July 6, 2025 • 19 mins
Text me what you thought of the show 😊
In this episode, I open up about something many shift workers experience but few talk about openly: the dangerous coping mechanisms we turn to when the pressure gets too much. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, pornography, or gambling — what starts as an escape can quickly spiral into something far more damaging.
As a former shift worker myself and a coach to thousands of others, I want to share what I’ve learned — not from judgment, but from real experience.
Here’s what we cover in this episode:
✅ How disrupted sleep patterns and hormonal chaos fuel poor mental health
✅ The link between isolation, chronic fatigue, and impulsive habits
✅ Why substances and distractions feel helpful — but make it worse
✅ What recovery really looks like (hint: it’s not about going cold turkey overnight)
✅ How to spot early warning signs in yourself or a colleague
✅ The power of one small daily habit — like a morning walk
✅ How talking to a trusted GP or friend can change everything
✅ Practical tools to start choosing better — and feeling better
If you’ve ever thought “I’m not myself lately”, this episode is for you.
And if it feels like too much to fix on your own — good news: you don’t have to.
👉 Take one small step today.
Visit ahealthyshift.com or come join us in the Shift Workers Collective — a safe space to talk, learn, and grow. You’re not broken. You’re not alone. And change is possible.
----------------------------
ANNOUNCING
"The Shift Workers Collective"
https://join.ahealthyshift.com/the-shift-workers-collective
Click the link to learn all about it
-----------------------------
YOU CAN FIND ME AT
_____________________
Disclaimer: Roger Sutherland is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before implementing any strategies mentioned in this podcast. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Roger Sutherland will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this podcast including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.
_______________________
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
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 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods, to notonly survive the rigours of
(00:28):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show G'day, andwelcome back to a Healthy Shift
Podcast.
You know me, I'm RogerSutherland, and I'm a veteran
(00:50):
shift worker and shift workhealth and wellbeing coach.
I've done it for 40 years, so Ido have a handle on it, and
today's episode is a reallyimportant one.
Now, this might feel a littlebit uncomfortable for some
people or for you to even listento, but it's a conversation
that we just need to have.
(01:10):
What I want to do is I want totalk about the decline in mental
health that we often see in ourshift working community.
What can happen when we startusing things like alcohol, drugs
, pornography or even gamblingto help us to cope?
Or if you find that you'restarting to use things like
alcohol or drugs or pornographyor even compulsive gambling.
(01:34):
It may be a warning sign thatyou need to actually step out
and have a look in Now.
I want to be very clear withthis to start off with.
This is not a judgment.
It's about understanding whythis happens and how it affects
us, and then what there is thatwe can do about it before it
becomes a real spiral out ofcontrol.
(01:55):
So let's talk about it.
First of all, let's talk aboutwhy this happens.
Shift work puts a real strainon every single part of your
life your sleep, yourrelationships, your hormones,
your ability to focus.
Your body's totally out of syncwith its circadian rhythm.
You're constantly tired, yourmood is flat and it can
(02:18):
literally feel like no one isaround you and no one actually
gets it or what it's actuallylike.
But nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
When that pressure starts toreally build up, especially when
you are not sleeping properlyor your routine is a mess, your
mental health can really startto slide.
(02:38):
This is one of the main reasonsand I can speak quite openly
about this.
It's one of the main reasonswhy psychologists and
psychiatrists will always askyou about what your sleep is
like, and one of the mainreasons for this is because once
your sleep goes, everythingstarts to fall apart in a very,
very big way.
So what we want to do is wereally need to start making a
(03:02):
concerted effort to focus onthat sleep, and if it means
stepping away from your job oryour work to focus on that, then
that's what needs to happen.
What actually can start tohappen is anxiety can start to
creep in.
Then your motivation reallystarts to drop off and it
becomes really easy to start tofeel completely overwhelmed or
(03:23):
actually numb to outsidestimulation outside of your life
.
And trust me, I know exactlywhat this feeling is like.
And when you start feeling likethat, you can literally start
looking for something to startto take the edge off it for you.
Now, this is where it's commonfor shift workers and this is
where that alcohol starts tocreep in.
(03:46):
You have a nightcap to justswitch off after a shift.
How many times do you go homeJust going to have a beer, just
going to have a wine?
Before I go to bed, I'm justgoing to have a wine.
While I cook, I'm just going tohave a wine.
Before you know, while I'mwatching TV, I'll just have
another beer.
That extra drink or two juststarts to feel something a
little bit different.
(04:07):
Right, it really does.
Then it might be drugs.
Now it can be recreationaldrugs.
You might find that you're outthere looking to numb yourself
or to excite yourself or getthat dopamine hit from some form
of recreational drug.
Now I don't know why they'recalled recreational drugs.
Honestly, I do that just toidentify it with you, because
(04:27):
they're either illegal orthey're not.
It's that simple.
So it can be something that canhelp you to sleep, to start off
with, or it could be somethingto get you high or make you feel
better.
That can be something as well,but what it does is it's, or it
can be something to keep youawake while you're at work.
Overdosing on caffeine?
This is another thing, thesehigh energy drinks that people
(04:49):
are consuming as well.
Now the next thing it can beporn as well.
It's used to escape all comfortbecause you're just too
mentally drained for any realconnection with other people.
You just can't be bothered withit.
Start to think about that aswell.
Are you surfing porn, lookingat porn and doing things like
that where you can't be botheredwith other connection because
it's just too hard for you?
(05:10):
You find guys too hard.
You find women too hard, youfind people just too hard to be
around and it's just much easierto watch it on a video and you
can then just turn it off.
Have a think about it, becausethis is something that also
happens.
The other thing is, too, youstart chasing dopamine hits by
(05:31):
gambling.
You get a rush.
It's a distraction for you andit's a moment where you can feel
like you're actually in control.
But you know as well as I dothat you're actually not.
Now, these things don't alwaysstart out as a problem.
They can be a bit of fun Allright, make no bones about it.
But they start as a copingmechanism, because you're coping
for something else, and that'swhere you've got to really
identify that.
But they don't solve anythingat all.
(05:53):
What they actually do is theymask it and over time they add a
whole new layer of stress intoyour life.
They add shame and they alsostart to severely impact on poor
mental health, on top of whatyou are already carrying Now as
a shift worker.
You are carrying poor mentalhealth in many, many cases.
(06:16):
You've got to exercise it,you've got to look after it.
You've got to be doingeverything right.
You can't afford to be drinkingalcohol, taking drugs, surfing
porn and gambling, becauseyou're going to compound bigger
problems.
Compound and add biggerproblems to what was the initial
problem in the first place.
So what does this do to yourmental health long-term?
(06:39):
So let's be real and let's bebrutally honest, and I'm going
to be brutally honest with youas well.
While those things are escapes,it actually makes it worse.
Your sleep gets even worse withalcohol or drugs in the system
and your brain never gets thechance to fully reset.
You'll wake up groggy and thenyou feel like garbage again and
(07:00):
your mood crashes all over again, and so you go into that vortex
again.
Then, the next thing, you starthiding things from people or
you start pulling away from thepeople that you knew, because
you start to feel quiteembarrassed.
You might start to rack up debtor you damage your
relationships, these people whoare close to you, or even family
(07:22):
.
You start to damage thoserelationships because they start
calling you out and you startto become really defensive on it
, because you reckon you're incontrol but you're not, or you
feel stuck in habits that arenow just feels far, far too big
to break and, the worst part youstart to believe that this is
just how life is now.
But it doesn't have to be thatway.
(07:42):
And here's what I want to sayto you, if this all sounds
familiar, first of all, listenhard to this.
You are not broken, you are notweak, but, more importantly,
you're not alone.
You are reacting to high highpressure life in the only way
(08:03):
that you knew how to at the time.
But now, now you haveidentified this and you get to
choose something different.
And no, it doesn't have to bean all or nothing massive
overhaul overnight.
So let's just go through just afew simple strategies that you
can actually start to turn thisgreat, big barge of a ship
(08:26):
around, so that it can reallystart to help you and head you
back into the right direction.
The first and most important andI mean the most important thing
is you've got to tell yourselfthe truth.
The most important thing isyou've got to tell yourself the
truth when are you really at?
What is creeping into your life?
A lot too often, that justshouldn't be.
You know, and while you'vestill got a certain portion of
(08:49):
that sanity, make sure that youare looking in and looking at
that.
Get out of those chat groups ofthe Debbie Downers, because
they are doing nothing butcausing you grief.
Stop reaching out to people allthe time and telling them about
your problems and issuesbecause they're not interested
right?
What you need to do is you needto take responsibility for what
(09:12):
you are doing well and starthighlighting what you are doing
well and how you are going aboutit.
Where are you really at?
That's the question.
You've got to ask yourself Ifyou're drinking every day, or
numbing it with porn, or losingsleep to gambling apps, or
relying on a substance tofunction, name it.
(09:32):
That's all you've got to do.
Name it.
Say this is what I'm doing toyourself.
Say it out loud, write it down.
Do something.
You can't change what you don'tacknowledge.
You've got to acknowledge it toyourself.
You're not hiding it.
You've got to acknowledge it toyourself and make it quite
clear to you, because you areyour own master.
(09:55):
Number two don't try to go coldturkey on everything unless
you're in real danger.
Now.
This can make things worse.
So what you want to do is youwant awareness first.
So name it.
Label it.
This is what I'm doing, andthen start to make small and
realistic changes, because thatreally helps as well Things that
you can cope with, callyourself out on your bullshit,
(10:19):
but start to make small andrealistic change that you can
actually make a difference with.
Number three is to create onesolid habit in your day,
something that you can anchoryour day with.
I highly highly recommend amorning routine Get up, get out
(10:39):
and get going, because this iswhat's going to reset your
circadian health.
This is what's going to helpyour sleep health.
This is what's going to get yougoing in the right direction.
The anchor can be a 10 or15-minute walk in the daylight
early in the day.
That's all you got to do.
You have time for a 10 to 15minute walk, so I would honestly
(11:01):
think I'm going to allocatethat 15 minutes and get up and
get out and start walking.
And you want one hour ofphone-free time before bed.
Try that, because thatmelatonin that you need to help
you to sleep is actually thereif you don't use this blue light
into your eye.
(11:22):
Try and have yourself somenutritious food.
Go for a better breakfast.
Don't go for a whole heap at agreasy spoon on the way home
from night shift.
Don't whiz by the golden archesor the suva or something like
that.
Have yourself something decentto eat before you go to bed.
You'll feel so much better Now.
These things can seem small,but do you know what?
(11:44):
You start to feel more capableagain, you start to feel like
you're putting things inperspective and you are taking
back control.
Number four I would highlyrecommend that you talk to
someone Now.
I personally started talking tomy GP and I think that this is
a really, really good place tostart to start to build a story
(12:06):
around exactly what it is thatyou are doing and how you are
feeling.
A GP can refer you to apsychologist or a psychiatrist.
I also think that that's anexcellent idea as well, because
they can help you.
If you feel like you're indanger, then you can call a
helpline or even a trusted mate.
Now remember this you don'thave to launch and go deep,
(12:28):
diving straight in straight away.
Just open the line ofconversation and see where it
takes.
You Don't have to go to your GPand say, right, I need a double
appointment, I'm going to gothrough everything in life.
It's not like that.
Just start these conversationsand let them feed you in.
They're here to listen to you.
Your mates are here to listento you.
Your girlfriends are here tolisten to you.
(12:50):
They will but also questionwhat is it you would want to
listen to if you were thatperson as well?
Do you want to listen to allthis, debbie Downer, or do you
want to hear positivity as well,and things that you're doing?
Well, that's the important side.
I realize it's incrediblydifficult when you're in that
(13:10):
position to try and see thepositive.
You can't, but there ispositives in your life.
If you start looking for them,trust me, it's right there.
And number five I would alsorecommend is to reduce what your
triggers are.
If your phone leads you togambling or porn, then what
you've got to do is you've gotto start blocking it or timing
(13:32):
it, or you've got to putgambling limits on so that you
can't do anything.
And if alcohol's in the house,you need to remove it.
Or you could do what I've doneyou can get rid of the alcohol
and just replace it with zeroalcohol beer or something like
that.
Now you might think, oh, Ican't drink that rubbish, no
worries, don't drink it all then.
But the alcohol doesn't helpyou in any way whatsoever and it
(13:53):
does cause massive problems.
So make the next decision a loteasier for you Now.
Finally, once you'veacknowledged, as I've said to
you before.
Once you've acknowledged whatit is that's actually going on,
the next thing you've got to dois to give yourself permission
to actually take the long roadout.
(14:14):
This isn't about 100%perfection along the journey.
It's just about taking a stepin the right direction.
Now you may fall flat on yourface, but the good thing about
that is, you are heading in theright direction.
If that's what actuallyhappened, and each step that you
(14:35):
are taking away from thoseharmful coping tools that there
is is another step towardsfreedom and feeling better.
Now I've got something that Ineed to say to you and it's
something that's a bit tough,but it needs to be said because
it's really important that youpersonally understand this and
that is no one is coming to fixthis for you.
(14:57):
It doesn't matter who you talkto, it doesn't matter what they
say, it doesn't matter how theygo about it or whether they're
there or whether they're not.
No one is coming to fix thisfor you.
There's no magical day whereyou just wake up and everything
is better again.
You have to decide to start,even if it's messy, better again
(15:18):
.
You have to decide to start,even if it's messy, even if you
fall backwards a few times andeven if you don't know exactly
what to do next.
It is still your responsibilityand you are an adult.
But here's the good news it alsomeans that you are in control,
you can make change, you canfeel better and you can get
support and you can build a lifethat doesn't need any form of
(15:41):
nothing to survive.
I can promise you that that isactually the case.
I can tell you, I've come froma really, really dark, very,
very miserable place myself,which was caused by impact at
work, and I'm back andrecovering and helping other
people doing what I'm doing now.
(16:01):
And this line and this word isthe words of me to you you have
to take responsibility, becauseno one's coming to save you and
you can't count on anybody else.
So if any of this has hit hometo you at all today, please take
it as your sign, because you're, you are literally not alone,
(16:22):
you are absolutely not doomedand you are more than the habits
that you've built just to getby.
So start with one step, just one.
Just do one tiny little thing.
Promise me that you will, andif you're ready for more support
, then you know where to find me.
You can head over toahealthyshiftcom, and if you're
(16:42):
not ready, then make sure you'repart of the Shift Workers
Collective, because change is alot easier when you are not
doing it alone.
There is a community of peoplethere that can absolutely help
you.
So thanks for listening to theHealthy Shift podcast.
Promise me you'll take care ofyourself and stay safe and
(17:03):
remember no one's coming.
But you can, and I'll catch youon the next episode.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
(17:23):
It would also be ever sohelpful if you could leave a
rating and review on the appyou're currently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshiftcom.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods, to notonly survive the rigours of
(00:28):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show G'day, andwelcome back to a Healthy Shift
Podcast.
You know me, I'm RogerSutherland, and I'm a veteran
(00:50):
shift worker and shift workhealth and wellbeing coach.
I've done it for 40 years, so Ido have a handle on it, and
today's episode is a reallyimportant one.
Now, this might feel a littlebit uncomfortable for some
people or for you to even listento, but it's a conversation
that we just need to have.
(01:10):
What I want to do is I want totalk about the decline in mental
health that we often see in ourshift working community.
What can happen when we startusing things like alcohol, drugs
, pornography or even gamblingto help us to cope?
Or if you find that you'restarting to use things like
alcohol or drugs or pornographyor even compulsive gambling.
(01:34):
It may be a warning sign thatyou need to actually step out
and have a look in Now.
I want to be very clear withthis to start off with.
This is not a judgment.
It's about understanding whythis happens and how it affects
us, and then what there is thatwe can do about it before it
becomes a real spiral out ofcontrol.
(01:55):
So let's talk about it.
First of all, let's talk aboutwhy this happens.
Shift work puts a real strainon every single part of your
life your sleep, yourrelationships, your hormones,
your ability to focus.
Your body's totally out of syncwith its circadian rhythm.
You're constantly tired, yourmood is flat and it can
(02:18):
literally feel like no one isaround you and no one actually
gets it or what it's actuallylike.
But nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
When that pressure starts toreally build up, especially when
you are not sleeping properlyor your routine is a mess, your
mental health can really startto slide.
(02:38):
This is one of the main reasonsand I can speak quite openly
about this.
It's one of the main reasonswhy psychologists and
psychiatrists will always askyou about what your sleep is
like, and one of the mainreasons for this is because once
your sleep goes, everythingstarts to fall apart in a very,
very big way.
So what we want to do is wereally need to start making a
(03:02):
concerted effort to focus onthat sleep, and if it means
stepping away from your job oryour work to focus on that, then
that's what needs to happen.
What actually can start tohappen is anxiety can start to
creep in.
Then your motivation reallystarts to drop off and it
becomes really easy to start tofeel completely overwhelmed or
(03:23):
actually numb to outsidestimulation outside of your life
.
And trust me, I know exactlywhat this feeling is like.
And when you start feeling likethat, you can literally start
looking for something to startto take the edge off it for you.
Now, this is where it's commonfor shift workers and this is
where that alcohol starts tocreep in.
(03:46):
You have a nightcap to justswitch off after a shift.
How many times do you go homeJust going to have a beer, just
going to have a wine?
Before I go to bed, I'm justgoing to have a wine.
While I cook, I'm just going tohave a wine.
Before you know, while I'mwatching TV, I'll just have
another beer.
That extra drink or two juststarts to feel something a
little bit different.
(04:07):
Right, it really does.
Then it might be drugs.
Now it can be recreationaldrugs.
You might find that you're outthere looking to numb yourself
or to excite yourself or getthat dopamine hit from some form
of recreational drug.
Now I don't know why they'recalled recreational drugs.
Honestly, I do that just toidentify it with you, because
(04:27):
they're either illegal orthey're not.
It's that simple.
So it can be something that canhelp you to sleep, to start off
with, or it could be somethingto get you high or make you feel
better.
That can be something as well,but what it does is it's, or it
can be something to keep youawake while you're at work.
Overdosing on caffeine?
This is another thing, thesehigh energy drinks that people
(04:49):
are consuming as well.
Now the next thing it can beporn as well.
It's used to escape all comfortbecause you're just too
mentally drained for any realconnection with other people.
You just can't be bothered withit.
Start to think about that aswell.
Are you surfing porn, lookingat porn and doing things like
that where you can't be botheredwith other connection because
it's just too hard for you?
(05:10):
You find guys too hard.
You find women too hard, youfind people just too hard to be
around and it's just much easierto watch it on a video and you
can then just turn it off.
Have a think about it, becausethis is something that also
happens.
The other thing is, too, youstart chasing dopamine hits by
(05:31):
gambling.
You get a rush.
It's a distraction for you andit's a moment where you can feel
like you're actually in control.
But you know as well as I dothat you're actually not.
Now, these things don't alwaysstart out as a problem.
They can be a bit of fun Allright, make no bones about it.
But they start as a copingmechanism, because you're coping
for something else, and that'swhere you've got to really
identify that.
But they don't solve anythingat all.
(05:53):
What they actually do is theymask it and over time they add a
whole new layer of stress intoyour life.
They add shame and they alsostart to severely impact on poor
mental health, on top of whatyou are already carrying Now as
a shift worker.
You are carrying poor mentalhealth in many, many cases.
(06:16):
You've got to exercise it,you've got to look after it.
You've got to be doingeverything right.
You can't afford to be drinkingalcohol, taking drugs, surfing
porn and gambling, becauseyou're going to compound bigger
problems.
Compound and add biggerproblems to what was the initial
problem in the first place.
So what does this do to yourmental health long-term?
(06:39):
So let's be real and let's bebrutally honest, and I'm going
to be brutally honest with youas well.
While those things are escapes,it actually makes it worse.
Your sleep gets even worse withalcohol or drugs in the system
and your brain never gets thechance to fully reset.
You'll wake up groggy and thenyou feel like garbage again and
(07:00):
your mood crashes all over again, and so you go into that vortex
again.
Then, the next thing, you starthiding things from people or
you start pulling away from thepeople that you knew, because
you start to feel quiteembarrassed.
You might start to rack up debtor you damage your
relationships, these people whoare close to you, or even family
(07:22):
.
You start to damage thoserelationships because they start
calling you out and you startto become really defensive on it
, because you reckon you're incontrol but you're not, or you
feel stuck in habits that arenow just feels far, far too big
to break and, the worst part youstart to believe that this is
just how life is now.
But it doesn't have to be thatway.
(07:42):
And here's what I want to sayto you, if this all sounds
familiar, first of all, listenhard to this.
You are not broken, you are notweak, but, more importantly,
you're not alone.
You are reacting to high highpressure life in the only way
(08:03):
that you knew how to at the time.
But now, now you haveidentified this and you get to
choose something different.
And no, it doesn't have to bean all or nothing massive
overhaul overnight.
So let's just go through just afew simple strategies that you
can actually start to turn thisgreat, big barge of a ship
(08:26):
around, so that it can reallystart to help you and head you
back into the right direction.
The first and most important andI mean the most important thing
is you've got to tell yourselfthe truth.
The most important thing isyou've got to tell yourself the
truth when are you really at?
What is creeping into your life?
A lot too often, that justshouldn't be.
You know, and while you'vestill got a certain portion of
(08:49):
that sanity, make sure that youare looking in and looking at
that.
Get out of those chat groups ofthe Debbie Downers, because
they are doing nothing butcausing you grief.
Stop reaching out to people allthe time and telling them about
your problems and issuesbecause they're not interested
right?
What you need to do is you needto take responsibility for what
(09:12):
you are doing well and starthighlighting what you are doing
well and how you are going aboutit.
Where are you really at?
That's the question.
You've got to ask yourself Ifyou're drinking every day, or
numbing it with porn, or losingsleep to gambling apps, or
relying on a substance tofunction, name it.
(09:32):
That's all you've got to do.
Name it.
Say this is what I'm doing toyourself.
Say it out loud, write it down.
Do something.
You can't change what you don'tacknowledge.
You've got to acknowledge it toyourself.
You're not hiding it.
You've got to acknowledge it toyourself and make it quite
clear to you, because you areyour own master.
(09:55):
Number two don't try to go coldturkey on everything unless
you're in real danger.
Now.
This can make things worse.
So what you want to do is youwant awareness first.
So name it.
Label it.
This is what I'm doing, andthen start to make small and
realistic changes, because thatreally helps as well Things that
you can cope with, callyourself out on your bullshit,
(10:19):
but start to make small andrealistic change that you can
actually make a difference with.
Number three is to create onesolid habit in your day,
something that you can anchoryour day with.
I highly highly recommend amorning routine Get up, get out
(10:39):
and get going, because this iswhat's going to reset your
circadian health.
This is what's going to helpyour sleep health.
This is what's going to get yougoing in the right direction.
The anchor can be a 10 or15-minute walk in the daylight
early in the day.
That's all you got to do.
You have time for a 10 to 15minute walk, so I would honestly
(11:01):
think I'm going to allocatethat 15 minutes and get up and
get out and start walking.
And you want one hour ofphone-free time before bed.
Try that, because thatmelatonin that you need to help
you to sleep is actually thereif you don't use this blue light
into your eye.
(11:22):
Try and have yourself somenutritious food.
Go for a better breakfast.
Don't go for a whole heap at agreasy spoon on the way home
from night shift.
Don't whiz by the golden archesor the suva or something like
that.
Have yourself something decentto eat before you go to bed.
You'll feel so much better Now.
These things can seem small,but do you know what?
(11:44):
You start to feel more capableagain, you start to feel like
you're putting things inperspective and you are taking
back control.
Number four I would highlyrecommend that you talk to
someone Now.
I personally started talking tomy GP and I think that this is
a really, really good place tostart to start to build a story
(12:06):
around exactly what it is thatyou are doing and how you are
feeling.
A GP can refer you to apsychologist or a psychiatrist.
I also think that that's anexcellent idea as well, because
they can help you.
If you feel like you're indanger, then you can call a
helpline or even a trusted mate.
Now remember this you don'thave to launch and go deep,
(12:28):
diving straight in straight away.
Just open the line ofconversation and see where it
takes.
You Don't have to go to your GPand say, right, I need a double
appointment, I'm going to gothrough everything in life.
It's not like that.
Just start these conversationsand let them feed you in.
They're here to listen to you.
Your mates are here to listento you.
Your girlfriends are here tolisten to you.
(12:50):
They will but also questionwhat is it you would want to
listen to if you were thatperson as well?
Do you want to listen to allthis, debbie Downer, or do you
want to hear positivity as well,and things that you're doing?
Well, that's the important side.
I realize it's incrediblydifficult when you're in that
(13:10):
position to try and see thepositive.
You can't, but there ispositives in your life.
If you start looking for them,trust me, it's right there.
And number five I would alsorecommend is to reduce what your
triggers are.
If your phone leads you togambling or porn, then what
you've got to do is you've gotto start blocking it or timing
(13:32):
it, or you've got to putgambling limits on so that you
can't do anything.
And if alcohol's in the house,you need to remove it.
Or you could do what I've doneyou can get rid of the alcohol
and just replace it with zeroalcohol beer or something like
that.
Now you might think, oh, Ican't drink that rubbish, no
worries, don't drink it all then.
But the alcohol doesn't helpyou in any way whatsoever and it
(13:53):
does cause massive problems.
So make the next decision a loteasier for you Now.
Finally, once you'veacknowledged, as I've said to
you before.
Once you've acknowledged whatit is that's actually going on,
the next thing you've got to dois to give yourself permission
to actually take the long roadout.
(14:14):
This isn't about 100%perfection along the journey.
It's just about taking a stepin the right direction.
Now you may fall flat on yourface, but the good thing about
that is, you are heading in theright direction.
If that's what actuallyhappened, and each step that you
(14:35):
are taking away from thoseharmful coping tools that there
is is another step towardsfreedom and feeling better.
Now I've got something that Ineed to say to you and it's
something that's a bit tough,but it needs to be said because
it's really important that youpersonally understand this and
that is no one is coming to fixthis for you.
(14:57):
It doesn't matter who you talkto, it doesn't matter what they
say, it doesn't matter how theygo about it or whether they're
there or whether they're not.
No one is coming to fix thisfor you.
There's no magical day whereyou just wake up and everything
is better again.
You have to decide to start,even if it's messy, better again
(15:18):
.
You have to decide to start,even if it's messy, even if you
fall backwards a few times andeven if you don't know exactly
what to do next.
It is still your responsibilityand you are an adult.
But here's the good news it alsomeans that you are in control,
you can make change, you canfeel better and you can get
support and you can build a lifethat doesn't need any form of
(15:41):
nothing to survive.
I can promise you that that isactually the case.
I can tell you, I've come froma really, really dark, very,
very miserable place myself,which was caused by impact at
work, and I'm back andrecovering and helping other
people doing what I'm doing now.
(16:01):
And this line and this word isthe words of me to you you have
to take responsibility, becauseno one's coming to save you and
you can't count on anybody else.
So if any of this has hit hometo you at all today, please take
it as your sign, because you're, you are literally not alone,
(16:22):
you are absolutely not doomedand you are more than the habits
that you've built just to getby.
So start with one step, just one.
Just do one tiny little thing.
Promise me that you will, andif you're ready for more support
, then you know where to find me.
You can head over toahealthyshiftcom, and if you're
(16:42):
not ready, then make sure you'repart of the Shift Workers
Collective, because change is alot easier when you are not
doing it alone.
There is a community of peoplethere that can absolutely help
you.
So thanks for listening to theHealthy Shift podcast.
Promise me you'll take care ofyourself and stay safe and
(17:03):
remember no one's coming.
But you can, and I'll catch youon the next episode.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
(17:23):
It would also be ever sohelpful if you could leave a
rating and review on the appyou're currently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshiftcom.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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