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