Taking a closer look at adherence

Awhile back, when discussing the importance of staying true to your medication and self-care regimen, I was using the word “compliance.” It was the word I was familiar with. But I had never really considered what compliance actually means until one of my readers educated me. Think about what compliance implies — doing what you are told, not challenging the rules you are given, not considering whether the rules make the best sense for you. Compliance can mean disempowerment. On the other hand, adherence implies not rules, but guidelines. Guidelines that have been discussed, questioned, carefully considered. And then, after some due diligence, accepting these guidelines and choosing to adhere to them. Adherence equals making a choice. Here’s a link to an article on this topic: https://justgotdiagnosed.com/resources/compliance-versus-adherence/