This quote has been floating around for a while now and when it comes to managing stress and burnout….wow this is spot on!!!
Our body, mind and spirit are linked. To heal your body, you also need to work on your mind and vice versa. So as part of my online program I find myself talking about our ‘consumption diet’ – what we consume on a daily basis that holds influence over us.
This comes from a range of sources - the people around us, social media posts and comments, influencers, the media, books, magazines, tv shows, movies, blogs, podcasts – the list goes on.
We’re often influenced over our day on a subconscious level….we don’t even know what’s going on. We need to consider is all the inputs we consume every day. How are they affecting us physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually?
Watching the news affects us emotionally!
I recall a story from a client the USA who on reflection realised the devastating effect that the events of 9/11 had on her in 2001. She was going through burnout at that time and also depression.
9/11 touched the heart of so many of us. People who have lived through this time can usually remember exactly where they were when they first stared seeing these awful visuals.
For this client she was watching all the news stories, one after the other and absolutely internalising the tragedy that was unfolding before her eyes. She felt it on a deeply personal level.
Seriously, what effect does this have us emotionally, spiritually and physically?
Now when COVID19 pandemic was happening in 2020 and getting bad quickly in the USA, she was wise enough to have learnt her lesson. She knew she couldn’t engage like she did in 2001 and let this affect her health, so she decided to watch just one hour of news a day to keep informed. She also made sure it was a credible source, not just sensationalism.
I was really struck by how insight this was and how she had really learnt such a valuable life lesson from her time of burnout.
A common response to disasters
What this has highlighted is actually a common response to disasters. And the closer they are to our own home, the more impact they potentially have.
Now I contrast the reaction of so many of us when COVID hit.
Was there an obsession with looking at the media...yes.
Energy….dropped.
Mood…..dropped.
Fear…..rose.
It’s an age old formula! Burnout started to become a big news story in itself in 2020 and 2021 as the effect of the pandemic took a toll.
Let’s consider the inputs in your consumption diet!
For many of us it starts in the morning when we reach for our phone. We might scroll through social media, read the news or some other type of input. During the day we’re continuing to scroll and it’s not just the news we’re seeing, it’s all types of posts or opinions from just about anyone and we can now access a global audience.
Whether it’s in a book, on tv, a blog, a LinkedIn caption, comments on a Facebook/Insta/TikTok post or even what you speak about with the people around you or overhear in your local café;
If you spend a lot of time consuming angst and negativity, it can have a profound effect on your mental well-being. And all of this contributes to our stress levels and chances of burning out.
And watch the people you have around you!
Who you have around you is important. Think about the thoughts, opinions and general vibe they’re putting out there.
Some people are going to have more of an influence than others. Some you can block out quite easily, others…well there’s something programmed in us that makes it really hard to block them out when we need to.
We’re surrounded by information, yet only some of it is healthy for us to consume.
Have a think about what you’re feeding yourself on a daily basis. Where do we get our information from? From credible sources? Or from places trying to sell us something or get more time on their page, or more likes.
The unwritten part of this is how can you minimise the negative? We’re not suddenly going to be getting rid of all the negativity around us. But we can train ourselves to filter it and focus more on what is good in life, what is healthy for us to consume.
If you’re looking to safeguard your mental health and wellbeing in the long-term, you can take active steps to manage your consumption diet. Examples of this include:
Start noticing more of the positive and filtering out the negative
Doing a social media cleanse and unfollowing what makes you feel bad.
Setting limits around where we get our news and information from and how much time we spend doing this.
Noticing the people around us who have a positive affect and spending more time with them
Engaging in tv, podcasts, books, movies, blogs or other types of media that provide more positivity and less angst!
All of this is possible, it’s just takes a bit of reprogramming. What action are you willing to take to assist your own mental health and wellbeing?
Sarah Vizer is the creator of Beyond Burnout.
As a Leadership and Performance Coach she has dedicated her time to supporting our top professionals reach new levels of high performance, without the burnout.
She offers individual and team support for you and your organisation.
Find out more at: www.sarahvizer.com
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