Your Toaster and Mental Health

Last year I spoke to our dental team with regards to their toasters. Toasters? I knew they thought I was crazy and wasn’t really sure where this conversation was going. Rightfully so, as how can the topic of toasters for a morning huddle before work be motivating? Turns out, it was and tends to be something brought a year later.

One morning I was cleaning out my kitchen. I’m one of those people that everything needs it’s place, position and home. Well as I was cleaning out the cabinet I noticed our toaster. Man it was messy in that thing. Crumbs, burnt crumbs, pieces of bagel or pop tart or who knows what else. So I dumped it out over the sink, took the trays out and cleaned the heck out of that toaster till it was no longer a fire hazard.

Well as my mind does, it began to ponder if there could be any correlation between stress, anxiety or frustration with relation to my toaster being neglected. So I began to think and this is what I told my team. Sometimes we let things in our lives build and build till it becomes troublesome to us. It’s like our toaster, we go months and months toasting and toasting till one day you drop a bagel in there and you get fire and smoke. So the question is, what are we neglecting or leaving behind in our own lives that’s building a burden on us?

I urged the team to go home that day and check their own toaster and seriously ponder if there is any correlation between stress in their lives and a dirty toaster. Turns out the next day I had quite a few of my team come up to me and say, “man was my toaster dirty, thanks for the tip doc.” It opened my eyes because this silly little exercise that I conjured up actually improved the lives for the time being of my team. Also I’m sure it made their morning breakfast taste better too! So, as I challenged my team, I challenge you to evaluate your toaster and maybe just a routine cleanup will get you off to a better and brighter day!

Till next time,
Dr. Justin