WEBVTT - 6 Small Changes You Can Make Immediately To Have a Big Impact On Your Mental Wellbeing 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.320 We're good at oscillating between extremes. We go from I 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:05.400 hate myself to I'm the best person in the world, 0:00:05.600 --> 0:00:07.840 and in this case, we go from I'm going to 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:09.080 do a lot, I'm going to plan a lot, I'm 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.000 going to be the most productive person in the world 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:13.440 at peak performance, I'm the one, and then on the 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:15.040 other side of the side, I want to do nothing 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:19.520 this weekend and that creates somewhat of a difficult environment 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.520 to live in. The Number one Health and Wellness podcast, 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:30.120 Jay Sheety Ja Shetty Jet. Hey everyone, welcome back to 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:33.440 On Purpose. I am so grateful to be back with 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.920 you for another session, and I want to say thank 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:39.440 you to all of you who are showing all your love, 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:45.479 showing up, being present, learning, growing, sharing the episodes, leaving reviews. 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:47.519 It means the world to me right now. Thank you 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:50.440 so much, Thank you so so much from the bottom 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:52.440 of my heart. And like I always do, say, if 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:54.080 you do see me somewhere, come say hey, A lot 0:00:54.080 --> 0:00:55.880 of you did it at the airport yesterday. I've been 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.320 traveling around a bit right now, and I loved bumping 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:02.240 into so many of you that I saw in Orlando 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:05.479 and then Chicago on my way to New York and 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.440 it's been a real, real joy. Thank you so much 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:10.720 for all the love you show me and that you 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:16.039 show on purpose. Now it's mental health Awareness month. May 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:20.320 is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I feel it's so 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:24.720 so important that we use this as an opportunity to 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:27.000 deepen our connection with our mental health, to help the 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.240 people around us, to use it as an opportunity to 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:33.399 do better for ourselves and for others. And I'm so 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:37.720 grateful because I'm partnering up and an ambassador for NAMI, 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:41.200 which is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and they're 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:45.600 the largest grassroots mental health organization in the United States. 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:51.560 ARMY helps provide advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:55.320 that all individuals and families affected by mental health conditions 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.960 can lead better lives. And if you are someone you 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.640 know is struggling with men mental health, there is help. 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:05.680 Call NARMI Helpline at eight hundred nine to fifty Army, 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:10.760 or go to www Dot NARMI dot org, forward slash help, 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.880 or text Helpline to sixty two six forty for immediate 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:18.720 twenty four to seven crisis support call or text nine 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:23.160 eight eight, or visit www. Dot nine eight eight Lifeline 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:26.240 dot Org. I'm so grateful to be partnering with Nami, 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.000 and I really do hope that it helps get the 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.919 message out to so many more people about what they 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.200 can do. Now, I wanted to share with you my 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:40.280 favorite habits for my mental health that I think are powerful, practical, 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.160 and accessible. I'm not going to go and ask you 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.280 to learn a new skill. I'm not gonna go and 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:46.760 ask you to learn how to do something new. These 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:50.639 are things anyone can start today. And so if you're 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:54.600 someone who's been struggling with anxiety and stress, this episode 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.680 is for you. If you're someone who's been trying to 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:00.240 do so many practices but they're not working for you, 0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:03.200 this episode is for you. And if you're someone who 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:06.320 knows someone who's struggling, this episode is for you. It 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:09.440 maybe a child, a partner, a friend, someone you love, 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:13.120 a family member, a parent. Check out this episode. It's 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.600 lots of great, simple insights in the small changes that 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:22.160 will make a big difference. Now. Number one, every night, 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.240 when you're about to go to bed, Before you go 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:28.480 to bed, it's part of your wind down routine, is 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:30.360 part of your evening routine. A lot of people have 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.280 talked about the importance of having an evening routine. The 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:38.640 reason is because we almost want our body to act 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:42.520 like technology. Technology has an off button, we press off 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:46.600 and it powers off, but we our off button is 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:50.760 more like a power down where we need time to unwind, 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:54.119 we need time to slow down. And because we've got 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:56.920 so used to using technology, we want our bodies to 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:00.160 react and respond like a laptop, like a phone, but 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.720 it doesn't do that. So when your head it's the pillow, 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:06.240 you're not falling asleep straight away. One part of a 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:10.280 great evening routine that can be really powerful for your 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:14.800 mental health. And you can do this in a journal. 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:16.960 You can do this as a voice note. You can 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:19.200 do it out loud with your partner or a roommate 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:21.520 or whoever it may be. You can do it over 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:24.640 the phone with someone you're close to. But there's one 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:30.000 question that you want to answer every evening. What did 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:36.080 I accomplish today? What did you accomplish today? Is the 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:40.600 single most important question to ask yourself for your mind 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.000 in the evening before you go to bed. Now, why 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.200 is it It sounds obvious, It's like, oh, yeah, I 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:49.680 feel accomplished, I feel good about myself, there's a lot 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:54.279 more to it. The whole day or in the evening, 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:58.800 you are very likely to subconsciously say to yourself, I 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:01.680 can't believe I didn't get that done. Gosh, there's so 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:04.680 much left to get done. Oh and I didn't even 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.040 get to that thing. Oh and I've still got all 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:12.360 those emails to reply to. We're so used to noting 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.720 down all the things that we haven't done, all the 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.920 things that we didn't achieve, all the things that didn't 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:24.040 work out, that we easily simply forget the progress that 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:27.120 has been made. So it's not neutral. I think we 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:29.640 think we live in a neutral world where we're like, oh, 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:31.880 I don't want to pump myself up, like I'm fine, 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:37.080 But actually what we're usually doing is putting ourselves down. Right, 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.160 So I'm not telling you to pump yourself up. I'm 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:40.680 not saying to sit there and say I'm the best, 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.320 I'm amazing, I did this. It's actually saying what did 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:47.120 I accomplish today? Because chances are your mind's already coming 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.200 up the list or you didn't accomplish, and you might say, 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:52.680 all right, I got in a twenty minute workout. I 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:56.599 accomplished that today, whereas usually you'd say I only got 0:05:56.760 --> 0:05:59.680 a twenty minute workout. Notice how we do that right? 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:01.760 Even so, it's an accomplishment to get in the gym 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:05.520 to get that workout in. Maybe you got six thousand 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.280 steps and you say to yourself, I only got six 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:12.279 thousand steps instead of I accomplished six thousand steps, Let's 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:15.080 go for seven thousand tomorrow. Which one do you think 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:19.920 programs you to push a little bit more tomorrow when 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.680 you're feeling encouraged or when you're feeling put down. Now, 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:24.919 chances are when you're feeling put down, you'll sort it 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.600 out for the next couple of days. But it's not sustainable. 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:33.080 It's not sustainable to constantly speak to yourself negatively and 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:37.480 expect a positive result. Let me repeat that again. You 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:43.239 can't speak to yourself negatively and expect a positive result. 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.679 You can't speak to yourself in a way that puts 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:53.000 you down to hope that it pulls you up. You 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:57.920 can't speak to yourself in a way that is condescending 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.600 and hope that it's going to make you feel connected 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:06.960 to yourself. When we talk bad to ourselves day after 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:11.040 day after day, it's impossible for it to lead to 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:14.600 something good. And so when you ask yourself the simple 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:18.320 question at the end of every day, what did I 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:22.160 accomplish today? Make a list of three things. I got 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:26.640 the laundry done, I did some meal prep. I cooked 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:30.960 a great meal. I finished off all my email inbox, 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:32.840 even though I still know my text is still left. 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:36.800 What did you accomplish? What you're doing is rewiring, reprogramming 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:40.520 your mind to also not forget the truth. Right, if 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:42.280 your friend said to you, Hey, I only got this 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:44.200 done today, you'd be like, that's amazing. You got six 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:46.360 thousand steps. Good for you. You made it through the 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:49.560 gym for twenty minutes. That's amazing. Right. Your reaction would 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:52.360 be so different. And I encourage you to do this 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:55.320 with the people you love too. This is something that 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:59.600 Raddy did for me when I began my health journey 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.120 when we were together, especially my physical health. And she 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.200 was always someone who was committed to going to the gym, 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:07.760 committed to her health and well being, and I was 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:10.880 someone who was focused on the mind. And I remember 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.080 in the beginning, I would still have my sugar addiction. 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:17.880 I would still be very much like, oh yeah, I 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:19.480 didn't get that done. I didn't get this done, she'd 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:21.360 always be like, well, that's amazing, that's great that you 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:25.560 made it. That's awesome. Right. And at the same time education, 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:30.960 I think we mistake being hard on ourselves as a 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:34.199 replacement for education. I'll explain what I mean by that. 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:38.200 Fact can hit harder than you being harder on yourself. 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:41.840 Let me say that again, educating yourself in the facts 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:46.040 of something can hit you harder than being hard on yourself. 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:48.760 What I mean by that is, if someone walks you 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:52.120 through the challenging aspects of not working out, if someone 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:57.200 walks you through the fact your repercussions of what you're 0:08:57.440 --> 0:09:02.199 consuming mentally or physically, that fact is more likely to 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:06.520 push you into growth than you being mean to yourself 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:09.120 with no facts. And so I think it's so important 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:11.840 that we recognize how we're motivated. Now. All of us 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:14.679 are different. Some of us may actually like the hard 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:16.920 talk and we may need it, and that's fine too, 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.200 But that doesn't mean we shouldn't go to sleep focusing 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:24.840 on what we've accomplished today and recognizing that it is progress. Okay. 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:29.880 Number two. This one is also slightly counterintuitive, but I 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.199 recommend that if you're struggling with your mental health. This month, 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:38.680 plan something for yourself and someone else. Build something. Plan 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:42.640 a trip, an event, a charity event, a mental health 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:47.040 awareness event, whatever it may be. Do something, plan something, 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:51.400 build towards something, Create an opportunity for your mind to 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:57.040 be active in working towards something. Hey everyone, it's Jay here. 0:09:57.520 --> 0:09:59.920 My wife and I have had so much fun create 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:03.480 our own sparkling tea Juni, and I've got big news 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:06.640 for you. It's at Target and we'd love your support. 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.520 If you can go out grab a Juny, You'll be 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:13.400 adding adaptagens and new tropics into your life with mood 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:17.120 boosting properties aimed at promoting a balanced and happy mind. 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.360 Through our commitment to our wellness journey and striving to 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.720 fuel our bodies with the healthiest ingredients, It's been our 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:27.040 purpose to make healthy choices accessible for all, which is 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.120 why Juni is now on shelves at Target. So head 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.319 to our store locator at Drinkjuny dot com and find 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:37.240 Juny at a Target near you. I think a lot 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:41.880 of us believe right now that comfort and not doing 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:45.079 anything helps us, and I think that can be true 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:49.240 because we're overworked, we're overwhelmed, we're burnt out, and as humans, 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:53.240 we're good at oscillating between extremes. Right, We basically go 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.480 between extremes constantly. We go from I hate myself to 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.840 I'm the best person in the world. And in this case, 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:00.760 we go from I'm going to do a lot, I'm 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:02.040 going to plan a lot, I'm going to be the 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:04.680 most productive person in the world at peak performance, I'm 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:06.559 the one. And then on the other side of it'side 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.240 I want to do nothing this weekend, right, And we 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:13.760 oscillate between these extremes, and that creates somewhat of a 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:17.720 difficult environment to live in. Now, balance is not necessarily 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.040 what I'm saying, but what I am proposing is that 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.360 you're always working on something, and you're not working on 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:25.400 it so much that it drains you. You may put 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.680 it aside when you're working very hard at work, and 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.880 it's almost like when work's really tough, this may take 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:34.800 a back burner because you're already focusing that part of 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:37.280 your brain. You're already focusing that part of your energy. 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.520 But maybe when works a little slower or medium paced, 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:44.959 you're adding this in to give your mind that focus point, 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:48.720 to give it that activity, to give it that progress marker. 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.680 So the reason why I'm planning something is so powerful 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:54.120 is because it makes you feel like you're moving. And 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:57.360 as humans, we need to feel like we're constantly moving 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:01.360 in a direction towards something. Whether we're ambitious or not, 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.160 we all need to feel like we're growing. We all 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:08.000 need to feel like we are progressing in a direction. 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.760 And when we choose to plan something, it creates a 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.440 lot of that forward motion that's pulling us forward. Rather 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.880 than you pushing yourself, You've now got something in the 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:21.880 future pulling you. And I find that that can be 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.960 a really powerful thing. Of course, you have to pick 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:27.040 something that really is important to you. Don't pick to 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:31.560 plan anything. But picking to plan something, what happens. You 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:33.840 get to meet people around it, You get to go 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:36.920 to new places because of it. You are taking on 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:40.240 a new project, and that's where life starts to get 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.439 more connected naturally. Right. A big part of why we're 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:47.080 struggling with mental health today is loneliness. We're feeling disconnected 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:50.800 from people. And I found that when you build something 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:54.920 with someone, when you do something with someone, it's so 0:12:55.320 --> 0:13:01.640 much more magical what you develop as a friendship. I 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:05.720 think it's not explored enough today. But when you do 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:12.360 something with someone that is active, proactive, building, planning, creating, 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:15.920 the memories you build and the bond you build is 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:19.400 far more than going to a number of parties with someone. 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:22.040 It's just not the same thing. You could go to 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.520 dinner with someone and it's not the same level as 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.240 if you help them move home. Right. You could go 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:30.840 to dinner with someone and it's not the same as 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:32.920 if you help them change a tire on their car. 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.840 You could go to dinner with someone and it's not 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:38.680 the same as if you put on an event for 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:41.840 your community or organized your family's birthday or a getaway 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:45.080 trip together. Right, it's just not the same thing. And 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.640 I think for a lot of us, we're trying to 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:51.000 find connection across a table on a couch. And I'm 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:52.920 not saying those things are wrong. I'm not saying they're bad, 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:56.319 and we need those things. But I found that the deepest, 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.920 most powerful relationships I have are ones where we did 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.960 things together. And I would encourage you all to find 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:06.520 a friend. Choose someone or you'll find a friend through 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:09.440 the process of planning something, and that what you plan 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:10.960 can be small. I'm not saying it has to be 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:13.560 thousands of people. It can be a small thing at 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.600 your child's school, it can be a small thing for 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.880 your family at home. But planning something, working towards something, 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.400 making yourself feel excited about something, because so much of 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:26.960 the time we're struggling because we've lost that zest, we've 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:30.320 lost that thrill, we've lost that excitement, and it's important 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:35.000 that we bring it back. Number three, get better at 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.760 the things you're good at. A lot of the time, 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:42.760 when we're struggling with low confidence, it's because we actually 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:50.160 are experiencing low competence, right. It's competence that builds confidence. 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:56.200 It's competence that builds greater self esteem. Confidence by the 0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:58.160 Dictionary definition, which I love, and by the way, when 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.040 I pull out a definition, it's because I feel we 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.840 are so unaware of it. The Dictionary definition of confidence, 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:07.880 one of them is a feeling of self assurance, arising 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:12.960 from one's appreciation of one's abilities and qualities. So when 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.800 you get better at the things you're good at, it's 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:19.160 more prominent to you and you're more able to give 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.760 yourself that self assurance. When we're good at something, we 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.920 often say, nah, I'm okay at that. But when you're 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.600 bad at something, you're like, oh, I'm the worst, right? No, 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:32.160 is that negativity bias creeping in. If you're good at something, 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.560 you're like, I'm okay. If you're bad at something, you're like, yeah, 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:38.200 I'm the worst. I'm the worst there possibly ever was, right, 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.960 And we over hype it so hard. So getting better 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.400 at the things you're good at gives you a sense 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:47.840 of competence and confidence that won't come from anything else. 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:50.440 And I think often we feel like, oh, if I 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:53.120 got that job, I would feel better. If I was 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.760 with that person, I would feel better. There's a lot 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.600 of things we say to ourselves, if this, then that, right, 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:03.480 But what about this idea that actually, when I get better, 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.840 when I develop better skills, when I strengthen these muscles, 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:12.000 when I strengthen these focus points, now I actually feel 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.960 better about myself. Right, Instead of waiting for something external 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:20.560 to happen to make us feel better, we're taking that 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:23.960 into our own hands. We're taking accountability, we're taking responsibility. 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:29.920 We're feeling a sense of my behavior matters, my action matters. 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.840 We feel a sense of autonomy, we feel a sense 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:36.360 of ownership, and that's such a powerful thing that we 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.400 can help develop. So if you're good at something, or 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:41.200 someone said you're good at something, go take a course 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.600 on it, go to an online program on it, buy 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:45.720 a book about it, and study it all weekend. Go 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:49.800 to an evening class. Whatever it is like, get stuck in. 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:52.280 It could be something like pottery. It could be an 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.240 art class. Maybe you were great at doing comic book 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:58.320 sketches when you were young. It could be a cake 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.880 baking class. Right, whatever it is, something you enjoy again, 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:06.159 You'll naturally meet people again, You'll naturally be learning, you'll 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:09.080 naturally be growing. What happens is you're making all of 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:11.639 the areas of your life that you're struggling with easier 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:16.240 to do. Now. This point number five is actually something 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.760 that I came across last Christmas, and so Radi and 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.080 I we always go back to London and we try 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:24.040 and spend a lot of quality time with our family 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.720 because of course we live in another country and we 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:28.960 don't get to see them as much. And so we 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:32.480 had taken a little trip to the countryside with our family. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.760 And my niece and nephew are eight and four, and 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:40.000 they're adorable and wonderful, and my sister in law had 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:44.639 brought them these coloring books. But when you then finish 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:48.080 coloring and you struck the pieces together, it was an 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:52.280 ornament for the Christmas tree. Now I joined in with 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:54.679 the activity, I think I think the whole family did, actually, 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.040 because we thought we'd had quite a busy run and 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:00.439 this was quite a calming exercise. And then I started 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.840 looking into some of the research behind it, and I 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:07.840 was reading something from Dan Brennan, MD, and he was 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:12.399 talking about how actually coloring books are not just for kids. 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.480 They can be used by adults, and coloring relaxes your 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:19.400 brain and improves brain function. He says, when you're coloring, 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.080 you're focused on the simple activity in front of you. 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:25.160 This begins to relax your mind and keep your thoughts 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.560 from intruding. Now I found that, especially when I was 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:29.919 coloring in between the lines, when I was trying to 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:35.360 do something quite intricate, it was really present work. And 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:38.479 he goes on to talk about how it induces a 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:44.480 meditative state. He mentions that adult coloring doesn't replace art therapy, 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:48.240 but it can be therapeutic for some people. Some studies 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:51.400 have shown that focusing on the complex structure of your 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:55.879 coloring page can help put your mind into a meditative state. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.280 So for those of you that struggle to meditate or 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.199 struggle to like you know how to meditate, this is 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:05.199 a great way of just taking a moment to be 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:07.760 more present. He also goes on to say how it 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:12.320 improves sleep. Right if you color before bed, Dan Brannan says, 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:15.040 you're likely to sleep better than if you scrolled on 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:17.960 your phone expose you to blue light from your phone 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.359 or tablet. Of course we know that can hinder our 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:22.800 quality of sleep, but he says by coloring in a 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:27.240 book before bed instead, you're keeping electronics out of the bedroom, 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:30.960 allowing your melotonin level to release naturally as your body 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.679 gets ready for sleep. So there's so many benefits to 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.760 a simple activity of coloring. Now. I know, as adults 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:39.160 were thinking like what am I going to color? And 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:41.680 I found that when it becomes something practical, like we 0:19:41.680 --> 0:19:44.360 were making an ornament for the tree, or maybe you're 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.000 creating a birthday card for someone and you might be thinking, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.680 no one wants a birthday guard painted by me. Or 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:51.280 maybe it is something that you're doing with your kids, 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:52.560 or maybe it is something that you're doing with your 0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:54.480 niece and your nephew. I remember it being a really 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:56.880 wonderful activity. We could all show each other what we did, 0:19:56.920 --> 0:19:59.520 and everyone chose different ornaments and maybe I did a 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:02.560 snowman and you know, they painted something else and it 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:05.359 was just a really it's a really special memory that 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:08.439 I'm still holding on to as well. And I know 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:10.159 it sounds simple, but I think it's going to resonate 0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:11.960 with some of you, and so I hope you give 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:16.040 that a go. This one is something you may have heard, 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:19.320 but I'm hoping that some of the research behind it 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:23.000 will change how you feel about it. I was reading 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:25.199 a research study that said that since the turn of 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.960 the millennium, cases of vitamin D deficiency have risen by 0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:35.240 four hundred and ninety percent. That's incredible. Now, there's lots 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:38.040 of reasons for that, and here are some of them. 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:43.640 The average time outdoors has fallen fourteen percent between nineteen 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:47.919 seventies and twenty tens. Sixteen to thirty year olds have 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:51.520 seen the biggest drop in outdoor time twenty percent when 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.919 compared to their age bracket in the nineteen seventies. And 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:57.679 of course, the average person watches TV or listens to 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:00.000 the radio for one hundred and forty seven minutes per day, 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:03.960 an increase of thirty seven minutes from time spent in 0:21:03.960 --> 0:21:07.240 the nineteen seventies. Now that doesn't surprise me. But it's interesting, 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:10.360 isn't it. What can we do to be active while 0:21:10.400 --> 0:21:12.760 we watch that show? Can we be active at home? 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:15.600 Can we be active outdoors while we listen to something? 0:21:15.600 --> 0:21:16.960 What can we do? I know so many of you. 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:19.560 I love, love, love watching all of you out on 0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:21.760 a walk with your dog. You're cooking while you're listening. 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:23.919 Some of you are driving while you're listening. And I 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:27.400 think if I could encourage you all to just get outdoors. 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:32.679 The National Recreation and Park Association says that whether it's 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:35.320 sitting on a park bench or walking local trails, spending 0:21:35.359 --> 0:21:40.159 twenty to thirty minutes outside reduces stress levels. It's just 0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:45.840 that twenty minutes outdoors will make a big, big, big difference. 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.200 And I will just want you to test it out 0:21:49.200 --> 0:21:50.560 for seven days. What I want you to do is 0:21:50.600 --> 0:21:52.680 I want you to choose one of these pieces of insights, 0:21:53.119 --> 0:21:55.160 and I want you to test them over the next 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:57.640 seven days. Or I just want you to test them 0:21:57.720 --> 0:22:00.800 for the next seven days and see how your life changes. 0:22:00.840 --> 0:22:04.399 See what switches up, see what progress or movement you 0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:06.880 feel in your life. And this one's a big one 0:22:06.920 --> 0:22:08.640 for me. I'm throwing it in there because I learned 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:11.399 a lot about this from the Glucose Goddess Jesse and 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:14.160 Chope on the podcast. If you haven't heard that episode, 0:22:14.200 --> 0:22:18.080 it's amazing. But there's something to be said for the 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:22.399 connection between sugar and our mood, and she speaks about 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:24.800 it with so much great research and insight. But some 0:22:24.840 --> 0:22:27.320