Mind Over Matter: Your Guide to Beating the Sick Season

Hello and happy November!

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I hope you had a lovely weekend, enjoyed Halloween, and are ready for this first week of November!

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I was feeling a little under the weather last week which was not ideal, and I know many others have felt the same as there's a lot going around at the moment.

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For anyone who knows me, they will know that I actively try to avoid using the word ‘ill’, as I'm very much a mind over matter person and I believe that the moment you say you're ill is the moment you've lost the mental battle of overcoming it.

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Instead I opt for phrases like ‘not on top form’ or ‘sub optimal’, and I do my best to get out of whatever it is very quickly!

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And as much as this may sound stupid, for me it works as I am very rarely ill, and if something is going on I can usually clear it within a day or two, much like I did last week.

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I'm aware that a newsletter about being ill may not be the typical subject for me, however as the weather changes we will see an increase in sickness, and the result of this is things like poor performance, people feeling down and unhappy, which are all things we want to avoid.

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So here's a few of my top tips around managing illness so that you don't have to be out too long!

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Never acknowledge it!

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I'm just going to reiterate the point I made at the start of this email that once you give in and start telling every living soul that you're ill, it honestly gets worse.

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We know our thoughts and words create our reality, and my belief has always been if I can avoid acknowledging and declaring that I'm ill, then maybe I'm not.

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Now I know that sounds absolutely stupid but it's not too dissimilar from you telling yourself you can't do something and then not being able to do it.

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I've had this many a time in Crossfit workouts where I've said to myself that there's no way I'll be able to complete this workout in the time, and then low and behold, I don't, versus the times where I stick with it, tell myself it's possible, I'll be okay, and then I manage it.

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It all starts with mindset, and if we fall victim to illness too easily, it will have an even tighter grip on us.

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(I am aware that sometime we are super sick and there's nothing we can do about it, however that isn't every time, and that's what I'm talking about here, the times where there's a battle to be fought and won.)

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Take ownership

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Another big problem I see is people being so quick to throw blame and identify all the external reasons that they got ill.

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Things like a colleague being ill, someone coughing on the bus, a child bringing an illness home, whatever it might be.

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I'm a huge fan of taking ownership, and this is what I try and do in this situation, take responsibility for the reasons why I may be falling ill.

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What I mean by this is what are the reasons you would be susceptible to catching something.

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Perhaps you've not been keeping on top of your sleep, you've not been taking any vitamins, you've not been exercising or hydrating regularly, you've not been washing your hands, you've not taken any annual leave for the last 3 months.

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All of these are really valid reasons as to why you could be in a position to get ill, and as much as you may have caught it from someone else, there's a version of this where you didn't because you were looking after your own health and hygiene in a much better way.

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Know when to get back to it

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Another reason I connect with my success rate of overcoming illness is all down to my routines.

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Because I have a pretty systematic life, which includes regular bed and wake up times, sea dips, gym, other forms of exercise, and pretty much the same foods each day, I take real care to not let this all fall apart when I'm not feeling great.

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There's something about continuing on as normal that seems to trick my body into thinking everything is normal.

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I mean many people would argue that this is a bad idea, but my sea dips and gym classes stay on the agenda when I'm starting to feel unwell because these are two of the biggest pieces of my health puzzle, and as much as it would be easier to take a few days off, I often find that carrying on as if everything is okay makes everything okay.

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Now I know this definitely won't work for everyone, and also isn't necessarily advised, which is why there's another side to this, which is about knowing when to get back to things.

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The more we lay on the sofa waiting to feel absolutely perfect the longer it will take, but there's also a risk to going back to things too early and it making you feel worse.

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There's a really thin line between too early where it can be detrimental, and too late where you just never seem to get better, and your job is to find where that line is.

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Sometime the last bit of recovery will kick in when you get yourself back up and into your normal routine and healthy habits.

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Turn your ‘reactive’ to your ‘proactive’

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We all know the tools we pull out when we are unwell, the early nights, the vitamin c, drinking more water, and just generally taking more care of ourselves, all in a bid to speed up recovery.

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Well I'm here to tell you that there is no reason these things shouldn't stay in the picture all year round.

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Imagine how much less likely you'd be to catch an illness if you always did all the things you do when you're unwell.

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These are all super simple things too, like managing your sleep hygiene, knowing when to take a break, taking supplements etc.

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We always do this reactively, and by that point it's too late, which is why I urge you to start thinking about what healthy habits you need to implement all year round rather than just when you think you need it.

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What I'm not trying to say in this email is that if you follow all the steps above you'll never be ill again, because that's hilariously unrealistic.

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However I am saying that with a bit of stubbornness, will power, consistency, and proactiveness, you will absolutely be able to reduce your amount of sick days.

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I hope this is helpful, and next week I'll bring the newsletter back on track!

Quote for the week

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“A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time — pills or stairs.”

- Joan Welsh

Recommendation

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Traction

By Gino Wickman

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'Do you have a grip on your business, or does your business have a grip on you?

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All entrepreneurs and business leaders face similar frustrations: personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth. Decisions never seem to get made, or once made, fail to be properly implemented. But there is a solution. It’s not complicated or theoretical.

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The Entrepreneurial Operating System is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned. More than 2,000 companies have discovered what EOS can do.

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InTraction, you’ll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth, and more enjoyment. Successful companies are applying Traction every day to run profitable, frustration-free businesses - and you can too.'

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This book has been on my to read list for a very long time, and due to an organisation I work with using some of the systems within this book, now felt like the time to read it.

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I truly think this book is brilliant in the way that it lays out such simple and clear strategies with guidance on how to implement them, and even just from reading it, you know they will make a profound difference to your business.

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I've been able to look at this through the lens of me and my own business of one, but also through the lens of a lagrer organisation, and it's so valuable to both.

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It's one of those books where I find myself constantly nodding in agreement with non stop lightbulbs going off in my head, so this is me giving it a really solid referral to you!

Life Hack

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Create an evening routine

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I know that so many people struggle with getting to sleep, and something that helps with this is having a consistent routine prior to going to bed.

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My routine has changed over the years, but there's always been something in place, something that tells my mind and my body that it's time to shut down.

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The first thing I can confidently tell you is that it's not sitting on my phone or watching TV right before I need to sleep.

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For me it's doing all my normal evening hygiene bits, making a herbal sleep tea, and sitting in bed with a book for 30 minutes.

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Because I am so consistent with this, once I start this routine my mind body knows what's coming which makes it really easy to switch off, and because I've minimised electronic input prior to going to bed, I'm not at all wired.

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If you can create yourself a short routine that you can do each evening at the same time, you will soon find you're sleeping better and feeling better in the mornings!?

How can I help you?

If you want to hear more about what I do and how you can work with me, send me a DM or email me at?[email protected]

I hope you have a fantastic week, and I'll be back in your inbox next week!

Haydan