Discussing Burnout Amongst Healthcare Professionals With Dr. Shyla Bitz

In this episode, I, your host, Dr. Tomi Mitchell, had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Dr. Shyla Bitz

Biography:

Dr. Shyla knew from a young age that she wanted to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. She has always had a keen interest in health and healing.

She went to the University of Regina to the faculty of Education. This helped with her ability to effectively educate others and combine her passions of teaching and healthcare. She attended Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, graduating magna cum laude in 2005. She completed her internship where she treated children, athletes, and general family care. She completed her Acupuncture training through Acupuncture Canada in 2008. She trained through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association to specialize in pre/post-pregnancy, pregnancy, pelvic care, and children. She completed her functional medicine training through the Institute for Functional Medicine. She is currently finishing up her Master Herbalist through Wild Rose College. She draws from her multiple trainings to tailor care best suited to you and your healing journey.

Dr. Shyla practices with a fusion of Western and Eastern Medicine as she believes in the power and importance of evidence-based research and holistic healing and a mind-body-spirit approach. She believes in an interdependent approach to health and healing.

Her online program Reclaimed Vitality begins in fall 2021. Reclaimed Vitality is a program to help depleted women reclaim their vibrant energy so they can be present with their loved ones, themselves, and their work in the world.

When not at Flow you will likely find Shyla outdoors spending time with her husband and 3 young daughters.

Contact Information:

Facebook
@FLOWHealthCentre

Instagram
@drshyla_
@flowhealthyqr

For anyone interested in Chiropractic or Acupuncture treatment, you may book at her website
www.flowhealthcentre.ca

Course/Offers:
Her online course Reclaimed Vitality is currently in progress, Reclaimed Vitality helps depleted women regain their vibrant energy so they can be present with themselves, their loved ones, and their work in the world. This course is for you if are ready to understand your body and make empowered health decisions that are right for you.

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Dr. Shyla Bitz, Dr. Tomi Mitchell

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  00:07

Hello everyone, this is your host Dr. Tomi Mitchell from the Mental Health and Wellness Show. Today I have the pleasure of introducing a gem. I have known this wonderful woman for a very long time, and I'm proud to say she's actually done some work on me before. We have Dr. Shyla Bitz. From a very young age, she knew that she wanted to become a doctor of chiropractic, and she's always had a keen interest in health and healing. She went to U bar in Saskatchewan to the Faculty of Education and this really helped her effectively educate others and combine her passions of teaching healthcare. She attended Canadian Memorial chiropractic college in Toronto, graduating magna cum laude in 2005. She then completed her internship where she treated children, athletes and general family care. She completed her acupuncture training through acupuncture Canada and 2008 and then she went ahead and trained through the International Cairo Pediatric Association to specialize in pre and post pregnancy care, pelvic care and children. She completed her functional medicine training through the Institute for Functional Medicine, and she's currently finishing up her Master Herbalist through Wild Rose College. As you can see, she is well trained and she draws from her multiple trainings to help tailor the best treatment plan for you as you go along your journey of healing Dr. Shyla practices with a fusion of Western and Eastern medicine as she believes in the power and importance of evidence based research and holistic healing and the mind body spirit approach. She believes in an interdependent approach to healing and health. As she's also launching her program reclaimed vitality, which will show more later on in our show notes. Because this is a brand new program she is launching. And when she's not busy doing all these amazing things, you will find her with her wonderful husband and three adorable girls. With no further ado, shall I go one bag you are good like girl. Going through all your things that you know you're not busy whatsoever. Anyway, we're talking about burnout, how, how? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  02:12

I was like, and I wonder why we're talking about others.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  02:14

So, bigger I have to catch my breath to get it all those most of those credentials and things you've done. Well, welcome for making time in your busy schedule. And it's been hectic, I know balancing everything that you do. Is there anything I missed from the introduction that you would like to share with our listeners? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  02:35

No, I don't think so.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  02:36

Okay, awesome. Well, I had the pleasure of knowing you more than I've known a lot of my other speakers, because I've actually met you in living color, like most people just assume because the world we live in. And we've definitely had many conversations over the years, not close to a decade, but we'll say years. And as two young women who are fiery and passionate and somewhat stubborn, but passionate. We had many synergies, like we both love Holistic Health, like both embrace modern medicine, but we appreciate the value of Western medicine, meaning Eastern and all the Happy Blending. And we're also married with little girls. So you had your children before I started having children now, and we were talking about burnout. I remember posting this because I was like trying to find some speakers on burnout. And you know, what actually wasn't very hard.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  03:25

I can't imagine that.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  03:26

It was like the floodgates open. I was like, Okay, I have to pick and choose. What are your thoughts when you saw it? Like, what when you saw that I wanted to speak on burnout? What was your thoughts?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  03:36

Like, I can speak on it for Days. In multiple ways in multiple directions in it's just as you said, such a huge topic, right? So, so many aspects that we could delve into within it. And I feel like yeah, exactly we've had similar paths and different ways to and it's like we could have yeah, so much to draw on, so much.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  03:58

Definitely, and so why do you think it's so prevalent? Why do you think now people are finally talking about it? Though I know we were talking about it before then. That name on it, but we definitely talked about it. Why are you think people talking about it now?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  04:11

I think it's just hit its tipping point. Right. Like, I mean, I think it's been a long time coming for most people. And obviously there's, there's too many stressors, right? Like, externally in our environment. There's just too many stressors. And I think internally, there's just not enough coping mechanisms, right? And even as we're learning more coping mechanisms, and you hear about more coping mechanisms used, I feel like they're just kind of used to cope with external stressors, right versus just becoming more resilient. Right? It's just to continue to cope with it. And so and I and I feel like the world has just hit its tipping point. And it's like, we can't keep going in this trajectory anymore. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  04:50

Yes, you know, like you mentioned something that really caught my attention. He said the world is trying to have all these coping strategies and methods and is not really focusing on becoming resilient. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  04:59

Yeah. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  05:00

Can you explain more? I believe I agree with what you're saying. But I want to make sure we're on the same page.

05:05

Yeah. Why? Because well, obviously, as being a chiropractor, my framework for the world kind of comes through the nervous systems. So obviously, there's lots of different viewpoints that we can use from it. So I think about is like a car analogy, maybe. So I think about if most people understand like, sympathetic fight and flight, parasympathetic, rest and digest, but really, the parasympathetic at the very one end is actually your feet freeze, right? So I feel like, we oscillate so much between them, like there's not very much bandwidth for people. And so you hit into that fight or flight or into that feet and freeze quite easily, and we just don't have that bandwidth. So I feel like we can use those, we can use those coping strategies to build that bandwidth. Or we can use them to just kind of bounce back and forth between them. Right? So sort of like well, as we chatted a little bit prior you can think of like you and I, we have a fairly high coping capacity and you can end up getting to quite a far range of burnout because we can have all of these tools that are like oh, well I'm going to eat well I'm going to exercise I'm going to do all this do all this do all this so you can take on more take on more take on more take on more but you're you're actually that allostatic load you're actually depleting yourself even though you're quote-unquote doing the right things they're actually used in a coping mechanism way versus building that true health.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  06:30

Yes. You're hair grinning ear to ear even though the listeners can't see my face. You basically describe me to the team.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  06:41

It's like we've chatted more. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  06:45

Yeah if you just need more exercise mark I'm really into nuts and seeds you can proud of me. Hydration I even touched my heel. Yeah, we just keep on doing more. And I really have to say that's Paul live and those of us who were consider ourselves high functioning.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  07:06

Yeah completely.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  07:07

Right? Because a lot of individuals I work with the coaching they're like you know professionals in the self employed they're, you know, doctors, lawyers, whatever. And they're go, go, go, go, go, go go. But then there's really not a lot of stuff. They just we just kind of keep on going we kind of put a knee brace on and we just kind of pop an Advil if worst case scenario and put on a healer. Oh, my goodness, you're so right. So to all of us who are like listening, and we're like, oh, my goodness, how do we increase resiliency then? how do we increase this cup? Because I, I believe one can increase the cup size.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  07:50

Completely.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  07:51

Like, you can't pour from an empty cup. And I always I add, if you do, it's just back wash. That's my add. But absolutely, you can get a bigger cup.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  07:59

Yep. Yeah.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  08:00

Can you explain here too.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  08:00

Well, I think of it kind of like, if anyone knows, like any of the polyvagal type series stuff is like that window of tolerance, right? So we build up that window of tolerance. So again, then what is what I think most people can kind of understand, right? And it's sort of like, think about when we've had two weeks of sleep, or no sleep with kids not sleeping, and all of a sudden, like one little thing tips you over the edge, right? As because that, that bandwidth is decreased. So it's like I'll say to people, I'm like, we can use meditation, we can use Cairo, we can use all of those things and but they can be used either as a support coping mechanism, or they can be used to build bandwidth, right? So we can use like, quote-unquote, healthy coping mechanisms or non healthy either, to either be kind of a support coping mechanism or to to build the foundation. So that's, I think it's the difference of two, you know, if somebody is having an anxiety attack, and they're using meditation to come back to, to center, well, they're probably not coming all the way back to center. But you know, to kinda, to come out of that out of that fight and flight that's being used as a coping mechanism versus having a daily practice of meditation. And you're, you're doing it to put money in the bank, right, like so you're, you're widening that tolerance, versus you're using it and and I feel that's kind of our western medicine, right, of like, you have this, you do this, right, and we've moved it into more holistic medicine as well. We just use healthier things.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  09:29

Mm hmm.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  09:31

But it's the same it's the same mechanism that's being used.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  09:35

So is this what I'm hearing you're saying we have to be consistent?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  09:39

Dang consistent.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  09:41

Is that what I'm hearing my really, really like not just on my broken like every day or every other day,

Dr. Shyla Bitz  09:48

Every day and I think the biggest thing for me is that it, it comes back to simplicity and I don't know about you probably through practice and through all the stuff you've learned, right like you come through this full circleness.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  09:59

Yeah. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  10:00

And you, you come back to that baseline and you're like, oh, it's the little things, right? And I and I feel like both, again, medicine wise or natural wise, I'll save in like, like, I'll give diet for an example. Like most of the diet, stuff that we'll do or look at is like a finishing diet, right. And we're trying to use those finishing things as our core root thing. It's not. And I think as we're seeing kind of that tipping point in society of so much burnout is there is so much burnout, there is like, no root system to people. And right, and so it's like you you are, you're using these things in a coping way, instead of building up the roots. And that's why, you know, when we were 15, a, quote, unquote, finishing diet would work, because that whole thing is all strong and resilient and full, and it just needs a little tweak. And we keep trying to do these little tweaks for something that is the solid foundation, it's the root system, it's the right and so those things don't work as much.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  10:59

Wow, see, okay, so this is good toy haying. Instead of you have to have a root system, we have to have a good foundation, right? Instead of being just official. So the question to ask is, then how does one build those root?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  11:12

Well, and that's where it is that simplicity, right? Like, it comes down to the very, very basics. And I would say with some of it even comes down to the basics of our why our values, you know, you think about again, like something like exercise, it's like someone's gonna do better by having walked every day for a year, then like starting the perfect program, and then nothing for to work, right? And it's, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be it just has to be consistent. And it just has to be simple, right? But it's like, I feel like as a society, we sort of we value the results, but we don't value the process, right? So it's like, look good, like, do this, do this diet and exercise, do all these things to look good. Each body, and you know you look good, you're yeah. And well, and then you're that plant, right, and you have two plants side by side. And you know, both could look healthy. And it's sort of that adage of like, you don't know how strong you are until you put in hot water. It's like the world seen that now even people who look healthy, have no root system, or some that might not even appear healthy have a strong root system, but maybe they don't look like it from that exterior.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  12:22

Yes, that is so true. I love the analogy with this whole finishing product. And just the consistency and building the route. So, listeners, our seeing is that this should be part of our everyday lifestyle, we should incorporate it into our life where it's not even it's like a reflex. We don't even like brushing our teeth. We don't think oh my goodness, I gotta brush your teeth, by now we should all brush our teeth at least twice, three times a day. My dentist will say, after every meal, but whatever. But consistently, right? Every day, not just when you have a vacation planned in four months time, look your best or a wedding for your child or something like that. No, it's the choices you're making every day.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  12:58

And I feel like I really feel like people don't realize how important it is. Right? Because it's like that. Yeah, yeah, we know that. Right? Like, we know that simple stuff. And we and we know those things, but I don't think people really realize what difference it actually does make right? It is and and we again, we want to skip it right? Because we want to get to that like kind of external validation back versus that internal validation.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  13:21

Definitely and you know, from somebody who has been burnt out and I'm not ashamed to say it I definitely like it was actually during the pandemic that was part of what hit me and almost died. And my child being very sick too that was that's what, but I got up but I mean, I had to stop. And it was the oddest feeling. I'm like, this is not just get some sleep one weekend. This was like, No, I can't do anything this is weak some like month. I'm, I'll do what I need to do, because I have multiple hats, but not all the extra stuff. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  13:50

Yeah.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  13:50

Right?  So when you start incorporating, like journaling and meditation, and that was a big one meditation with yoga to your heart, it was to go into a yoga studio, and they're like, calm, they tell you to like think of nothing. And I think I had ADHD. I don't but I mean, like, I'm like thinking about this and that like, it took me a minute, it took me a few sessions before I could just be like, think of my breathing my posture as I'm doing the poses, and just appreciating everything.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  13:51

Yeah.  Well, and it's when we're like when we're so stuck in that fight and flight to go to things like something like that, like meditation or yoga for some people can feel too far. Right? And it can even put the body into that state of anxiety because it's like, it's so far from center. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  14:31

Oh, yeah. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  14:32

Like you a bunch of these, like you said, notch things right? And then be like, oh, now I get it right. It was like after having kids and I was like, yeah, I'm a little bit tired. And then you know, like, a year later, you're like, oh, I was tired or you know, however long it is and then you're like, now I'm good. And then I get more rested and be like, oh no, I was still tired. Right? And it's things different levels of weird there's like mental fatigue, a physical fatigue, and all fatigue right like in the more and more you come to center the more you don't you didn't realize how out of center you are.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  15:04

Yeah, it's so true. So true. And we all need to do that regularly self inventory where we analyze you know, our physical, emotional, relationship fatigue and finances all the whole wellness wheel and really be honest with ourselves really honest. And like you said, a first we try we start on the right journey. It can seem awkward like I kid you not, I'm being honest. I thought yoga was like a bunch of like theories. I thought yoga was just weird, and just wasn't for me. And I laughed and my friend invited me to and then I laughed even more when I got to your membership a few months later. So you surprise.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  15:48

Usually, it's usually the things we don't want to do that are the things that would be the best.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  15:54

Yes, I say this thing never say never. Because it's the things that you say, oh, I'll never do that. That's what happens to life. Like, that's what the universe brings to you. It's like, hahaha.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  16:04

Completely, It's like, oh, you think what?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  16:07

What we want not what we don't want in life. Right? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  16:12

Completely.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  16:13

Right? I don't know how the science works. I haven't figured that out. But that's the truth. You say what you want not you don't want. So let's say okay, you are like holistic, like to the court with all your training and just how you incorporate everything. Okay, so let's pretend it's me, I'm the patients or whoever. And they're like, okay, what I'm busy, I work a lot or have lots of responsibilities, what treatments like, what should I do? What should I look at, to ground me to like rest my mind to really get me in this right path of doing right to avoiding the situation of burnout are coming out of burnout, like this is a lot of people, they don't know what to do. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  16:52

No, and I.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  16:53

Rebate don't know what to do. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  16:54

And I feel like, like the more that we're out of center, the more that we're like oscillating between that like sympathetic, parasympathetic, it's like, you know, driving a car. And it's like, either, you know, the gas pedal is full on or the brakes are full on, right? And I feel like there's that that loss, there's that loss of the subtlety in the middle, right. It's like, you don't have to drive your own car, and you're kind of you're, you're not, you're not in the moment, and you're not present. So you're driving along, you know, you see a little bunny move in the ditch and you overreact, right. It's like breaks or gas, or, you know, like, there's, there's this huge overreaction. And again, that kind of comes back to that whole bandwidth or window of tolerance or those sorts of things, right? So it's like, kind of so far off center, that that's where that's where we start to kind of outsource those decisions more, right? Because you you really can't figure it out yourself. Because you're you're so not in that balance state that that's when we that's when we look to those exterior things to try and tell us right and I mean, and those things can do that to start right of like, where can I be to start to notch myself into feeling my own center so I can decide those? So come back to your question. And the reason for my long tangent is that if someone might be someone might be more stuck on the gas pedal and on you know, on go, which probably you were, right? 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  18:11

Yeah. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  18:12

And so it was really hard to to come back. So what, so what you need to do to come to center would be a very different thing than somebody that's more stuck in the brakes and they're apathetic and depressed and they can't get they can't get kind of up and mobilized and going what they what they need to do to come back to center is actually very different to and that's why there's not one thing right like there's so many beautiful modalities in the world and so many different things and we're all going to have our personal preferences but also within that it depends on where we are in life right and that's exactly why like when you are stuck on go, you didn't want to stop right? And the person who is stuck on stop they don't want to go.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  18:52

Yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  18:53

Right? And so they want to go to the yoga class where you're going in you're and you're stretching and doing nothing because they're already actually stuck in that so what they need to do they actually need something more young right, like they need something more that's sympathetic up and up and go right and and I feel like it's you know, learning to make those decisions that it's also not from the gas pedal to the brake pedal to the gas pedal to the brake pedal

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  19:15

Really like that? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  19:18

And well and you think about it what does that do to a car that burns out a car?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  19:23

As my daughter would say it shows us yellow means where we where we slow or something red means stop and yellow very very slow.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  19:31

So a little more yellow. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  19:35

More yellow, yeah, more yellow. Yeah, I really liked how you compare the polar opposite yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  19:43

When we like to do this bad good thing, right? It's like oh, cuz even see and not like be like in the nervous system world. It's like, oh, like sympathetic is bad and Paris good. And it's like, that's not really true either. And I'm like, I'm sorry, but on my car. I also do want a gas pedal on the brake pedal because it can save your life right? And that's why we have those things you're gonna get, you know, you're gonna almost get in a car accident, you're gonna slam on the brakes, right? And you, you need those parts of your system, neither part of your system is bad, right and how you use it. And I feel like we also forget that when we've had a stressful scenario where we've had to put on the brakes, or we've had to put on the gas pedal to come back to center, most of us just keep going, right? Like, if you think about, like, if you were almost in a car accident and slammed on the brakes, and then you know, you look around you, your daughters are safe in your car, everybody's good. The world's okay, you don't feel peaceful in that moment, right? Like, your heart's still beating, everything's still going, it takes it takes a bit for systems to come back to center. So I think, you know, in our world, we have lots of things like you said, of, you know, we'll just get back up, just keep going. Right? And we also don't have time to kind of like, finish that stress cycle too. And so we have to, like if you again, if you if you stopped your car, you can hear that motor still kind of purring, right, like, it's gotta like, it doesn't stop as soon as we stop, the car stops, but then the motor takes that little bit that little bit longer, right. So we got to deal, we got to deal with stress itself, plus the stressor, or whatever, right?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  21:09

Yeah no, that's, that's really good. I like that. I love that analogy.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  21:12

Yeah, it helps to just not have again, that's so polar of things, right? Like they all have their place. But it's also like that, then no need to come back to center. And so often in our world, we have those events and like you said, it's like, oh, still gotta get up, still gotta get, you know, gotta get the kids off to daycare and school got to get back to work. And we don't have time to kind of complete those whether it's a you know, a physical trauma, mental trauma, emotional trauma, whatever, whatever that thing is, we don't we don't to kind of be the calibrate. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  21:41

Yeah, that is so true. And with the car analogy, even when your car stops, if there are things in your car that aren't secure down, they will keep on moving. And if your kids are not buckled in your pack is in there, your box of Kleenex, like it will still keep on moving like that I can, I can definitely see that really, really great analogy,

Dr. Shyla Bitz  21:59

When you look at like when a kid gets home from school, right? And what is like, you know, the kids are a little bit off, they've had, you know, big external day, all these things are going on, if you gotta go to the next thing, okay, well, we got to you know, we've got to go to gymnastics now we got to go to cremena. We gonna do, we gonna do all these things. And you can tell that they're, they're off and you do that for days on end, right? Instead of come home from school and let them play for 20 minutes and all that good to go, right? And play is integrating that right? Like it's integrating that day and it's letting it's letting kind of that stress cycle complete so that you can then like, okay, now I'm, now I'm ready for for my next thing, but we tend again, downplay those or, like, also, right? It's like, oh, well, now I can see plays important through science. So now I better play versus just because plans awesome.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  22:49

Yeah, that's, that's really good. Play is important. That downtime. And just like we have those opposites, like I'm the Go, go, go, go go. I do know how to relax. But people, not everyone thinks that's relaxing. But anyway, and then those who are more like need to go, I guess they're playing would be different, too. Right? There's no one like everyone's version of play can be a little different and still serve them.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  23:11

Completely, it's like, you know, somebody has a condition paralyzed or something else, right is like, it's it's not it's not a recipe because every piece, everybody is different, right? And there's individuality and it matters. And it's just like, the different techniques things is good or bad, depending on somebody's scenario, as well. So I'm not a huge advocate of one specific thing, because I think they're all important, and they all have all have their place.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  23:36

Yeah, I don't believe in one size pit fall. And as soon as no more not necessarily, especially baseball caps. I cannot wear a woman's baseball cap. The life, my head is too big, too many brains, I think, are braids. Yeah, so I know, you've heard about this whole thing of the great presentation. A lot of individuals, especially women are saying that they are ready to quit their day job is too stressful. And you know, they're gonna venture on their own as an entrepreneur because it's just amazing. Okay, and you and I who have been entrepreneurs for some time, and I feel it's, in my, as good as like the senior, I'm not a senior, but I mean, someone who's been at this for a while, I just want to let some shed some light of caution. Like be aware, like we're sharing our vulnerabilities like burnout is real. And when you have to wear many hats, even if you're a quote unquote not feeling the best, there are other hats you have to keep on right. And I'm wondering if there's going to be like a ripple effect that they thought they were burnt out then how much more burnout you're going to go to if go into this path without truly knowing what you're going to and having to support with a financial yet and you know, education wise experience wise, the back it up? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  24:50

Yeah. Well, I mean, both you and I know entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  24:54

No.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  24:55

Right? 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  24:55

Yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  24:55

That wonderful, but I also feel like you know, entrepreneurship is, it's life, it's pretty gross. It's you know, the more that you grow as an individual, the more that your entrepreneurship does, too, right? It's all facets of life, even if you're not working all the time, right? Like, it's, it's all it's all one thing. It's a it's a way of life, right. But I think that's why entrepreneurship is so make it or break it in that way too. Because you, you come up against your demons, right? Like you, you're gonna, you're gonna come up against that wall and kind of your shadows are thrown in your face. And you either, you know, you either face them and you grow, and you learn and you widen that window of tolerance, right? Like you you grow and learn and you adapt, or you don't, right, like it's I think it's a it's like parenting. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  25:41

Yes, yes, you definitely have to be willing to learn and move forward. And each child is different.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  25:47

And that I mean, all are different each entrepreneurship for each child is bred, right? And so I mean, if your why's is there, I think you'll do it. But most most multiples, like you said, many are coming there either off after a million years of school life like us, and we're burnt out before we even started typically. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  26:07

Yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  26:07

Right? Or you have a job and you're like, this is too much, I'm going to do it on my own. And you're but you want to do it on your own, because you're burnt out. And so a lot of people started started off burnt out. I mean, in that way, though, you can also build from the ground up, if people can truly build it from where they are now versus where they should be, or you know, all of, all of that kind of stuff, then you can do it. But it's yeah, not for the faint of heart.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  26:34

Yes, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. And I, you know, again, you were just a gem, you brought a really good point. But a lot of individuals are burnt out from the point of finishing their programs, their education. Yeah, I didn't even honestly, I didn't even think about that. But it is true. You know, you go to undergrad, you go to post secondary, and do all those other things you do non stop, there's no such thing. Most of us were summers off, it was just like, oh, next semester, it just blended in, it was just like a just a snowball effect. It's so true.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  27:03

When we, I mean, we value burnout and society really, right? Like, are we we've value the values of burnout, right? Because it's like, oh, this person is giving me a lot of results of this, right? There's, you know, there's that mentality in schooling of like, you know, push you to the brink and see if you're good enough, right? But it's like, you push people to the brink, and you're pushing them over, right? And I would argue now that I think a lot are even burnt up before they're even getting to some of that, you know, postgraduate, studies.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  27:09

That is very emotional.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  27:32

You're it's, it's younger and younger? And that's that, that tipping point, right? You look at kids in school and sports, and it's like, it's just, it's just all a lot, right? And I think it's it's that point of where like, we need to balance the, our internal values with societal values, and hopefully change some societal values, right?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  27:50

Yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  27:50

Or combine that somehow to where it actually meshes. I remember I think I actually this was actually even before kids, or around that timeframe, I sat down and did and wrote down all the things that I should do, right, like, yeah I should exercise I should this I should this. And I was like, this doesn't even logistically fit. Like, if I actually did all those things that I should do. I don't even know how that fits in my world. And that was pre having three children. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  28:19

Yeah. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  28:20

And so and that sometimes comes into to the more simple that we make it, the more that we can surely fit it in, right? If it's if it's really our internal values, it's really our internal wise, we can fit it in. And you can have things like being out in nature that hit multiple of them, right? You can, you can hit multiple things, but it was very eye opening for me to kind of sit down and be like, huh, how does this mesh like, how how does this really work? How can we make this, make this work?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  28:52

Definitely. Well, it's by making it a lifestyle and incorporate, like you said, incorporating many things into it like spending time with your kids, you'd be going outside to the park and then drop picking up something at the store and walking home like I don't know, I'm just making something right now, but let's pretend walk outside. But you know, there's many things you could do some lifestyle, and I still I go back to the whole resiliency that really really is a topic I love to talk about because especially in childhood because there's this pediatrician I believe is passed on because he was Ginzburg. He had the seven C's of resiliency, like competency, coping contribution and all these things that we need to instill in our children. But let's be frank, a lot of adults need to instill it in themselves, right? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  29:32

Completely.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  29:33

Right? Um, and we really should do the self work because I don't think the world is gonna get any simpler. People may think that oh, they want to go back to a non no five day four day workweek a two day workweek look great for you, but I don't think our world is gonna go there. But even if it was, as other things go to do to keep functioning, we all have your waste?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  29:52

Completely and if we don't change some of those, like internal not even change, but really kind of sit with our own belief systems. It's like getting, you know, divorced and remarried and divorced or remarried, like, I'm the same person, right. And so I mean, we could do the same thing with our lives and be like, I'm going to do this, but you're just creating that same scenario. And so until that belief system is really embedded in for some people that might mean not working, or working three days a week, or working five days a week, I know, for me personally, going down to working part time, right was like, I had to reconcile with my own beliefs, and you know, like, your own identities and all of these things, right? And, and choosing between those right, is like does that identity of working full time or working to burnout? Is that identity worth it? 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  30:41

Nope. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  30:42

Right? And, and it quickly is not, right? But it's easy, it's easy to get caught up in all of those things. And if some of us don't do that, then the next person beside us is going on, but they're doing it so I should be able to do it too, right? And in the meantime, we are all burnout.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  30:57

Seriously, exactly. And you know, whether you're in office or so that wherever you people call work at a home office, or five days a week, whatever, they're still going to be the other part of your life that still work, right? There's, you have to go to your home and make nutritious meals, you have to clean your home and get someone to clean, you have to interact with your loved ones. Like there's still things to do, like don't think, like, Yeah, is it 24/7 It's a truly is.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  31:22

And it's finding those noncompromisable is right, it's like what are the true non compromisable? Not like all of the things again, that society says I should do, right of like, okay, those are the things that I should do so I should fit that in. But it's sort of like being told what to eat, right? It's like, if it's not a deep value, and it's not a demon compromisable for you, like it doesn't come from deep enough to to do those to do those things, right? So I get in that system see is like, if you really, really know. And these uncompromisable are different, right, but you know, those like deep ones, and I feel like you fit those ones in then also magically, you've got more time for the other things too, right? Like all of a sudden, these other things can fit in because you're more well sourced from having the things that really matter to you, right? So it makes a big difference, right? 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  32:07

100%, and you know what, we're all gifted 24 hours in a day, it's a matter of what you do with it. Whether you have a bunch of idle time, that's not productive, like you could be resting but still have things going on that are moving the needle forward. It's planning it I find writing in my planner was really helpful when I look at my day before my week that helps me organize all the pieces versus oh, yeah, I'm supposed to go to you know, physio I didn't go for that appointment. Like that's no you have to prioritize your health your well being because it's your it's our responsibility.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  32:40

And it's put on there first then.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  32:42

Yes, that should be first, the self care is not selfish. And you know, we could talk about this for self care thing. I, I hear the word use a lot, but we're not talking about taco here. We're talking about the new like, do you and me like that's like a whole nother talk.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  32:56

We're talking more in self care. We're like, actually, self care tonight is doing your taxes, not your nails, right? Because you're going to be more reason, well, resource. Moving ahead, having done some of those things versus and some in some nights, it's the opposite, right? But it's like, what are what are the things that are that are actually resourcing you obviously at work when I'm daily treating more physical kind of things. If anybody knows me, they know I use this analogy a fair bit, but it's like, um, you don't get stronger from work, you know, you get stronger from recovering from a workout.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  33:27

Mm hmm. Yeah. Wearing those muscle fibers and building them, yes. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  33:31

And that goes to the same ideas, the car analogy, right of like, yes, you know, you sit on the brakes or whatever, right? Like the system has to recalibrate. And when we don't take the time for things to recalibrate, we're actually just breaking it down, right? And so you'll see some people that are like, they're doing so much right there. They're working out and they're doing all of these things. And it's like, I should I should be healthy, right? That's like, well, you, you've got no, you have no time to absorb those things. You're not recovery. And at the same time, again, for somebody that's only recovery, and not doing anything else, if you're not stressing the system, and only doing recovery, you're not you're not gaining either, right. So you gotta you gotta have them both.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  34:12

So true, like honestly I wasn't doing that before I really wasn't recovering and getting my nails done really wasn't recovering. Because I was probably multitasking on my phone in between design. So that was not recovering. But taking the time to be mindful, to be present to make healthy living your lifestyle where it's non negotiable, where you do things that push the needle forward, where you engage with positive like minded individuals, right? To take ownership. It's priceless and being unapologetic because honestly, I had so much guilt for women. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  34:44

Yeah. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  34:45

I call it BC before children and before COVID, I was frickin superwoman. Like I was nonstop like 7, 24/7 literally being on call, and it was not, yeah, it was great for people because they could get a hold of me, but it wasn't great for me. And I took me a while to come to terms with that. But I'm not going back to that person ever again.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  35:05

No, no one once, once you come away from that point, it's like, oh, no, not happening, right? But when you're when you're stuck in that, and you're in that overdrive, it can feel good to come out of it. Right? So it's like, just keep just keep on going, right? People do have naturally higher capacities and different things. And we could go into childhood stuff with that, right. Like people do come in with different bandwidths to write and more like you it is, it is different, right? And so you have to know yourself.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  35:34

Definitely know yourself and know what and you know what, speaking of knowing yourself, you got to know yourself. But you also have to talk to people who understand how the physiology works, because right, because I, again there's there's too many, like people that got their degrees on Facebook and Instagram, that I'm just like, no, but it doesn't lie you need like water and sleep are non negotiable, like, you know, eating just because you think the burger tastes great and the fries and the milkshake tastes great. And you nothing wrong with you. And you're good. That doesn't mean you're good.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  36:04

No, exactly, exactly, right? And it also doesn't mean you're good if you're like eating perfect. And, and you're stressed about it at the same time. And it's like, what's in this? I don't know, did I eat something? And there's like, stress with it, too. But again, there's, there's some balance point within it, right? Because if your nervous system is in sympathetic overdrive, when you're going to eat there's a lot more gut issues. That's why it's like, oh yeah, I was on holidays, I had no way I could eat whatever I wanted. When I was ah.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  36:33

I see it perfect. And so as my fibromyalgia. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  36:37

Exactly right? And so it's like the the state of our being matters, right? And, and the things that we do help us to put us into our state of view but that's why depending on where you're in, where you're in, that your decisions are different.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  36:51

Definitely, definitely knowing our state being mindful. And again, I just knowing what I see, and I hear and I read what's going on being connected with individuals who can help you because I feel like the basic are basically being broken inside and people don't even understand the things that even when we were in school, it was like the food groups or we didn't tell that we talked about a decrease geology of exercise. I did those things but then kids now you mentioned things don't just like loving kids like young adults younger than me. Nothings to own, my goodness.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  37:27

It's like you can you can dissect a frog, but you don't know what you know, a carbohydrate, or you know, vegetable is right?

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  37:35

Yeah.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  37:35

And that comes down to again, that we really, I think we feel like we're above the basics.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  37:40

Yeah. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  37:40

Like, every everybody wants to be at that endpoint. Everybody wants to this.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  37:45

That is so so true. And you know, yes. Are they people are so into this whole specializing thing. And like how often do we hear like, okay, you do a lot of general chiropractor you do a broad base peds, you know, maternity, the whole nine yards, which is general right? For some and myself, then no family practice. They're like, oh, but why don't you want to be a specialist? Okay, I get it. I can, we can have deep knowledge in many years. That doesn't mean that we're superficial, were rooted. It's just, it just gives us this holistic approach. Like I had a brother God bless him, he's amazing. He's a therapeutic, no, not therapeutic. He's an orthopedic surgeon, sorry, but specialty and like fine, or something that I had no interested in. But you know, he'll ask me for things that are very basic, right? Because he one last time we dealt with a skin rash, or UTI, or even diabetes, diet drugs, like he does feel that we need the foundation. Like don't minimize like people, you have to have a foundation, without it, like we don't build a house on sand. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  38:45

Yeah, yeah, and, and everybody likes to talk about that. But they don't really again, see the importance or value they import. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  38:52

They don't. And the other thing is a whole provision, like you prevent a lot of things and you may say, Well, how would you know it work? Well, come on. Look at what's happening. Burnout, skyrocketing diabetes, skyrocketing, depression, anxiety, suicide, like cancer, childhood issues that weren't happening so early like among people.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  39:11

And the more like, the more expert you become in anything, the more you realize it again, comes full circle back to basics, right? Or whatever coaches like that it's you know, yeah, the more expert you are, it's it's just being an expert in understanding the basics, right? 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  39:27

Exactly.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  39:27

And so I feel like you know, everybody wants to get everybody wants to specialize, and everybody wants that next new brand thing, brand new thing, but it's like, we're not ready for it. We're honestly not ready for it. And you've seen that in practice, too. But I even like, think things that I treated in practice 17 years ago, you know, you could kind of you could help somebody fully recover in like three or four treatment, that same thing now for most people. And most people are even probably 10 years younger than the average person that I'm talking about will take 8 to 10 time's right? And it's because we don't have the foundation. And that's why we're we're searching for like, more and more things and more specialist things and the next best thing that's gonna fix us, but it's like, we're just we're not, we're not there. We're not there. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  40:15

Oh, and I don't think really what we're supposed to stay grounded and rooted in these days of things. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  40:22

Yeah, 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  40:22

And you know what. Yeah, go ahead. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  40:24

No, I'm just gonna say some of it even in like sports. When I was doing triathlon stuff, I started to realize I was like, people are training for it. Like, they're going to be Olympics like, right? Like, it's like, again, all this specialized thing. And it's like, your life is not your life is not for that specialized thing, right? And it's like, you're you, you still have a job, you still have kids, you still have all of these other things. And it's, again, kind of that idea of that finishing diet, right? Like, we're all so ready to get to that, and then we get injured, and then we get this. And so if I still have to come back daily to the basics for myself included, right? And again, we have more and more time for all these things when we come back to the basics, because we do kick more thing, right? Like.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  41:09

Yeah, yeah I know again. I can go on a tangent until forever, but like myself, and my little basic mind, right, we took you know, a few classes here and there in different fields, arts and science, like, you know, when I remember when I first heard of this whole COVID thing, and I'm making this subject, but I'm like, I was pregnant with my second and I was like, oh, my goodness, is that it's that Corona Apocalypse coming, like looking at everything, economically, society and how things transmitted, how little fly, I'm like, okay, brace oneself. At the bottom of the day, this boils down to lifestyle. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  41:42

Yeah, it does.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  41:42

Who is this? Right? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  41:44

It does.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  41:45

What is the biggest factor, whatever side of the line you're on, I don't really care people who are listening. But the one I don't compromise is this whole foundational belief, like if we would significantly reduce our transpat and our hydrogenated crap that you can't even pronounce? If you can't pronounce it, chances are it's not good for you. Number one.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  42:04

So go back to basics, right? Is it a whole food? Right? Like, it honestly doesn't have to be complicated? Yes, it really, really doesn't. And like you said, the current world, right, like, everybody's stressed for a different reason, regardless of whatever it is. And it's like that little difference to avoid, we need to cope with stress in order to cope with a stressor. Well, this is kind of the ultimate one, right? It's and it's like, honestly, until we are all coping with our own personal stress, stresses. I don't, I don't think we're ready to deal with the big stressor. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  42:37

Exactly, and knowing that and, you know, I just look at it and I just almost like have my little my popcorn and just walk because of movie or my grapes, sort of, like, hmm hmm, okay, yeah hmm, the blind listener.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  42:49

But you know, there's, there's humility to it, right? Because it's like it is it you know, there's that tipping point, and it brings everybody shadow to their face, regardless of what that is, right? Because it's like, it's this whole opportunity time to say.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  42:53

Let's make a difference. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  43:04

Let's make a difference. What do I need personally, right and, and shine a light on it, the things that we want to avoid that we all have, right? And, and actually dive there, right? And then we can actually, this can actually be all a good thing.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  43:18

Exactly. It truly can. It could like, the great equalizer, like the universe is like, Okay, what do I have to do to get your attention people?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  43:25

Yeah, yeah completely, completely if we're, we' re ready. Right. And I mean, we each had our own things, mainly children, right, that brought us to that and we all have we all have different things that bring it to us. But I think we I think we all have it to some degree, right? Because it is is an interesting world.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  43:39

It is so interesting, you know, I, It's so interesting. And in some ways it's so predictable.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  43:49

Very true.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  43:49

Seriously, once you take enough psychology classes and new NLP and functional medicine and this and that and this and that in physiology, I'm like and your point.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  43:58

And it comes back to the simple again.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  44:01

I'm like, put a written this what the outcome, the trilogy, like when I was in like university for the very least first year medical school. Like it's all there.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  44:10

Yeah, it's, it's all there.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  44:11

How perfect, love that technology stuff. It's the basic.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  44:16

It's, it's, it's the basics, and I think, you know, that's the biggest thing to take from it. And I and again, I think, I think we intuitively all know that right? I think we do intuitively know that but they are work, right? Like they are and but you you have to value it and you have to, you have to believe it. Right? You have to you have to believe that it really matters because otherwise like it's a lot of inputs. If you're not believing

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  44:41

Yeah, no, you have to believe it and you have to have a big why that I thought the motivating factor for why you're doing it. I know why I get up every day and do what I do and keep on rolling. People ask me how I'm living my family live in the life and they laugh. I'm like, I'm not saying living the dream. Sorry. I have a dream. Right?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  44:57

But that's why, one person's perfect life is another person's poisonous life, right? Like.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  45:06

Really, okay, I'm working on my dream I'm living it are not deep right now, but it's bigger.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  45:15

But you're in recovery mode.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  45:17

Yeah like, like the whole world changes once you get on the right side of like sanity and balance, that doesn't mean you can't be just like badass woman or badass dude who's just killing it in life and just accomplishing amazing thing. No, you just, yeah, right?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  45:33

And also, you know, men will work more on like a daily cycle, right, obviously, women on a monthly cycle. So even if you, you know, you want to look at overall patterns, you look at like our monthly cycle, you can look at again in a life cycle too, right? Like or, you know, bigger bigger chunks of time. And so it's again, if we have recovery at a certain time in the month you actually have more energy for the rest of them, right? And that again, that whole like you can recover and so it's also you know, it's living to the rhythms of ourselves the rhythms of the earth rhythms are about other family right and you can, yeah, it makes a difference. 

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  46:11

Yeah, wow, we really went through a lot of material I'm just like, yeah, like it's amazing it's, I love it you just broke it down so simply you guys who are listening obviously look at the basic if they're you know, deep inside or find someone to support you and look at a holistic plan for your life like it's not just what you eat, not just what you drink, it's not just it's so much more than that. And it's not a band aid you to go back to do whatever it's not like your espresso when you go exhausted, it's not the Starbucks when it's morning or whatever Baskin Robbins wherever you are in the world. It's not the best of it.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  46:48

It's, it's not the gas to the brake.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  46:51

Well not the gas and the break the things are still flying through right remember yellow means where we where we slow okay?

Dr. Shyla Bitz  47:01

If we want to know what to do, we just got to ask our kids.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  47:04

Oh, they know oh my goodness you are so right they are, my daughter and my eldest, I look at her like hmm my child.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  47:15

And they tell it like it is.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  47:17

Do they ever, look at children like when they're treated like, look at them the preschooler like the first second grade age, look at them they are just so simple, look mommy why you're so tired? Do you have a nap time? Or do you need to go poop, or some water, or play? Like.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  47:39

Yeah, they're they know and if we just got to follow the rhythms of the kid and we're good to go we only nap.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  47:46

Yes, that's so true. Okay, be like a big kid. We're not, in doesn't need to be the way it is because we're out of sync a mistake priorities and you don't have to fit them all be think and what makes you want things to happen. Okay? 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  47:59

Exactly, exactly.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  48:00

That's comfortable in your yoga pants and just chillin. It's so good. I know you'd be so proud of me. I wear heels maybe like twice a year and it's usually for a picture I quickly take them off.

Dr. Shyla Bitz  48:12

And then back off.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  48:13

That we put on those yoga pants. Anyway might not be good for flying, but legs, that's another story anyway. Anyway, we will connect another time I'm sure thank you so much for connecting to all our listeners. We'll send you information how to get a hold of her in the show notes and then we'll go from there and shallow obviously will connect after this because it's a great conversation. 

Dr. Shyla Bitz  48:39

Exactly.

Dr. Tomi Mitchell  48:41

Thank you everyone again, this is Dr. Mitchell from the Mental Health and Wellness Show. Bye.