasn’t perfection —
it was honesty.
The courage to admit what is yours and what isn’t.
Why Losing Control Feels So Heavy
In medicine, I see this pattern all the time:
People know what to do.
But life overloads them.
Stress floods the nervous system.
Sleep falls apart.
Habits crumble.
Motivation disappears.
It’s not weakness.
It’s physiology.
It’s psychology.
It’s being human.
When health feels out of control, the solution is not to “try harder.”
It’s to start smaller.
A Personal Reflection
I realized something:
I don’t have to be perfect to share this journey.
I just have to be honest.
Like many of you, I’m balancing:
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work
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family
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stress
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emotional weight
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aging
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unpredictable life moments
And that’s enough.
That’s real.
That’s human.
My goal with this new direction is simple:
To explore health through wisdom, not perfection.
One Practice You Can Do Today: The Two Lists
Take a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle.
Label the left side: What I can’t control.
Label the right side: What I can control today.
Left side examples:
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stress
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other people
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unexpected events
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past choices
Right side examples:
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one healthy meal
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a 10-minute walk
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going to bed 20 minutes earlier
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stepping outside for fresh air
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taking a few slow breaths
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writing a single calming sentence
Start here.
Control begins again with small steps.
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