This year has been difficult for so many of us, and this, to varying degrees. Personally, the year has shifted my practice from an in-centre, bustling outpatient clinic to a home-based care model. I have noticed that my time has certainly been spent differently than prior to the pandemic, and I have also noticed that my communication style has changed. Being on the phone or on video with my clients, colleagues, family members, and friends has resulted in a different approach to learning and listening.

Before, when I was able to be in the same room with people, I could feed off “the energy in the room”, and that was entirely non-verbal in nature. Today, all I have to offer and all I have in return are “words”. Whether written, spoken, or heard, words have more power today than ever before to me.

I feel fortunate that I had the opportunities to learn from life coaches, motivational interviewing counsellors, and counselling psychologists through programs and courses I have taken on how to listen actively. This has been a learned, rather than an innate shift in my nutrition practice.

Active listening is an incredible tool: as health care providers, we are often multi-tasking and listening to someone just enough to make a medical diagnosis or judgment about their care. As many of us know, this neither works for the provider or the client. It does not work for friends, children, or family members, colleagues or people in general - when we are distracted, the only being that might forgive us is a pet (goldfish).

Therefore, to protect relationships and give them the credit they deserve for enriching our lives, active listening during this time is likely to strengthen our overall health with our community. Whether we choose to offer a pause of silence, whether we summarize the words spoken to you and acknowledge them, or whether we put down what we are doing and just listen, we can be sure we are doing good.