Focusing on the M.E.N. in Your Life Helps Shed Chronic Wellness Issues.
The Center for Disease Control reports that six in ten American adults live with chronic disease. Four in ten live with two or more chronic diseases. (1)
Shifting a small fraction of time away from technology and focusing that smidgen of time on the M.E.N. in your life could be the very thing that helps you shed a chronic wellness issue(s) you’re struggling with.
Technology has become a HUGE part of our daily lives. It permeates into every waking hour.
The positive impact technology has provided for the masses: remote jobs, free worldwide communication, access to information at our fingertips, year-round food availability it’s nothing short of amazing.
Many can work from home. Companies have much quicker access to international teams. Free tools on phones, tablets, computers allow us to have free face to face interaction with family and friends while away.
Food is available in a huge variety, safer to eat and store…..
Technology places what we want to know at our fingertips THE MOMENT WE WANT TO KNOW IT… No need to wait for library open hours to research any topic we want answers to.
Alone, this minuscule list shows there’s absolutely no quibbling when it comes to the fact that- technology can improve our lives t-r-e-m-e-n-d-o-u-s-l-y.
Can being the operative word. There’s a downside. Technology is contributing to our wellness epidemic.
Today and every year more and more people are becoming chronically sick.
Sticking to the same small list of technology benefits above there’s also no doubt technology plays a contributing role in our chronic disease epidemic.
It’s great that we are more connected or can work remotely but with that comes the encroachment of more work hours that are seeping into daily lives.
This means we as a society are sitting in front of or on one of theses pieces of technology practically all day long.
We MOVE our bodies much less while using technology.
Because we can work on the road, we can work at home, we can work while at the park with the kids. We are less engaged in play, walking, gardening, exploring….we are moving less.
Our human to human EMOTIONAL engagement is reduced as well. AGAIN because we can send a quick text instead of a call where a conversation with another would be had. Because we can get away without these small two-sided interactions we, unfortunately, seldom have the whole picture of anything — promoting FOMO — Isolation increases, negatively impacting our state of well being.
Without these little interactions throughout the day we are experiencing more EMOTIONAL stress; exposed to 24/7 news cycle on our phones of things we’d like to change but feel powerless over.
We are more stressed as our sleeping rhythm is thrown off from computer/tablet/phone light exposure.
As a whole, we are more stressed and depressed, more exhausted and we are feeling more alone than ever before as we watch other picturesque lives unfold before our eyes on technology.
Americans are more depressed than ever, and getting more so: From 2011–2014, 13 percent of Americans 12 and older took an antidepressant up from 11 percent in 2005–2008 and 8 percent in 1999–2002. (2)
Then there is our NUTRITION it suffers as we reach for more and more comfort foods.
We can easily grab more and more stimulating foods to get through just one more thing because we don’t have to forage for it. Processed foods mean we have unlimited access to food.
Foods; drinks; stimulate us then more foods, more drinks to help us unwind…
RE-CAP: We Move less, we experience more Emotional Stress and we deplete the Nutrient-dense foods replacing them with processed ones.
We repeat this same scenario day in and day out setting ourselves up to be further and further away from the Wellness we Want.
Chronic conditions have increased, even though we know now more about our bodies than ever before.
If only we could shift these negative pressures technology is contributing so they’re not constantly pushing our body further and further from the wellness we want.
WE CAN! Focusing on the M.E.N. in our lives is the key!
Instead of saying I’m going to use my phone/tablet/computer less outside of work try instead to shift your focus to adding a few GOOD M.E.N. to your day.
This focus on adding a few good M.E.N. will naturally reduce the hold technology has on your free time. It really will.
As amazing as all the technology is our bodies are even MORE amazing.
- Our bodies are resilient and can rebound from decades of less than optimal care. Small shifts will make a big impact.
- The more GOOD M.E.N. you place into your daily life the less you’ll find yourself defaulting to spending more and more time with technology.
- There’s more great news it’s much, much SIMPLER than most think.
That’s where focusing on the M.E.N. in our lives comes in.
-— M. MOTION — — E. Emotion — — N. Nutrition —
I have to tell you that when presenting to the ‘all men’ Cancer support groups it never failed to spark a reaction when I said it’s the MEN in our lives that determine our wellness. They were braced for a fight. Sitting taller in their chairs leaning forward asking — How can you be blaming us!? 😁 Years later when any of them see me out they’re sure to come up and say “I NEVER forgot it’s the M.E.N. in our lives that determine our wellness!” It’s one of the best teaching acronyms I've come up with because it STICKS!
Here’s how it works:
Focusing on the M.E.N. in our Live’s Works Wonders because it will Simplify Self Care decisions.
Simplifying Self Care decisions removes the overwhelm and confusion of all the health and wellness claims streaming toward you every moment of every day.
The result of getting focused on the M.E.N. in our lives is: we end up taking actions that will benefit us more often.
Why? Because we are clear, focused and know the more positive M.E.N. we incorporate in our daily life will add up to the wellness we want. PERIOD.
Back to the CDC. It identifies Key Lifestyle Factors for Chronic Disease.
- Lack of Physical Activity.
- Excessive alcohol
- Poor Nutrition.
- Smoking.
The M.E.N. in your Life- or should I say the Lack of Good M.E.N. in your life are 3 of the most common risk factors for Chronic Disease.
Again the CDC identifies 4 of the biggest risk factors of which 3 are the MEN and I add Stress and Isolation.
If it’s a few bad MEN that can wreak havoc (the above 3 categories of MEN) on our wellness then to reverse their negative impact our first step in attaining the wellness we want is to place our energies on incorporating more and more GOOD M.E.N. into our daily lives!
And it WORKS!
Optimizing our wellness with more and more good M.E.N. in our daily lives eventually crowds out the bad guys. They slowly fade away.
THE MORE GOOD M.E.N. you have in your life the more you reduce your risk factors.
The key? Knowing where to place your focus. This will Simplify Self Care.
The focus on the M.E.N. in your life eliminates the overwhelm of trying to figure what steps to take.
I can’t tell you how many people who never worked with me one-on-one but came to my One Focused presentation sent me messages letting me know they walked away knowing the actions they could immediately take to begin going after the wellness they wanted. — By focusing on their M.E.N. — they were able to change everything. Each good decision slowly snowballed over time.
One Good decision lead to another and another as long as they stayed focused on this ONE FOCUS every day.
This works as an amazing first step regardless of how complicated the wellness state of an individual is. Everyone can start making improvements adding more and more good M.E.N. to their daily life and every good decision around M.E.N. adds up.
How do I know it really works? From years and years of feedback.
Over the more than 3 decades I presented to groups, classes, individuals, I realized the 2nd most empowering piece of information I could pass on was to Focus on the M.E.N. in our Lives. (The number 1 most powerful piece of information I’ll share next time 😁
Every single person who wanted to optimize their individual wellness could walk out of my presentation and immediately begin to positively impact their wellness by reframing their focus onto adding more good M.E.N. into their lives. Everyday asking did I expose myself to a few GOOD M.E.N.?
Instead of trying to match every “Newest study” bombarding them they could bring every decision through the filter. — How many GOOD M.E.N. are in my life today? — Which M.E.N. do I want to include in my life tomorrow? —
SCHEDULE the GOOD M.E.N. then schedule the rest of your day around them.
Instead of waking up and mindlessly having technology begin to take over the days Focus start your day with a few GOOD M.E.N. Decide on them the night before.
Here is how simple it can be to add 3 good M.E.N. in less than 90 sec:
1 M. MOTION: Stretch your body right in bed. This counts! Just like making your bed every morning increases your success(4) so does starting off with a good stretch! It’s the micro-decisions that set you up for more and more micro self-care decisions.
2 E. EMOTION Hug the first person or pet you come in contact with. It counts and improves EMOTIONAL well being right away!
3. N. NUTRITION have a glass of water that you’ve placed next to your bedside before you went to sleep. That adds 2 good M.E.N. choices. One for placing it there last night and ending on a good M.E.N. choice and second this morning when you hydrate your body with the first glass of water.
These focused actions result in more and more good decisions throughout the day.
Keep a running count of each Good M.E.N decision you make.
FORGET the typical approach of giving up a list of things to stop doing.
Instead, MAKE A LIST of all the good decisions you can make. They'll be more top of mind that way. Example list: Park further from work/school there’s another good M. Send a note in snail mail making someone elses day and yours! That's a E. Splurge on the FRESH berries or that fresh fruit/Veggie in season that you’d usually pass by. That’s a N…..
In my experience when individuals focus on starting their day with a few good M.E.N. more and more GOOD M.E.N. follow.
THEN making the decisions to eliminate bad M.E.N habits happens on its own, incrementally, usually without the struggle. The result= real change. Not a 30-day window of ‘being good’.
The focus to add more and more good M.E.N. to our daily lives is the way to Simplify Self Care. When we Simplify Self Care momentum carries us further. WHY? Our brains like positive feedback. (5)
As you are including more and more good M.E.N. you create a positive feedback loop.
The more and more good M.E.N. slowly added in our lives strengthens our desire to keep doing what we are doing. So we do more positive things for our body.
That’s when the less than optimal and downright terrible M.E.N. will begin to naturally shed. Ultimately chronic conditions do too!
So if you’ve been wanting to optimize your Wellness. If you’ve tried everything under the sun only to circle back to where you began.
Try taking a look at the M.E.N. in your life to Simplify your Self Care decisions.
You’ll remove the overwhelm. You’ll be clear, focused and find yourself taking more positive actions daily. This will lead to adding more and more POSITIVE M.E.N. in your life leading you closer and closer to the Wellness you Want.
😁 mo
It’s my goal to Simplify Self Care adding confidence and clarity so you KNOW the Wellness You Want is 100% achievable. If I was able to do it so can you! YOU‘VE GOT this!
P.S. There is a piece of tech that’s been VERY helpful for clients and will Simplify Self Care. It does so by bringing instantaneous data and clarity helping to guide good M.E.N. decisions throughout the day. ..it’s the FITBIT.
It’s a simple way to auto-document the M.E.N. in your life
M. The MOTION is tracked. A very easy way to stay focused on increasing M.
E. Guided breathing supports EMOTION.
N. The fabulous NUTRITION logging brings amazing awareness to what you provide yourself with daily. A real eye-opener 🤓
I am not affiliated with them I just know it has helped many clients of mine (when I used to work with clients) become aware of the M.E.N. in their lives and was a Simple first step to shedding their chronic conditions.
1. Content provided and maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
3. Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed Anxiety and Depression Among US Children Bitsko, Rebecca H. PhD*; Holbrook, Joseph R. PhD*; Ghandour, Reem M. DrPH, MPA†; Blumberg, Stephen J. PhD‡; Visser, Susanna N. DrPH§; Perou, Ruth PhD‖; Walkup, John T. MD¶ Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics: June 2018 — Volume 39 — Issue 5 — p 395–403
4. It’s the little things that add up. Youtube link of graduation speech: If You Want to Change the World, Start Off by Making Your Bed — William McRaven, US Navy Admiral
5. John Brandon Contributing editor, Inc. PUBLISHED ON: APR 29, 2019 Inc.com Here’s What Happens to Your Brain When You Get Positive Feedback
