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Transcript

Mojo Monday: Symptom Relief Or a Full Life - What Are You Working Towards?? · Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hi everyone, It's Carli here and welcome to this week's
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Mojoe Monday. So today I want to talk about something
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: that is very hard to ignore, and that is the
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: sharp rise in mental health issues over the past couple
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: of decades. Now, this is a huge topic, and I
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: am not going to try and unpack all the reasons
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: in a short podcast, but you know, it's very complex,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: but we can't overlook a few really clear changes that
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: have happened in our environment and therefore our daily experience,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: especially since my daughter was born back in two thousand
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: and six, which also happens to be the year that
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: the first smartphone hit the market, and there's been massive
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: changes to our experience since then, so a lot has shifted.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: We have more information at our fingertips than ever before.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: We have connection to thousands of more people than ever before.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: You think about it, that's just crazy how many people
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: were connected to Now we are moving less, we're sleeping poorly,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: we're more distracted than ever, we're eating more ultra processed foods.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: And despite being more connected online, a lot of people
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: are feeling lonely and disconnected in real life and stillness
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: this kind where you just stare out the window and
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: let your mind wander, which I remember doing as a
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: kid and as a teenager. You know, even if you
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: were listening to music on your walkmen, But now it
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: feels really uncomfortable for people to just sit in stillness.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: We've become scared to be bored, and we reach for
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: our phones even before we even realize that we're doing it.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: It's becoming such a habit. And of course I could
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: go on and on that what's happening as a result
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: of all this is that we are more anxious, more
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: depressed than any other time. And I truly believe that
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: we are in a lot of cases, not all, of course,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: but a lot of cases, we are pathologizing normal human emotions.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: For example, if you've gone through a divorce, or a
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: loved one has died, or you have lost your job,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: or you're feeling anxious or sad or hopeless, it's a
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: normal human response. Even if you think about a fifteen
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: year old or a young person who's required to do
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: a presentation at school in front of their peers, it's
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: normal to feel anxious or nervous. So I'm kind of
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: digressing a bit, But what is really clear is that
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: more and more people are turning to therapy and medication
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: to cope with all of this. So let me be
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: clear that I'm not anti therapy or anti medication, because
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: I know both can be incredibly helpful, and I know
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: people who it has been incredibly helpful for. But I
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: do think we've got to ask a deeper question, what
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: is the reason we are turning to therapy or medication?
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: So is the goal to just reduce symptoms? Because that's
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: what we're very focused on today is reducing symptoms. And
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: many people are going to their GP to get a
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: script just to take the edge off their anxiety. But
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you what I would actually love to see.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: I would love to see people walk out of that
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: same appointment with a script for something that they can do,
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: that they have decided that they can do that will
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: enhance their quality of life, something that moves them forward physically, emotionally, spiritually.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Because the truth is change doesn't happen without movement, without action.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: So here's a question for you. What moves you, what
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: lights you up? What do you want? Because if you
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: want to be a certain way to have a life
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: worth living, you have to take action, and you also
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: have to take responsibility for that action because no one
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: else is going to do it. So I'm going to
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: give you just a couple of personal examples because this
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: isn't just theoretical for me. So, since going to CrossFit
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: and yoga consistently, I feel the quality of my life
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: has increased dramatically. So my body is stronger at fifty
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: five than it's ever been, and that strength really spills
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: over to my mind because we know that the connection,
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: that connection between mind and body, and I really feel
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: more capable, more grounded than ever before. And since i
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: started putting my phone down when my kids want to
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: talk to me, I feel in that moment a deeper
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: connection with them. And that is such a small action,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: but in that moment, I'm really present and they feel
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: it as well. And he's one for you. Since I've
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: started joking around more with Paul, my husband, I feel
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: more connected with It's kind of lighter, and it's amazing
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: what a little playfulness can do. But that takes intentionality.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: It takes action to stop what I'm doing and just
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: be playful for a few minutes. And a big one
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: also is that since I've started having screened free time
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: an hour before bed and putting my phone in another room,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: which I've been doing for years, but my sleep has
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: dramatically improved, and of course that is going to have
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: a positive impact on my well being, my quality of life.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: So I wind down properly, I let those beautiful hormones
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: sleep ho hormones kick in naturally, I rest better and
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: that affects everything the next day. So none of these
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: are massive life changes, but they're intentional actions that support
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: my well being. So when I feel anxious or flat
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: or sad or whatever emotion comes up for me, which
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: is inevitable, rather than trying to ignore these emotions or
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: resist them, I work out what I need to do
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: that is going to help, not hinder, but help me.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Every action you take creates your experience, and every action
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: creates your circumstances. So you need to take the action
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: that's needed right in that moment, and that's what moves
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: the needle. That's taking responsibility for your choices and your actions.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: So if you are currently in therapy or you are
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: taking medication and it's helping you, then great, that's the
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: action you need to take. But it's just one piece
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: of the puzzle. So don't stop there, ask yourself, what
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: else can I add that is going to help me
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: live a better life, not just manage symptoms. Because no
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: pill and no therapist and no app is going to
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: hand you a sense of meaning or joy or purpose
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: in your life. You can't wait for that. You can't
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: wait for something to kick in before you can start
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: living a full life because that meaning, joy and purpose
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: is something you get from moving, from taking action. That's
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: something you cultivate through small, intentional actions over time. So
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: this week I want you to sit with this. What
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: moves you, what moves you physically, emotionally, spiritually, and what
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: needs to be nurtured right now? Is it your relationships,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: your health? What is it that you need to do?
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: And what's one small thing you can do to improve
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: the quality of your life starting now? So once you've
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: finished listening to me, what's one thing you can do?
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Because I really believe everyone needs more than just symptom relief.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: We all deserve a life that feels worth living. But
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: it's really up to us to go out and live
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: that life. So thank you so much for listening. I
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: hope that was valuable for you. Bit of food for
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: thought and I will catch you Next week SIA