Speaker 1: 1:42

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 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 rigours 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 hi there, it's Roger here and welcome back to another episode of the Healthy Shift Podcast.

Speaker 1: 2:26

I'm on a roll at the moment because I talked about something that I well, I hadn't talked about for forever nearly 300 episodes and today I want to talk about something that can completely change the way that you experience shift work, and not just shift work Life. It's the idea of controlling the controllables. Now, we hear this all the time, but let's actually cover off on it so that we can really work out what it is that I'm talking about when I talk about controlling the controllables, because changing this mindset can really change everything. Now, this might sound simple and, in a way, it really is, but it's just not easy. I didn't learn this overnight, and it's taken me years and years of working in one of the most unpredictable, stressful, 24-7 environments that you could possibly imagine and that is frontline policing To really get it and to really understand how controlling the controllables can really change your life. Now, today, I do want to share how I came to understand this, how I started practicing it and what it meant for me, and, of course, how you can put into place in your own shift working life. So let's start here Now.

Speaker 1: 3:47

Shift work is chaos. You know it, I know it, we all know it. It is a chaotic environment to be living in. Now. You've got the roster that changes on a dime. You've got management decisions that make absolutely no sense whatsoever and colleagues that don't always pull their weight or absolutely drive you bananas. We're understaffed for shifts and a workload that doesn't care whether you've had enough sleep or not. It just keeps on coming. Does this sound familiar?

Speaker 1: 4:17

Well, I spent years getting caught up in all of that complaining about the roster, getting angry about staffing, complaining about management, wasting energy over leadership decisions and carrying frustration home with me, and the truth is none of it changed a damn thing. Not one single thing. Did all of my whinging and moaning carry on, did it change Nothing? The roster didn't magically fix itself. Because I was annoyed, the leader didn't suddenly become a leader, the boss didn't suddenly become better, and because I whinged about it, my colleagues didn't change their behavior because I stressed over it. What did happen was this I was exhausted, not just physically from the work, but mentally from carrying all of this stuff that I just could not do a thing about. So what was the turning point?

Speaker 1: 5:15

Well, there was a point in my career where all of this came to a head. I come home after another tough shift, no sleep, stewing on things I couldn't change, on the phone, talking to colleagues about it, and I thought to myself Rog, you just can't keep doing this. Your work is literally running your life, and it's so true. And it wasn't until I stopped and looked in that I suddenly realized that all I was doing was letting things I could not control live rent-free in my head. Now this was my wake-up call. I realized that if I didn't change the way I handled this stuff, shift work was going to absolutely chew me up and spit me out. So I made a decision If I couldn't control it, I wasn't going to give it my energy anymore.

Speaker 1: 6:10

And it sounds simple, but what does controlling the controllables look like? So let's make this practical. Here is literally what controlling the controllables looks like in a shift worker's life. The roster you can't control. When it lands, you can't control what it looks like, but what you can do is control how you prepare for it. Have you got a plan for sleep? Have you looked through your roster and worked out when you can actually train For you? Meals, meal prepping, planning, what does your recovery look like? This is all in your hands, so you can work with all of that.

Speaker 1: 6:53

What about your colleagues? You can't control their attitude. You can't control whether they're supportive or not. You can't control whether the managers are, but you can control how you show up. Are you calm? Are you professional? Are you actually looking after yourself, so that you are not literally adding to the stress? I'll get you to ask yourself this Are you the sort of person that you would want literally adding to the stress? I'll get you to ask yourself this Are you the sort of person that you would want to be around, or is it just going to be here? He comes, it's Roger again. Whinge, whinge, nag, nag. I'm not interested. I don't have time for this today? Ask yourself that question, because others are doing exactly that. That's what they're saying Now.

Speaker 1: 7:34

Your work environment Can you control if you're understaffed? Nothing, but you can control how you respond in that moment. You can choose to stay composed and you can choose to step up without absolutely burning yourself out. It's about putting your focus where it matters On you. Focus where it matters on you, because that's what you always have control over your actions, your thoughts, your reactions.

Speaker 1: 8:07

So how did I actually put this into practice? Now, this didn't come easy for me, I can tell you right now. At first it felt almost impossible to just let it go, and it does. We fall back into this comfort zone and what we do is we just fall back into this never-ending cycle. But once you start to look into it from the outside, then you start to see the difference that it actually makes. So what I did was I started small. I'd catch myself when I was complaining and I'd ask can I actually control this? And if the answer is no or it was no, I just stopped. I just stopped at dead in its tracks, right there At work.

Speaker 1: 8:48

What I did do was I started focusing on my preparation. What was I able to control? Was I rested? Was I fueling my body with nutritious food? Did I have the right mindset going in? Because that was all my responsibility? And slowly I started to notice change. My weight started lifting, I wasn't as drained at the end of the day and I wasn't carrying that resentment into my home life. And over time, this mindset didn't just help me survive shift work. It helped me to turn it all around and absolutely thrive. I had more energy, I was more present at home and I wasn't letting work own me anymore. It wasn't living rent-free in my head.

Speaker 1: 9:39

And what's the ripple effect of this? When you practice this, it doesn't just help you, it actually changes the way other people see you too. I had colleagues say to me Rog, you always seem calm. How do you do it? You always eat well. How do you do it? You always look well-rested. How do you do it? You're training, you're doing everything. What's going on? And the truth was simple. I just stopped wasting the energy and the time on the things that I could not control. And that calmness and that clarity, it literally spreads. People notice it. It makes you a stronger teammate, it makes you a better leader, it makes you a healthier person. If you lead by example in that area, people follow or they're not your people, and that's simple as well. So what is there that you can do right now? And here is my challenge to you Next time you catch yourself whinging about the roster or you get wound up about something at work or management, I want you to stop and ask yourself this question quite simply and ask yourself this in your mind Can I control this?

Speaker 1: 10:56

Because if the answer is no, you have to let it go. Don't give it any more space. Don't give it any more rent-free space in your head. Instead, shift your focus to what you actually can control in that moment. Now, this takes practice and you will slip up. I still slip up, but the more you practice it, the lighter you will feel.

Speaker 1: 11:21

Now, why do I share this Now? I'm not sharing this to sound like I've got it all figured out. I share it because I've actually lived it. I've worked for 40 years on the front line in the police. I've been through all the stress, the fatigue, the frustration, raising a young family, running a home wife that's working. I've gone through all of that and I've learned, and quite often, and twice, the hard way and the only way through it is to take ownership of what's actually in your control and then let the rest of it go, and that's what I now teach other shift workers too, and it actually works.

Speaker 1: 12:08

If this is something that you would really like help with, then I would really love to talk to you and help you through this, because I can promise you that this is a life-changing strategy in your shift working life. Now in the show notes there is a link and you can book a free, no obligation, 15-minute assessment call with me and on that call, I will show you how I can support you to reframe your thinking, focus on what you can control and build a much healthier shift working life. So don't keep giving your energy to the things that you can't change. Take it all back. Put your energy where it belongs on you.

Speaker 1: 12:51

So thanks for listening and I will catch you on the next episode of the Healthy Shift podcast. Don't forget to give it a rating. I truly value you listening, thank you. 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.