Sunday, September 6, 2020

Habits and Their Connection to Getting Our Brains Right

The habits you form, or destroy, can go a long way in moving you toward the changes you seek in yourself and the environment around you

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By Quentin Steen, Representative

Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve learned a few things about myself.

First, the enticing idea of working from home—which I’ve watched others do and sometimes brag about for years—has long lost its appeal. I thought it would be something I could get used to, but I’ve found it more disrupting than helpful to how I function best.

Second, I don’t take enough breaks in my day. Being home has allowed me to get up from my work, walk around the block, or take 10 minutes outside in my backyard, enjoying a good dose of vitamin D. It has helped my mental health a lot. It’s been a real source of inspiration that motivates my creativity and perspective in my work and my life.

Without creativity, I tend to become bored and, at times, miserable. The mini-break time during my workday is something I plan to continue when the four walls of my office once again surround me. I’ve found that when I take these breaks, I’m more likely to reengage the work side of my life with more energy then if I don’t.

Lastly, and more importantly, the time to myself brought about by the pandemic has given me much-needed breathing room to realize that I need to do things for myself. I need more time to recalibrate me. A better, healthier version of me will pay huge dividends in my work as a CLAC representative and in my relationships with my wife, children, family, and friends.

I remember hearing or reading (the source slips my mind) that there are three primary phases in our life.

Phase one: Who am I?

Phase two: What’s the best I have, and where am I going to invest the rest of my life?

Phase three: What legacy am I going to leave behind?

To my last point, I’d say finding time for myself, and its potential impact on the other areas that are part of my life, is worth the investment—especially while I’m in the second phase of my life.

What have you learned about yourself during the last few months?

We all have times in our lives—and this particular moment in time is no exception—when life teaches us something about ourselves. Sometimes, those lessons are encouraging. Sometimes, there are wake-up calls.

When the lessons are the latter, you have a choice: you can either ignore them or humbly accept them and begin to work with them and allow them to change who you are.

It’s during these moments that you may find it helpful to remember that part of the transformation process is deeply connected to the realization that the habits you form, or destroy, can go a long way in moving you toward the changes you seek in yourself and the environment around you.

Most research suggests that it takes about 21 days or so to form a habit and around 2 months on average to make it stick. With social isolation and distancing starting back in March, most of us have long passed this threshold.

What habits have you formed? More importantly, have they created a healthier you, or added to a diminishing sense of self? Are they good for your brain health or harmful? And are they helping you build resiliency into your daily life or not?

Resiliency is defined as the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc. after being bent, compressed, or stretched (i.e., elasticity). It’s all about your mindset, and in terms of your mental health, it’s connected to your capacity to recover quickly from difficulties (i.e., toughness). The pandemic has certainly tested our resilience, and it continues to do so.

The development of good habits can go a long way in building resilience and helping you to get your brain right. As Dr. Daniel Amen, author of The End to Mental Illness, says, “Get your brain right and your mind will follow.” I’ve adopted this phrase as my personal mental health mantra.

How do you get your brain right? Dr. Amen says that even a tiny habit, when applied consistently and intentionally, can shape us and help us to get our brains right. His advice is simple but life-changing:

When it comes to a decision point in your day, ask, “Is the decision I’m about to make good for my brain or bad for it?” It takes three seconds, and if you consistently make good decisions, your brain and mental health will begin to improve immediately.

Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow!

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.
CLAC is also continuing to make available to all members and their families our employment and family assistance program. If you or your loved ones are struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out for help today.

Habits and Their Connection to Getting Our Brains Right

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

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