Episode 8 - Healthy Boundaries Equals Healthy Bodies with Dr. Shalonna Battle
By Jessica Garrison
Our guest this week, Dr. Shalonna Battle, is an expert when it comes to women and their health concerns. She’s a nurse practitioner who has not only seen but also experienced how difficult it can be as a woman visiting the doctor. Particularly for women of color, health concerns are not always treated the way they should be since women are stereotyped to be dramatic, overbearing, and emotional. She’s used her knowledge to continue helping women in the doctor’s office but to also help them in everyday life. However, she’s had to go on her own journey to be able to help others go on theirs.
Being a caregiver to others caused Shalonna to leave herself behind when it came to self-care. She had to learn how to value it before she was able to prioritize it in her life. A lot of the time, Shalonna takes work home with her and has her own podcast to think about outside of work. Women are always placing themselves on the back burner, but Shalonna has come to realize that that does a disservice to yourself, as well as those around you. Our self-care is connected to everything: our boundaries, our mental health, and our physical health, just to name a few. Without taking care of yourself, you’re not able to give to all the other parts of your life.
Boundaries is another area that has been difficult for Shalonna. She’s a compassionate person who wants to please those around her. The first step is giving yourself permission, and she said that when you set boundaries, you are doing two things: recognizing your limitations and respecting your limitations. When you communicate them, you’re also asking those around you to do the same. We often give respect to those around us, but don’t give it to ourselves as much as we should. Remember to give yourself the respect you deserve as you would a friend or a family member. We have to learn to not be afraid to ask for the respect we deserve from others, too.
The podcast Shalonna created is called The Eavesdrop, and its purpose is to help women outside of the doctor’s office. There are many layers to health, such as an economic layer. Not everyone has the money, insurance, or time off to be able to go to the doctor on a regular basis when they’re feeling pain or to see a specialist for what they need. On the podcast, Shalonna has experts come on to provide resources and knowledge, and she hopes to support women by providing this in a public forum that doesn’t cost anything.
Too many times, Shalonna has seen patients come in that are suffering because no one makes the connection between emotional health and physical health. An example she provided was when she had a patient with chronic pelvic pain. Something she thought of that no one else did was screen for depression. Shalonna said her patient had never been screened for it before, and her results were off the charts. This poor woman didn’t know her mental health could be affecting her physically, and neither did any of the other professionals she went to see. When one is off, the other is bound to suffer, and Shalonna is able to share how much mental health can affect physical health with all the work she does.
When it comes to living out of your own expectations versus others’, Shalonna said she lives out of her truth and encourages others to live out of their own, too. Something Melissa and our team have talked about often is “imposter syndrome,” which is basically when you have self-doubt about yourself and your abilities when you’re achieving something great. It doesn’t feel like you should have the title others give you or you don’t deserve the praise you may be getting. But, as Shalonna reminds us, we have to strive for whatever we want. Be your own individual and live out the life you want to. What other people may think or believe is not as important as what you think or believe.
It’s difficult learning to accept the negative layers we may have, but Shalonna has seen the beauty in accepting the good, the bad, and the ugly. She continues to grow and thrive, as well as help other women who need to see the beauty in peeling back the layers. It’s gotten her to where she is now, and I think everyone can agree that Dr. Shalonna Battle is an extraordinary woman. She doesn’t allow negative relationships in her life, and this helps her to continue working on appreciating her self-worth. Don’t settle for less than what you deserve, and a big part of that is realizing how much you’re worth. We tend to look down on ourselves, but we’re working to change the narrative to self-love and self-appreciation.
I recommend everyone listen to Dr. Shalonna Battle’s podcast, The Eavesdrop, to not only support her work in supporting women, but also learn something that could change your life.
Ways to Engage: Think about a time when you had a negative or positive experience at the doctor’s office. What happened that made you feel that way? What are things you wish they would have done or would not have done to make you feel more comfortable? Or what did they do that you enjoyed? A negative experience with one doctor may not be the same for another, but it instills fear in us for future visits. Feel free to share what feels comfortable to you, and we hope Dr. Shalonna Battle’s episode can provide a bit of peace.