Thriving in Shift Work Habits

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome back to A Healthy Shift , the podcast where we dig deep into the evidence-based strategies that help shift workers not just survive but thrive in their unique work environments . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today I'm really on the attack . I may just be talking to you , so if it hurts , there's every chance that I am . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law En enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigors of shift work but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and welcome to the show . Boy oh boy . That was a hell of an introduction , wasn't it ? Brace yourself , because the things I'm going to say today , they're going to cut you right to the very , very core . Now , what I want you to do for a second as we start this podcast is I really would like for you to just imagine , just for a minute , how would you like to live and who would you like to be in two years time . Now , there's a reason why I ask this because , okay , so you want to be skinny , you want to be extremely good looking . You want to be skinny , you want to be extremely good looking , you want to have muscle , you want to be toned , you want to really be absolutely thriving in your shift work life . You want everything going your way . My question to you is this what are you doing today that's going to make a difference and get you to that point ? Because I'm going to tell you this right now , no one's coming to save you , and I mean no one is coming to save you , and this is literally what this podcast is about . Today , nothing is going to ruin your chances of success , of getting to where you want to get to , more than your habits not being aligned with your goals . I'll repeat that Nothing will ruin your chances of success more than your habits not being aligned with your goals . So we have a goal . This is where I want to get to . We have to put processes in place to get there .

Speaker 1 2:45

Now , this has all come out of numerous conversations that I have through my DMs on my social media . So many people ask me questions oh , I'm not motivated , oh , I can't do this . Oh , I'm a shift worker , I'm tired . I get that . I totally understand that . But what I want you to do also is I want you to walk into your workplace and I want you to have a look around at the people who are actually doing exceptionally well in their job . Just remember , those people are doing exactly the same job that you're doing . They are , or more . Those people are doing more because they're not only doing what they need to do in their job , but they're putting everything in place outside of the job as well , and you need to have a look at that . Those people who are turning up to work and they're full of life , they're happy , they're cheerful , they seem to have everything working extremely well for them . That didn't happen by accident , and they certainly didn't get that by lying in bed scrolling on their phone in the morning with no motivation , or flopping on the couch or picking up their phone all the time . Those people are the people that are go-getters . They do . They don't actually literally just wait for someone to come along and do it . They actually get out and do it .

Speaker 1 4:08

Now , the one thing that I really , really want you to understand is your entire life is a reflection of one thing , and what is that one thing ? Your habits . So when your life is collapsing and falling apart around you and you can't seem to pick yourself up or get going , one of the biggest problems that you have is you don't have any pillars to fall back on . You've got no constant habits that are ingrained in your DNA for you to fall back on that are actually helping you . You would rather wait and see if there's a pill or if there's someone that's going to come in and all of a sudden it's going to smack you in the head and it's going to give you motivation . I'm here to tell you it actually won't ever happen .

Speaker 1 5:00

The way you are at work , that is the result of your habits . Your energy on the every day , that's the result of your habits . Your mood , I'm here to tell you . That's the result of your habits . Your focus every single day , that's the result of your habits . Your wealth or lack of it , that's the result of your own habits . And your fulfillment in life and your relationships you better believe it . They're the result of your habits .

Speaker 1 5:32

If you don't have solid habits in place , that are processes , or processes in place to actually land these habits , then your life is a reflection of your own behaviors in not achieving those habits , because successful people have habits that they just put on auto-repeat every single day and that is what makes them successful . So , if you are miserable and you're not happy in your life , or in your energy or in your job , change your habits . And this is literally what I say to clients when I work with clients what are you doing to take a step in the right direction ? Now , one of the worst things that I find , and when I very , very first start coaching clients , one thing that I learned is they're looking for this all or nothing . It's got to be meal preps , it's got to be going to the gym , it's got to be out riding . It's got to be 12,000 steps , it's got to be . It's got to be , got to be got to be . It's got to be everything , and that ends up nothing . And this is what happens every single time .

Speaker 1 6:46

But the people who are successful in doing life inside and outside of shift work and everything else that they're doing , are the people who just picked a habit and made it a habit . They put processes in place . Oh , forget to take my supplements . Okay , why are you forgetting to take your supplements . What is the roadblock ? What is causing you the problem ? Oh , I never remember . Why don't you remember ? Because I don't know , I can't say have you got them sitting on the bench ? No , well , no wonder you don't remember , because you can't actually see them to remind you . One of the most important things to remember to lay a habit is to literally have a visual reminder . You've got to have a process in place .

Speaker 1 7:35

People tell me I can't hydrate before I caffeinate , but they don't leave a glass sitting in front of the coffee machine or in front of the kettle . You do realize that if you get up in the morning and walk towards your kettle and there's a glass there , the first thing that you're going to remember is oh my God , I need to hydrate before I caffeinate . And you'll do that . And that glass of water , that big , solid glass of water . Nothing but good comes from that . Everything good comes from that glass of water , getting sky before screen . Nothing good comes from rolling over , grabbing your phone and lying there and looking at your phone . All you do is waste hours and hours on end and you don't get done what you actually need to get done . And it's not enough blue light to actually reset your circadian rhythm and get you going . Get up , get that water , get that caffeine , get outside with it , wander around your garden , sit out on the balcony , do whatever , but get that light first up and that will invigorate you and give you energy and get you feeling a lot better .

Speaker 1 8:44

So , while you're at work and you're trying to be productive , or you're working from home , or you are at home and you've got things that you've got to do , turn your goddamn phone off and put it somewhere else . Oh , I can't do that . Yes , you can . Yes , you can . I've started putting my phone on do not disturb and leaving it in the house when I come out here to work , and the reason why I've been doing that is because it's just a goddamn distraction . I pick it up and then I can't remember why I picked it up and I'm off , scrolling off , doing other things . Put your hand up , if you can relate . This is a problem . Instead of winging your day , instead of just waking up thinking , oh , what will I do today ? Oh , flop on the couch , watch TV , scroll on the phone . I haven't done this and I haven't done that . What about if you just set a schedule for your week and work to your schedule . I'm going to get up . I'm going to do this and this is what I'm going to do Because , as a shift worker , we are really , really chronically fatigued and because of that , we literally suffer from decision fatigue , and that decision fatigue defeats us , and this is where a lot of shift workers get beaten as well .

Speaker 1 9:51

So what you need to do is you need to just schedule all those important things out so they get done . The things that you need to get done change your sheets on Sunday , do your towels on Tuesday , make sure you vacuum on Monday , make sure you have little tasks , break them all down into little tasks and knock them over during the week , but have a schedule of when you do what you do . Have a schedule for when you prepare your meals and what you do and how you go about it . Scheduling is a life-changing activity for a shift worker . Trust me it is . It makes an enormous difference for shift workers , who are already chronically fatigued and chronically tired .

Speaker 1 10:32

Now , instead of working late and then finding yourself eating junk food for ease , what about if you just have a hard cut-off time and cook something healthy ? What about if you just have a hard cut off time and cook something healthy ? What about if you start working through and researching when you're scrolling instead of scrolling junk that's not serving you any purpose at all commonly known as doom scrolling ? What about if you start researching some things that you go ? If I was was to get overtime , I could literally just open the freezer , throw this into the air fryer and I'd be fine . Oh , but I've got an air fryer . How often do you use it ? Where is it sitting ? Is it out and ready ? Is your default position just to get Uber ? If you've worked overtime , is your default position just to get Uber anyway ? How is that actually helping you to learn Uber anyway ? How is that actually helping you to learn ?

Speaker 1 11:27

I love cooking . I find it incredibly therapeutic and I also find that by cooking generates those smells that really , really helps your digestion as well . This is one thing . Now you can literally come home , grab things out of the freezer or the fridge and put them through the air fryer and you can have a meal ready in 20 minutes , and this is going to help you and be enormously beneficial for you , instead of you actually just getting to the stage where you don't know what you're going to have and you reach for your phone and you get your Uber . It's lazy , I don't care what anyone says it's lazy . You can get pre-prepped meals . You can go and do things like Marley Spoon . These are easy . These are already in the freezer , ready to go In the fridge , ready to go . Pull it out , throw it together and away . You go . Easy , all right , and you can make it a habit .

Speaker 1 12:20

I could not tell you the last time I had takeaway . I could not tell you because I just have become so proficient , me . I used to be the takeaway king many , many years ago , but what I've done is I've gradually chipped away until I've learned . I've been patient with myself and I haven't put pressure on myself . I've gradually just worked through it . Now I can't bear the thought of getting takeaway . To be perfectly honest with you , because I just love to cook and put together good and nutritious food Instead of going to bed late , watching another episode of something that you're binging on Netflix , go to bed .

Speaker 1 12:59

Apply this rule . If you wouldn't set the alarm at 4am in the morning to get up and actually watch what you're watching now , go the F to bed and get to bed , because that sleep that you get is going to set you up in so many ways . It's going to alter your diet . It's going to adjust you hormonally . It's going to get you feeling so much better . It's going to get you feeling much more energetic . Get to bed . Don't come home from work at 11 o'clock and think that you've got to sit there to unwind watching TV until two . What you need is better processes to unwind , to go to sleep when you first get home , so that you're getting good , solid , restorative sleep . This will support your mental health . This will support your health all round and it will assist your brain health and your recovery .

Speaker 1 13:53

Really important . That's the rule . If you wouldn't set an alarm to watch it at four o'clock in the morning , don't watch it now , for God's sake . It's on Netflix . You can watch it anytime that you want . And when the alarm goes off in the morning , don't press the snooze and go to sleep again and miss the gym . Get to bed earlier , get up early and make time to go to the gym . Make time to go for a walk , make time to go to Pilates or go to yoga Whatever it is that you're going to go and do make the time . Get up and get going and do it , because that exercise is what creates the energy , and instead of worrying about where the next thing is coming from or where the friend is , just take control and go and either see them or cut them off .

Creating New Habits for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 14:45

It's simple Don't allow people to drain you in your life . If you keep wandering through your life today thinking , oh , it's just the shift work at the moment , I'm really really tired and I just can't do better . If you don't actually change it , it ain't going to change . Keep that in mind . If you don't make one step in the right direction of change , then it won't change in any way whatsoever . It'll just be the same old you , the same old lack of habits , the same old mindset , the same old routines and the actions that you create will give you the same results , the same spirals , the same pitfalls and the same problems that you have every single day . Same problems that you have every single day .

Speaker 1 15:43

If you want a new life and you want this to be thin and you want to be radiant , you want to be healthy and you want to eat really well and you want to know how to cook and you want the good clothes and you want a good job and you want to feel fantastic at work . You are going to have to take the step to do that , because that new life requires a new way of living . To get there because you can't live that life , living the life that you're living right now you need a new habit , you need completely new mindsets , you need a completely new routine and you need new actions to put all of that in place . To be the new you , you need discipline . To start doing that , if your energy is unreliable and you crash every afternoon , you've got to do something and make a change . You can't just go oh that's me , oh it's hormones , oh I'm just lazy . If you can't focus when you're working or if you put off something important , you've got to make that change . You just have to make the change .

Speaker 1 16:46

So the first thing that you need to do is figure out what is it you want to change . So let's use reverse habits here . The first thing that you can do is work out what you don't want to be and work away from that . I don't want to be overweight , okay . So what habits do I need to put in place to not be overweight ? Because it's a mindset .

Speaker 1 17:09

It is taking action and building habits that move you away from where you don't want to be , that move you away from where you don't want to be . So , instead of setting a goal and trying to work towards the goal , look at what you don't want to be and start putting things in place to come back from that , because that is how you literally solve that problem . Work out what input you need to make to actually create those current outputs . So what do you need to do to actually step in that direction ? Because taking the action precedes the motivation . If you wait for motivation , it isn't coming . You need to be disciplined enough to take that step and step into the right direction . And what you need to do then and as much as this is painful you just need to keep repeating it over and over and over again until it becomes the natural output of what you do , every single thing that you want it to be .

Speaker 1 18:19

Honestly , you cannot expect things to change if you don't make the change yourself . And the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result . It's not happening . Now I'll take a breath just for a minute , all right , because my coaching and the way I coach my shift workers , now that I've been brutal and called you out and you've probably got tissues out wiping the blood off at the moment from where I've just battered you from one side to the other . But my coaching is habit-based coaching . We identify values and what you truly value . We identify how you can work towards those values , and then what we do is we put actions in place to form habits to work towards those actual values .

Speaker 1 19:14

Without knowing your values and without laying foundations in relation to your habits , you literally cannot possibly achieve what it is that you want to achieve . It's not about calories and counting macros . It's so much more convoluted than that . Particularly for us shift workers , things are very , very different . We are under a ton of pressure , and what I want you to do is I want you to thrive and I really want you to succeed . But what I do want to do is take the pressure right off you , and this is how the way I coach is literally just to put little habits in place along the way to help you to start gaining momentum , and once you gain momentum , you just become completely unstoppable , and you really , really do become unstoppable . So that's it .

Speaker 1 20:05

So let's wrap this one up , because I've gone long enough and I've had a big enough rant . You're probably feeling quite hurt by now , and if you are , I want you to stand in front of the mirror and have a look at yourself and ask yourself what am I actually doing to take a step to be the person that I actually want to be at work , at home , for my partner and in my social life , for my friends ? Who am I being ? So , fellow shift workers , you are a reflection of your daily habits . Don't ever forget that , and you have to take responsibility for it . It is no one else's fault . If life isn't working , then you need to put those habits in place to achieve what you seek . If the habits are not working , then what you need to do is simply look at the processes that you have in place to achieve those habits , because the habit never fails . It's the processes that you put in place to achieve the habit that causes the problem , and remember this it's all about having more energy to do the things that you love outside of your shift work . So , taking these evidence-based steps , you won't just be surviving , you'll be thriving . So keep pushing forward and remember one little habit at a time .

Speaker 1 21:23

Thanks for joining me today . If you found this podcast beneficial , please share it . I'll catch you on the next one . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .