To say that the recent events (more so the reactions to said events) haven't shaken up our lives, would be a tremendous understatement.

 

We all react differently to stress and stress impacts us differently depending on where we are in our lives.

 

If you're in a better spot - great relationships, support and solid finances... you will handle your stress better then someone who has poor relationships and no support.

 

One of the things we all have experienced from this current crisis, is the development of habits and routines that we know are not helping us reach the best in our lives.

 

Whether it be sleeping in, more alcohol consumption, poorer nutrition, less exercise; for one reason or another, we've developed habits that we would like to change.

 

But how do we do that?

 

On today's episode of Life By Design, we looking more deeply into creating habits. We use Charles Duhigg's fantastic book, The Power of Habit, as a framework to view this subject.

 

• The human mind and automation.
• How and why we depend and need habits and routines to function.
• The three components (yes, there are four, but let's keep it simple) that constitute a habit and how most of the books and thinking around changing a habit are focused on the wrong component. This is where, in Duhigg's opinion, most people mess up their new habit forming work.
• What you can do to create new habits that you'll be proud to have.
• Why it might not be the right time to create new habits and that's OK.

Once upon a time, in fairy tale land, it was believed (and unfortunately, it is still believed by many in health care, especially those who make the decisions) that pre-existing damage done to your cervical spine was not a barrier to the recovery of whiplash.

 

Think about how absurd that sounds.

 

If you had had two homes, one brand new, the foundation was just poured with the latest and greatest material and technology, the second, worn by seeing its fair share of storms and nature, and hit with an earthquake...which one would do better?

 

A 5-year-old would say the new home with minimal trauma.

 

How is it that a neck with pre-existing damage and degeneration wouldn't respond the same way?

 

It can and would, according to the latest data, more than 50% of people in car accidents who have had previous cervical degeneration, don't recover from the accident.

 

The purpose of this podcast is to examine a recent article looking at whiplash injuries and pre-existing cervical degeneration to help those who are frustrated with your lack of recovery from a car accident.

 

• What's considered cervical degeneration and how does that affect your overall health? It's important to understand there are various 'opinions' on what constitutes degeneration and how that might or might not be affecting your health.
• The mechanism of whiplash. Knowing what to look for and what to ask could help you understand your condition.
• You're not crazy. One of the most challenging things about caring for patients who have been through car accidents is the psychological effects of people thinking you're nuts. This study says otherwise.

CLICK HERE to read the study.

In order for anything to grow and develop, you need the proper environment. Tomatoes don't grow in Antarctica and maple trees don't grow in the ocean.

 

Unfortunately, we don't live in an environment that is conducive to the development of genuine mental health for the majority of the human race.

 

Of course, some humans will be able to do it, but for the majority of us, the soil is just not fertile - unless you know how to make it fertile.

 

The process of making the environment fertile for you to develop your mental health involves developing your awareness and recognizing how the deck is stacked against you. 

 

Confusing? You bet, listen to the episode and let us explain what we mean.

 

• Like everything in the universe, your nature (the way you are) dictates what you need. For humans to survive and thrive (AKA mental health), we need to use our minds. It is precisely the human mind which is on trial in our modern culture.
• Some of us are taught to question and think as children, but as we turn into adults, if you ask the wrong questions, you are accused of being a 'conspiracy theorist' or worse. This means you can be threatened, shamed and censored (forget tolerance for those people) into thinking you're wrong.  A healthy mind doesn't respond to force; it responds to reason.
• We are being taught that the group is superior to the individual and that we need to sacrifice our wants and desires for the benefit of the group. How can you have mental health when your mind (the only one you have) is placed as inferior to the "collective consciousness?"

• The study, the limitations of the study and the results.
• Interpretations of the results.
• Possible mechanisms explaining the results.
• The possible applications of this study into your daily life and what we believe you should change.