Whole Health: Recharge - Charles

Whole Health is VA’s approach to health care that considers you as a whole person. Just like recharging your phone, we have to recharge each day to have the energy we need for our bodies and brains. This includes quality sleep at night, regular periods of rest and relaxation throughout the day and taking vacations or breaks from our daily routines.
If anybody appreciates the value of a good night’s rest, it’s Charles Tolbert. Approaching retirement, the Army Veteran found himself in the throes of a serious sleep disorder. “The problem that started was the thinking of retirement and what if I don’t get to see certain parts of living,” said Tolbert, reflecting on the overthinking that led to his restlessness. “I was thinking about death and dying in my sleep.” His insomnia ultimately resulted in a nightmare scenario: five straight days without sleep.
That’s when he turned to Whole Health. Referred to the program by his primary care physician, Tolbert made contact with a Whole Health coach. From there, he began an integrative therapeutic course that included meditation, yoga nidra, dieting, and more. The result wasn’t just better sleep, but also improved confidence, a newfound sense of inner peace, and an overall better quality of life.
Tolbert’s rediscovered rest has given him plenty of time to dream. In addition to being more present in his everyday life, he has taken up adaptive sports like running and cycling. “I’m not where I was that first day of thinking that … is this what I’m ended up as, you know, miserable and can’t sleep,” he said. “And it’s not the case today.”