340_ (TITLE TBD) How to Manage Your Mental Health in Uncertain Times- TRANSCRIPT

Terry [00:00:04] Hello and welcome to the Giving Voice to Depression podcast brought to you by recovery.com. Each week we profile a guest who shares intimate details of their mental health journey they share because they understand that when people don't talk about their depression or other mental health conditions, those of us who struggle with them can feel like we're the only ones, that there's something wrong with us. Instead of understanding that we have a common and treatable illness. I'm Terry, the creator and co-host of this podcast. 

Anita [00:00:32] And I'm Dr. Anita Sanz, a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 25 years in clinical practice. I know from both personal and professional experience how significantly mental health and other disorders can impact not just our lives, but those around us as well. By speaking openly and with the wisdom of lived experience, we help normalize conversations that are often avoided due to shame or stigma. Our episodes are honest and real, and we keep them hopeful because there truly is hope, despite what depression tells you. 

Terry [00:01:07] This podcast is brought to you by recovery.com, whose mission is to help each person find the best path to recovery through a comprehensive, helpful network of treatment providers for both mental health and addiction treatment worldwide. Hello, Anita. 

Anita [00:01:27] Hi, Terry. In today's episode or diving into how to protect your mental health in the New Year. As the calendar flips, we know some people feel energized by the possibilities ahead and they feel ready to embrace new goals, fresh starts and interesting opportunities. There's hopefulness, excitement and curiosity. And for these folks, the new Year feels like a blank slate. And they love that feeling of putting the old year to bed and waking up to something brand new. 

Terry [00:01:58] But not everyone greets the New Year with excitement or feelings of hope. And for many, the transition into the new does not feel refreshing. It can actually feel overwhelming-- filled with pressure, uncertainty, or even dread. The new Year can trigger unrealistic expectations about resolutions that "should" be made and feelings of failure about past goals that weren't achieved. And it needs to be acknowledged that for anyone managing mental health issues in what is often the coldest and darkest time of the year, getting to January 1st may actually be the achievement. And the thought of doing this for another full year is unlikely to spark joy. 

Anita [00:02:41] So whether you're welcoming 2025 with open arms or facing it with some hesitation, this episode is for you. We'll be exploring practical tips for nurturing your well-being, setting realistic intentions, and finding some inner peace no matter where you stand on the New Year spectrum. And if you're wondering what small changes can bring about the biggest results, or what habits would strengthen you and help you to protect your mental health, we've got some good ideas. And none of them involve buying a single thing or doing even more than you're doing now. 

Terry [00:03:18] In fact, you'll be hearing a reassuring message that less is actually more in so many ways. So whether you are full of optimism or taking it day by day or just being real moment by moment, let's dive into how to make this year one that supports your mental health. 

Anita [00:03:45] Okay. So, Terry, as I was thinking about 2025, it's it's going to be an interesting new year. And I wanted to pick things for people to consider to protect their mental health. That were several things. One. No money involved. No buying of a of a planner, no having to invest in any kind of equipment, no club or gym memberships. You know, just what are what are very simple things that you could do at home by yourself. No money involved. 

Terry [00:04:18] Excellent. 

Anita [00:04:19] The second thing, I wanted them to be low risk, high reward. Meaning, I have found that sometimes the smallest tweaks to what I was already doing actually led to the most powerful outcomes by the end of the year. And it's just that visual that we give to people sometimes, that if you're in a huge cruise ship and you just turn that boat one degree, you will end up in a completely different part of the world by the end of the journey. And so with that in mind, again, not having to put a lot in, but being able to see a lot of positive results on the on the back end. 

Anita [00:04:57] And then the other thing about these four things that I want to ask people to consider is that no matter whether you feel like your heads above water or you're actually, you know, swimming at a pretty good pace and but you still want to see improvement or if you're barely hanging in there, this could still improve your situation to to a really good degree by the end of the year. And I would say there's not one thing that I'm going to recommend that we haven't either talked about before or someone hasn't talked about or people haven't heard. But that's okay. I think it doesn't have to be this brand new, you know, idea or concept. These things work. I know that they work, you know, from years and years of working with clients from years, you know, decades of living with, you know, a chronic illness. So I'm hoping that even if you've heard the recommendation before, that you won't have an instinctive yeah, yeah, I've heard that. But maybe you'll be willing to kind of just take a look, see how you might actually be able to do this when you're in your own life. 

Terry [00:05:57] And some of the things that have been around long enough to be repeated are because they are useful, they are helpful, they are effective. Your first point, which I'll let you introduce, but Mental Health America today their social media post was this "Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, this is an open invitation to take a break. Ask your body what it needs right now and give yourself permission to listen. "

Anita [00:06:23] Terry, that is perfect. That is the very first thing that I want people to consider about taking a scheduled break every day. I did just a little bit of research and found out that scientists have measured the amount of data that is entering our brain that we have to process. And on a daily basis, they're looking at estimating it at about 74GB, which just to kind of give you some sort of understanding of that is that 500 years ago that would have been the amount of information that a person would have processed in their lifetime. 

Terry [00:06:59] Wow. 

Anita [00:07:00] And it's increasing by about 5% every year. 

Anita [00:07:03] So we are overwhelming our nervous systems just being in the world the way that the world is now, both in terms of what's going on, but our access to the information and everybody's thoughts and opinions about it. And so if we do not take some, I think protective measures, the cumulative effects of processing all of that information absolutely would have an impact on our mental health. So this idea of taking the break is so important, and it's actually one of the easiest things to do. I usually ask people to consider taking 15 minutes out of their day the middle of the day, the end of the day after you've had to process quite a bit of information and for 15 minutes, just set the timer on your phone and close your eyes. That's it. 

Anita [00:07:56] You can listen to anything if you want to, but you're going to remove one source of input, which is visual for 15 minutes. That's usually the amount of time that most of my clients will tell me. Wow, I had no idea that that would reset my my brain, that that I would feel less overwhelmed, that I could get through the rest of my day. Or I could go into my evening not feeling completely, you know, shot. You could do this almost anywhere or find a place where you could do this. And I'd love people to consider experimenting with this in the new Year. Take January. Just say I'll try this in January and see; does it do for you, what it seems to do for most people. 

Terry [00:08:44] And is that time scheduled? is it when I'm start, you're starting to feel overwhelmed? when you're starting to feel impatient? you know, When do you recommend people take that 15 minute break? 

Anita [00:08:54] Well, I'd like there to be an expectation of that you're going to get it whether you think you need it or not. But absolutely, if you are one of the people who can, you can actually pick up on those signs that you're getting overwhelmed or overstimulated, definitely do it at that time. But what I find with a lot of folks that I talk to is that when they need to take that scheduled rest break is probably way before any of those signs are actually going to come knocking on the door. In fact, we might get to the place where you wouldn't have any of those experiences if you could get that in there. So, you know, if you just know that you tend to to start dragging by 2 or 3:00  based on your workday or based on, you know, where you are in home and what you're trying to get done. So if you can't do that thing by setting an alarm on your phone for maybe 1 or 2 and see whether or not just getting that 15 minute break, does it change the experience of the rest of the afternoon for you? 

Terry [00:09:49] I do it. I know that works and I know that if I do it, I'm more productive, right the rest of the day. And if I don't do it, I am dragging and I'm not doing anybody a favor, including my employer, because I'm dragging. 

Anita [00:10:02] Exactly. And that was that was really what I wanted to say is I wish that we would stop thinking of this as like a break. If you were working with a set of tools and if it was really required that you let those things rest, whether it's a machine or or whatever, because otherwise you're going to end up with the chances of an accident or a breakdown if you don't give it that rest time. Interesting. That is included in the job that that rest time has to be there. It's non-negotiable. And so if we think about this as this break is not like you're not working, you're fine tuning the instrument that you're going to be using for the rest of your day. And so that's actually going to benefit any kind of work productivity, connection, relationships, you know, trying to get the things done that you like to do, the ability to enjoy your life as well. That's why I talk about the quality of life piece. So it's not it's not a break from working. It's not a break from life. It it should be just a part of it. 

Terry [00:11:02] Nice. Okay, great. 

Anita [00:11:04] Okay. The second thing is it's a little bit of a little bit related to taking the break. And it's about disconnecting regularly from media. And making that intentional. Not just. I noticed. I'm doomscrolling, and this is making me feel bad, so I'll take a break. But as just a build into your life, this is just what you do. Disconnecting from media or setting limits about how long you could be on your phone scrolling or or watching something that is again going to ask you to process a lot of information. That saves so much wear and tear on the nervous system. 

Anita [00:11:40] And I think about things like spending some time in nature, practicing mindfulness, and there's an entire, you know, set of research on the effectiveness of some of those tools, seeing what's out in your community, seeing what greenspaces there are, seeing what clubs or organizations or groups of people doing things that you really are passionate about or that you care about, so that you're also in connection and learning new things or learning a new hobby. If there's something that you're like, I've always wanted to do this and I never quote unquote, find the time. The time is there. The time is being used in other ways. And if it's with media, I really strongly recommend you pull away some of that time and devote it to one of those other things. 

Terry [00:12:28] And in the past, well, part of it is if I'm in a bad space, how I hear it. But I've also heard back from listeners that when we say something like develop a hobby, you can react like having a hobby, you know, learning to paint or whatever it might be isn't going to cure my depression. But we're not talking about curing depression, right? You know, we're talking about managing it and we're talking about getting through a day and hopefully starting to shift things by having different coping mechanisms. 

Anita [00:12:59] Exactly. Honestly, if if anybody thought any of these things was going to cure or fix anything  (Right) that's not what we're looking for. Again, we're looking at this as a tiny shift, just a tiny difference that done cumulatively will end up with really good results. And you're right, if you're managing depression and we don't find some creative or joyful or peaceful experience that you can have on kind of a consistent basis, it makes it much, much harder to, you know, put your arm around that depression and say, okay, we've got to get through this day, this week, this year. So these things that buoy us up,  that give us those little floaties, you know, just make it that much easier to do the really hard thing. 

Terry [00:13:45] Indeed. And when we talk about something like practicing mindfulness, that can be, you know, there's a wide spectrum of how intense and how time consuming that is. And one can think, I have tried meditating, I can't. But one thing we can all do is breathe. And, you know, if it's a 30-second watching, you know, a circle get bigger while you inhale and get smaller as you exhale or just doing it ourselves, I've been stunned at how much it helps because I'm very resistant to an awful lot of things. And I think, so I'll do the stupid breathing exercise. Then I'm like, I'll be darned if I don't feel a bit better. And a bit better is better. A bit better is a lot better than a bit worse. 

Anita [00:14:25] Absolutely. And again, a little bit better each day. A little bit better that stops the onslaught of the things that are dragging you down. Yeah, that's powerful. Powerful stuff. Yeah. So, again, that's why we're suggesting no major life changing, you know, things that you have to to try to incorporate. These are very small, but they're doable. And they absolutely have cumulative, positive, positive effects. 

Terry [00:14:48] Yes. 

Anita [00:14:49] So the next thing that I encourage people to think about doing it, it might take a little bit more, you know, research and/or work, but it has to do with building meaningful connections, and that can be with animals, it can be with nature, but also with people. And it can be people close to you in your community or online. And the way that I ask people to sort of think about doing this, like what's the practical way? It has to do with remembering that. 

Anita [00:15:20] If you show up at the same place at the same time, once a week, once a month, you're going to begin to build a meaningful connection, whether that's with the space, the people, the animals, whatever it is that there are around you. And so if it's a group, if it's an online community, if it's a dog park in your area, if it is a coffee house that you love in your community, go there at the same time every week or every weekend, just show up. There doesn't have to be any life shattering, you know, kind of experience the process of showing up at the same place at the same time makes both the space that you go to or the community that you go to familiar to you. And remember, Familiar has its root in family. It starts to feel like I belong and you become also familiar. So the people who are there, the animals that are there, you become familiar to them. 

Anita [00:16:21] And this sense of feeling not foreign, not different, not isolated, this feeling of belonging. And like people notice when you're there and you just feel a sense of belonging and community. It's from just showing up at the same place at the same time, making that that small, or it may sound like a pretty big commitment over the course of time. Again, as we see these cumulative positive effects can change how you feel about who you are, where you are. Who's there for you,  you know, what you can contribute. And this is all incredibly important for managing anything that's chronic. 

Terry [00:17:04] And when you mentioned virtually, I keep thinking about during Covid, you know, how many people had book clubs or kaffeeklatsches or, you know, I had virtual lunch with a girlfriend every two weeks and those connections... and then there are groups, you know, there's everything from AA and NA meetings online to survivors of suicide loss-- to very light things and, you know, interests that you might have. And you can all share about knitting or I don't know what. And that too, as you say, the showing up, the being, seeing the familiar faces, the hey, how did that project turn out? The Hey, I know you were really dreading Blank. How did it work or looking forward to blank? How did it turn out? Those are connections that we can have without even leaving our home, if that is our preference. 

Anita [00:17:52] Absolutely. So again, that's that's a really great example. The virtual community. Great example of that, that low risk, high reward. You don't have to leave your home. And literally, you could change how you feel about your sense of belonging and isolation in the world. That's that's the wonderful part of our Internet connected world. 

Anita [00:18:13] The last thing is something we have talked about in in some way, shape or form, probably, you know, hundreds of times. It's consider seeking help before you think you need it. It's a very small thing. But most therapists will tell you it makes a huge difference not waiting until things are so bad that you can't tolerate them anymore or your level of functioning is so compromised that it's like, Well, I guess I have to to take a look at this. Getting help before you think you need it. Will allow you to get in and talk about what your needs are, figure out what are resources and potential ways of managing what you're dealing with while you still have your brain working with you as opposed to what we talk about, what happens when depression becomes severe and your brains begins to actively work against you. 

Terry [00:19:06] I think that someone could hear it and think, How the hell am I supposed to know I'm supposed to get help if I don't think I need it yet? And while I was thinking about that very question from my personal experience with my depression, I did not recognize it as my worst depression. And it lasted so much longer and was so much worse than it needed to be. With my recent anxiety, which was the first time I'd ever had it, and as soon as it was impacting my life in a very serious way, I was like, hell no. And went to a doctor, went to a psychiatrist and got medication and within weeks felt better. And that was that very thing. I could have lost two years to that as easily as I lost two years to my depression. But this time I was like, this is medical, this is medical. And I and this is not okay and I am not okay and I need some help. And I walked in and said, Help me. Help me. Make make this better. I can't live like this. And that's what we're talking about. 

Anita [00:20:04] That's exactly what we're talking about. If you're dealing with something that kind of comes on slowly and gets worse progressively over time, one of the survival skill sets that we learn in those chronic situations is to just accommodate. And that skill set is is the exact thing that can lead to not getting in when you when you need help, like waiting until, I can't function or I'm being written up at work or, you know, nobody will speak to me because of how I'm behaving. And your discomfort is the first signal. So it's it isn't your level of functioning. Most people will say, well, if I'm still working and, you know, my partner hasn't left me and my friends still talk to me, well then I must I must be doing okay. And it's like, But how do you feel? Are you dreading having to do this again? Are you exhausted from this effort? Are you just really not happy with the situation? It doesn't have to get into that severe nonfunctional range. And in fact, the whole point I'm making is you and your therapist or your coach or whoever you're going to talk to is going to be able to help you so much more easily and you'll get to managing those symptoms much faster if you're in that place of. I don't like how this is going, but I'm still keeping my head above water. Like that's when that's when floaties help. You know, floaties will really work at that stage. They really don't work when you're drowning. And we need a whole other kind of intervention. And so one of the kindest things you could do is listen to yourself. And if you're unhappy, doesn't mean that you have to say, I'm depressed. But you could say I'm not okay with this. I don't like this. I wish it were different. That's a great time. That's the perfect time to actually get in and figure that stuff out. Yeah. So really, those are four really profoundly life changing recommendations that don't require a whole lot on the front end, but really pay off in the back end. 

Terry [00:22:06] And as we look at things like "resolutions" for a new year, any one or any two or any three or all four of these would be great ones to say, I resolve to seek help way before I'm in a crisis, way before I have lost function. And that has changed my world in a negative way. Those they may have so much more impact than saying I'm going to lose 10 pounds. You're not a big resolution person, so I'm not encouraging you to make resolutions. But if you're going to, these might be good ones to consider. 

Anita [00:22:36] Yeah, because we're not resolving to have the outcome. A resolution of I'm going to give myself something nutritious today. That's the kind of resolution that could easily lead to that outcome. But we're looking at the process, not the outcome. And I love all of these particular recommendations because you're not holding yourself responsible for whatever is going to happen in a year of doing those things. It'd be lovely to journal about it and do a compare contrast. It's really just about making the commitment to give something good to yourself, listening to your yourself, being kind, being compassionate, allowing yourself to explore, allowing yourself to find meaningful connection in your life. Those all sound like good things, not more chores, not more. I have to try to do this kind of stuff. 

Terry [00:23:22] More pressure, right? Thank you, Anita. Really appreciate that. 

Anita [00:23:31] We truly hope that our podcast brings a little more understanding, helps you better articulate and reflect on your own experience with depression, or better understand how to support someone else who is struggling. 

Terry [00:23:45] If this episode has been of comfort or value to you know that there are hundreds of others like it in our archive, which you can easily find at our website. Giving voice to depression.com. And remember if you are struggling, speak up. Even if it's hard if someone else is struggling, take the time to listen.