Inside Out with Jimi Hunt - The Mental Fitness Podcast

Brando is a man after my own heart... He walked solo around the ENTIRE coastline of NZ, that took 600 days. He's also ridden his bike from coast to coast across the middle of Australia through the desert as well as many other epic adventures.

He also has ADHD. In this episode I talk to him about his daily rituals that keep him sane, his perspective on being someone with ADHD and, basically, how he finds inner peace amidst as raging storm.

I really enjoyed chatting to Brando, I hope you enjoy listening. 

Sometimes we get overwhelmed trying to tackle the enormity of the big wins; well, here are five small, quick wins you can start doing right now in order to increase your Mental Fitness. Simple, fast and effective.

Jimi and Libby discuss the four smart decisions that have led Jimi to where he is now, how they align to the regrets of the dying and how you can make smarter choices to get the life you desire.

Jimi tells an age-old parable that can be used right here and now to allow you to be able to refuse other people's anger when it's directed at you.

It's a simple lesson that takes practice to master, but once you do, it may just change your life forever.

We're in a loneliness epidemic and it seems most of us find it hard to make new friends. Yet, according to research, having quality friendships gives us greater life satisfaction and length as well as improve our mental fitness.

So the question is; how can we maintain the friendships we already have? And make them better?

Well, Jimi and Libby sit down to talk about these kinds of relationships that are especially applicable to them because they live far away from a lot of their friends and, well, 'out of sight, out of mind' right?

It's worth the effort to maintain these relationships and Jimi and Libby lay out some key tips and pointers to make that easier for you.   

Jimi decides that the best way to celebrate the 50th episode of the Inside Out podcast is to tell us all that, actually, we shouldn’t try to improve ourselves.

What, Jimi?!?

As he explains, many of us are looking for self-improvement. Why? Because one of the fundamental problems we have as humans is that the vast majority of us do not see ourselves as 'complete'. We feel like we are always missing something and always wanting more.

Self-improvement is instigated from dissatisfaction. We want to be better because we are dissatisfied with what we are.

If we're always looking to improve the self, then we will always be dissatisfied. It’s a viscious cycle.

Jimi wants you to be better. He wants you to be mentally fitter. He wants you to be happier and healthier. To do this we do need to improve behaviours and responses but in order to do that, you have to understand that your core being is already complete.

In this episode, he helps us to understand that improving those behaviours and responses becomes much easier when we understand that we are already complete. The more complete we feel as we already are, the easier it is to change.

Jimi catches up with Philly Powell to talk about wellbeing in the workplace. Having come from a large organisation in New Zealand where she not only spearheaded the wellbeing program but made it award winning, Philly knows a thing or two about how to create, implement and sustain a successful wellbeing strategy where people are at the forefront.

In this episode, she offers some great advice on how organisations can move away from the cliche ‘fluffy’ and often token-gesture wellness strategies to change the wellbeing culture for the better.

She also encourages people who work in an organisation without a current wellbeing plan to step up and volunteer to start one, explaining some unexpected benefits of doing so.

Jimi and Philly highlight some of the greatest stressors impacting people’s mental wellbeing in the workplace and discuss the best approach to supporting employees needs holistically, offering wide reaching support and development both at work and at home

They talk data and statistics around rates of burnout, job dissatisfaction and the incidence of employees actively seeking to jump ship from their current role. These days, how you treat your employees is a huge drawcard for high calibre candidates and the benefits of looking after your people’s wellbeing are vast.

Do you need a little space? Do you have hobbies and interests outside of your relationship that fulfill you but you don’t engage in them because your partner isn’t interested too? Are you the kind of person who feels recharged after spending some time alone?

We’ve got great news for you! Following on from Episode 11 where Jimi and Libby discuss the 5 Love Languages, today they reveal that there is actually a SIXTH Love Language and it isn’t “food’ (much to Libby’s dismay), but in fact it’s the act of having space within a relationship.

Distance, personal space, solitude…Whatever you call it, it turns out that it is a love language for many of us, mostly those of us who are introverts, highly sensitive, empathetic or creative types.

The ability to have your own space gives you the ability to create. Whether that be a physical creation or simply working on your own personal development. It allows you to process emotions, find perspective and clarity and really get to know yourself better. All great things to bring into a relationship.

Jimi and Libby talk about how they create personal space within their relationship. How identifying each others’ need for space early on has been crucial to the longevity and success of their relationship.

They outline the most important considerations to make when practicing giving and receiving personal space and they reiterate the importance that having great communication and trust in one another brings, especially in times of conflict.

Being married to the kindest person he has ever met has helped Jimi become a kinder person too and in this episode Jimi teaches Libby a thing or two about kindness; something we should all be practicing on a regular basis to improve our mental fitness.

Exploring the science behind why being kind is not only good for others but also ourselves, Jimi spells out the benefits that just being a little more kind can bring, including some surprising physiological ones.

Drawing from his own experience, Jimi offers some practical advice on how to practice kindness and reveals how he makes acts of kindness slightly less random and why you should too.

Professor Julia Rucklidge joins Jimi in a fascinating discussion about the role micronutrients play in our health and mental wellness. As a clinical psychologist and researcher, Julia has carried out extensive research into the impact of micronutrients on our bodies and minds and in this illuminating episode she explains why she has devoted her professional life to this field.

In her clinical work Julia noticed an incredible number of patients not responding to traditional models and medications and she marveled at the complete lack of formal nutrition training given to psychologists and other medical professionals.

Pursuing her own understanding of how our modern diet impacts mental health, Julia landed in a niche area of research and in this episode she uses her profound knowledge to help us understand why the current medical model isn’t working and why she is such a strong advocate for increasing our uptake of micronutrients as a viable solution to low mental or physical health.

Julia believes that the messages we receive from the food industry are problematic. Not even using micro nutrients as a selling point, they focus on fats, carbs and protein which completely overshadows the importance of micronutrients.

“(Micronutrients) are involved in EVERYTHING that is happening in your brain in terms of brain metabolism. So the making of all chemicals that are important for brain messaging, we call them neurotransmitters, (serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline). In order to make those neurotransmitters that are so important for signalling they need the vitamins and minerals present to help enzymes. Enzymes are coded by your DNA, your DNA makes these enzymes and then it needs these vitamins and minerals in order to operate at their best. If you’re not getting those minerals and vitamins from your diet we cannot make vitamins and minerals other than Vitamin D and a few B vitamins that our microbes can do. We are dependent on our food to get these minerals and vitamins.”

So, what is the impact of supplementation of micronutrients on mental fitness?

LINKS: 

Book - The Better Brain https://thebetterbrainbook.com/ 

Website: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/science/contact-us/people/julia-rucklidge.html