I caught up with Marina Shearer this week to talk about what she calls Sustaining Self. She says in the world of sustainable practice the most important practice is the one of sustaining in this order:
- yourself
- your immediate family
- your wider family
- your community
“There are some individuals who are very good at providing support in their community but not to their own family, there are others who are good at providing it to their family but not to themselves."
“Wellbeing in a peaceful time of low stress is often perceived by many to be an optional extra to life if you need it. People who are sick need to think about their wellbeing and people who are suffering with psychological issues need wellbeing; People might think but I don’t need to worry because I’m fine. Wellbeing is a discussion that is often relegated to the realms of if I need it I’ll do it, but not before I need it. Wellbeing should not be categorised as an emergency resource but rather as a preventative measure.”
According to the CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 outbreak is proving to be stressful for most people. During an infectious disease outbreak, the CDC says stress can include changes in sleep or eating patterns, worsening of mental health conditions, fear and worry about your health and the health of loved ones, and difficulty concentrating.
Compounding this stress is the constant stream of news about COVID-19 that we are exposed to on a daily, hourly, and even minute-by-minute basis.
Psychologist Dr Logan Jones says a lot of the news we consume today isn’t so much reporting as it is a way of keeping people addicted to the news cycle. Because sensational headlines get more attention, Jones says media outlets often end up focusing on disaster reporting—and rarely any positive news.
Consuming too much of this kind of news, whether actively or passively, can be very toxic, and what you hear has an impact on your mood.
Even if it's just noise in the background an alarmist news broadcast will still have a negative effect on your psyche.
Consuming the news can activate the sympathetic nervous system, which causes your body to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline which impact us ruthlessly and no one walks away unharmed by cortisol and adrenaline.
Marina and I talked over a year ago about the importance of looking after yourself so I asked her what has changed in her advice from then to now and she said, “Sustaining your health physically and mentally has to be at the top of your agenda. You need to make this a priority in your life now."
"Limit your news time and social media to 30 minutes a day."
"Immunity: don’t just take an injection and walk away from any other immunity prevention. Ensure that you are preparing your body for immunity. There are so many other things you can be doing like including honey regularly in your diet, checking out your vitamin and mineral deficiencies, eating more raw food, eating more unprocessed food, reducing caffeine and alcohol and increasing your water intake, adding in something like pilates, yoga or swimming to help you relax.”
Marina is big on encouraging farmers to get off farm. “This is a huge factor for wellbeing that I promote to everyone. Especially if you come from a workaholic background or have a workaholic mindset then you really need to be factoring in some small and regular breaks away from where you work and live. I don’t mean lying on the couch watching cricket; I mean transferring yourself to a place with therapeutic properties.”
Marina left me with this advice which is the opposite to what the current New Zealand Prime Minister said in 2021. “She advised us not to talk to our neighbours through the fear of community transmission but I say connecting with your neighbours and your community is a key ingredient in your wellbeing.” Marina says cutting yourself off from your neighbours and your community is the worst advice she has ever heard. “I have a close friend who is 78 and lives alone she is sustained by those who live around her, connecting with neighbours for a brief chat as they walk by or sharing morning tea together is sustaining her. We cannot disconnect from each other as a strategy to end transmission; we have to connect together to survive the journey BUT be wise in the ways that we connect. If transmission is a fear you have then connect by phone, or connect outdoors in the fresh air but keep connecting. Increase your connection with your neighbours and friends and if you find in this weird space we are in that you don’t share the same views on life then search for some new connections; find your tribe and be with them. Take care of yourself and always remember you have to nourish to flourish.”
Listen to the podcast to get the full story and full perspectives.
Angus Kebbell is the Producer at Tailwind Media. You can contact him here.
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