Episode 9 - Nervous System Regulation & Finding Joy in the Present

In this conversation, we get into the nervous system - what it actually means to be in a sympathetic (fight or flight) state versus a parasympathetic (rest, digest, repair) state and why so many of us are living just a little too wired for too long.

We talk about how regulation isn’t about being calm all the time, but about being able to move between states with more ease. Coming back to baseline. Feeling safe enough in your body to actually experience your life, not just push through it.

We also explore the role of nature and why something as simple as getting outside, touching the ground or slowing your breath can shift your entire physiology. There’s a reason we feel different after time in the sun, near the ocean or surrounded by trees.

We touch on why countries like Finland consistently rank as some of the happiest in the world, even through long, dark winters. It’s not because life is perfect, it’s because of the way they live. 

This episode is a reminder that joy isn’t something you force, it’s something that becomes available when your nervous system feels safe enough to receive it.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to Mood Swings, the potty for the good, the messy, and everything in between.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Basically, it's just us, two friends, a naturopath and a nurse, oversharing stories, swapping insights, and chatting all things womanhood, motherhood, and the beautiful chaos of life. So let's get comfy, pour yourself a cupper or a mug, and let's get into it.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Hi. Hi. Um, this is fun. I can't believe it. Well, we actually attempted to do this last week via Zoom, but it was unsuccessful.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Very unsuccessful.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

We just had too many hiccups in the road. Well, we were going to hope.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Hiccups in the road. No, do you want to hear actually what happened? Because I never even explained this to you. Well, it could be a on the road because it was to do with my car. So I was at my new clinic and they told me to park wherever I wanted on level one, right? That was the advice I was given. So what did I do? I parked in and he parked on level one. All of a sudden, the building manager for the building comes storming in to talk to the storming in. No, he did. He was so grumpy. Boom, boom, boom. Dramatic effects. He was so grumpy. And then Leah, the um uh clinic manager, open opened up the door and she was like, Are you in a consult? And I was like, No. And she's like, Oh, I think you need to come out here and talk to the building manager. He took me downstairs. The reason why it took so long is he gave me a full lecture. Then he gave me a full introduction to the car park, who's allowed to park there, my boyfriend's not allowed to park there, my parents aren't allowed to park there, only I'm allowed to park there, blah blah blah. It was a whole thing. So then when I came back up, I was like, obviously, we actually can't continue the podcast because I've just been. You'd be a bit frazzled. I actually wasn't because I was just like, dude, it's fine. I said, Do you want me to move my car? And he goes, No. I was like, So So what's the point? So what's the why did you even need to bring me down here? But anywho, it doesn't matter. But that's why our um podcast got interrupted. I was getting in trouble.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

That was the beginning of it.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

And then the computer wasn't working. No, my computer was about to die. The computer was about to die. And then I put it on charge. And then Harley was just barking at life. Yeah. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

I was hurt.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

So we tried, we didn't get there, but also we did try and um include a FaceTime Zoom, but obviously with FaceTime, one face is bigger than the other, so it just looked a bit weird.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

I'm gonna see if I can try and like piece together a bit of that and put it up for you guys to see because I think it would be so funny.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Um looking, what's your mood swing? Well, look at the big ass bottle. Big ass water bottle. Um, well, this week I am very excited because we finally have our first Her Seasons event. Oh my god, yes. Which is very exciting because this is the first event that we're holding just for our family and friends. Um, where we're going to taste the waters a little bit and kind of see how everything flows. What?

SPEAKER_02 3:15

You and I get we're getting so fucked up. And isn't it dip our toe in the waters, not taste the waters? I don't know. We are the Malifall Queens. Yeah, I think it is taste the water. All right, get back to us. Let us know if it's taste the waters. No, I'm confused. I think it's test. Oh. Test the waters.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

Test the water. That's what I mean. I'm getting my period tomorrow. I can't be doing this. I've got this is a pretty good day for me. I'm breaking down. You say you're in twin. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Mine's the same. Mine is actually the same. I'm so excited about um our Herse Seasons event. It feels like it was only just a a tiny little vision in my old house like two weeks ago. Yeah. And now, like, zoink, we're here. But um, it's so exciting to see like all the things that we've planned come to life. And I think in the beginning we were sort of like, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all good, it's all good. And now it's like here. I'm like, okay, cool. Like, I can't wait for it. I'm really excited to see how it all sort of uh evolves and how the day progresses. I think it's gonna be a really nice, like just what we needed sort of event. So I'm super excited to see what that has in store for us.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

I'm very excited. Very, very, very excited. It'll be fun. It'll be fun. It will be fun. Yeah, yeah. So this week. Wait, no, I've got another mood swing. Do you? Why? Okay, okay. I told you. Oh yes. I got new glasses that make me look so professional.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

Show the people. Give us your professional voice. I don't have one. But when you say when you speak, do you when you're on your consult, do you say hello? I'm Morgan.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

No, I talk like I just talk normally. I just talk like me. But I thought when I got my new job, I'm like, I can't wear my $30 Specsaver glasses anymore. I have to have the bougie ones. She's got these bougie glasses. And so now I feel like I can wear, you know how they say like wear the mask? Like when you step into the environment. Put the cloak on. This is me putting the cloak on when I'm in there. Boom. Boom. So that's my.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

You don't even know who she is. She could be superwoman. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

So I'm very excited with these new glasses. Stunning. They look so good. Thank you. Thank you. So good. This is me entering my professional life. I'm entering my sudden returns. This is me becoming an adult. And the glasses are just part of it. It's more than just the glasses. It's more than the glasses.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Well, are you gonna share that or are we are we keeping that a secret for now? What? More than just the glasses. What do you mean? What else do you have on offer? No, you have the glasses, they're not just about the glasses. Oh, it's more than just the glasses. Okay, okay, okay. I'm also a bit bing bonggy today. Um I'm totally gonna blame it on baby brain.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Yeah, that's fine.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Uh I just have I think I reckon on average a day at the moment I have about 25 brain farts.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

And I was with one of my anaesthetists yesterday and I was we were just like talking, and I don't even know what we were talking about, but I looked at him and he looked at me and he's like, Are you okay? And I was like, Well, I don't think so. No, I think my brain's farting again. Yeah. And he goes, Uh, that's what happens when you get flatulence and the brain becomes a bit foggy. Is that what he said?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

It happens to all of us, first of all. Oh my god, it does.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

Yeah, but he's so much fun. He's one of my favourite anathemists, he's just he knows seven languages.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Really? Yes. Where's he from?

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Uh I don't know that answer. Yeah, I was like, where do you learn seven languages? But he is very, very smart. Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yeah, he's awesome. I feel like that's something we're lacking here, like only knowing a lot of us only knowing one language.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Oh, did I tell you that I downloaded this episode of this app called Vocabulary?

SPEAKER_00 7:30

Yeah, and then it tells you a new word.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Yes. Yeah, I love that. We were doing um, we were doing like testing. So it tests you for these words and you like have to click the right answer. Uh-huh. And then um, it helps you like evolve in your vocabulary. So watch this space. If I drop some really cool words, if I look at you confused, we know why. It's because I'm learning and I'm evolving in my vocabulary.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

I think that's a really good idea though, because we get caught in using the same words all the time.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

We do, and I think we're actually a bit lazy with our terminologies.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Yeah, definitely. But then you hear that one person say like a really out there word, and you're like, Are you just saying that to sound smart?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

Yeah, like are you trying to do it? Yeah. It's a balance.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Like you're just throwing these words out there, and just people are like, No. Or when you were in high school and you used to like use different words in your assignments, and they're like, that word actually doesn't go in that sense. Yeah, they're like, that doesn't matter. Doesn't feel like clicking the synon synonym. Yeah. Remember when you go through your assignments and you go by clicking them right? Anyway.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

We digress, we return. We are talking this week about resetting your energy.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Yes, yes. Very important at the moment, I think. Very on brand.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Resetting our energy. We're gonna talk about why women feel constantly drained, why what is some nervous system regulation, benefits of sunlight and nature, and I think both of us are so excited to touch on this one because it is paramount for um our mental well-being. Um, and small rituals that help reset our energy. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um, Morgan, I have a question for you. Yeah. Why do you think women f often feel like so drained?

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Um, well, I think it's quite multifaceted. Um there you go with the with the word. I've been using the app too, not haven't.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

Not yet.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

Um, but I yeah, I think it's complex and I think maybe a simple answer for it is we stretch ourselves quite thin a lot of the time because we are naturally more outward feeling and thinking than inward a lot of the time. So when I say that I mean we're not only thinking about ourselves and caring for ourselves, but we're often thinking about our friends or our family or our children, and not only thinking of them, but then also taking that all on board. Um so that's the emotional side of it. And then he also has the more I guess practical side when you look at kind of type A personalities, um the women that kind of want to do it all, so they want to work, they want to be a mum, they want to have a business, like like nearly every hats, wear all of the hats, and that if you're not conscious of that and you're not purposely grounding or purposely regulating a nervous system, like that's only going to come to a negative halt, unfortunately, because you can only go so long carrying all of this before you can release it somehow. Yeah, and everyone's capacity for it is different, like it's very individual. Um, some people can withhold a lot more stress than other people can, and um that's just the way it is. Like learning your own nervous system is so important. Um but yeah, I think in the modern world we just are a bit stretched thin, so it's no longer if you have time for grounding or nervous system regulation, it's no how do you fit this into your daily practice?

SPEAKER_02 11:24

How does it become incorporated in your world? Yeah, so that you are getting that balance of resetting yourself and continuing in this world that we live in.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then also if you wanted to put the the influx of information we have, you know, in comparison to 10-20 years ago, most people are scrolling on TikTok for at least an hour a day, or if not, they're on Instagram, or if not, you know, potentially watching the news of some sort, like you're not only having your inner circle, but you're also having the whole internet as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

So I actually really I agree with you there. Like I feel like a lot of people take on other people's other like people that they don't even know. Yeah. Their emotions and their feelings and what's going on in those worlds. And I think, yeah, I think sometimes people get a little bit m merged into this like reality of of actual nothing because they they feel like they're so involved in these of like life events and and social events and and world events that they it it just becomes like a bit merged and confused.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Because your brain can't it has an inability to know what's real and what isn't in your world. You watching it on a TV screen to your nervous system, that's real. Yeah. So it's like it doesn't have the ability to differentiate that, which we didn't have years ago. You had like what your one hour of news maybe with your family, but you didn't have TikTok, for instance. Yeah. So yeah, I think that kind of covers everything. Um, but bringing it back, talking about how I do think we're a lot more outward than just focusing on ourselves, which is beautiful, but also it can come with some negatives as well.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

Yeah, yeah. Well, I think like I look at it like a pie chart. There's all this like percentages in the chart that we give, and we are the pie, and we give like 25% to work, 25% to social life, 50% to out family, children, home life, all of that stuff. And we're trying to cram all these other extra things in there, and you can only get to 100%, right? But us as women, I think we just overload ourselves and we end up having like 5% here, 5% there, 10% here, 15% there, and we don't actually allow ourselves the uh time to acknowledge that we're only one person, we only have like the ability to do so much in ourselves that sometimes we forget that we're trying to hold together a household, work, children, all of these things, and uh we also need to hold ourselves together. Yeah. And I think so. Then when the day ends, from when it begins to when it ends, we are go, go, go. Whether that's getting ready for yourself, whether that's getting ready for your kids, whether that's getting ready for work and deadlines that you have to meet, you're continually chasing all of these things, and you're not just thinking about those, but you're also thinking about what I've gonna do uh to help me for the next day. And so I guess you're right in terms of we are quite uh outward rather than inward. We do not we don't work women don't work well that way being inward. It's just not something that we can do well because we just sort of take on that role of you know, the m motherly figure, the the person who does all of the stuff at home, cleaning, cooking, all of those things, like not always, you know, you do. And it differentiates from, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like But it's like fuck, we're only one human. Yeah. And we're trying to do all of these things and wear all of these hats. But where do we give our time the moment to just sort of sit and allow ourselves to reset? I think that's what can become overwhelming is we don't we don't allow ourselves to pause because sometimes it feels like quite hard to.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

And I yeah, that was something else I was gonna touch on. It was like I was reading this um, I guess you can call it an article the other day, and it said, when you feel like you're joining the rat race, like list the five things that are the most important to you. Make sure those five things will still be in your life in three years' time. If they're not, one, why are they in your top five? They're actually not important. Like it's not we're constantly comparing ourselves to like the outside world and being like, that person can do it, so I can do it, but that's not your timeline, that's not your story. Yeah, figure out the main things that are important, give that your most of your time, and then with your extra time, do the things that probably aren't gonna matter that much in three years' time. Like, don't get your knickers in a knot over. Don't get your nickies in a knot. This sink not being clean. Don't get your knickers in a knot. It's fine. It's also nice to be clean, but like it is also nice to be clean. Don't let it clean it. Don't let it get to you.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

But I think like we just need to realise that sometimes life is a bit messy and we're allowed to have it be a bit messy and doesn't always have to be clean and curated or and that goes for how you think in your mind, how you are with your children, as long as at the end of the day you're still you're still fulfilling like the most important things in your life, then everything else sort of comes after, right? Yeah, 100%. 100%. But we do. I think we we take on a lot of emotional and mental load as women and we take a lot of physical as well, and sometimes we don't know how to sort of reduce that, or what we do is we reduce it, and then we get to this state where we feel like, yeah, we've got shit sorted, we we got it together. So then we take on another task.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

I would love to know who thinks they've got shit sorted.

SPEAKER_03 18:00

I would love to hear who gets to a statement.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

You want to know what you've done. I've got shit sorted. Because I don't think I've ever been at that stage of my life.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

But it is, it's sort of like this cycle. It's this cycle, like we go, okay, we we we see that we're sort of we're burning at both ends, and then we go, okay, we're drained. Yeah, we need to reset and we need to sort ourselves out, and then we get to a place where we're good, and then we're like, okay, let's put some more on. Yeah.

unknown 18:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Let's put a bit more um responsibility and expectations on it. I think it's good though, sometimes because you learn your bandwidth. So, like, if you know that you took on too much, I think it's important to reflect on that. And that's why I love journaling and I love like the journals you sell at Love Lani. Oh my god. Because you can look back on it and be like, I actually took on too much then, and it's easy to forget, like you're almost the trauma, like the reflection is good.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

Reflection is so good. Being self-aware of of all of those things are so good. I actually used my journal not last night, the night before, but the journal I use from words of introspection, it's actually guided, which I love. Because sometimes I don't just like writing willy-nilly. Yeah. Sometimes I like having something that's prompting me into telling how I'm feeling about that particular thing. And the question that the journal asked me was um it was like, write a letter to your body, and it said, thank you, body dot dot dot. Thank you, body for dot dot dot. And I just wrote and I just ended up writing this big like long paragraph about how I am so grateful for what my body continues to do. Like it's giving life, it's giving life. Here I go with the emotions, the pregnancy pregnancy pass. The hormones are crazy right now.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

And we just got mo played um this song before. What's it called? Money talks.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah, it's Dirty Cash, Money Talks by Paul. Just balling around.

unknown 20:09

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

Like maybe it was just like triggering me or something for lack of um I don't know. It was just so it hit me. This is so funny.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Like it's a really emotional song, and it's like money to be song. Maybe you're gonna win the lotto. Maybe we should enter the lotto.

SPEAKER_02 20:30

Maybe I'm just such an emotional being this pregnancy. I mean, I was in the previous one, but I really am this time. Like, you could say hi to me and I'm gonna stop why you said hello means so much to me. But yes, I wrote this like paragraph and I was just like, oh my god, fuck, like that felt really good, and it made me realise a few things that I probably forgot along the way, because you do, you've your your brain gets clouded and foggy when you're thinking about a million things a day. Like you don't have time to sit there and go, okay, well, actually I'm I am doing a good job, and this is my way of resetting, and we're getting there. We're just we're getting there.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

We're getting there, and like you said, you this is all a learning wise, this is all everyone's first time doing this. So using the journal is I love journaling, I could have fun about journaling for I definitely am an advocate for doing it.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

I mean, like you don't have to journal every day. I mean, I know sometimes that's a bit unrealistic for people who lead really busy lives, but even if you like like I said to some of my girlfriends, if you're feeling a certain way in the day and you're just like it's really heavy on you, just literally write the words that you're feeling. Like, are you feeling sad? Are you feeling like unwell in your stomach? Like, just write them literally in your notes, and then at least say that that's on something, it doesn't have to be pen. To paper, it's it's there, and you've been able to let that go from your brain to something else, and then you can sort of go, Okay, like let's let that go now. Let's let's we've seen that emotion, we can feel that emotion, let's move through that emotion and not try and like dwell on that because I think that's what happens if you don't let it out. So I'm s I'm I said to I had an obstetrician appointment yesterday and um I'll be super open and transparent. I have been referred to the mental health um facility for maternity um because I am quite this it's been like a bit of a an emotional roller coaster. Um but she was like, Do you want to go back on medication? And I said, No, I think it's really important to feel these emotions to move through them, um, because we all have them and and I think like acknowledging that helps me be able to one be more self-aware, but two be able to establish what I need to do in in my pie chart to reduce that sort of like pressure that I put on myself. Um so yeah, you just gotta go through those feelings and figure it out so that you can help sort of find the path of being able to like reset your nervous system, otherwise you do you get overwhelmed and then you become life me. Oh no, hon.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

But you know, pregnancy itself as well, like it's hard and you balance your life, and then there's just so much compounding as well. So many compounding things. We can talk about the logic all we want, like and all of the things, but like sometimes it's like fuck. Fuck.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah, um, but let's ask you another question. Me? Why me? I will starting with you because you're just so like I don't know, you're so educational. I love it. You're educational. I feel like I'm more the emotional one. You're like the educational one. So I think it's balanced. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

But you don't know what's going on inside.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

I'm like, um, what does nervous system regulation mean?

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Mean in general. Yeah. Um, I think I always say I think, which I need to stop saying, but nervous system regulation. I guess if we're looking at it in a more educational standpoint first, and then you can maybe touch on the more emotional side of it, is the way we look at it as naturopaths is we have two parts of our nervous system, our sympathetic nervous system and our parasympathetic nervous system. And in reality, we should be living the majority of our life in our parasympathetic nervous system.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

And can we just list off the emotions there?

SPEAKER_00 25:24

That's like your rest, digest, repair, yeah, all of those sort of it's when you're feeling grounded, it's when you're feeling not alert, like you're just feeling safe in your body, safe in your surroundings, walk around the thief all you're around. Calm. Calm. But I I'm gonna make up a statistic and say like nearly everyone.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

I definitely think, yeah, a lot of people are.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Are never reaching parasympathetic, they're never not reaching, never going back into their parasympathetic and waking up.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

More often and more recently, we are all in sympathetic 100% all the time, which is your fight, flight, stress, um cortisol, cortisol, colour. Cortisol busy.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Yeah. And it's that it's so bad because it's like none of the processes of your body can actually operate to their full potential if you're in that state. And we're all living in that state. We are all like the only time cortisol should peak is in the morning. That's the only time it should be peaking, but like obviously in the modern world, that's just most people are living in a state where it's constantly elevated, yeah, and then it's to the point where it's so constantly elevated that we no longer even respond to cortisol, and then you've got even burnout. Yeah, you've got a complete burnout. So regulation would be trying our best throughout the day to find moments where we can enter that rest um state. So for me, it would be like when I eat my meals, eat breakfast, eat lunch, eat dinner. Try not to do it on the move, try not to do it with your phone, try not to do it with any input. Like you just sit and you eat your food.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

Yeah. Um like being really present in that moment of having like nourishment. Exactly. Yeah. Does it always happen? No, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

But we can always try. Yeah. We can always aim. Yeah. And I guess that is that's nervous system regulation, really, and then the tools which you can go into, but the tools are there's so many of them, and they work differently for different people and where you're at in your life and how much time you have, etc. etc. Where you live. I think living in a city is a big thing in comparison to someone that lives at the beach or lives 100%. Like they're way more probably regulated than we are in a city.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

No, definitely. There is science-backed evidence for people who live on the coastlines. Yeah. There is a much I would we we need to get up the actual statistics, but I know that there is a much lower rate of stress and burnout in those those sort of areas because often they they do lead naturally, they just lead a little bit more of a open plan life, so they're in sunlight, they're in uh surrounds of like that blue state, you know, the blue stereo. Seeing the blue theory, seeing the horizons of the ocean, seeing the blue skies, they go for their morning walks with the sunrise, the the and you I know you want to touch on this, but there's a lot of negative ions in the ocean. Yeah. And so, um, if we want to get deep on that, um, a lot of people end up having like who surf or who even just go in the water. Just they feel, yeah, yeah. That moment of like relaxation and calmness, and that's why I think I crave for living at the coast. It's I it definitely every time I go there with my family, I instantly feel like as soon as I feel the salty air on my skin, I instantly feel like it definitely's something to say about yeah, spending more time in nature than we do.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Even like when you think about when we're touch grass, touch grass, touch kick your bloody shoes off and touch the grass, please. Yeah, put your fucking feet in the soil. Bring back barefoot. Um, but you know what's interesting on that that I always think about, because like I love traveling, I know you love traveling. And if we look at like kind of northern Europe where they do live in cities, they have a lot of dark a lot of the time. Um I think they're a really good example of like being able to adapt to your surrounds and you can still make the most of what you have because they're constantly voted the happiest like happiest people in the world. Yet they get the least sunlight. Most of them are in quite built-up, grey-looking cities. But like a lot of the time you have a look, they're so forward thinking, like they've got nature infused into everywhere. Like Do you know what it you know? I get you. Like, if you go to um Amsterdam's a really good example, like it's so such a built-up city, but they're all so built up, but they're so happy, and there's like they're so forward thinking with the way that they grow their vegetables, like there's something definitely to look at there. Like, we don't always have to be like everyone moved to the beach. Like, I would love that for everyone, but it also is not possible. Looking at their way of life is so good, so so good. They have this saying, and I forget the exact saying, but it's like it means happiness, and like I'm gonna butcher it. We'll come back to our next podcast. Wait, what is it? It is yeah, it's like in Dutch, is it? Yeah, I think so. One sec.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

It's their word for happiness for happiness. Let's let's see, let's see.

SPEAKER_00 31:29

No. No. The saying that maybe type in the saying that needs that means happiness.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

The saying that means happiness?

SPEAKER_01 31:38

It's not that means saying that means happiness. We're on a mission. Um in Oh, is it Scandinavia?

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Is it here, here, here it is. Hag the most famous Scandinavian saying that means happiness, specifically cozy contentment. And it's like real like a really common thing that they say, and they talk about it like when they're sitting and drinking their hot chocolate or they're eating chocolate and they drink Yeah and they genuinely get saying that right, like I'm feeling content. Please excuse us if we're not saying that word right. But it's so beautiful. They have they have a lot of YouTube videos on it, it's worthwhile watching because like Yeah, okay, cool. Yeah, that's all I have to say though.

SPEAKER_02 32:27

Well, that would help your body return to the calm, wouldn't it? What, a hot hockey?

SPEAKER_00 32:32

A bit of hype, a bit of yes, yes. And like, you know, when you Google top ten happiest countries in the world? Who haven't done that? I've seen obsessed with this concept.

SPEAKER_02 32:43

But no, I haven't looked at it recently, but I have seen it before. I used to be obsessed. I think isn't like Denmark in the top or something?

SPEAKER_00 32:50

What? We're getting we're getting we're getting deep and terrible. Top ten happiest countries. Okay, we'll quickly do this and then we'll go back to what we were saying here. Happiest countries in 2026. They're in the darkest countries, so like what are they doing that we're not? See, like Finland, yeah, Denmark. Look, they're all the coldest, darkest countries in the world, and they all live in built-up cities. So I think we have something to learn from them.

SPEAKER_02 33:14

We definitely have something to learn from them.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

Like, there's not one. Where are we? We're number 11.

SPEAKER_02 33:20

11th.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

So it's like Costa Rica. I want to go there.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

Oh my god, yeah, definitely. I can see why Costa Ricans are very happy with their life.

SPEAKER_00 33:29

So, yeah, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Netherlands. Like you're literally looking at cold city and in their winter, sometimes getting four hours of sunlight. What are they doing that we're not doing? Yeah. Research topic for next podcast.

SPEAKER_02 33:45

Do some homework. Bring it to you guys. We'll get back to you. Well, what we w we sort of just went off on a on a tangent. Yeah, but that's fun. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, we love doing weird shit like that.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

But I guess like because we did want to talk about sunlight because we live in Australia and we have like we're just talking about how they have darkness and benefits of sunlight and we have the beauty of having the sun pretty much all year round.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

We're so lucky with the the climate that we live in in Queensland, particularly. I mean, like, I can't talk so much for the Victorians.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

Tas Tasmania.

SPEAKER_02 34:22

Yeah, like they seem quite cold and I don't know. I always hear things from like Melbourne, they're like, oh, it's never it's never as nice as it is up here. Like, well, you know, we are called the sunny state for a reason. But I hear so many people, like this is another thing, like not just.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

But their nightlife and stuff is like way better. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I don't I can live in Melbourne because of the cold. But can I just say, Queenslanders, like sometimes we just need to stop having a whinge because like once off when it's hot, all I hear is people just have a f you're playing a different story, but like all I hear is people just be like, it's so hot, so hot, so hot. I'm like, if it was raining, you'd be like, it's raining, it's raining. Do you understand what I mean? Like it's all I hear, and I just sit there and I'm like, really? Really? Like, we live in like the most beautiful climate in the world, I think. It's so balanced, and then people still want to have a whinge. I'm sorry, I'm gonna say it.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

No, do you know what? I think people just love to have a whinge about everything, you know, even if stuff's going well, someone will always have a whinge. That's right. That's what I've discovered. I even catch myself sometimes whinging about things, and I'm like, mate, come on. What are you doing? Come on, dude. Life is good. Yeah. Why are you having a whinge about how the the kitchen is looking to them?

SPEAKER_00 35:42

Yeah. And I also think whinging, but I also think whinging about things that you can't control, I think isn't another thing. Like I'm like, why bother? You can't control it. Focus on the biggest.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Mindset changing. We need to change that mindset, that pathway that we you know, that we think. Like the things that we can control, yeah, that's okay. Things we can't control, like who cares? Like if the weather fucking pulls down tomorrow, oh well.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

Oh wow, yeah. You know, what that's the universe telling you, have a chill day, watch a movie. That's the universe telling me don't straighten your hair.

unknown 36:14

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

So yeah, the benefits of sunlight is like I will say clinically, there is never a blood test that I look at. I think no, I've looked at one, one blood test that is not vitamin D deficient. One. One. And I told her, I said, you're the only client I've ever seen that has an optimal. And do you think that's because they were like they they they venture out into the sun a lot? Not really. She's quite like pale, so I think her absorption of vitamin D is quicker. Right. Um, but not necessarily, yeah, like a little bit, but not necessarily. Like she wouldn't go out of her way to be in the sun. Um, but yeah, I said you should be very proud of yourself. And I think we have like this sun phobia now, which is it's good, obviously. Like, and I don't want you sitting out in the sun at 12 o'clock midday roasting yourself, but also like that morning time and that evening time where UV rays are completely safe. You can go outside without sunscreen on your face in that morning part and that afternoon part.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Wait, what did you say we've got sun fried? It's like sun phobia. Sun phobia. I definitely think, yes, it's been instilled in us, like, you know, there are campaigns about sun and sun damage and cancers that it um, you know, skin cancers that can be caused from the sun. Yeah. But I think that doesn't eliminate from the fact that vitamin D has such a good purpose for our bodies. It has we have vitamin D. And there is other ways you can access vitamin D, but not really. The best way is to see sunlight. And it's not like sit in the sun and and and tearing your cheeks for two hours. No, it's like go in the sun for 10-15 minutes. Yes, exactly. Um, enough to get that good recharge. Like, honestly, I every single person that listens to us right now, I've I have a challenge. I have a challenge for you. Go out into the sun, sit out there for five or ten minutes and tell me what your body feels like.

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Yeah, you'll feel so much better.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Tell me what your body feels like. Yeah, you'll feel so like I get tingles.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

Yeah. I get the tingles. Yeah, you feel and you feel like recharged. I was so lucky. I went to school with this girl, and she would we used to sit like down in this little outside um cover, and every time the sun was out, she'd pull up her dress and go and stick her little legs out in the sun, and she would she'd be so dramatic about it, but in the most beautiful way, she'd be like, Oh, the sun, oh the sun. And it was such a nice thing to have in high school because she would do that every day. It like clicked in my head that I'm like, I've always loved. I've obviously never been one to tan because look at me, but but you love the sun. I love the sun. You love being out in the nature. I love being out in nature. If I'm at the beach, obviously I'm gonna slip sop slap, but like every single morning or afternoon we should be slip sop slapping every day, yeah, regardless.

SPEAKER_02 39:17

UVA and UVB rays are definitely something we need to protect our skin against.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

And did you know that they're actually worse through like the car reflection? I only learned that the other day. Yeah, I only learned that the other day, which scared me.

SPEAKER_02 39:29

And that's why you should wear sunglasses, yeah. Polarized sunglasses, because you can actually get skin cancers in your eyes.

SPEAKER_00 39:35

Yeah, but on the flip side, like like anything, let's not take it to an ex extreme, like get your 15 minutes in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

Yeah, get your 15 minutes. Okay, let's hit you with some facts here. You know what sunlight can do? It can help you regulate your circadian rhythm. Yeah, it can help you with your energy and your alertness. Yeah. Um, it can help you with your mood. You can venture cycle pain.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

Really? We have vitamin D receptors in our reproductive organs. There you go. We have we have vitamin D receptors all over our body. It's so important for everything. Um so if you're not getting sun and you can't really get adequate vitamin D if you're fully covered and then you've got sunscreen on, like you need to have some form of sun exposed when the UV is healthy.

SPEAKER_02 40:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

Otherwise, you're just not getting it.

SPEAKER_02 40:28

UV is healthy. Yeah. When it's in that red zone, it's not healthy.

SPEAKER_00 40:32

I'm not saying I'm not saying do that. Don't be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

When it's in the blue zone, yeah, crack on.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 40:38

Um, yeah. In the morning as well, is so good. Like this morning, Lani and I took Harley outside and we were in the sun, and both of us were just like his little face was just smiled up, and it's so cute. And I just instantly felt like I've it felt so good. Just being outside, seeing the trees, feeling the warm sun on us. It was just it's so good. It does really set your day up. And I I think that's why my favourite colour is blue, because I love looking at the I look love looking at the sky. The blue sky, yeah. The blue sky is just it's so it's so energetic. It's just got so much.

SPEAKER_00 41:19

Oh, it takes me on a trip. Me too. I love it. And then my drive here in the morning or whenever I drive to work, you have like the blue sky, and then you have the sun, and then I drive over the ocean, so it's like double blue. You drive over the ocean. Yeah, you know the bridge that goes between driving.

SPEAKER_03 41:38

Just getting up my ferry.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

I'm just going on a ferry every morning.

SPEAKER_02 41:47

And I mean, we're we're hitting you with the sunlight, but also just being in in nature as well is just such a good energy resetter. Being in nature helps reduce your anxiety and like rumination. If you're someone who just like keeps thinking about things and ruminating in your mind, being out in nature is really good. It's a natural way of calming that nervous system, and you don't even have to be doing much. Like sitting and having a picnic out in nature is just like it does so many good things for you that you don't even realize, and it it's not a it's not expensive to do, it's not like a hard task like going hiking. You know, it's a quick, simple, you can go out there for 30 minutes, 40 minutes, whatever, have a picnic under a tree, don't have to be out in the sun, but like just being out in the open. We need to do that more. I feel like we're all closed in a bit, you know, we're all always in houses or in or in offices or we're in enclosed places. Like for me, especially as a nurse, we're we're in these white walls, we don't literally see and so sanitized as well, obviously has to be.

SPEAKER_00 43:00

So it's like no microbial.

SPEAKER_02 43:03

There's a place that I have lunch and it's like um in the middle of the hospital, they've made this like courtyard. It doesn't get massive sunlight, but it does get sunlight, but they've got trees and nature, and I just love sitting there. Sometimes I don't even have lunch with anyone, I just go and sit by myself, have lunch by myself because it's just so good. It's like the reset that I need because as you can appreciate, like being in theaters can be quite emotionally heavy sometimes. So just being able to like see nature helps me like immensely in those moments, just to sort of regulate myself.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Yeah, like we were talking about, and talk about an area of dysregulation. If you're not focusing on the regulation side, theater would be almost at the top of anyone's list. Yeah. Really, because you're in just such a Well, an emergency situation that most people have never seen before.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

It's a very, very uh unusual space. It's not, yeah, it's not it's not always, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:12

Yeah. Oh yeah. I think n people can't even imagine. Like when you talk about, say, a teacher or you talk about someone that works in an office, like you have a good vision of kind of what's going on. But then I suppose you see theatres and movies, but like that's obviously not an accurate representation of what's going on. So it's even hard, I think, for people to understand what you do when you say you're going to work.

SPEAKER_02 44:33

Yeah, well, I was actually talking to my testist yesterday because we have a whole bunch of new grads that have come through at the moment and they're all training and they're so green in the space, which is it's nice because you get get fresh eyes, you get like this new perspective, they're so ambitious, they're so keen and eager to get in and involved. But then, you know, things happen that they probably weren't prepped or primed for, and they get a massive shock. And I was like, it must be hard for them to navigate this world as they're learning it because it is a lot to take in, and for the everyday life, people don't often see this, but for us it becomes our reality, so we see it all the time. So it is quite yeah, it can be quite um. I always say to the grads I'm with, like, make sure that you do things for yourself to help you like decompress from your day because this next year is going to be a lot for you, and you're gonna cry, and you're gonna have all these emotions, you're gonna feel conflicted, but as long as you are aware that that's the emotions you go through as you're learning this space, and you utilize your external resource, like your family and friends, and go and do things on a weekend that help you just like unwind, you will be and switch off, yeah, yeah, which is easier so than done. It is a lot of the time, it is, especially when you're in sort of that clinical space, you can't help but think about how is that person that you're looking for after? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Okay. So do you have anything else to add? Um, well, we've gone on a bit of a whirlwind today, haven't we?

SPEAKER_00 46:28

We have.

SPEAKER_02 46:28

We've had like emotional moments, good moments, grounding moments, moments of explanation.

SPEAKER_00 46:37

I definitely want to touch on the nature point a little bit more before we leave, just quickly. Yeah. Because I think you're right. I think we live in a bit of a nature deficient society. And I don't know if I'm just projecting my own experience because we do live in Brisbane, so I'm not sure what other people, how other people in Australia or the world live their life, or we're just talking about Europe. I don't know how they live either. They're pretty damn happy, so again, homework topic for us. Um but yeah, like I know it sounds really hippie and whatnot, but we literally are nature, so I I think it's really important that we're all going out and spending time at the beach or being out in your garden, or you can just sitting outside and not being under artificial light whenever you can, like taking a break half an hour in nature, going for a walk, going for a walk without headphones, so you can listen to the sounds. Like the other day I was walking and I had my headphones in, and luckily this koala was so loud, it literally Have you heard them before? Yeah, they're making noises. I actually thought it was like a bull or something, so I've taken out my headphones. A bull? I don't know, it's making a really loud sound, or like a pig or something, like a wild pig or something in the in the forest, and I looked up and here's this koala like making it I'm not even gonna do it. But I'm like, I was so grateful that it was so loud. So then for the rest of the walk, I took my headphones out and I just heard so much. I listened, saw so much, and I came back and I felt so calm because I find that whenever I go on a walk I feel a little bit like or frazzled. And then if you go on a walk, even if it is in nature, but you're still look listening to say a podcast, you're probably not gonna come back from your walk any more calm than when you left. Yeah. Because you're not paying attention to the nature.

SPEAKER_02 48:29

I think it I think the the hidden message there is about presence. 100%.

SPEAKER_00 48:35

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 48:37

In order for you to fully appreciate the walk and the the idea behind how you want to feel from it is about presence.

SPEAKER_00 48:47

Or like if you're at the beach, like if you're scrolling on Instagram while you're at the beach, again, probably isn't doing what it needs to be.

SPEAKER_02 48:54

You're just doing a half-assed attempt and relaxing.

SPEAKER_00 48:57

Yeah, like if we can focus on the time that we're spending on nature a little bit more and make it have a little bit more intention and be a bit more present with it, we're probably going to feel a lot like a nice flow on in the rest of our lives.

SPEAKER_02 49:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:09

Um test. But I understand that some people don't care about that. Like if I said that to my sister, she would laugh and go in her room and read our book. So take what you want from that.

SPEAKER_02 49:20

Do you want to add anything from today? No, babe. I'm good, I'm good. I'm good on my section. Cool. Yeah, this was a nice little podcast episode. Um, and we look, we're both sort of in a really busy spot in our lives, so sometimes we might get a podcast out each week, sometimes it might be fortnightly. We really want to try and get it out to you guys each week because we obviously have so much feedback coming from you all that you're loving the podcast, and it means so much to us. I think we didn't realise that this was gonna continue to go in such a good direction, but um, yeah, just bear with us. We're still learning this space, and I think we are obviously we talk about these things and we want to try and honor the things that we talk about as much as just talking about it. Um, we want to be examples of what we're preaching, so yeah. Do you agree? Look how good they look. She she's she agrees.

SPEAKER_00 50:29

I agree. No, I agree, I definitely agree, and um yeah, I'm excited to see what we come up with next week's podcast episode, and I'm excited to see where the tangent takes us because we tangent on. We're tangent on. Bye, bye bye.