Latest / Masterminds Podcast / Doctor Reveals the Everyday Habits That Silently Destroy Your Health - Masterminds Podcast EP15

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Doctor Reveals the Everyday Habits That Silently Destroy Your Health - Masterminds Podcast EP15 · Masterminds Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Help someone, especially in their most vulnerable state, is something that I have found extremely fulfilling.
0:05
SPEAKER_04: Why did you decide to become a doctor?
0:06
SPEAKER_01: It was more my dad's decision.
0:08
SPEAKER_01: And you know, in the typical African setting, one of your parents is either a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer.
0:14
SPEAKER_01: If not all their kids, at least one.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: You as an individual, you have to take charge of your health.
0:19
SPEAKER_04: So if I'm eating an unlimited supply of natural sugar, that won't like increase the risk of diabetes in the future.
0:26
SPEAKER_01: Too much of everything is what we spend a lot of time behind the screens.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: Sleep deprivation.
0:33
SPEAKER_01: Guilty.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: I have been guilty of that too.
0:36
SPEAKER_01: Let me not lie.
0:37
SPEAKER_01: Posture is important.
0:38
SPEAKER_01: Why does it almost feel like our mind is so um our cultural stereotypes?
0:45
SPEAKER_01: We need to really do a lot of education.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: We treat mental health and physical health in isolation.
0:52
SPEAKER_01: You're amazing.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: And give yourself a break.
0:58
SPEAKER_04: If you're running on autopilot, skipping meals, scrolling late, hunched over your desk, then this episode of Masterminds is for you.
1:07
SPEAKER_04: Dr.
1:07
SPEAKER_04: Vanessa Asei Atikui, medical doctor and founder of First Aid on Wheels, will expose the everyday habits that silently erode our hill and show how simple changes can bring vibrant life back.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: Hi Richie.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: How are you doing?
1:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm doing very well.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
1:25
SPEAKER_04: Oh, look at your pleasant smile.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you.
1:28
SPEAKER_04: So I brought you here to lecture people.
1:32
SPEAKER_04: And and I have to say, like, I've been a victim of this for a long time.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
1:37
SPEAKER_04: I went a very long time seeing certain things as, oh, it's fine.
1:41
SPEAKER_04: It's fine if I sleep at 2 a.m.
1:43
SPEAKER_04: and wake up at 6 a.m.
1:45
SPEAKER_04: It's fine if you know I'm hunched behind the desk all the time and this and that.
1:50
SPEAKER_04: Until I started to learn what I was doing to my body.
1:54
SPEAKER_04: So I figured, okay, let's discuss this.
1:56
SPEAKER_04: Let's let's find a way to draw people's attention to the things they could be doing that is shortening their lifespan or the quality of their life.
2:05
SPEAKER_04: So let's start with this.
2:07
SPEAKER_04: First of all, let me ask you a very redundant question that I'm sure you've been asked so many times.
2:12
SPEAKER_01: I'm listening.
2:12
SPEAKER_04: Why did you decide to become a doctor?
2:14
SPEAKER_01: Why did I decide to become a doctor?
2:16
SPEAKER_01: Well, um, thank you.
2:18
SPEAKER_01: I'd say it wasn't my decision to become a doctor.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: Yes, it was more my dad's decision.
2:24
SPEAKER_01: So I'd say um nature, nurture is what has brought me this far.
2:29
SPEAKER_01: So my dad himself, um, he's a seasoned medical doctor.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
2:33
SPEAKER_01: And you know, in the typical African setting, if one of your parents is either a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, one of their kids, at least one would have to be um in that profession as they are.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: And me being the only girl, too, you can imagine the pressure.
2:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
2:50
SPEAKER_01: So um it was my dad's brilliant idea.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: Let me put it that way.
2:54
SPEAKER_04: Are you glad you caved into the pressure?
2:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, yes, I'm absolutely glad because the impact is is good to see, let me put it that way.
3:03
SPEAKER_01: Um having being the one to help someone, especially in their most vulnerable state, is something that I have found extremely fulfilling.
3:13
SPEAKER_01: And having found myself in this position, I can just see or I have seen the impact that I have I have had on the number of persons that I have helped in that vulnerable state.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: So, yes, it's it's been extremely fulfilling.
3:27
SPEAKER_01: Okay, then let's just dive straight in.
3:29
SPEAKER_04: Now we're not going to save their lives in the hospital.
3:31
SPEAKER_04: Let's save their lives before they get there.
3:33
SPEAKER_04: What are some of the things that you observe people do on the daily that like affect their lives without them knowing?
3:42
SPEAKER_01: Well, a couple of things.
3:43
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've all been guilty of one or two things that we do on a daily that in the long run, medium to long term, would definitely affect our quality of life.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: So sleep deprivation, you know, we we decide we don't have a guilty.
3:59
SPEAKER_01: I have I have been guilty of that too.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: Let me not lie.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: You know, I've been guilty of that also until sometime last year where I decided to make a radical change to my sleep and schedule.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: So um, having a good sleeping schedule goes a long way to help improve the quality of your life.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: Also, hydration.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: We don't hydrate enough.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: Cheers.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: I guess it's time to take a simple water.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: So we don't hydrate enough.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, the other thing is screen time.
4:32
SPEAKER_01: We spend a lot of time behind the screens, whether it's our mobile phones or the TV, our iPads.
4:39
SPEAKER_01: Now, gadgets have become a part of our daily routine, and so um spending too much time behind the screen will definitely have an impact.
4:48
SPEAKER_04: I read that the average person, I mean, uh the normal person spends averagely six hours behind their screen every day.
4:54
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine that?
4:55
SPEAKER_01: That's a lot of time.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: That's a lot of time.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: That is a lot of time.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: The other thing is also poor diet, too.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: So not eating the right uh foods will definitely impact your health in the long run.
5:06
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: And physical activity.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: That's when we mostly don't like to hear it, but poor physical or minimal physical activity influences uh the quality of our lives.
5:15
SPEAKER_04: Let's start with physical activity.
5:17
SPEAKER_04: So, would you say is a necessity for everybody to exercise?
5:22
SPEAKER_04: Or when you say physical activity, do you mean oh, I took a walk in the morning for five minutes around, like maybe from my kitchen to my bedroom?
5:32
SPEAKER_04: Or does it need to be like I go to the gym?
5:34
SPEAKER_04: What level of physical activity?
5:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, the other thing is screen time.
5:38
SPEAKER_01: We spend a lot of time behind the screens, whether it's our mobile phones or the TV or iPads.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: Now, gadgets have become a part of our daily routine, and so um spending those, let's leave those for the bodybuilders and those who the professionals, let's leave.
5:55
SPEAKER_01: Let's leave it for that.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: So the importance of physical activity is just more to keep your heart healthy, also to allow good circulation.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: And um, being sedentary, that is sitting down at one place has its own complications.
6:07
SPEAKER_01: So physical activity helps to minimize that sedentary lifestyle.
6:12
SPEAKER_01: So taking a power walk, it can be a 15-minute walk in a day.
6:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, but just take a good power walk just to release some um endorphins or to just sweat, you know, it's um it really, really goes a long way to help.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: So it's not about going to the gym and popping those metal.
6:28
SPEAKER_04: Right now, we live in a 10,000 steps world.
6:31
SPEAKER_04: Everybody's aiming to hit 10,000 steps a day.
6:35
SPEAKER_01: Is it a necessity or 5,000 is fine, or you know, I would say depending on your physical state.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: So there are certain persons that asking them to do 10,000 steps a day would be a little bit uh ridiculous.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: So maybe the geriatric um population, like the elderly, the extreme elderly, asking them to do 10,000 steps, that's not just pushing it.
6:58
SPEAKER_01: So it's good to keep your steps up, but if you can aim for 5,000 steps a day, five to ten thousand steps a day as um a young adult, that would be extremely beneficial.
7:09
SPEAKER_04: Okay, okay.
7:11
SPEAKER_04: You mentioned diets.
7:12
SPEAKER_04: So let's be a little more specific.
7:15
SPEAKER_04: What are some of the wrong decisions people are taking when it comes to diet?
7:18
SPEAKER_04: Okay, and make sure you don't attack me because I get attacked very easily.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: Really?
7:25
SPEAKER_02: Do you get attacked very easily or you feel attacked very easily?
7:28
SPEAKER_02: I get attacked.
7:29
SPEAKER_04: I don't know why you people keep talking about I should stop eating chicken.
7:32
SPEAKER_02: I should stop, you guys, you're maybe some more time to stop.
7:34
SPEAKER_04: Oh see, here we go.
7:36
SPEAKER_04: She's attacking me.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, when it comes to diets, um, on a more serious note, when it comes to diets, the fizzy drinks or the sugary drinks that we indulge in, um, most of the times people will just pick up, let me not mention brands, a soda, yes, a soda, and then just drink it without paying mind to maybe having a healthy meal and then replacing water with that.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, so that goes a long way to increase.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: Um, let me let's not get technical.
8:06
SPEAKER_04: So the long run we get technical.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: All right.
8:09
SPEAKER_01: So um, sugary drinks would increase your insulin resistance.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: So in the long run, you're going to have issues with diabetes, okay, type 2 diabetes, which you would not want to get into.
8:21
SPEAKER_01: The other aspect is also carbohydrates.
8:24
SPEAKER_01: I mean, our environment has quite a lot of carbohydrates.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: The foods that we eat is essentially carbohydrates.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: But what I usually preach is portion control.
8:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying cut out your kinkies, your fufu, your banku, your rice.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I love actually get it.
8:39
SPEAKER_01: I love rice.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: Personally, I really love rice.
8:41
SPEAKER_01: I could eat rice every single day, but portion control is extremely important.
8:45
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
8:45
SPEAKER_01: So having the right portion, so you do a little portion of the carbohydrate with lots of vegetables and proteins that would help improve your overall health in terms of dietary and replacement.
8:56
SPEAKER_01: And then the hydration.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: I I couldn't speak too much about uh hydration because it's uh extremely important to consistently hydrate.
9:04
SPEAKER_01: So don't ignore water because water is extremely important for the body.
9:08
SPEAKER_04: So it's not even so much of what we eat versus how we portion the interesting.
9:15
SPEAKER_04: So I you have to help me win this argument.
9:18
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
9:18
SPEAKER_04: I had an argument with someone and they were trying to make a point that like when you're trying to explain to them too much sugar isn't good for them, they need to stop the fizzy drinks.
9:27
SPEAKER_04: Then they would show me, well, in a in a you know, in a bottle of a fizzy drink, there's this amount of grams of sugar.
9:35
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
9:35
SPEAKER_04: And there's more grams of sugar in a mango than that fizzy drink.
9:39
SPEAKER_04: And I'm trying to explain to them there's a difference between natural sugar and artificial sugar.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's just simply it.
9:46
SPEAKER_01: There is a difference between artificial sugar and then natural sugar.
9:49
SPEAKER_01: So why couldn't I have this argument?
9:51
SPEAKER_01: I don't know who you're arguing with.
9:53
SPEAKER_01: But that shouldn't even be an argument to begin with.
9:55
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: So we encourage more natural sugars.
9:59
SPEAKER_04: How does it appear just differently?
10:00
SPEAKER_01: Why is it that so if I So processed foods, overly processed foods have an influence, it means they contain more chemicals.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: They go through a lot of um processes before it becomes the item that you're going to consume.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: Whereas in a natural um fruit, you're getting the it's naturally, let me put it that way.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have to go through so many chemical processes to help store it.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: And in it doesn't contain so many chemicals as compared to the processed um sugars.
10:31
SPEAKER_04: So if I'm eating an unlimited supply of natural sugar, that won't like increase the risk of diabetes in the future.
10:39
SPEAKER_01: Too much of everything is what is bad.
10:42
SPEAKER_01: So it's about balance, about control.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: So I'm not going to tell you to binge on mangoes every single day.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: That's that would not be healthy.
10:52
SPEAKER_01: Because at the end of the day, you're going to overburden yourself with the mangoes that you're eating and you're going to cut out the other sources of nutrients that you need as an individual to help boost your body's immunity.
11:03
SPEAKER_01: So let's always keep in mind that inasmuch as we are encouraging certain things, we should not overdo it.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: Because in overdoing it, then we're going to cause problems.
11:12
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
11:13
SPEAKER_04: So that means I can also over-drink water?
11:15
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: There is something like water intoxication.
11:18
SPEAKER_01: So it's something that we should all keep in mind.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: So overdoing anything, too much of everything is extremely bad, and too little of everything is also bad.
11:26
SPEAKER_01: So still portion.
11:29
SPEAKER_04: What about the honey myth?
11:31
SPEAKER_04: Like, can I use honey as a substitute for my artificial sugar?
11:37
SPEAKER_01: Well, I would wish to answer that, but I haven't done too much of reading in that aspect, so I won't be able to speak on authority too much on that.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
11:47
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
11:47
SPEAKER_04: Then now let's move from diet and go to one thing that, as a producer, artist, CEO, have fallen trap.
11:57
SPEAKER_04: How does all the screen time affect us negatively?
12:02
SPEAKER_04: Because trust me, everybody who's watching this right now is going to argue with that.
12:06
SPEAKER_04: In fact, they're watching us on their screen.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: It's like you're telling them to turn off their screens, but then here you are with a podcast.
12:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: Asking them to watch the conflict, eh?
12:16
SPEAKER_01: So too much of screen time puts a strain on your eyes.
12:20
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
12:20
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
12:21
SPEAKER_01: And also the blue light exposure, too much of that also puts a strain on the eyes.
12:26
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
12:26
SPEAKER_01: So we're looking at having a good balance.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's important to watch your screens.
12:30
SPEAKER_01: It's important to know what is happening in the world.
12:35
SPEAKER_01: But like I always say, too much of it is bad.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: So strain on your eyes and then too much exposure to the blue light would have an effect on your eyes.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, too much of screen time would also create an imbalance in your sleep schedule.
12:47
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, sometimes a person would be on the screen until 2 a.m., 3 a.m.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: until they're able to fall asleep.
12:53
SPEAKER_04: Then they'll be posting.
12:54
SPEAKER_04: Why can't I fall asleep?
12:56
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
12:56
SPEAKER_02: But then the reason you can't sleep is because you are posting.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: You know, so it's um it irregulates your sleeping pattern.
13:03
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
13:03
SPEAKER_01: And also has a strain on the eyes with um too much exposure to the blue light, also.
13:08
SPEAKER_04: One thing too I was learning about was the excess dopamine hits, like especially with scrolling on TikTok and Instagram.
13:17
SPEAKER_01: The excitement, the laughter, everything.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
13:20
SPEAKER_04: It makes your other regular moments feel so dull that it leads to possible depression, low moments.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: And how do people and then that um feeling of being left out?
13:31
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
13:32
SPEAKER_01: So um being intentional about how much screen time you would have goes a long way or plays a significant role in regulating um your dopamine levels.
13:42
SPEAKER_01: Being some people would be so much on the screen that they forget the reality.
13:48
SPEAKER_01: It's exciting.
13:48
SPEAKER_01: These things are made such that you get hooked onto it.
13:51
SPEAKER_01: So you as an individual have have to be intentional, extremely intentional.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: You can set an alarm, say, okay, maybe I want to scroll through my um social media apps for the next 30 minutes, and then I'll give myself a five to 10 minute break.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: So set an alarm.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: Allow your body to get used to this so that you don't find yourself being caught up in the moment of just scrolling without focus.
14:16
SPEAKER_04: And most people don't know this, but every social media app actually has that setting.
14:20
SPEAKER_04: Yes, it has a setting which will remind you maybe in 20 minutes or 30 minutes that you've been on for too long.
14:27
SPEAKER_04: So log off.
14:28
SPEAKER_04: So even the people you are giving your attention to want you to leave for a bit.
14:32
SPEAKER_04: Come on.
14:34
SPEAKER_04: Okay, what about posture?
14:35
SPEAKER_04: Because I I suffered this for a while where I had severe back pains and everything, and they mentioned there was the stress compounded by my back posture.
14:45
SPEAKER_04: So, how how does that happen?
14:47
SPEAKER_01: So, posture is important.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: Um, certainly should I be sitting like this or should I do this?
14:54
SPEAKER_01: Ideally, we should be sitting like this.
14:56
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
14:57
SPEAKER_01: Yes, let me put it this way.
15:00
SPEAKER_01: We are so used to crouching, we are so used to being in a certain way that sitting the ideal way becomes foreign to us.
15:08
SPEAKER_01: But um, the wrong posture, like you rightly said, would have a long-term effect on um your muscles or your spine.
15:15
SPEAKER_01: So sitting in the wrong way or sitting in a way that is not right for your body would lead to maybe nerve impingement from the spine, and then also muscle strain.
15:26
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, sometimes you can be sitting on your arm, and over after a while you just start to feel some numbness or you start to feel an ache.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: That is your body in its own way telling you that to get off.
15:36
SPEAKER_01: It's time to switch positions.
15:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, so posture goes a long way to help reduce the effect of sprain or um strains of the muscles, and then um the reducing the headaches or even reducing the muscle aches or the backaches that we tend to have.
15:52
SPEAKER_04: Why does it almost feel like our mind is fighting our body?
15:56
SPEAKER_04: In what sense?
15:56
SPEAKER_04: Because if I think about it, it's like the everybody is looking for comfort.
16:02
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
16:02
SPEAKER_04: Everybody's trying to do things to just make them feel comfortable and feel good.
16:06
SPEAKER_04: But from everything I'm hearing, everything I keep reading, the body doesn't like to be comfortable.
16:11
SPEAKER_04: The body is sort of it likes to be fighting the comfort.
16:14
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
16:15
SPEAKER_04: It's like I'm working so hard so I can slouch in my chair.
16:19
SPEAKER_04: But then I can't slouch in my chair because it's not good for my posture.
16:22
SPEAKER_04: I'm working so hard so I can afford any food, but I can't eat any food because it's not good for my health.
16:28
SPEAKER_04: So why is our mind craving these things that are bad for us?
16:33
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'd say it's probably our exposure.
16:37
SPEAKER_01: You know, your body gets used to what you expose it to.
16:41
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
16:42
SPEAKER_01: So if you keep eating sugary foods or you keep snacking over a period of time, your body gets used to it such that when you stop, then it starts to feel very agitated, it starts to feel very anxious.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: It's like some addiction.
16:58
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
16:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's a certain form of addiction where your body gets used to something over time, and then once you drop it suddenly, then it becomes a problem for you.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: Yes, indeed, we're all fighting to be comfortable, we're all fighting to eat whatever it is that we we want, but then at what cost?
17:15
SPEAKER_01: You always have to ask yourself, at what cost?
17:17
SPEAKER_01: What is the cost of um eating whatever it is that I want?
17:21
SPEAKER_01: What is the cost of just sleeping in an uncomfortable position?
17:26
SPEAKER_01: You know, you sleep, you wake up in the morning and then you know, you wake up in the morning, maybe you have a neckache or a backache or your arm is hurting.
17:35
SPEAKER_01: So being intentional really goes a long way to keep your overall body healthy and it improves the quality of your life.
17:42
SPEAKER_04: You know, I never I never knew food was an addiction until I started doing intermittent fasting.
17:49
SPEAKER_04: And then I realized, because early Richie, I need to eat at least three times a day, and I can eat at any time.
17:57
SPEAKER_04: And you know, if I wake up in the morning, you have to have your breakfast.
18:00
SPEAKER_04: Yes, if I ever had breakfast, hey, I'm feeling weak.
18:03
SPEAKER_04: When I started intermittent fasting, I realized I actually don't need to.
18:08
SPEAKER_04: I can actually go 16 hours without eating, and my body is just fine.
18:14
SPEAKER_04: So once again, is it that our brain has triggered us into these things, or is it the pressure of society and all these norms that we've peddled for so long that is making us get into habits that is making us make our lives miserable?
18:31
SPEAKER_01: Well, it's uh let me say it's a it's a mix of both because our daily activities do not really allow us to be able to take a pause.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: Even our environmental factors, maybe there, I don't know if there are any besides the Lagoon Botanical Gardens, are there any significant exactly are there any parks that you can walk to and say that, oh, I want to just take a stroll and you know experience nature?
18:58
SPEAKER_04: No, you look at the pollution nature, it's walking on my paved road, exactly, exactly.
19:05
SPEAKER_01: So um these all these come together to basically reduce the quality of our lives.
19:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, unfortunately, in our part of the world, we're not intentional about how our environment impacts us as individuals.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: So I don't know, maybe long-term is something that we can be looking out for or trying to plan and then because quality of life is basically everything.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: You get to that um peak where you have all the money in the world, but then you are battling one cancer or the other, or one disease or the other.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: And you're not even enjoying all the money that you've made.
19:40
SPEAKER_01: You you can't wear the shoes that you want because, okay, you're having a footage depending on what you wear.
19:45
SPEAKER_01: So, to what end, what is the cost of just doing anything?
19:50
SPEAKER_01: And I would say that we have trained our minds into accepting certain things.
19:56
SPEAKER_01: I'll go back to when I spoke about binging on sugary foods.
20:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah over time, your body gets used to it.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: So once you take it away, then it becomes a problem.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: So being intentional really goes a long way.
20:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, I remember I went like four or five months without drinking any sugary drink.
20:13
SPEAKER_04: Okay, congrats.
20:15
SPEAKER_04: When I took a sugary drink five months later, I was like, oh my god, is this what I've always been drinking?
20:22
SPEAKER_04: It tasted so sugary, but I got used to it again, but I'm off now.
20:28
SPEAKER_04: But you see, I have um I have mixed feelings when it comes to medicine.
20:32
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and this is my reason.
20:34
SPEAKER_04: Medicine is the best thing, the advancement of medicine has really enhanced our lives, it's it's increased uh what do you call it the average age of humanity right now and everything.
20:46
SPEAKER_03: The life expectancy.
20:47
SPEAKER_04: Yes, the life expectancy.
20:49
SPEAKER_04: But I also believe that the dependency on that is part of why we've gotten so lazy with taking care of ourselves because we know we will be taken care of, like something too.
21:02
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, if if I sleep wrong and I have a headache, it's a pill.
21:08
SPEAKER_04: Just give me a painkiller and I'll be fine, you know.
21:11
SPEAKER_04: Do you think we need to become a little more responsible personally and understand the fact that medicine is supposed to be in case of emergency and not like I know people who are best friends with their pharmacists, yeah, because they always need to buy painkillers on their way home.
21:27
SPEAKER_04: Do you think that it gets to a point where we understand, yes, in case of emergency, call your doctor?
21:34
SPEAKER_04: Oh, it it's it's it literally says that, right?
21:36
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
21:38
SPEAKER_04: So why are we now living in a world where you have to go for monthly checkups, you have to like because we are not taking care of ourselves.
21:46
SPEAKER_04: How do we conscientize people to be responsible for themselves?
21:51
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's that is a full question.
21:53
SPEAKER_01: I know I would say our culture also does not encourage us to.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Do certain things.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: We in our parts of the world we do more curative medicine as opposed to preventive medicine.
22:08
SPEAKER_01: So you would have people visiting the hospitals only when they're unwell, which is rather ideally supposed to be the opposite.
22:15
SPEAKER_01: You're supposed to have a doctor's, a routine doctor's visit depending on maybe your gender and then also the stage of life that you find yourself.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: So that if there is a disease that may be formula, it would be caught early.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: There's um diseases that we have, maybe, let me take the diabetes.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: We have pre-diabetes and then diabetes.
22:36
SPEAKER_01: So having routine checks, you'd be able to catch it in the prediabetic stages so that you'd be advised on certain lifestyle modifications that would help improve your quality of life and then also prevent you from getting to that stage of diabetes.
22:51
SPEAKER_01: So I think sensitization where we educate the public, we create a lot more awareness in terms of health.
22:58
SPEAKER_01: So people can visit the health facilities not only when they're unwell, but to prevent being unwell.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: I mean, certain things are basically um inevitable.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: At a certain point, you will get unwell, depending on your environmental factors.
23:14
SPEAKER_01: You will get unwell.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: And so you'd have to go to the hospital.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, there are people that you hear them say, Oh, it's been 10 years I've not been to the hospital.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: It's not a flex, actually.
23:24
SPEAKER_01: It's really not a flex that you think it is.
23:26
SPEAKER_01: You have to have an intentional routine visit with your healthcare provider.
23:32
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: You know, some people will go to the hospital as 40 and it's now they know their blood group, or now they know their standing HB or their routine HB, or now they know their sickling status, or it's something that would come up when they are 50, and then you'd find out that they have a family history of cancer.
23:53
SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, these are certain things that you, as an individual, you have to take charge of your health.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, for me, I say that when it comes to health, ignorance is not bliss.
24:02
SPEAKER_01: Because at the time it hits you, it's almost as if you're not going to say, Oh, he was ignorant.
24:08
SPEAKER_01: It would be like where did it all come from?
24:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, you have not been to the hospital.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: You have been in the hospital for the last 10 years.
24:19
SPEAKER_01: You have been drinking every soda possible, you have been eating just about anything, you have not been active, you have had all sorts of stress in your life.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: So being intentional, owning your health goes a long way to improve your quality of life.
24:34
SPEAKER_01: So, um, our cultural stereotypes, we need to really do a lot of education.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: We we the our culture believes that the bigger you are, the more you know rich you are or you're taking care of yourself.
24:48
SPEAKER_01: You see someone who should be that distinct.
24:51
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: You know, you see somebody who is obese, you tell the person they're obese, and then it becomes a problem.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: Now we've become very guarded, even in our words.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can't even advise someone because then it becomes body shaming.
25:05
SPEAKER_01: But at what point do we actually acknowledge the underlying health?
25:12
SPEAKER_04: This is why you shouldn't put a mic in front of you.
25:15
SPEAKER_01: You know, at what point do we say I'm concerned about your health and not, you know, how big or fancy it looks or how trendy it looks, you know?
25:27
SPEAKER_01: So I think that we really have to have a complete mindset change.
25:33
SPEAKER_04: I think it all comes back to that wanting to be comfortable.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
25:37
SPEAKER_03: Now who doesn't want comfort?
25:39
SPEAKER_04: And we've normalized it so much that even people wanting to be comfortable in the wrong way is now being praised.
25:46
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, we went from it being frowned upon to being accepted to now being praised, like oh my girl, okay.
25:57
SPEAKER_04: Cancel culture.
26:01
SPEAKER_04: Okay, let's talk about stress for a bit.
26:04
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
26:04
SPEAKER_04: Um, I I know that say about 70% of diseases are mostly either caused by stress or like made worse by stress.
26:15
SPEAKER_04: So, how do we prevent chronic stress in our lives?
26:19
SPEAKER_01: Be intentional about your health, be intentional about your well-being.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: Um we we treat mental health and physical health in isolation, but the two go hand in hand.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, stress, prolonged stress.
26:33
SPEAKER_01: You know, we've we have accepted overproductivity to mean that you are working, but that shouldn't be the case.
26:41
SPEAKER_01: We have looked at rest as laziness.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: You go to someone's house and you see the person lying on their couch, probably just enjoying a breeze and be like, hmm, I cry to frow away.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, we call that.
26:56
SPEAKER_01: You know, there are certain things that we have to be extremely intentional about.
27:01
SPEAKER_01: Rest should not be considered laziness.
27:03
SPEAKER_01: Yes, too much of rest sometimes to that is sloth, and that's one year.
27:06
SPEAKER_01: That's one of the seven capital sins, you know.
27:09
SPEAKER_01: So there's a difference between slothing away and then actually resting.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: Even God rested after he did all the work that he needed to do.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: And that should tell us something.
27:19
SPEAKER_01: Your body needs rest.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, let's just say a vehicle, let's use the vehicle as um as our body.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: If you keep driving, driving, driving, right, driving, driving without taking breaks, what do you think is going to happen?
27:32
SPEAKER_01: It'll be exactly so that is the same as your body.
27:36
SPEAKER_01: And just as the vehicle gives us signals when it needs to be checked, our bodies also start giving us signals.
27:43
SPEAKER_01: So it'll be so in tune with your body that when it starts giving you these signals, you start to notice it.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: And prolonged stress would only lead to burnout, depression, anxiety.
27:54
SPEAKER_01: And yes, it's been studies have um shown that women actually have a lot of autoimmune disorders, which can be associated with stress.
28:03
SPEAKER_01: Because now we have women professionals who still have the burden of home care, yeah, you know, raising a family.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: So the burden, and then they're taught to not complain.
28:14
SPEAKER_01: So keeping it all in eventually starts to have an effect on their physical.
28:19
SPEAKER_04: Where did that mindset come from?
28:21
SPEAKER_04: That the person who suffers in silence the most is the cancel culture.
28:25
SPEAKER_01: We have to stop it.
28:27
SPEAKER_04: Like, can I say whatever I want and they can't cancel me?
28:30
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we also have to be guarded in our words.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: Oh, fine.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: Season your words with salt, just as the Bible tells us.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, in everything we have to be guarded, we have to be cautious, we have to apply wisdom.
28:41
SPEAKER_01: I could tell you something that is the truth, but how I would say it to you would probably hurt you or encourage you.
28:47
SPEAKER_01: So be intentional about how you relate also with other people.
28:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes, maybe you see someone, you're concerned about their health, you're concerned about their weight gain, be empathetic with the person because maybe the person may be having an underlying health condition, maybe going through some amount of stress that's causing that weight gain.
29:05
SPEAKER_01: So, in as much as we want to encourage people to be healthy, let's apply some wisdom.
29:11
SPEAKER_01: So don't just let out whatever is on your thoughts.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: Let me put it that way.
29:16
SPEAKER_04: I promise.
29:18
SPEAKER_04: But I'm so glad you brought up mental health.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
29:20
SPEAKER_04: Um, I personally believe mental health is so important.
29:23
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
29:24
SPEAKER_04: But in Ghana, especially, it is completely overlooked.
29:28
SPEAKER_04: You know, especially I can tell you as a man, you have no right to complain, to even show you are going through any pain.
29:39
SPEAKER_04: How do we conscientize people?
29:40
SPEAKER_04: And even if somebody is conscientized, what what what can they do about it when they are going through like a mental health problem?
29:49
SPEAKER_01: Yes, as for mental health, it's an unending conversation.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: However, I think we have come a long way from where we were before.
29:58
SPEAKER_01: In the past, speaking about mental health was such a stigma.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: Or so we spoke about it in hushed tones.
30:06
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not something that you come out in the open to speak about.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: But over the past couple of years, you've noticed there are some mental health summits, there talk therapies.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: We're encouraging people, especially men, um, to speak up because there is no glory in suck um in suffering.
30:23
SPEAKER_01: You know, there is nothing masculine about struggling with your mental health.
30:29
SPEAKER_01: It's I I personally I feel it's the least form of masculinity.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: I believe that a man should be able to own their mental health once they're able to speak up and say that, hey, I need help.
30:42
SPEAKER_01: That is manly.
30:43
SPEAKER_01: And it's the same for women.
30:44
SPEAKER_01: Don't be ashamed to speak about your mental health-related issues.
30:48
SPEAKER_01: We all go through issues, daily issues, which would have a strain on our mental health.
30:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, so talk therapy, encouraging structured support, um, having a system where we empathize with people rather than stigmatize them, and then education and awareness that we're all going through a certain level of mental health strain.
31:12
SPEAKER_01: And so being empathetic goes a long way to help improve our mental health.
31:18
SPEAKER_04: So I I've seen a contrast in theory, which is between Sigmund Freud, and I can't remember the other guy's name, sorry.
31:26
SPEAKER_04: So Freud is of the mindset that the more I think I've seen that too.
31:31
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, the more you talk about it, the more you, you know, you get help with people talking through it, remember your past traumas, the more you're able to overcome it.
31:39
SPEAKER_04: Wherever I I still can't remember the name, but the people it button.
31:44
SPEAKER_01: I think we're using more of the Freudian theory with mental health relators, which um talks about I think his name is Adler.
31:54
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah, yes.
31:57
SPEAKER_04: So Adler was of the opinion that to actually overcome it, you need to like power through it by taking actions.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: If you have anxiety, exactly, exactly.
32:09
SPEAKER_04: If you know you're feeling down, go to work.
32:11
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, which of these theories do you side with more?
32:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, I would say we could uh use a little bit of both.
32:19
SPEAKER_01: Okay, because it will not be healthy to encourage someone to simply just uh overlook their mental health strain because it only compounds and then eventually they explode.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, if you put someone um who has been in an abusive um cycle over time, at some point they're going to break.
32:44
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
32:45
SPEAKER_01: Because everybody has an elasticity level.
32:48
SPEAKER_01: You know, if you keep pulling a rubber band, pulling it, pulling it, no matter how much you stretch it, eventually it would snap.
32:54
SPEAKER_01: And it's the same with humans, you know, if you keep putting aside your mental health issues, your stresses, your feeling low, your anxiety, over time it's going to get worse.
33:06
SPEAKER_01: When you're left with your emotions, then you feel all of it at once.
33:10
SPEAKER_01: So I would say that it's good to be able to work around your stresses, but speak to someone, seek help.
33:20
SPEAKER_01: There are professionals who would be able to assist you to navigate some of the complexities of um life.
33:26
SPEAKER_01: I mean, life is like a roller coaster.
33:28
SPEAKER_01: One minute you're living the life.
33:31
SPEAKER_01: The next minute it's like, oh my goodness, what is happening here?
33:34
SPEAKER_01: And once you are, once things seem to be happening, it's almost as if everything is hitting you from every corner.
33:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
33:40
SPEAKER_01: And it becomes overwhelming.
33:42
SPEAKER_04: You know, like it's planned.
33:44
SPEAKER_04: I had the best day yesterday, then the next day.
33:46
SPEAKER_01: Yes, then the next day is like it's all you know, and yes, that's that can have um a mental strain on any person.
33:56
SPEAKER_01: So working through your emotions is extremely important.
34:00
SPEAKER_01: Identifying people to speak to, professionals to speak to is important.
34:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, I was reading somewhere about the eight-minute talk.
34:09
SPEAKER_01: You know, they say it takes eight minutes to prevent someone from getting, from tilting or going overboard.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: Now, the goal is not to turn everyone into a psychologist, but to just give a person who may be feeling hopeless some amount of hope.
34:26
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
34:27
SPEAKER_01: So it's not that you're going to sit down and then, you know, try to diagnose a person.
34:31
SPEAKER_01: It's not your job to do that.
34:33
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
34:33
SPEAKER_01: But you, as an individual, should empathize with a person.
34:37
SPEAKER_01: You, as an individual, should rekindle a certain amount of hope in a person that is feeling hopeless or feeling like everything is just about it.
34:47
SPEAKER_04: So you feel we should combine Freud and Adam?
34:49
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
34:50
SPEAKER_04: And I think it begins with us being empathetic because as much as we need to be able to go to the like a professional, the reason people can't go to professionals is because they are worried about how their peers would be.
35:03
SPEAKER_01: The stigma.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
35:04
SPEAKER_04: Stigma.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: So sensitization through health education, awareness creation, letting people know that dealing with stress is normal.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing to be shy about, there's nothing to feel isolated about, there's nothing to feel like you are not um, you are not up to standard simply because you're going through a difficult moment.
35:32
SPEAKER_01: So I think that we have indeed come such a long way, like I did mention, compared to a few years ago.
35:38
SPEAKER_01: Now we are more open to understanding the different um mental health-related issues, um anxiety, depression, um, you know, and then being empathetic with any person that may be experiencing mental health.
35:56
SPEAKER_04: Because I've also seen two different types of parenting.
35:59
SPEAKER_04: There's the overparenting.
36:02
SPEAKER_04: Where is overparenting?
36:04
SPEAKER_04: When my child has a problem, I am solving it no matter what.
36:07
SPEAKER_04: You know, this child is never going to suffer, which also makes the child so dependent that they can't handle any stress in life.
36:16
SPEAKER_04: Right.
36:16
SPEAKER_04: And there's the other side to where it's like, Yeah, you figure it out.
36:20
SPEAKER_01: You figure it out.
36:21
SPEAKER_04: Like, is is there a way we can be in the middle?
36:25
SPEAKER_04: So let's say, like, how every man, I can let you know this.
36:28
SPEAKER_04: Every man, at least my age or near, cannot talk about their problems.
36:34
SPEAKER_04: We were not trained to talk about our problems.
36:37
SPEAKER_04: It's not right to talk about our problems.
36:40
SPEAKER_04: Can we, and I understand that the reason it's been like that is because men for a very long time have been the sole, you know, providers in everything.
36:49
SPEAKER_04: And you can't provide when you are weak.
36:52
SPEAKER_01: So when you are perceived to be weak because of certain things that society perceives as weakness.
36:58
SPEAKER_04: I actually just mean you can't provide when you are weak.
37:01
SPEAKER_04: Okay, but they assumed that if a man is able to air out his problems, okay, he will become weak.
37:09
SPEAKER_00: Right.
37:10
SPEAKER_04: Not understanding that there's a balance where he should be able to identify the problem.
37:16
SPEAKER_04: Yes, and then the next step is, but what are you going to do about it?
37:20
SPEAKER_04: So it's like, like you mentioned, Freud meets Adler.
37:23
SPEAKER_03: Adler, yeah.
37:23
SPEAKER_04: You get me.
37:24
SPEAKER_04: Your boy falls down, he hurts his knee.
37:27
SPEAKER_04: You don't say exactly.
37:30
SPEAKER_04: Don't say walk it off.
37:31
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
37:31
SPEAKER_04: You acknowledge the fact that he's in pain and understand that he's in pain.
37:36
SPEAKER_04: Go over there and get the plaster and put it on it.
37:39
SPEAKER_04: Teach him the responsibility of overcoming the weakness.
37:43
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
37:43
SPEAKER_04: But don't make him feel like it's not even valid for him to feel the weakness in the first place.
37:49
SPEAKER_04: Like a balance.
37:50
SPEAKER_04: Don't overparent, but don't when it comes to parenting.
37:54
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm a mother of two beautiful children.
37:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it's it's a very sensitive topic.
38:04
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
38:05
SPEAKER_01: Because nobody really knows how to parent.
38:08
SPEAKER_01: Let me put it that way.
38:09
SPEAKER_01: True.
38:10
SPEAKER_01: We're all just basically winging it.
38:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know.
38:13
SPEAKER_04: Well, just like everything else in life, let's be honest.
38:16
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
38:17
SPEAKER_01: But then applying a certain level of wisdom helps.
38:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
38:21
SPEAKER_01: Just like you rightly said, um, don't invalidate your children's feelings.
38:26
SPEAKER_01: Listen to them, encourage them, walk them through their emotions so that when they grow up as adults, they would learn to understand, sit with their feelings, and work through it so that they don't become a burden on someone else.
38:39
SPEAKER_01: You know, because um people who have been taught to just isolate or to just ignore their feelings are not able to understand the next person's feelings.
38:49
SPEAKER_01: And society is basically built on relationships.
38:52
SPEAKER_01: So I need to be able to understand person A's feelings, know how to navigate their feelings or help them navigate their feelings so that in I can also be helped, you know.
39:04
SPEAKER_01: So I believe that parenting it's not easy, it's not easy.
39:10
SPEAKER_01: Let me put it that way.
39:12
SPEAKER_01: So we're all just trying our best.
39:14
SPEAKER_04: The hardest thing about parenting is you know, with most of the things that we do daily, yeah, we get close to instant results.
39:23
SPEAKER_04: Whereas with parenting, you are you are grooming somebody to be someone in 15 years' time.
39:30
SPEAKER_04: What if you got it wrong?
39:31
SPEAKER_04: And you can't tell in the moment.
39:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the pressure, the pressure is definitely overwhelming.
39:38
SPEAKER_01: It can be overwhelming because you're just thinking this person's future depends on how I bring them up, how they treat their spouse, their friends, depends on how I treat them.
39:49
SPEAKER_01: How so I would say that it starts with us as individuals because kids watch every single thing that we do.
39:56
SPEAKER_04: Every single thing that they do.
39:57
SPEAKER_01: And so if we are making the bad choices, then what would our kids do?
40:03
SPEAKER_01: So we don't have to ignore our own feelings.
40:05
SPEAKER_01: We need to understand our feelings, how we relate with ourselves as adults, um, setting boundaries, understanding ourselves.
40:14
SPEAKER_01: These are the things that our kids would pick up.
40:16
SPEAKER_01: You know, the the issue regarding people staying for the kids, in quotes, and then having separate happy homes, which is best.
40:24
SPEAKER_01: You know, there's been a lot of um comments or discussions in that regard where women are asked to stay in relationships or, let me say, abusive relationships for the kids.
40:36
SPEAKER_01: But then what are you teaching the kids?
40:38
SPEAKER_04: You know, what are it's okay to suffer?
40:40
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
40:41
SPEAKER_01: It's okay to tolerate this, it's okay to put up with this.
40:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
40:46
SPEAKER_01: What are you teaching them rather than giving them the opportunity to have maybe a happy, healthy home as individuals?
40:54
SPEAKER_01: You're putting them in a state of constant fear.
40:57
SPEAKER_01: There are people that they'll go to their homes and then when their father is coming, then they'll be running because they don't even want to see him because they know that if he comes, he might not be in a good mood, he might not be this.
41:08
SPEAKER_01: We are adults.
41:09
SPEAKER_01: We have a better understanding of our emotions.
41:12
SPEAKER_01: We should be able to make informed decisions about how we regulate our emotions, because at the end of the day, the kids would pick up on these things.
41:21
SPEAKER_01: So it starts with us.
41:23
SPEAKER_01: We need to do better as adults.
41:25
SPEAKER_01: First, we have to relate better with each other, and then we relate with our kids because they would pick up on every single cue, especially the toddlers, the children that is under five, the twins.
41:42
SPEAKER_01: They're sponges, and it is not until they get to a certain age and they say something, then you remember, oh my goodness, is this what I I have exposed you to over this period?
41:55
SPEAKER_01: And by that time, it becomes a little too late to really change it.
42:00
SPEAKER_01: So we're we're grown.
42:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, I believe that every adult, as a certain point, you should take charge of your life, you should be responsible and then make the necessary changes where you see fit.
42:16
SPEAKER_04: As you've brought up children, I need to ask you.
42:20
SPEAKER_04: So, did you go through postpartum?
42:22
SPEAKER_02: I think everybody went through postpartum, so be specific with your question.
42:26
SPEAKER_04: Okay, did you go through postpartum depression depression?
42:29
SPEAKER_01: Who let me see?
42:32
SPEAKER_01: Did I go through postpartum depression?
42:34
SPEAKER_01: I think maybe you have to ask my father that question.
42:37
SPEAKER_04: Oh no, but you're self-aware enough to know.
42:39
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
42:40
SPEAKER_01: Um, yes, I did.
42:41
SPEAKER_01: I did go through some level of postpartum depression, especially with my first.
42:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, it was all new motherhood, what was happening in a different country and stuff like that.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: So having being there, and I remember we're we were waiting for um some items before we could return to Ghana.
43:04
SPEAKER_01: So it felt like it was taking a little longer than expected.
43:09
SPEAKER_01: And so just that whole pressure, it was just um at a point, it was just me and my dad, and my dad being a medical doctor.
43:17
SPEAKER_01: You know, I think that also really, really helped him being a medical doctor and understanding yes, because I remember he had to change his flight because he realized that his daughter was not doing well.
43:29
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there was a certain point I just was like, I I want to just I want all of this to end.
43:34
SPEAKER_01: And you know, these are some of the certain the subtle verbal cues that maybe the professional, um, someone who is not a professional would not be able to pick up.
43:42
SPEAKER_01: And then you think that the woman is over exaggerating.
43:45
SPEAKER_01: But imagine you've come from a place where you've had maybe eight hours of sleep, six hours of sleep, and now you have to deal with every two hours.
43:54
SPEAKER_01: A kid that would just not stop crying, would just not stop pooping, you have to be awake every Two hours, every one and a half hours, it's overwhelming on the mind.
44:04
SPEAKER_01: And then if you're not, if you don't have the right support, then it becomes even more overwhelming.
44:09
SPEAKER_01: Your body is also going through several hormonal changes.
44:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
44:12
SPEAKER_01: And that altogether can tilt quite a majority of women into postpartum depression and psychosis.
44:19
SPEAKER_04: Especially men, because women may probably go through it in their life at a point.
44:23
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
44:23
SPEAKER_04: I wish especially men would understand the medical parts behind it.
44:28
SPEAKER_04: Because I know a lot of guys who see a woman going through postpartum depression and think, oh, she's exaggerating.
44:35
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe, oh, she's too pumpet, she's too spoiled.
44:38
SPEAKER_01: Didn't your mothers do it?
44:40
SPEAKER_04: Blah blah blah blah.
44:41
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
44:42
SPEAKER_04: Can we try and explain it to them medically so that they understand it's not just a feeling, but it's hormones, it's things changing in you.
44:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
44:52
SPEAKER_01: So um I had this discussion, this exact discussion with a colleague of mine, um, where we were talking about how back then the kids were raised as compared to now.
45:04
SPEAKER_01: Back then, kids were raised in a community setting.
45:07
unknown: Yeah.
45:07
SPEAKER_01: Now we've become very isolated.
45:11
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
45:12
SPEAKER_01: You know, back back then, when a woman will give birth, she'll probably go to her mother's house for the first three months where the kid will be bathed for her, she will be brought food.
45:22
SPEAKER_01: All she has to worry about is making sure the baby is fed.
45:25
SPEAKER_01: She's given the best of foods so that she eats and then she produces the milk that is necessary for the child.
45:32
SPEAKER_01: But now we have professional women who are having babies, who are living by themselves in a foreign land, or even here, um, they don't have access to that community support as our mothers did back in the day.
45:46
SPEAKER_01: So the dynamics have significantly um changed, and that influences the depression of the women that are going through postpartum in this moment.
45:58
SPEAKER_01: So I think that um with the men, we have to educate them a lot.
46:03
SPEAKER_01: It starts with antenatal, you know, when the woman gets pregnant, that period where she goes to the hospital for her monthly or two-monthly review to check on her and then the baby.
46:16
SPEAKER_01: We need to encourage the men to go with the women.
46:19
SPEAKER_01: We need to encourage our midwives, we need to encourage our nurses to speak to the men.
46:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, we need to provide some sort of incentives for the men that show up.
46:31
SPEAKER_01: Because we we tend to come chocolate, give us chocolate.
46:35
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
46:36
SPEAKER_01: We've come from a place where men used to be ridiculed for showing up or doing things that were considered womanly or feminine.
46:44
SPEAKER_01: But community-wise, it helps to regulate the woman's hormones because your wife is going through a lot and um giving her that support, and definitely it's also a significant change for the man, also, because some women would have severe maybe nausea, vomiting.
47:02
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I had that.
47:03
SPEAKER_01: I had severe hyperemesis gravidarium, is what we call it.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: So um encouraging the partners, the spouses, and also bearing in mind not to ridicule those who, by choice or by um not by choice, do not have their partners.
47:21
SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes we tend to shame the women that come to the clinics without their partners without necessarily asking, okay, where's your partner?
47:31
SPEAKER_01: Do you even have a partner?
47:33
SPEAKER_01: Where's your partner?
47:34
SPEAKER_01: What is your situation?
47:36
SPEAKER_01: There are some women that just want to have kids without a partner, and that is okay.
47:40
SPEAKER_01: So we have to really change, we have to shift our mindset significantly so that we can accommodate the different um lifestyles of each person.
47:50
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah.
47:51
SPEAKER_04: Do you think that in general, especially being in Ghana, a lot of our traditions or let's say our local norms go contrary to what we are supposed to be doing for our physical health and mental health daily?
48:08
SPEAKER_04: You don't get in trouble, don't worry.
48:11
SPEAKER_02: Why?
48:11
SPEAKER_02: At least my big age will beat me.
48:16
SPEAKER_01: What's the worst?
48:18
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, um, yes, um, our cultural ideologies definitely influences our physical and mental health.
48:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, I did mention initially about some of the things, such as seeing someone who has gained weight.
48:33
SPEAKER_01: We consider being obese as um a sign of healthy or good lifestyle.
48:40
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
48:40
SPEAKER_01: We consider someone who is constantly taking the elevator as someone that is bougie, yeah, or we consider someone who is always in their vehicle as bougie.
48:51
SPEAKER_01: So some of these um cultural stereotypes, we need to um make do, or we have to eliminate them so that we can encourage people to use the stairs when they can, um, take walks, reduce their binge eating, their carbohydrates so that they do not overly gain weight and weight, and then also encouraging them to have routine visits at the health facility.
49:14
SPEAKER_01: So cultural stereotypes influences significantly our well, our overall look on health.
49:21
SPEAKER_04: Does this mean I need to cancel the elevator I was about to install in my office?
49:28
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're looking at a culture that is that should also be inclusive, you know.
49:33
SPEAKER_01: So um elevators are good, but if you're physically fit to use the stairs.
49:39
SPEAKER_04: It's just two floors, I'll walk.
49:40
SPEAKER_01: Two floors ain't what this month.
49:44
SPEAKER_04: Comfort is nice, you know.
49:46
SPEAKER_01: Comfort, comfort is the goal, stop life.
49:50
SPEAKER_01: No, but speaking on inclusivity, um, you never know when someone would have an injury or when you're going to employ someone um that will not be able to use the stairs and so would have to rely on the elevators.
50:03
SPEAKER_01: So, in the spirit of inclusivity, it's important, but in as much as we want to be inclusive, we have to still encourage healthy lifestyles.
50:12
SPEAKER_04: If if you you found a reset button to press for everybody to help them fix some of the harmful loops, what would you reset for that?
50:24
SPEAKER_01: I think our mindset.
50:26
SPEAKER_04: Our mindset, yeah.
50:27
SPEAKER_01: Our mindset is definitely what I would press, press, press, press, press.
50:33
SPEAKER_01: Because our mindset is important.
50:36
SPEAKER_01: Your mindset influences a lot of the actions that you take as an individual.
50:41
SPEAKER_01: So if you have a mindset that means definitely, if you see a man who is going through some level of stress and he's crying, be like, yeah, and you and the truth is we're all guilty of it.
50:54
SPEAKER_01: We're all guilty in one way or the other.
50:56
SPEAKER_04: If if if I'm at work right now and a fire starts or a snake comes here, and the ladies are all running, and you are following them, we're like it's the guy's job like ah, Charlie, you move.
51:10
SPEAKER_01: I completely agree with you.
51:13
SPEAKER_01: We're all guilty.
51:14
SPEAKER_01: So the mindset, the mindset interesting, yeah.
51:19
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so um I want to try and fix my life a little bit.
51:24
SPEAKER_04: Give me some key habits that I should make a part, like a daily routine, okay, to make sure that anytime I'm visiting the doctor, it is routine and not because there's an emergency.
51:36
SPEAKER_01: Well, we'll start with sleep.
51:38
SPEAKER_01: So having a good sleeping schedule would really go a long way to improve your overall overall health.
51:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, diet.
51:45
SPEAKER_01: We've spoken quite a lot about diet, be intentional about what you put in your body because at the end of the day, what is in would eventually show out.
51:53
SPEAKER_01: Physical activity, have a certain routine that you follow in terms of physical activity.
51:59
SPEAKER_01: If it's going to be a 15-minute walk in a day, a 30-minute um walk in a day, do that.
52:05
SPEAKER_01: High intensity intensity workouts, just do that, and then um hydrate, don't exclude the water.
52:13
SPEAKER_04: It's been a while since I reach Yesawara.
52:20
SPEAKER_01: Yes, so hydrate and then um be empathetic.
52:24
SPEAKER_01: I think live life lightly, laugh a lot, let me put it that way.
52:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, be intentional about your boundaries, also.
52:33
SPEAKER_04: You you are always smiling.
52:36
SPEAKER_04: Let's let's talk about that.
52:37
SPEAKER_04: So, what I learned about, I mean, I've always believed in mindset and everything, but I just saw it as you know, woo-hoo kind of thing.
52:45
SPEAKER_04: But when I learned about placebo effects, yeah, and how somebody can heal themselves just because you can trick your mind by just simply laughing.
52:54
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
52:55
SPEAKER_04: So then could it be that we can be healthier if we have a positive mindset about our health?
53:03
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
53:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, studies have actually shown in terminal patients that those suffering from um cancer-related illnesses um have shown that those who have had a positive outlook at um life have a higher um lifespan compared to those who do not.
53:21
SPEAKER_01: So your mindset is extremely important, your outlook on life.
53:26
SPEAKER_01: There are people that um you tell them that something has happened or they have a diagnosis and then they they become you know, coiled up.
53:35
SPEAKER_01: They become the disease exactly.
53:38
SPEAKER_01: It now becomes them.
53:40
SPEAKER_01: And then there are people that yes, yeah, I'm aware I have the disease.
53:44
SPEAKER_01: What can I do?
53:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm taking my meds, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, I'm getting on with my day.
53:48
SPEAKER_01: Those um people, studies have shown that they have a more quality life as compared to the people that look at it negatively, so a positive outlook on life really goes a long way.
54:02
SPEAKER_04: So let me ask you this how far does the placebo effect go?
54:05
SPEAKER_04: So if if I was told right now, if I was told right now that what I'm drinking is healthy, but it's not healthy, and I drink that for 10 years.
54:18
SPEAKER_02: No, let's not, it's no, no, no one is pushing it.
54:25
SPEAKER_02: That one, at some point, your mind is going to catch up with you.
54:28
SPEAKER_04: What if what if what if like you can perfectly deceive someone?
54:33
SPEAKER_04: You know, maybe you give them the wrong drink and tell them this is natural fruit juice for 10 years, you're the physiest of fizzy drinks.
54:42
SPEAKER_04: Are you telling me they'll still get the diabetes?
54:45
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
54:46
SPEAKER_04: Oh, come on.
54:47
SPEAKER_01: Because in as much as your body is your mind, it's still a system.
54:51
SPEAKER_01: So your body, your kidneys are going to process this, your liver is going to process these drinks, your pancreas is going to keep processing these things, and over a period of time it's going to get overwhelmed.
55:01
SPEAKER_01: So in as much as you tell yourself, oh, this is not, this is water, this is.
55:05
SPEAKER_04: Guys, I'll try this in 10 years' time.
55:07
SPEAKER_04: We'll have this conversation.
55:09
SPEAKER_04: If I'm not around to the composition that needs my faint, okay.
55:14
SPEAKER_04: What do you say about those who are also comparing themselves to people who seem to be healthy, but they are neglecting the positive lifestyles?
55:24
SPEAKER_04: Because you know, you know, most of these things we're talking about is long-term effects.
55:28
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
55:29
SPEAKER_04: So it's not manifesting now, yeah, but people end up emulating them.
55:34
SPEAKER_04: Like those gym bodies.
55:35
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
55:36
SPEAKER_02: I'm watching them.
55:37
SPEAKER_04: It's like I didn't want to mention it, but we have seven gym bodies.
55:41
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
55:42
SPEAKER_01: You know, you see someone and you're like, oh, your body looks toned, and then you ask them, Oh, how long it took?
55:46
SPEAKER_01: They'll tell you five to seven years, like, hey, I'm happy with where I am.
55:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, but that is the reality.
55:53
SPEAKER_01: At some point, you have to start, irrespective of whether you start today or never.
55:59
SPEAKER_01: Five years is still going to come.
56:00
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
56:01
SPEAKER_01: So would you rather have a tone body in five years, or would you be healthier in five years, or would you be less healthy?
56:07
SPEAKER_01: So it like I I said earlier on, you don't have to go into the gym like you are a professional or you are going for the Olympics.
56:19
SPEAKER_01: Keep your cardiovascular system healthy, keep your cardiovascular system running, help shed off the fats, the buildup in your um arteries, in your vessels, help to shut them off by keeping active and reducing the kinds of foods that you are taking in.
56:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so as for consistency, it's key.
56:37
SPEAKER_01: And um, comparison is definitely the a thief of joy.
56:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, you keep comparing yourself to someone that has probably put in the work 10 years ago, and you are now about that.
56:49
SPEAKER_02: So you go to the gym, you are lifting weights, you are doing 30 squats, you haven't stepped in the gym before.
56:57
SPEAKER_01: I think that's what most people absolutely, and I think we need to also educate gym instructors, yeah.
57:05
SPEAKER_01: Like gym instructors, like be calming down, calming down.
57:09
SPEAKER_02: I just came.
57:10
SPEAKER_02: I just came to do 50 reps.
57:16
SPEAKER_02: You expect me to return to that gym.
57:19
SPEAKER_02: My muscles are aching, and I can't even sit on the loo or even bend.
57:23
SPEAKER_02: Oh no, you'll never see me in that gym.
57:25
SPEAKER_04: It's not just the the gym instructors, like that those prescribing diets for people and stuff.
57:31
SPEAKER_04: Sometimes it's like it's severe.
57:35
SPEAKER_04: It's it's it's crazy.
57:37
SPEAKER_04: I once tried this diet, I don't even know what I read about it.
57:41
SPEAKER_04: I want to find them and report them.
57:43
SPEAKER_04: I tried this diet sometime, which said eat 10 apples only the whole day.
57:49
SPEAKER_02: Why?
57:50
SPEAKER_04: So I woke up at 7 a.m.
57:53
SPEAKER_04: By 11:30, I'd eaten five apples and I was about to collapse.
58:00
SPEAKER_04: No one told me by the one people to find someone.
58:06
SPEAKER_04: What kind of crazy night is that?
58:08
SPEAKER_01: Look, we over I'm sorry, we overdo things, to be honest.
58:14
SPEAKER_01: And when people want to be professionals, do it the right way.
58:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and don't treat it as a generalization.
58:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, just as we won't treat a patient that comes to us as a general picture, we treat the person as an individual.
58:33
SPEAKER_01: So it means we're going to start from asking the present and complain, the history of present and complain, um, on direct questioning, um, family history, past medical history.
58:43
SPEAKER_01: Each and every individual is unique.
58:46
SPEAKER_01: So treat each and every individual as unique.
58:49
SPEAKER_01: So the professionals, the gym instructors, the nutritionists, the dietitians, uh, let's ask questions.
58:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, ask a lot of questions.
59:00
SPEAKER_01: Find out maybe what underlying issues the person might be having that may be causing them to gain a little bit more weight or losing more weight than usual.
59:10
SPEAKER_01: Asking these questions would help influence how we structure a lifestyle for them.
59:17
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's something that we just literally joked about about going to the gym and then first day in the gym, you haven't been to the gym before.
59:23
SPEAKER_01: Then your gym instructor tells you to do 50 squats, you finish it, it's like, why?
59:29
SPEAKER_01: So let's be intentional.
59:31
SPEAKER_01: Just because I I have that boost of adrenaline in that moment to be able to maybe lift 150 kg of weight does not mean I should do it.
59:39
SPEAKER_04: Come back the next day.
59:40
SPEAKER_04: Do you get it?
59:41
unknown: Do you get it?
59:42
SPEAKER_01: And also, it's going to put a lot of strain on your muscles.
59:46
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
59:46
SPEAKER_01: And if a person is first time in the gym, the person has not been to the gym before.
59:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they want to start a healthy lifestyle, start small and build up, be consistent.
59:57
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
59:57
SPEAKER_01: Their goal is to be consistent and to have a pattern or a structure that works for that individual, not the group.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_04: And these days I feel like all those who are trying to sell this, sell a lifestyle and not the scams.
1:00:12
SPEAKER_04: Because, like, you know, I got an exercise app, it made me answer a few questions, blah, blah, blah.
1:00:19
SPEAKER_04: And then after two minutes of questions, it said, You are going to lose 20 kg in three weeks.
1:00:24
SPEAKER_04: What a lie.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_01: You know what's funny?
1:00:29
SPEAKER_01: They'll list a number of things that you're supposed to do.
1:00:32
SPEAKER_01: And so when you don't lose that 20 kg, then it becomes your fault.
1:00:37
SPEAKER_02: Because then it's like they'll ask you, okay, did you do this?
1:00:39
SPEAKER_02: Did you do this?
1:00:39
SPEAKER_02: Okay, you didn't do this.
1:00:40
SPEAKER_02: Okay, then that is why you didn't.
1:00:42
SPEAKER_04: Why can't we be honest and let me understand?
1:00:45
SPEAKER_02: Honest, let's be realistic.
1:00:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, let it be a lifestyle.
1:00:48
SPEAKER_04: Eventually, you will be able to do that.
1:00:49
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
1:00:51
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
1:00:52
SPEAKER_04: Um, sleep.
1:00:54
SPEAKER_04: Sleep is super important.
1:00:55
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
1:00:56
SPEAKER_04: Now I am somebody that I can testify that I went three to four years of trying to cure insomnia.
1:01:04
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:01:04
SPEAKER_04: You know, at first I didn't have a problem with the fact that I had insomnia.
1:01:08
SPEAKER_04: It favored my work and everything.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:01:11
SPEAKER_04: And then when I started to try and change my habits for good, I had now built that bad habit so much that for three to four years.
1:01:18
SPEAKER_04: You were struggling.
1:01:19
SPEAKER_04: I was struggling with it.
1:01:21
SPEAKER_04: How do people build good sleep habits?
1:01:24
SPEAKER_01: Setting a routine.
1:01:25
unknown: Yeah.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, I mentioned to you that I I had just this erratic sleep pattern until somewhere last year.
1:01:33
SPEAKER_01: I had to be deliberate about my sleep.
1:01:37
SPEAKER_01: So now, unless it's something out of my power, I get not less than seven hours of sleep at night.
1:01:45
SPEAKER_01: Because at 10 o'clock, my phone literally goes on do not disturb.
1:01:50
SPEAKER_01: That's just how intentional I want to be about my sleep.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_01: At 10 o'clock, my phone goes on do not disturb.
1:01:56
SPEAKER_01: And at 6 30, my alarm rings.
1:01:58
SPEAKER_01: Have a quiet time, etc., and then get on with your day.
1:02:00
SPEAKER_01: So little habits like this goes a long way.
1:02:04
SPEAKER_01: So being intentional, don't sit down on your phone and be laughing, be giggling, be excited.
1:02:10
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're all extremely guilty of that.
1:02:12
SPEAKER_01: Once in a while, I get carried away.
1:02:14
SPEAKER_01: And the the good thing about the phones or the gadgets, using it to benefit you is important.
1:02:21
SPEAKER_01: So my phone would literally prompt me that your phone is about to go and do not this step.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_01: Then I like, oh yeah, it's actually 10 o'clock.
1:02:29
SPEAKER_01: Then I start, you know, wrapping up so that I can get some sleep.
1:02:32
SPEAKER_01: So little things as that would help.
1:02:35
SPEAKER_01: And then you can do an activity.
1:02:38
unknown: Okay.
1:02:39
SPEAKER_01: Maybe if you find yourself having difficulty sleeping at night, you can do your walks in the evenings rather than in the mornings.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_01: So or in the afternoons.
1:02:49
SPEAKER_01: You just do your walk in the evening so that you can get some level of you know fatigue kick in so that you can sleep.
1:02:57
SPEAKER_01: And then having a warm shower would help to release that melatonin in your body so that you can get some good sleep.
1:03:07
SPEAKER_04: So that contrast shower thing, is it a myth or contrast shower?
1:03:11
SPEAKER_04: Contrast shower where you shower with warm water, step out for a second, turn it to the coldest level, step back in, let the cold hit you right after.
1:03:19
SPEAKER_01: I think that's best for the mornings.
1:03:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh when you're trying to wake your body up.
1:03:24
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
1:03:24
SPEAKER_02: But in the evenings.
1:03:26
SPEAKER_04: Where he explained that when you do that in the evening, like an hour to sleep, it feels like it wakes you up, but within an hour's time, your body will now be ready to.
1:03:36
SPEAKER_01: Is it a study that he has done over a group of people or is it his personal experience?
1:03:40
SPEAKER_04: Honestly, it's his personal experience.
1:03:42
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
1:03:43
SPEAKER_01: So then we have our answer.
1:03:46
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:03:47
SPEAKER_01: I understand.
1:03:48
SPEAKER_01: So um let's also not be too much on people's lifestyle and what works for them.
1:03:54
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
1:03:54
SPEAKER_01: If someone um suggests something to you, find out is it something that has been studied into, or is it this person's personal experience?
1:04:03
SPEAKER_01: Or does it even work for you?
1:04:05
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
1:04:05
SPEAKER_01: Because your experience will be different.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
1:04:08
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
1:04:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, we're talking about sleep, right?
1:04:11
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
1:04:11
SPEAKER_01: And then also what we eat at night would influence if we're able to have a good night's rest.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_01: If you eat shit or something very spicy at night, what you think we're having?
1:04:24
SPEAKER_01: You know, you'll be having these heartbends, yeah, having these uncomfortable.
1:04:29
SPEAKER_01: So you'll be twisting and turning in bed, you'll not have a good night's rest.
1:04:32
SPEAKER_04: How about when the time you eat?
1:04:34
SPEAKER_01: Yes, the time you eat is also extremely important.
1:04:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then drinking lots of liquids right before bedtime would influence how many times you're going to get up at night to pee.
1:04:45
SPEAKER_04: To give you like you won't enjoy the sleep.
1:04:47
SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
1:04:47
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:04:48
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
1:04:48
SPEAKER_01: So being intentional, changing your sheets, the atmosphere in your room.
1:04:52
SPEAKER_01: Some people you go into their room and it's like you're almost blind.
1:04:56
SPEAKER_01: It's more than a studio because there are so many lights and so many bright things, and the stimulation becomes a little overwhelming.
1:05:05
SPEAKER_04: What about screen time before sleep?
1:05:07
SPEAKER_01: Yes, so um reducing screen time before sleep also helps.
1:05:12
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
1:05:13
SPEAKER_04: So it looks like with all these things, we just need to keep building.
1:05:16
SPEAKER_01: You just have to be intentional about your health and wellness as well as that.
1:05:19
SPEAKER_04: And even like micro habits, like tiny, tiny habits.
1:05:22
SPEAKER_01: Yes, that's over time accumulates to become a habit.
1:05:27
SPEAKER_01: That's how habits are formed.
1:05:28
SPEAKER_01: Tiny, tiny things over time.
1:05:31
SPEAKER_01: That's a habit.
1:05:31
SPEAKER_04: So now we have the habits for sleep.
1:05:33
SPEAKER_04: What about mental health?
1:05:36
SPEAKER_01: Mental health habits.
1:05:38
SPEAKER_01: I think it's some of the things we mentioned for sleep also influences your mental health.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
1:05:46
SPEAKER_01: So um being overly uh exposed to stimulus.
1:05:50
SPEAKER_01: So whether it is noise, um, light, these are things that would play a role in your mental health.
1:05:57
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:05:57
SPEAKER_01: What you engage in on the screen, you know.
1:06:00
SPEAKER_01: It's your phone.
1:06:01
SPEAKER_01: You decide what to look at.
1:06:03
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
1:06:04
SPEAKER_01: You know, you can mute certain people that you feel are not healthy for your mental health.
1:06:10
SPEAKER_01: Some people get triggered when they see um gory images or carnage and things like that.
1:06:17
SPEAKER_01: So just simply mute those things.
1:06:19
SPEAKER_01: Some people get triggered um when they see flashing lights.
1:06:23
SPEAKER_01: So just simply avoid those things.
1:06:26
SPEAKER_01: And then um having support groups.
1:06:29
SPEAKER_01: So identifying people that you can speak to, people that care for you, look out for you, that are willing to lend a helping hand.
1:06:38
SPEAKER_01: And also delegate.
1:06:40
SPEAKER_01: Doing everything, there's no flex in doing everything.
1:06:43
SPEAKER_01: If you can, delegate, have time to rest so you can give your mind a break or a break from the stimulus that the overexposure.
1:06:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, what else can one do?
1:06:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's basically it.
1:06:59
SPEAKER_01: Um, having a good support group, your screen time, what you expose yourself to as an individual, delegating where necessary, or if you can.
1:07:08
SPEAKER_01: There's no reward, like they say, for suffering.
1:07:10
SPEAKER_04: So what are your thoughts on meditation?
1:07:14
SPEAKER_01: I think it's good.
1:07:16
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I think if you can spend 15 to 30 minutes simply just blank, trying to just understand yourself.
1:07:25
SPEAKER_01: No exposure to light, to sound, to the screens.
1:07:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think if you can, meditate.
1:07:33
SPEAKER_04: I need you to do something for me right now.
1:07:35
SPEAKER_01: Are we going to meditate?
1:07:36
SPEAKER_04: Oh no, no.
1:07:38
SPEAKER_04: Imagine you had the power to stretch your hand through the camera there and reach into the mind of the person watching you right now and input one thing that will create a mindset shift.
1:07:52
SPEAKER_03: What would it be?
1:07:52
SPEAKER_04: What would it be?
1:07:56
SPEAKER_01: I had the power to put something in the mind of someone watching this.
1:08:03
SPEAKER_01: What would I put there?
1:08:07
SPEAKER_01: I'm literally blank right now.
1:08:09
SPEAKER_01: There's so many things going through my mind that it's making me blank.
1:08:12
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if that makes sense.
1:08:14
SPEAKER_01: But um, what I would say is you're amazing.
1:08:19
SPEAKER_01: And give yourself a break.
1:08:23
SPEAKER_01: Be graceful with how you manage situations.
1:08:29
SPEAKER_01: So just be graceful and be don't be too hard on yourself.
1:08:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because we're all just basically navigating through life.
1:08:39
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
1:08:40
SPEAKER_04: We really are just winging it.
1:08:42
SPEAKER_01: It's our first time here, is it not?
1:08:43
SPEAKER_01: I know.
1:08:46
SPEAKER_01: We're all doing this for the first time.
1:08:49
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
1:08:50
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much, Dr.
1:08:51
SPEAKER_04: Vanessa.
1:08:52
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Richie.
1:08:53
SPEAKER_04: It's been an awesome pleasure.
1:08:54
SPEAKER_04: Hope you guys enjoyed that and keep going till you become the mastermind of your mentor.
1:09:00
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
1:09:02
SPEAKER_04: Thanks for watching this episode.
1:09:04
SPEAKER_04: The fact that you stayed all the way through to the end tells me that you're not only curious, but you have the discipline to see what you do all the way through to the end.
1:09:13
SPEAKER_04: Now let's build a community of thinkers who are ready to become the best version of themselves.
1:09:20
SPEAKER_04: So subscribe to the channel and the mindset that you will develop and grow every day to become a true mastermind.