There's a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. 

Many of us have been through varying degrees of lockdowns and some of us are going through the second phase as we speak.

I know how stressful this can be. We had to sit back and watch as our business was forced to close and we had to wait to see patients who desperately needed care. Fortunately, our business made it through the first lockdown ok but we are still working on stabilizing patients that could not see us when we were shut down.

I have shared the importance of our thoughts and mindset before, but as people are getting more and more unsettled, I think it's important to revisit this topic.

A few nights ago, Cindy and I had a long chat about the current state of affairs (and it got a little heated). She was upset about "rules" and decisions being made... she was wondering how long this is going to go on.

While I did my best to empathize (not a strength of mine), I leaned to the side of being practical. I had to remind her that yes, it sucks and that this was not what we envisioned for 2020. But for me, as long as we are open to serve patients, our family is healthy and our kids have some routines (school and extra-curricular), all is well.

Even though I feel like I am exhausted by talking about COVID all the time, it was great to get this all out in the open.

We understand the need to put regulations in place. But we do wish the decision makers were also talking about the things that we know can help our general health and immune system as much as all the public health measures.

All of this has lead to a tremendous amount of frustration for both of us. We know that there will be long-term health and economic consequences as a result of the last 6 months.

So, while this is still a major challenge in our house, we do get to "choose" where we place our focus. As one of our mentors has said before:

 "WTF!" - where's the focus?

You get to CHOOSE how long you let the outside world affect your mood, happiness and actions.

You cannot control if others follow the rules, how long regulations will be in place or how long this will last.

So, try to control your focus. Don't allow yourself to over-stress about things out of your control. Shift your mindset. Focus on what you CAN currently control and don't let the outside world dictate your internal dialogue and focus.

So, let's take a look at a few things within our control:

Daily routines

Routines can help your mental and physical health, especially during times of unpredictability and stress. You may have noticed some poor habits creep back into your life. Challenge yourself to create structure in your day. It'll give you a sense of control, improve your focus and lower your stress levels. 

Media Consumption

Do you ever see a post on Facebook and find yourself spending 20 minutes scrolling through all its comments from strangers? And do you ever feel good after doing this? Most of the time, posts are filled with senseless comments that will likely leave you feeling stressed or angry more than entertained.

We know how easy it is to get caught up in online debates, and sometimes even wondering what/who you can trust.

Limiting your media consumption is one of my biggest tips for improving your mental health and improving your focus during this time... This goes for ALL types of media.

YES, it's absolutely important to be informed on what is going on around you but consider being on a 'need-to-know' basis. 

Your mind is so powerful... Be aware of what you allow to take up your time, energy and capacity.

Conversations

What kind of conversations are you having with your friends and family? Do they uplift you? Or do you find yourself constantly talking about the new number of cases and restrictions? 

Be careful how much you are talking about the bad news. Try to focus on something positive. 

If you want to know where your focus is, pay attention to what you are talking about the most!

Our nervous system and our health

I have this important conversation with my patients every day. When we think of our health, our mind often goes to our physical health. Working out... nutrition... vitamins...supplements. 

What most people don't realize is that our nervous system is the master control system and that excessive stress has been associated with many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. 

Worrying about things out of our control can trigger our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). It's important we make daily efforts to reduce the time we spend in fight or flight and more time doing things that engage our rest and digest system (parasympathetic). 

Take a minute to reflect on how you are letting the world around you affect your focus, mood and happiness. Do you need to make some changes? What kind of habits are you going to introduce to help engage your parasympathetic system?

These are unprecedented times but now more than ever we need to take personal responsibility for our own health.  I hope these tips are helpful in navigating the current landscape.  Stay healthy and remember whenever you can - control your focus!