WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:03.775 --> 00:00:07.465 Julia: Hello everyone, and thank you for joining us today for our 00:00:07.465 --> 00:00:11.785 webinar Getting Out of a Funk Tools and Tips to Manage Depression. 00:00:12.305 --> 00:00:15.545 Maybe you've been feeling a little bit disconnected from the people around you, 00:00:15.545 --> 00:00:19.175 or perhaps you've been having trouble feeling motivated to get things done, 00:00:19.475 --> 00:00:21.815 or you're even just having an off week. 00:00:22.005 --> 00:00:25.830 You might not feel quite depressed, but you've definitely felt better. 00:00:26.080 --> 00:00:28.840 It happens to the best of us and with current circumstances 00:00:28.840 --> 00:00:30.100 it's completely normal. 00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:32.840 I know that's how I've been feeling for the past few weeks. 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:37.300 It's a common feeling that a lot of people are having especially with everything 00:00:37.300 --> 00:00:39.065 that's been going on in the world. 00:00:39.305 --> 00:00:42.545 It's okay if you have felt feelings of depression creep in or increase 00:00:42.545 --> 00:00:45.605 over the last few months, but the great news is that there's a lot of 00:00:45.605 --> 00:00:47.375 tools that can help you feel better. 00:00:47.625 --> 00:00:50.595 Today we're gonna be sharing with you different mechanisms 00:00:50.595 --> 00:00:54.225 and resources to address and deal with symptoms of depression. 00:00:54.225 --> 00:00:57.375 We're also gonna talk about how to recognize when you may need 00:00:57.435 --> 00:01:01.150 additional support and also the value of self-compassion. 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:05.580 One really exciting thing that we're doing today is at the end of the webinar, we 00:01:05.580 --> 00:01:09.840 actually have clinicians who are gonna be available to meet with you, one-on-one, 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.250 to talk, listen, lend, support, and offer more resources and tools. 00:01:14.300 --> 00:01:17.360 If at any time you're interested in talking with somebody right 00:01:17.360 --> 00:01:19.430 after this webinar privately. 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:22.140 Just message us and we'll get you set up with that. 00:01:23.550 --> 00:01:26.850 Before we begin, I want to thank our financial sponsors for this 00:01:26.850 --> 00:01:28.860 webinar, the Rotary Club of Golden. 00:01:29.050 --> 00:01:32.650 Thank you Rotary Club of Golden for your commitment to mental 00:01:32.650 --> 00:01:34.360 health as well as to the community. 00:01:35.300 --> 00:01:38.840 I'm pleased to introduce today's speaker, Melissa Weiler Cabral. 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:42.320 Melissa is a licensed professional counselor here at Jefferson Center. 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:46.230 Before I hand the mic over to Melissa, I do have a few housekeeping items 00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:47.850 to cover about the presentation. 00:01:48.300 --> 00:01:52.650 First, this webinar will be available on demand after the live session, 00:01:52.890 --> 00:01:56.970 and we'll email that out to you along with the additional resources, and 00:01:56.970 --> 00:01:58.560 we'll have a slide deck available. 00:01:59.090 --> 00:02:03.500 I would also encourage you to visit our website at jcmh.org, where you'll find 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:07.370 out more information about how to get started if you're interested in talking 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:11.270 with the therapist, as well as blog posts and information about upcoming 00:02:11.270 --> 00:02:13.430 webinars on other mental health topics. 00:02:14.315 --> 00:02:17.465 Please keep your microphones muted and turn off your video during the 00:02:17.465 --> 00:02:21.995 presentation, and you'll also want to change your zoom view to speaker mode 00:02:22.175 --> 00:02:24.365 for the best viewing presentation. 00:02:24.845 --> 00:02:27.935 Next, we'd love to hear from you during today's presentation. 00:02:27.985 --> 00:02:31.135 If you have a question for Melissa, please feel free to send it through 00:02:31.135 --> 00:02:32.875 the chat at the bottom of your player. 00:02:33.115 --> 00:02:35.875 We'll be answering questions at the end of the webinar, but if we don't 00:02:35.875 --> 00:02:39.085 get to your question today, we'll make sure we follow up afterwards. 00:02:39.275 --> 00:02:41.975 Finally, we'd like to encourage you to follow us on all of our 00:02:41.975 --> 00:02:45.125 social networks and share the recording of this webinar and other 00:02:45.125 --> 00:02:46.715 information about Jefferson Center. 00:02:47.025 --> 00:02:51.045 So now without any further ado, melissa, I'll turn it over to you. 00:02:58.855 --> 00:03:00.145 Melissa: Thank you for coming today. 00:03:00.145 --> 00:03:02.995 Today we'll be talking obviously about depression. 00:03:03.595 --> 00:03:08.305 We'll go over the symptoms of depression, the difference between situational 00:03:08.305 --> 00:03:13.385 depression and clinical depression or major depression and then some coping 00:03:13.385 --> 00:03:17.735 skills, things you can do for self care and how you can help other people that 00:03:17.735 --> 00:03:19.625 may also be struggling with depression. 00:03:20.535 --> 00:03:23.620 Then I'm happy to answer any questions at the end. 00:03:23.670 --> 00:03:26.770 To get started let's talk about a working definition of depression. 00:03:26.770 --> 00:03:31.105 Depression is a very common, but also serious mental illness that 00:03:31.115 --> 00:03:35.610 negatively impacts how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. 00:03:37.940 --> 00:03:41.120 These are the main criteria for depression. 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:47.690 It's important to note that you do not under any circumstances need all of these 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:50.810 to receive a diagnosis of depression. 00:03:51.630 --> 00:03:54.990 I'll go over each of these a little bit more in depth just to give you an idea 00:03:54.990 --> 00:03:59.390 of what to look for in yourself and to others like family members, children, 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:01.430 so you can help recognize the signs. 00:04:01.440 --> 00:04:06.150 The first is depressed mood, but that doesn't just mean feeling 00:04:06.570 --> 00:04:12.360 down and sad and in the dumps, it can also include emptiness. 00:04:12.450 --> 00:04:20.510 A lot of clients I work with describe it as feeling blank or empty or just blah. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:27.285 It can also encompass irritability and anger, and it's important to note 00:04:27.285 --> 00:04:31.830 that in children and adolescents, irritability and anger is a more 00:04:31.830 --> 00:04:36.140 predominant affect presentation rather than sadness or tearfulness 00:04:36.140 --> 00:04:37.670 that adults might present with. 00:04:38.610 --> 00:04:41.790 The next is loss of interest or also known as anhedonia. 00:04:41.790 --> 00:04:42.870 The clinical term is anhedonia. 00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:49.160 This is a very marked diminished interest or pleasure in all 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:51.020 or almost all activities. 00:04:51.700 --> 00:04:56.800 For kids it might be a kid who is really into soccer and loved 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.890 going to practice and loved his teammates, might not really want to 00:05:00.910 --> 00:05:05.300 go to practice anymore and soccer's stupid and I just want to stay home. 00:05:06.290 --> 00:05:10.915 For an adult that can look like you use to go for a walk every 00:05:10.915 --> 00:05:12.435 Friday morning with some friends. 00:05:12.435 --> 00:05:18.280 Then that just doesn't really sound good to you anymore or, family gatherings. 00:05:18.550 --> 00:05:23.170 You might avoid some of those because it's just stressful and 00:05:23.170 --> 00:05:24.250 you don't want to deal with it. 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:26.180 It's a loss of enjoyment. 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:30.450 A lot of people describe it too, as not being able to feel positive emotions. 00:05:30.450 --> 00:05:32.160 You feel muted almost. 00:05:32.550 --> 00:05:35.850 So if something good does happen in your life, instead of feeling 00:05:35.850 --> 00:05:40.620 this huge, like yay euphoric kind of happiness, it's more like, oh, 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:43.430 that was neat and it's very subdued. 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:48.630 The next is weight loss or significant changes in appetite. 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.210 Changes in appetite can be over or undereating. 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:55.760 We also describe it sometimes as emotional eating. 00:05:56.435 --> 00:06:00.085 Undereating and weight loss in order for that to be considered clinically 00:06:00.085 --> 00:06:06.265 significant would be losing about 5% of your body weight in one month without 00:06:06.385 --> 00:06:10.555 trying, and that's another key factor is you're trying to eat healthier and 00:06:10.555 --> 00:06:12.175 be more active and you lose weight. 00:06:12.745 --> 00:06:14.485 That's not clinically significant. 00:06:14.815 --> 00:06:19.165 Whats clinically significant is when you're not eating and you're 00:06:19.165 --> 00:06:20.245 losing weight without trying. 00:06:21.080 --> 00:06:23.870 A lot of times people will say they just don't feel hungry and they 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:25.580 have to force themselves to eat. 00:06:26.300 --> 00:06:30.530 Sometimes the energy of getting up to go make something to eat seems 00:06:30.530 --> 00:06:33.500 so daunting and overwhelming you just can't bring yourself to do it. 00:06:34.250 --> 00:06:38.210 With the overeating, you grab what's readily available and you might just 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.600 throw yourself into your couch and stay there for the next six hours and eat 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:43.220 everything that you brought with you. 00:06:44.760 --> 00:06:46.260 The next one, sleep problems. 00:06:46.310 --> 00:06:50.000 Having insomnia or hyper insomnia nearly every day. 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:54.770 Often sleep issues are the presenting complaint when people first seek 00:06:54.820 --> 00:06:57.850 treatment and you might not even know you are experiencing depression yet, 00:06:58.390 --> 00:07:02.950 but your sleep is off and you know that, so you go to your doctor and maybe 00:07:02.950 --> 00:07:04.360 you're talking about your sleep changes. 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.515 That's usually the one symptom that starts alerting people to 00:07:08.515 --> 00:07:09.825 the fact that something's off. 00:07:10.155 --> 00:07:11.635 You're not like you normally are. 00:07:12.645 --> 00:07:15.635 Your sleep disturbance could take the form of difficulty 00:07:15.635 --> 00:07:17.585 sleeping or excessively sleeping. 00:07:18.335 --> 00:07:23.685 So the couple of types of insomnia that are present are middle insomnia, 00:07:23.715 --> 00:07:26.605 terminal insomnia, and initial insomnia. 00:07:27.045 --> 00:07:29.725 Middle insomnia is the most prevalent one. 00:07:29.845 --> 00:07:32.725 That is where you wake up during the middle of the night and you 00:07:32.725 --> 00:07:34.945 have difficulty going back to sleep. 00:07:35.725 --> 00:07:40.575 The next is initial insomnia, which is difficulty falling asleep in the first 00:07:40.575 --> 00:07:43.865 place, but then you can stay asleep generally for the rest of the night. 00:07:43.915 --> 00:07:48.825 Then the third one terminal insomnia is waking too early 00:07:49.485 --> 00:07:50.655 and not going back to sleep. 00:07:50.655 --> 00:07:55.715 So maybe you have to get up at 7:00 AM but at 4:30 you're wide awake 00:07:55.715 --> 00:07:57.425 and you just can't go back to sleep. 00:07:58.125 --> 00:08:03.045 Sleep issues are really important because they impact a lot of 00:08:03.075 --> 00:08:04.395 different areas of your life. 00:08:04.395 --> 00:08:10.585 I always talk with clients about how sleep seems to be like the center or the root 00:08:10.585 --> 00:08:13.720 of a lot of different depressive symptoms. 00:08:13.770 --> 00:08:17.070 If you're not sleeping well, you're probably more susceptible 00:08:17.070 --> 00:08:20.460 to irritability, feeling tearful. 00:08:20.460 --> 00:08:22.800 I know when I haven't gotten a good night's sleep, I'm 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:24.030 more on edge about things. 00:08:24.030 --> 00:08:28.260 I'm more easily upset and if you're not sleeping well for days or weeks 00:08:28.260 --> 00:08:30.570 on end, that starts to compound. 00:08:31.285 --> 00:08:36.715 Fatigue is the significant loss of energy and it's not just feeling sleepy. 00:08:36.795 --> 00:08:40.860 It's a feeling of exhaustion that follows minimal tasks. 00:08:41.215 --> 00:08:45.580 Just getting up in the morning and getting dressed drains your whole level 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:48.520 of energy, you feel physically exhausted. 00:08:48.520 --> 00:08:51.820 People often describe this fatigue as like feeling like there are 00:08:51.820 --> 00:08:56.470 weights in their feet or their arms, their limbs feel heavy. 00:08:56.870 --> 00:09:01.670 It feels like every effort they make is a herculean effort and it's exhausting. 00:09:03.780 --> 00:09:04.840 Psychomotor changes. 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:06.520 This one is not that common. 00:09:06.520 --> 00:09:08.710 It's one of the more rare depressive symptoms. 00:09:09.475 --> 00:09:14.305 It's also one of the few symptoms or the only symptom that has to be observed 00:09:14.305 --> 00:09:16.135 by somebody other than yourself. 00:09:16.135 --> 00:09:19.295 It can't be your subjective observation that you are 00:09:19.295 --> 00:09:21.125 talking or moving more slowly. 00:09:21.705 --> 00:09:27.520 Somebody has to comment to you on it and notice that your psychomotor activity is 00:09:27.520 --> 00:09:30.080 either slower or more active than usual. 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:34.470 I always describe psychomotor changes as like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, 00:09:34.770 --> 00:09:42.000 how he always just like slowly moves along and he talks really slowly 00:09:42.450 --> 00:09:47.380 versus like Tigger, who's like bouncing all over the place, off the wall. 00:09:47.430 --> 00:09:51.565 I always use those to describe going from a normal level of psychomotor 00:09:51.565 --> 00:09:54.925 functioning to either bouncing off the walls or moving like Eeyore, and that's 00:09:54.925 --> 00:09:56.695 what psychomotor changes is referring to. 00:09:57.670 --> 00:10:01.480 A lot of times people with depression feel like they're moving or talking 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:06.620 more slowly, but it's not presenting that way to other people and that's 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:11.360 why you need another person to make the observation that yes, you 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:13.340 are talking or moving more slowly. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:15.300 The next is a big one. 00:10:15.300 --> 00:10:16.440 It's worthlessness. 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:22.275 So it's worthlessness or excessive and inappropriate guilt nearly every day. 00:10:22.555 --> 00:10:27.025 I guess length criteria depends on whether it's situational or clinical depression, 00:10:27.025 --> 00:10:28.345 and we'll get into that in a second. 00:10:28.935 --> 00:10:33.735 Worthlessness and excessive feelings of guilt happen when people misinterpret 00:10:34.125 --> 00:10:40.855 neutral or trivial day-to-day events and take them as a personal defect. 00:10:40.905 --> 00:10:44.885 They exaggerate the event happening or the severity of the event because 00:10:44.885 --> 00:10:46.505 it's a character flaw with them. 00:10:46.965 --> 00:10:50.415 Let's say you forgot to hold the door open for somebody walking into the store, and 00:10:50.415 --> 00:10:52.575 you might think I'm a terrible person now. 00:10:52.575 --> 00:10:53.685 That person hates me. 00:10:54.285 --> 00:10:57.655 I probably ruined their day because I didn't think about them and it's this 00:10:57.655 --> 00:11:03.550 catastrophizing spiraling thought process that's really unhealthy and it's not true. 00:11:03.940 --> 00:11:05.830 It's irrational, right? 00:11:05.830 --> 00:11:08.050 That person probably didn't even think about it. 00:11:08.630 --> 00:11:11.805 You just engage in, how I like to describe it as, self bullying. 00:11:11.835 --> 00:11:15.615 You say things to yourself that you would never say to another person, 00:11:16.065 --> 00:11:22.005 and if you heard another person saying those things you would tell them to stop 00:11:22.005 --> 00:11:24.405 because it's not true and it's mean. 00:11:24.765 --> 00:11:26.265 So why do we say them to ourselves? 00:11:26.265 --> 00:11:29.355 Depression is often encompassed by that feeling of worthlessness 00:11:29.355 --> 00:11:32.565 and a lot of times people with depression blame themselves for 00:11:32.565 --> 00:11:37.815 having depression in the first place, which again, is out of their control. 00:11:39.075 --> 00:11:42.955 That one is a big one that then leads into suicidal ideation, 00:11:42.955 --> 00:11:43.975 which we'll get to in a second. 00:11:44.425 --> 00:11:48.405 The next one is difficulty concentrating or having problems 00:11:48.405 --> 00:11:50.505 making just typical daily decisions. 00:11:50.505 --> 00:11:51.525 Indecisiveness. 00:11:52.275 --> 00:11:57.475 A lot of times you might feel like you're an airplane in a really cloudy sky where 00:11:57.475 --> 00:11:59.755 you can't really see out the window. 00:11:59.755 --> 00:12:01.735 Things are just a little hazy. 00:12:02.125 --> 00:12:05.965 And that's how people tend to describe the difficulty with concentration. 00:12:07.455 --> 00:12:08.925 That is associated with depression. 00:12:09.075 --> 00:12:12.795 Also, people have issues with short term memory. 00:12:13.735 --> 00:12:16.795 It feels almost like you hear information. 00:12:18.905 --> 00:12:20.185 But it doesn't sink in. 00:12:20.185 --> 00:12:23.005 It doesn't sit in your brain long enough to process. 00:12:23.005 --> 00:12:27.735 It's literally like that in one ear out the other and you might have to hear 00:12:27.735 --> 00:12:33.375 something or read something several times before it starts to sink in and 00:12:33.375 --> 00:12:35.175 you commit it to short-term memory. 00:12:35.745 --> 00:12:40.405 A lot of times people are worried that there's something more serious 00:12:40.405 --> 00:12:44.395 going on for them because of this and are often relieved to find out 00:12:44.395 --> 00:12:48.565 that difficulty concentrating is a pretty common symptom of depression. 00:12:49.165 --> 00:12:56.985 I will say for elderly persons that can sometimes be indicative of dementia 00:12:56.985 --> 00:13:01.365 or Alzheimer's and for people in that category, I always recommend 00:13:01.365 --> 00:13:06.495 that they do get evaluated by their medical doctor just to rule out any 00:13:06.495 --> 00:13:08.415 underlying medical issues like that. 00:13:08.485 --> 00:13:13.165 Because 65 and older is the age, we start to see some of that cognitive decline. 00:13:14.570 --> 00:13:16.760 The last is suicidal ideation. 00:13:17.180 --> 00:13:19.220 This includes recurrent thoughts of death. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:22.110 Recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan. 00:13:22.170 --> 00:13:26.250 It can include a suicide attempt or a specific plan for suicide. 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:32.580 This is the only symptom of depression that you do not need to experience 00:13:33.270 --> 00:13:36.510 daily in order for it to meet criteria. 00:13:36.510 --> 00:13:39.330 All the other symptoms you have to experience pretty regularly. 00:13:39.660 --> 00:13:43.980 Suicidal ideation is concerning enough to where if you even have it 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:48.560 just once or twice that's a pretty big signifier that you're suffering 00:13:48.560 --> 00:13:50.210 from some kind of depression. 00:13:50.670 --> 00:13:54.840 Again, everything except suicidal ideation needs to be present 00:13:55.855 --> 00:13:57.360 for the most part every day. 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:01.360 Moving on to situational depression. 00:14:01.410 --> 00:14:05.370 All of the aforementioned symptoms are necessary for situational 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:08.105 and major depressive diagnoses. 00:14:08.505 --> 00:14:11.945 The difference between them is time of onset, length of 00:14:11.945 --> 00:14:14.425 onset, and severity of impact. 00:14:15.065 --> 00:14:20.135 Situational depression, this is short term stress related type of depression. 00:14:20.915 --> 00:14:24.665 It develops after you experience a stressful event or series of events. 00:14:25.215 --> 00:14:29.425 It's considered a type of adjustment disorder and the symptoms cannot be 00:14:29.425 --> 00:14:33.380 caused by another mental health disorder or part of the grieving process. 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:35.540 Grief is not considered a mental illness. 00:14:35.900 --> 00:14:39.920 It's a unfortunate and natural part of the human experience. 00:14:40.410 --> 00:14:43.270 It's treated differently than regular depression. 00:14:44.030 --> 00:14:49.490 Symptoms of situational depressions have to start within three months 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:54.590 of the stressful event, and they last no longer than six months after 00:14:54.590 --> 00:14:56.360 the end of the stressful event. 00:14:57.210 --> 00:15:00.840 That is the main criteria to get an adjustment disorder for 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:02.610 depression or situational depression. 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:04.230 It's time limited. 00:15:05.140 --> 00:15:07.990 What causes situational depression? 00:15:09.250 --> 00:15:09.910 A lot of things. 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.220 Relationship or marital problems such as fighting or divorce, 00:15:15.940 --> 00:15:21.340 negative financial situations, social issues at school or at work. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.490 Learning of serious health issues, and COVID-19. 00:15:25.520 --> 00:15:28.100 That's a big one I think for everyone right now. 00:15:28.640 --> 00:15:34.010 Since this all started the increase in people I'm seeing who are coming 00:15:34.010 --> 00:15:40.310 in saying I've never had depression before, but now since losing my job, 00:15:40.310 --> 00:15:44.180 having to stay home, my kids being home all the time, my husband and I being 00:15:44.180 --> 00:15:46.780 within five feet of each other for 24/7. 00:15:46.950 --> 00:15:51.385 We're seeing an increase in situational depression coming in for treatment. 00:15:52.375 --> 00:15:57.065 A lot of people too are experiencing depression because maybe they didn't 00:15:57.065 --> 00:16:00.195 lose their job, but people they care about did, and they're feeling 00:16:00.735 --> 00:16:02.835 remorseful and guilty about that. 00:16:02.885 --> 00:16:05.765 That they're in a better situation than somebody they care about and they're 00:16:05.765 --> 00:16:07.685 guilting them themselves about it. 00:16:08.345 --> 00:16:10.655 I think a lot of people might be feeling that way. 00:16:10.775 --> 00:16:13.625 I know myself, I'm a pretty empathic person. 00:16:14.135 --> 00:16:18.425 That's why I work here and help people. 00:16:18.845 --> 00:16:24.245 And it really can impact me and affect my emotions when I think about all the 00:16:24.245 --> 00:16:31.195 things that are going on in the world and all the people who are suffering for due 00:16:31.195 --> 00:16:36.625 to this whole pandemic and the unclear future that we're all moving towards 00:16:36.625 --> 00:16:38.515 is anxiety provoking and stressful. 00:16:39.025 --> 00:16:42.925 That's a really, really healthy and normal response to everything 00:16:42.925 --> 00:16:44.305 that's going on right now. 00:16:44.665 --> 00:16:48.415 And for people who have never experienced any kind of depression, they're 00:16:48.415 --> 00:16:52.475 feeling really confused and scared and they're coming in for treatment. 00:16:53.180 --> 00:16:56.120 What's important to note about situational depression. 00:16:56.150 --> 00:16:57.920 We talked about the time length of it. 00:16:57.970 --> 00:17:01.980 It has to onset within the first three months of the event and it subsides within 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:03.890 six months after the end of the event. 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:09.050 If left untreated situational depression can lead to major 00:17:09.050 --> 00:17:11.000 depression and clinical depression. 00:17:12.045 --> 00:17:16.365 The main difference between the two is that with situational depression, there 00:17:16.365 --> 00:17:19.935 is an identifiable stressor or trigger. 00:17:20.475 --> 00:17:24.825 Whereas with major depression, people don't know why they're 00:17:24.825 --> 00:17:25.995 feeling the way they do. 00:17:26.665 --> 00:17:30.145 With situational depression, we'll see it a lot, I see it a lot in teenagers 00:17:30.295 --> 00:17:32.185 with like a fallout of a friend group. 00:17:32.645 --> 00:17:35.405 There's those social issues at school or they didn't get it 00:17:35.405 --> 00:17:36.725 on the sports team they wanted. 00:17:36.825 --> 00:17:40.650 For adults going through a divorce and having to worry about 00:17:40.650 --> 00:17:45.630 finances and custody, those are all situational stressors that 00:17:45.630 --> 00:17:46.980 people initially come in for. 00:17:47.320 --> 00:17:52.730 Again, those can grow into major depression if left untreated or ignored. 00:17:55.785 --> 00:17:57.860 Okay, so major depression. 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:05.060 7% of all US adults have experienced at least one major depressive 00:18:05.060 --> 00:18:07.190 episode in their lifetime. 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:13.310 Its highest among adults, aged 18 to 25 and is higher in women versus men. 00:18:14.630 --> 00:18:19.170 The prevalence of major depressive episodes is highest among multiracial 00:18:19.170 --> 00:18:24.620 adults and 59% of people with depression also have anxiety. 00:18:25.550 --> 00:18:29.000 Anxiety is important to note here because it is what is considered 00:18:29.030 --> 00:18:33.110 comorbid with depression, meaning that they are often diagnosed together. 00:18:34.445 --> 00:18:38.875 It can often be a case of the chicken or the egg one kind of can 00:18:38.875 --> 00:18:40.915 lead to the other and vice versa. 00:18:41.395 --> 00:18:45.325 People who are experiencing both depression and anxiety will describe 00:18:45.325 --> 00:18:49.675 it sometimes as one being more prevalent than the other one day. 00:18:49.675 --> 00:18:53.905 One day anxiety is king, and the next it's depression and they feed off each other. 00:18:55.270 --> 00:18:59.060 The symptomology is really similar with the criteria for anxiety being 00:18:59.060 --> 00:19:00.950 excessive worry and overthinking. 00:19:01.410 --> 00:19:02.930 You catastrophize all the time. 00:19:02.930 --> 00:19:04.190 You overthink everything. 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:04.850 You think. 00:19:04.850 --> 00:19:06.530 Worst case scenario a lot. 00:19:06.950 --> 00:19:14.090 You might have a plan for every possible scenario that could happen 00:19:14.090 --> 00:19:17.030 in any given situation because you sit there and overthink it. 00:19:17.580 --> 00:19:20.880 That type of worry exhausts you. 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:25.320 It causes fatigue, and then you feel you can start engaging in some 00:19:25.320 --> 00:19:28.200 of that negative self-talk that's characteristic of depression, 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:32.460 that worthlessness, and then the worthlessness leads to some suicidal 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:36.570 ideation, and then you spiral into it. 00:19:36.620 --> 00:19:38.510 They're very connected. 00:19:39.255 --> 00:19:41.475 Sometimes one is just worse than the other. 00:19:42.595 --> 00:19:47.635 Clinical depression is more severe than just situational depression. 00:19:48.685 --> 00:19:51.355 It's brought on without reason. 00:19:51.485 --> 00:19:57.065 This is oftentimes the most frustrating thing I hear from clients is they're 00:19:57.065 --> 00:20:00.785 always looking for a reason for why they're feeling the way they are. 00:20:00.785 --> 00:20:04.975 There has to be a reason and there isn't that is often really hard 00:20:04.975 --> 00:20:09.670 for people to accept that you just have this, it just happens. 00:20:09.790 --> 00:20:11.050 It's not your fault. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:16.440 People who are not as well educated about depression might make these people 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:18.360 feel guilty about their depression. 00:20:18.600 --> 00:20:20.130 Why can't you just snap out of it? 00:20:20.470 --> 00:20:23.140 There's a really negative stigma around it, and it's hard for 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:26.170 people with depression to break out of that thought pattern. 00:20:26.870 --> 00:20:30.240 Especially if they're living with or surrounded by people who have the belief 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:33.630 that depression is fake or it's not real, or mental illnesses aren't real. 00:20:34.270 --> 00:20:39.250 It's very real and it's brought on without reason, and it's no one's fault. 00:20:40.870 --> 00:20:44.650 It's not the client's fault, it's not anyone's fault. 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:45.580 It's just there. 00:20:45.580 --> 00:20:47.880 It's like some physical ailments. 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:50.460 They just happen and they suck. 00:20:50.970 --> 00:20:52.110 But it's not your fault. 00:20:52.110 --> 00:20:53.520 It's not anyone else's fault. 00:20:54.630 --> 00:21:01.205 It's also important to keep in mind and to keep in perspective that not everyone 00:21:01.205 --> 00:21:08.675 who is depressed experiences every symptom and not everyone who has similar symptoms 00:21:08.675 --> 00:21:11.045 experience those symptoms the same. 00:21:11.655 --> 00:21:15.945 Sometimes a lot of well-meaning people will say things like, oh, when I was 00:21:15.945 --> 00:21:22.305 depressed I just did this, and that's not going to work for the other person. 00:21:22.360 --> 00:21:26.920 You can experience each of those depressive symptoms very differently than 00:21:27.280 --> 00:21:31.690 somebody in your same family, your best friend, the stranger down the street. 00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:35.740 You can all struggle with issues with sleep, but experience those differently 00:21:35.800 --> 00:21:37.630 and they can impact you differently. 00:21:37.630 --> 00:21:40.810 They can have different effects on your life differently. 00:21:41.610 --> 00:21:45.940 Sometimes this mindset or attitude that, oh, we both have depression, so 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:50.540 we must experience it the same way can often be invalidating to each other by 00:21:50.540 --> 00:21:54.810 making the assumption that we experience things the same way that they do. 00:21:56.095 --> 00:21:58.165 Everyone experiences depression differently. 00:21:58.315 --> 00:22:02.035 Some people might have only few symptoms, while others may experience 00:22:02.035 --> 00:22:05.725 many, but you can experience those symptoms with different 00:22:05.725 --> 00:22:08.055 severity and different intensity. 00:22:08.105 --> 00:22:12.215 Just keep that in mind when talking to yourself or with someone else 00:22:12.215 --> 00:22:15.325 experiencing depression that it's not the same as everyone else. 00:22:15.325 --> 00:22:18.895 Maybe just because your friend got over it really well and you struggle 00:22:18.895 --> 00:22:20.815 more with it, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. 00:22:21.445 --> 00:22:23.065 You just experience it differently. 00:22:24.785 --> 00:22:28.985 People with only a few symptoms but are experiencing distress 00:22:28.985 --> 00:22:31.955 from it can also benefit from treatment for mild depression. 00:22:32.005 --> 00:22:35.275 Treatment isn't just for people with really moderate 00:22:35.275 --> 00:22:36.925 or really severe depression. 00:22:37.405 --> 00:22:40.855 Treatment can be beneficial to everyone regardless of where 00:22:40.855 --> 00:22:42.745 you are in this severity scale. 00:22:44.375 --> 00:22:48.515 There are quite a few risk factors that increase a person's 00:22:49.265 --> 00:22:51.695 predisposition to experience depression. 00:22:52.385 --> 00:22:57.125 A risk factor is a characteristic at the biological, psychological 00:22:57.155 --> 00:23:01.125 family, community, or cultural level that are associated with higher 00:23:01.125 --> 00:23:03.135 likelihoods of negative outcomes. 00:23:03.995 --> 00:23:05.075 The first is biochemistry. 00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:08.930 This one we can't really do a whole lot about on our own. 00:23:09.270 --> 00:23:12.360 It has to do with chemicals in your brain and that some of 00:23:12.360 --> 00:23:13.980 those contribute to depression. 00:23:14.850 --> 00:23:16.110 The next is genetics. 00:23:16.530 --> 00:23:21.600 Similar to physical health problems, mental health problems 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:23.610 run in families as well. 00:23:23.610 --> 00:23:23.820 It's. 00:23:24.025 --> 00:23:27.445 If you're predisposed to breast cancer in your family, you can 00:23:27.445 --> 00:23:28.825 be predisposed to depression. 00:23:28.925 --> 00:23:30.575 Things run in families. 00:23:31.205 --> 00:23:34.965 Personality, so people who are generally more pessimistic and negative 00:23:34.995 --> 00:23:40.185 tend to experience higher levels of depression, as well as people with 00:23:40.295 --> 00:23:45.905 high levels of perfectionism and sensitivity to rejection or critique. 00:23:47.555 --> 00:23:48.665 Environmental factors. 00:23:48.665 --> 00:23:54.045 This can be things like living in an unsafe neighborhood, exposure to violence, 00:23:54.675 --> 00:24:01.155 being neglected, abused, not having access to food, clothing, shelter, water 00:24:01.725 --> 00:24:04.605 can increase your risk to depression. 00:24:05.295 --> 00:24:07.695 Those basic needs are really important. 00:24:07.695 --> 00:24:11.715 So the food, clothing, shelter, in order to be able to do some of the higher level 00:24:11.715 --> 00:24:16.505 work on our emotions and processing some of the more difficult things cognitively. 00:24:17.345 --> 00:24:17.765 Age. 00:24:17.765 --> 00:24:22.925 People 65 and over are at a higher risk of experiencing depression. 00:24:23.685 --> 00:24:25.395 Chronic medical conditions. 00:24:25.935 --> 00:24:29.955 Depression might not be a symptom itself of the medical condition, 00:24:29.955 --> 00:24:34.575 but you're experiencing depression because that medical condition 00:24:34.575 --> 00:24:40.035 limits your mobility and you can't do anything like you used to do anymore. 00:24:40.755 --> 00:24:45.315 I see quite a few people who come in for more specifically back injuries 00:24:45.315 --> 00:24:50.310 that happened 15, 20 years ago and they've just never been able to get 00:24:50.310 --> 00:24:51.930 back to that level of functioning. 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:55.520 That has caused depression for a pretty long time. 00:24:56.580 --> 00:25:01.550 Being a sexual minority, so anyone in the lgbtq plus community is more susceptible 00:25:01.550 --> 00:25:04.950 to depression based on discrimination. 00:25:06.150 --> 00:25:06.780 Substance use. 00:25:06.780 --> 00:25:11.610 Using any kind of substance habitually and excessively leads 00:25:11.610 --> 00:25:13.845 to depression and vice versa. 00:25:13.845 --> 00:25:19.125 Sometimes people start using substances because they're depressed, anxious, 00:25:19.725 --> 00:25:23.835 have another underlying mental illness, and other times people start 00:25:23.835 --> 00:25:25.335 using and then they become depressed. 00:25:25.385 --> 00:25:29.105 They interchange with each other in terms of causing depression 00:25:29.105 --> 00:25:31.075 or being the result of. 00:25:31.985 --> 00:25:34.925 Low SES that goes in with the food, clothing, shelter, housing. 00:25:35.335 --> 00:25:39.490 If you're having difficulty affording to provide basic needs for yourself. 00:25:39.850 --> 00:25:43.030 That leads to greater stress, financial stress, that's one of 00:25:43.030 --> 00:25:46.090 the big hotspots for depression. 00:25:46.100 --> 00:25:46.940 That's a big one. 00:25:46.990 --> 00:25:48.790 Little or no social supports. 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:53.330 Having no or few social supports impacts men and women equally. 00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:59.390 However, stay at home moms with small children are the most susceptible to this. 00:25:59.390 --> 00:26:03.760 They are the ones most likely to experience depression because they feel 00:26:03.760 --> 00:26:09.070 isolated and alone compared to women with children who work and have a supportive 00:26:09.070 --> 00:26:11.150 network at their, places of employment. 00:26:13.785 --> 00:26:15.465 Ways to help yourself. 00:26:16.215 --> 00:26:20.745 Some of these you've probably seen before, but they're still tried and true. 00:26:21.805 --> 00:26:22.945 Getting exercise. 00:26:23.245 --> 00:26:26.805 This doesn't have to be hitting the weights and doing 30 00:26:26.805 --> 00:26:30.375 squats and then running a mile and you doing jumping jacks. 00:26:30.855 --> 00:26:34.695 It can honestly be as simple as walking around your house to 00:26:34.695 --> 00:26:36.725 make sure you get extra steps in. 00:26:37.265 --> 00:26:40.085 I don't know about any of you, but I have a Fitbit and I 00:26:40.085 --> 00:26:41.465 really like to track my steps. 00:26:41.735 --> 00:26:46.055 So at night when I'm watching tv, I just pace around my house listening 00:26:46.055 --> 00:26:51.775 to the TV so I can get some light movement in while I'm also watching tv. 00:26:52.175 --> 00:26:54.485 It doesn't have to be anything really rigorous. 00:26:54.845 --> 00:26:56.675 If you can do more rigorous activity. 00:26:57.060 --> 00:26:57.840 Fantastic. 00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.560 Good for you. 00:26:58.920 --> 00:26:59.940 I recommend you do it. 00:27:00.210 --> 00:27:04.290 If you can't, fantastic, don't do something that you can do. 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:07.440 Whatever works for you is what's gonna be best. 00:27:08.460 --> 00:27:10.350 Establishing healthy sleeping habits. 00:27:10.410 --> 00:27:14.970 This one, I think when the pandemic hit and people lost their jobs or 00:27:15.070 --> 00:27:18.100 the whole world was in a snow globe and it just got shaken really hard 00:27:18.100 --> 00:27:20.350 and nobody knew what to do anymore. 00:27:20.920 --> 00:27:22.360 People really struggled with this one. 00:27:22.870 --> 00:27:28.825 It's important that we still go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. 00:27:28.885 --> 00:27:35.035 It helps keep your body on a biological rhythm, which naturally helps produce 00:27:35.035 --> 00:27:38.425 melatonin, which is the hormone that helps you fall asleep at night. 00:27:39.035 --> 00:27:43.905 The more you can keep yourself on a routine with sleep, the better. 00:27:45.850 --> 00:27:49.600 The next is eating more healthfully and mindfully. 00:27:50.110 --> 00:27:53.410 Easier said than done when you're at home and your refrigerator 00:27:53.410 --> 00:27:54.700 full of goodies is right there. 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:59.680 But if you can try to put more healthy things in your fridge rather 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:03.195 than, I don't know about anyone else, but my guilty pleasure is 00:28:03.195 --> 00:28:04.605 double stuffed chocolate Oreos. 00:28:05.215 --> 00:28:09.835 So I don't keep those around anymore because it took about three weeks 00:28:09.835 --> 00:28:14.065 of pandemic eating for me to realize that's not maybe the best thing to do. 00:28:14.065 --> 00:28:15.205 Now I keep fresh fruit around. 00:28:15.505 --> 00:28:19.405 But you can make small changes that can really have a big impact on your health. 00:28:19.825 --> 00:28:26.015 Just eating more apples or plums, or nectarines or whatever fruit is in season 00:28:26.545 --> 00:28:31.065 can have a big impact on your physical health and your overall wellbeing. 00:28:31.945 --> 00:28:32.935 Then eating more mindfully. 00:28:32.935 --> 00:28:38.195 That means not rushing through your meal, closing your eyes and savoring each bite 00:28:38.255 --> 00:28:42.190 can bring you some greater satisfaction out of the things you're eating and 00:28:42.190 --> 00:28:46.150 help you to not overeat if that's one of the symptoms maybe you're experiencing. 00:28:47.305 --> 00:28:49.375 Strengthening your social support system. 00:28:49.675 --> 00:28:51.805 That one is really tricky right now. 00:28:52.015 --> 00:28:53.665 You have to get creative with it. 00:28:53.715 --> 00:28:57.475 That can be joining a virtual group. 00:28:57.475 --> 00:29:02.395 I know Jefferson Center has some wellness classes that are being done virtually. 00:29:02.695 --> 00:29:05.755 I know there are lots of other places around town that have moved their stuff 00:29:05.755 --> 00:29:07.825 online because we can't meet in person. 00:29:08.235 --> 00:29:13.665 Even though it's not the same as being in person it's better than nothing. 00:29:14.175 --> 00:29:19.875 Because not having any social interaction, regardless of the method 00:29:20.295 --> 00:29:24.765 is more detrimental than having some interaction, even if it's done by Zoom. 00:29:25.465 --> 00:29:29.825 What I would recommend doing is setting up a weekly hangout with a 00:29:29.825 --> 00:29:33.545 friend or a group of friends and treat it like an important appointment. 00:29:34.520 --> 00:29:35.660 It's something you can't miss. 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:39.470 It's something you have to do because it's what's really good for you. 00:29:40.040 --> 00:29:44.660 One of the things a couple coworkers and I started doing after we stopped being 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:49.010 able to see each other at work is every other Thursday we have a three hour zoom 00:29:49.010 --> 00:29:53.240 meeting where we watch House Hunters International on HGTV and make fun of it. 00:29:53.540 --> 00:29:56.810 And that's what the three of us like to do because we just miss each other 00:29:57.080 --> 00:30:00.770 and it's, we don't get to see anyone else except our spouses and our pets. 00:30:01.110 --> 00:30:04.230 It's a great way for us to still connect on something as mundane as a 00:30:04.575 --> 00:30:08.475 television show and still feel connected without having to be in person. 00:30:08.525 --> 00:30:11.315 That's what one of the things I figured out for myself. 00:30:11.315 --> 00:30:15.335 Maybe that's something that you or your children or teenagers could figure out. 00:30:15.765 --> 00:30:19.005 It's just important to have that consistent connection 00:30:19.425 --> 00:30:21.315 regardless of how you do it. 00:30:21.775 --> 00:30:25.735 Chat rooms have become a thing again for the same reason that people are looking 00:30:25.735 --> 00:30:29.825 to connect with people who are stuck at home and you just want to talk to someone. 00:30:29.825 --> 00:30:30.995 It doesn't even matter about what. 00:30:31.755 --> 00:30:35.415 There's lots of options out there you just have to get a little creative 00:30:36.165 --> 00:30:38.055 and set realistic goals for yourself. 00:30:38.105 --> 00:30:41.765 It would be awesome if you were like, I'm gonna do those first four 00:30:41.765 --> 00:30:43.085 things that Melissa talked about. 00:30:43.085 --> 00:30:45.395 I'm gonna do them every day and my life's gonna be amazing. 00:30:46.340 --> 00:30:50.510 The reality is if you make too many changes at once, you're 00:30:50.510 --> 00:30:51.860 not going to keep up with them. 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:54.320 So set a realistic goal for yourself. 00:30:54.410 --> 00:30:59.210 Pick one of the things that I go over today and make a commitment to 00:30:59.210 --> 00:31:04.100 integrating that into your life maybe once a day, depending on what it 00:31:04.100 --> 00:31:05.990 is, or once a week or once a month. 00:31:06.740 --> 00:31:08.640 But set a goal that you can achieve. 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:12.630 You don't want to set yourself up for failure by setting the goal of 00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:16.920 doing all four of those things every day for the next month, because then 00:31:16.995 --> 00:31:20.375 you're most likely not gonna meet those, and then you're gonna feel worse 00:31:20.375 --> 00:31:22.025 than you did before you got started. 00:31:22.275 --> 00:31:25.245 It's important to make sure your goals are realistic, 00:31:25.375 --> 00:31:27.025 manageable and not overwhelming. 00:31:27.445 --> 00:31:27.865 Reading. 00:31:28.165 --> 00:31:31.345 This is one that people have gotten back into more and more as well. 00:31:31.395 --> 00:31:34.965 Reading something funny if you're feeling depressed might be helpful. 00:31:34.995 --> 00:31:36.315 Reading satire. 00:31:36.715 --> 00:31:37.825 I don't know about any of you. 00:31:37.825 --> 00:31:42.205 I love the website, the Onion, and there's satire articles, fiction, 00:31:42.215 --> 00:31:47.325 and nonfiction or you can't tell the difference, but I like humor's 00:31:47.325 --> 00:31:48.885 one that I use for myself as well. 00:31:49.375 --> 00:31:51.625 I'll just go ahead and jump to humor since that's already on there. 00:31:52.495 --> 00:31:56.305 There's been some recent research that was published in February that 00:31:56.305 --> 00:32:04.195 did some research on how depression means impact people with depression. 00:32:04.245 --> 00:32:05.565 It can be a dark humor. 00:32:06.320 --> 00:32:11.025 A lot of people think depression humor is dark and not funny, and we shouldn't laugh 00:32:11.025 --> 00:32:14.685 about that, but people with depression actually rated those memes really highly 00:32:14.685 --> 00:32:18.915 and reported that they felt a greater sense of connection to other people by 00:32:18.915 --> 00:32:21.805 seeing memes poking fun of depression. 00:32:22.145 --> 00:32:25.665 One of the ones I saw that I laughed at when I was creating this 00:32:25.665 --> 00:32:30.565 presentation was: I don't think I struggle with depression anymore. 00:32:31.045 --> 00:32:32.695 I'm really good at depression. 00:32:32.755 --> 00:32:34.105 I've got that thing down. 00:32:34.455 --> 00:32:37.915 I thought it was funny because you're making fun of something very 00:32:37.915 --> 00:32:42.355 serious, but we often talk about cognitive reframes in counseling and 00:32:42.355 --> 00:32:43.915 that to me was a positive reframe. 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:47.700 You're really good at depression instead of using that as a negative 00:32:47.730 --> 00:32:49.590 kind of characterization of yourself. 00:32:50.050 --> 00:32:53.550 Some of that darker humor for people with depression actually is showing to 00:32:53.550 --> 00:32:58.910 be positive for people with depression because it can help shift the way 00:32:58.910 --> 00:33:01.200 you view what you're dealing with. 00:33:02.050 --> 00:33:07.240 Another one I saw was a grumpy cat, and it says, I'm not angry 00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:11.690 I'm just happy challenged. 00:33:11.930 --> 00:33:16.040 Which I thought was another kind of funny and cute way to reframe having depression. 00:33:16.040 --> 00:33:18.950 Some of that type of humor can be really beneficial to people 00:33:19.040 --> 00:33:20.180 suffering with depression. 00:33:20.690 --> 00:33:26.090 Journaling is another really helpful skill or tool to use and not typing. 00:33:26.450 --> 00:33:27.170 Handwriting. 00:33:27.170 --> 00:33:29.540 It has to be a handwritten journal entry. 00:33:30.060 --> 00:33:33.630 The reason for that is when you physically hand write something, one, 00:33:33.630 --> 00:33:38.715 it helps you with memory, two, it forces you to physiologically slow 00:33:38.715 --> 00:33:43.155 down your heart rate because you are slowing down to think things through. 00:33:43.155 --> 00:33:44.655 It slows down your mind. 00:33:44.655 --> 00:33:46.725 So if you're having racing anxious thoughts. 00:33:46.995 --> 00:33:48.315 It helps calm down. 00:33:48.685 --> 00:33:52.075 It provides not just a place for you to get out what's happening in 00:33:52.075 --> 00:33:56.275 your head, but it also provides a physiological reduction in stress. 00:33:56.615 --> 00:33:58.025 But it has to be handwriting. 00:33:58.025 --> 00:33:59.555 Typing, you can go too fast. 00:33:59.555 --> 00:34:01.230 I can type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. 00:34:02.150 --> 00:34:03.200 That's not relaxing. 00:34:04.140 --> 00:34:07.260 It doesn't always have to be a journal entry in the sense of, dear your 00:34:07.260 --> 00:34:10.590 diary today is day 97 of quarantine. 00:34:11.010 --> 00:34:12.180 You can make it fun. 00:34:12.310 --> 00:34:17.350 One of the things I like to do with kids in therapy is write fictional 00:34:17.350 --> 00:34:24.263 stories about our lives . So instead of writing about their teenage self 00:34:24.263 --> 00:34:27.863 with anxiety, they create another character who might have anxiety and 00:34:27.863 --> 00:34:29.593 they write stories about that character. 00:34:29.593 --> 00:34:33.967 But it's also drawing from experiences that they've experienced in their life. 00:34:34.027 --> 00:34:36.274 It's a way Of still processing your feelings without 00:34:36.274 --> 00:34:39.574 necessarily being so intrusive. 00:34:39.779 --> 00:34:43.444 It's a way to get things out without necessarily having to 00:34:43.444 --> 00:34:44.704 call yourself out on things. 00:34:45.444 --> 00:34:47.304 Creating structure and routine for yourself. 00:34:48.234 --> 00:34:49.764 Humans are creatures of habit. 00:34:50.304 --> 00:34:54.774 We love consistency and routine, even if we want to pretend that we are fun and 00:34:54.774 --> 00:34:59.994 spontaneous, which we can sometimes be, but our natural state of being thrives 00:35:00.084 --> 00:35:02.884 off consistency and structure and routine. 00:35:03.814 --> 00:35:08.564 What's important right now, given the snow globe shakeup that's happened 00:35:09.164 --> 00:35:10.994 is creating that for yourself. 00:35:11.864 --> 00:35:15.584 It doesn't have to be super important tasks. 00:35:15.614 --> 00:35:20.064 You can create a structure for yourself that's, I'm gonna do one 00:35:20.064 --> 00:35:23.934 load of laundry, or I'm gonna go for a walk, or I'm gonna make dinner 00:35:23.934 --> 00:35:28.284 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, instead of reaching for the bag of potato chips. 00:35:29.589 --> 00:35:35.109 Creating some semblance of structure and routine gives yourself a sense of purpose. 00:35:35.629 --> 00:35:39.649 For people struggling with depression, who often feel they don't have a purpose or 00:35:39.649 --> 00:35:43.069 they feel lost, this is really important. 00:35:43.949 --> 00:35:46.499 This is also one of those things that even if you're not struggling with 00:35:46.499 --> 00:35:49.739 depression right now, you're gonna still benefit from having a structured 00:35:50.009 --> 00:35:54.974 routine for yourself, for your children, for anyone else coming into contact 00:35:54.974 --> 00:35:56.084 with you or living in your home. 00:35:56.774 --> 00:36:00.614 We as humans love structure, routine and consistency. 00:36:01.974 --> 00:36:04.194 The last two, counseling and medications. 00:36:04.704 --> 00:36:06.294 When do you get counseling? 00:36:06.354 --> 00:36:07.554 When do you seek counseling? 00:36:08.334 --> 00:36:13.644 My rule of thumb is that everyone should go to counseling for every reason, because 00:36:13.644 --> 00:36:15.384 I totally believe in its effectiveness. 00:36:15.924 --> 00:36:19.854 But if you're like never been to therapy before, or you're not sure what it's 00:36:19.854 --> 00:36:25.584 gonna be like, but some of those symptoms I talked about seem really familiar. 00:36:26.364 --> 00:36:28.734 I would come in and just get an evaluation. 00:36:28.794 --> 00:36:31.314 You don't have to engage in therapy. 00:36:31.584 --> 00:36:35.274 You can make an appointment with an intake clinician, come in, talk about 00:36:35.274 --> 00:36:40.164 what's going on, get some guidance, get some coping skills and some tips, 00:36:40.164 --> 00:36:42.084 and choose to not come to counseling. 00:36:43.764 --> 00:36:47.844 I think if you're questioning whether or not you should get counseling, that's 00:36:47.874 --> 00:36:51.504 generally a sign that you should at least come in to talk to someone briefly. 00:36:52.194 --> 00:36:57.714 You might not need reoccurring sessions, but oftentimes people just feel good 00:36:57.714 --> 00:37:02.699 coming into the intake and finally verbalizing all the things they've 00:37:02.699 --> 00:37:04.299 been feeling and maybe holding in. 00:37:05.084 --> 00:37:08.324 If you're thinking about counseling, come into counseling. 00:37:09.284 --> 00:37:14.114 The biggest issues too are if you have any kind of suicidal ideation, come in. 00:37:14.654 --> 00:37:15.914 Come in and talk to someone. 00:37:16.434 --> 00:37:22.224 If you're noticing your sleep is all of a sudden really heltor skeletor come in. 00:37:22.224 --> 00:37:27.894 Those are the biggest kind of symptoms from that first page that if not addressed 00:37:27.894 --> 00:37:29.729 in some way can be life threatening. 00:37:30.159 --> 00:37:34.629 Without sleep, a lot of our other kind of functions go out the window, 00:37:34.629 --> 00:37:37.479 and that just increases our chance for all those other symptoms. 00:37:37.479 --> 00:37:40.929 The tearyness, the loss of interest, the isolation, the withdrawing. 00:37:41.469 --> 00:37:44.109 Talk to someone if you're experiencing either of those as well. 00:37:45.154 --> 00:37:45.874 Medications. 00:37:45.884 --> 00:37:48.494 Medications aren't the answer for everyone. 00:37:49.004 --> 00:37:52.814 Research does show that the best outcome for people suffering 00:37:52.814 --> 00:37:56.444 from depression is counseling in conjunction with medication management. 00:37:56.784 --> 00:37:59.154 I've seen people do well with just one or the other. 00:38:00.204 --> 00:38:01.864 Meds are always there if you want them. 00:38:02.574 --> 00:38:04.014 You also don't have to take them. 00:38:05.304 --> 00:38:05.814 Okay. 00:38:05.864 --> 00:38:07.784 What can you do to help someone else. 00:38:08.624 --> 00:38:13.064 If you're concerned that somebody you care about is suffering from depression 00:38:13.114 --> 00:38:16.324 or you're noticing some of those symptoms we went over on the first page. 00:38:17.014 --> 00:38:20.044 You want to set a time to talk to them and you want to make sure 00:38:20.044 --> 00:38:21.244 you don't have any distractions. 00:38:21.254 --> 00:38:24.904 Put the phone away, turn it off, turn off the tv, put those 00:38:24.904 --> 00:38:26.254 small kids down for a nap. 00:38:26.254 --> 00:38:30.124 If you're talking to a teenager or your spouse set aside 00:38:30.124 --> 00:38:31.804 some one-on-one quality time. 00:38:32.869 --> 00:38:36.539 The second, let them talk as little or as much as they want to. 00:38:37.309 --> 00:38:41.059 Forcing people to talk about things they're not ready to talk about, 00:38:41.449 --> 00:38:43.399 only shuts them down further. 00:38:43.739 --> 00:38:46.649 You're there to just be a support and say, Hey, I'm noticing 00:38:46.649 --> 00:38:47.969 this is happening for you. 00:38:48.479 --> 00:38:48.854 Talk to me. 00:38:50.099 --> 00:38:54.719 They might not at that time, but it could very well be the next time they 00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:59.244 see they want to say something or they think about it and yeah, I should tell 00:38:59.304 --> 00:39:00.864 that person what's happening for me. 00:39:02.274 --> 00:39:05.424 Don't diagnose, can't stress this one enough. 00:39:05.814 --> 00:39:10.224 I'm an intake clinician at Jefferson Center, so my job is to provide an initial 00:39:10.224 --> 00:39:14.784 diagnosis and there's a joke we have about how often we undiagnosed people with 00:39:14.784 --> 00:39:16.014 something they're convinced they have. 00:39:17.094 --> 00:39:19.794 So don't diagnose someone, leave it to us. 00:39:20.294 --> 00:39:23.744 Because people often wear those diagnoses like badges. 00:39:24.044 --> 00:39:28.399 I've got depression, and that might not be what it is, and they start to 00:39:28.399 --> 00:39:31.549 really strongly identify with it, and it can be really detrimental to their 00:39:31.549 --> 00:39:33.379 self-esteem and sense of self-worth. 00:39:34.129 --> 00:39:35.089 Don't diagnose. 00:39:35.449 --> 00:39:36.739 Just listen carefully. 00:39:37.189 --> 00:39:38.899 Listen thoughtfully. 00:39:39.664 --> 00:39:41.104 Use open-ended questions. 00:39:41.474 --> 00:39:45.564 One of the things I learned to utilize when I was in grad school and has proven 00:39:45.564 --> 00:39:48.714 to be really, really helpful throughout my professional career is I actually 00:39:48.774 --> 00:39:50.964 don't ask questions for the most part. 00:39:50.964 --> 00:39:52.554 I say, tell me about this. 00:39:52.794 --> 00:39:55.824 You mentioned the X, Y, Z. Tell me about that more. 00:39:56.064 --> 00:39:58.734 Tell me how that impacts what's going on for you. 00:39:58.734 --> 00:40:00.894 Tell me how that's changing things for you. 00:40:01.854 --> 00:40:07.449 I use more of a directive statement to guide them instead of asking a 00:40:07.449 --> 00:40:12.759 yes or no question where they can easily go, no, and that just shuts 00:40:12.759 --> 00:40:14.259 down that conversation right away. 00:40:14.599 --> 00:40:19.619 Using open-ended questions or directive open-ended statements is really 00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:25.059 helpful in getting people to open up without being forceful or pushy. 00:40:25.859 --> 00:40:26.699 Listen carefully. 00:40:26.749 --> 00:40:28.369 Validate what they're saying. 00:40:28.889 --> 00:40:30.239 Use reflective statements. 00:40:30.289 --> 00:40:32.569 I'm hearing you say this has been really hard for you. 00:40:32.969 --> 00:40:34.409 That must have been terrible for you. 00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:36.029 I'm sorry you experienced that. 00:40:36.329 --> 00:40:37.109 How can I help? 00:40:37.559 --> 00:40:38.519 That kind of thing. 00:40:38.979 --> 00:40:41.349 Then offer to help in seeking professional support. 00:40:41.439 --> 00:40:46.599 A lot of times what prevents people from seeking help is fear. 00:40:47.269 --> 00:40:50.809 I can't tell you how many times I've asked about suicidal ideation in my office and 00:40:50.809 --> 00:40:56.114 I can see the fear pass over my client's face with you're gonna hospitalize me. 00:40:56.164 --> 00:41:01.174 Just having suicidal thoughts does not mean you are going to be hospitalized. 00:41:01.644 --> 00:41:05.034 You can have passive suicidal thoughts and not be hospitalized. 00:41:05.544 --> 00:41:08.784 There's a great misunderstanding about that, but there's a lot of fear that 00:41:08.784 --> 00:41:11.994 keeps people from seeking professional help when they need it because 00:41:11.994 --> 00:41:13.164 they're not sure what's gonna happen. 00:41:13.214 --> 00:41:14.564 Offer to come to the appointment. 00:41:15.134 --> 00:41:18.374 I have people all the time who bring someone, and sometimes they 00:41:18.374 --> 00:41:21.734 come into the office and sometimes they sit in the waiting room. 00:41:22.064 --> 00:41:26.079 It's up to the client, but whatever the client chooses i'm gonna be okay 00:41:26.079 --> 00:41:29.799 with because what's important is that they're here and they're getting help. 00:41:30.339 --> 00:41:32.139 So offer to seek help. 00:41:32.139 --> 00:41:33.219 You can come to the appointment. 00:41:33.219 --> 00:41:34.599 Help them make the appointment. 00:41:34.629 --> 00:41:35.679 That also happens. 00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:37.809 Friends will help other friends call. 00:41:38.139 --> 00:41:41.679 They'll sit there while they talk to our navigation clinicians and 00:41:41.679 --> 00:41:42.849 get set up for an appointment. 00:41:43.399 --> 00:41:47.699 There's a lot of things you can do to be a support for someone else. 00:41:49.139 --> 00:41:53.374 If things are really bad and the person you're talking to or you 00:41:53.374 --> 00:41:58.384 yourself, are at a point where you feel overwhelmed and you cannot handle 00:41:58.384 --> 00:42:00.004 what's happening or what you're feeling. 00:42:00.484 --> 00:42:05.364 You can walk in or call our crisis line 24/7 365. 00:42:05.844 --> 00:42:10.494 I put our Jefferson Center managed location addresses down there 00:42:10.494 --> 00:42:11.754 on the bottom of the screen. 00:42:12.294 --> 00:42:14.904 The staff there I work with personally every day. 00:42:14.934 --> 00:42:16.254 They are phenomenal. 00:42:16.584 --> 00:42:18.834 They're wonderful crisis clinicians. 00:42:19.764 --> 00:42:22.554 A crisis doesn't have to mean a life or death situation. 00:42:22.554 --> 00:42:26.304 A crisis is something that is just uncomfortable and overwhelming for you 00:42:26.304 --> 00:42:27.954 or your family member or your friend. 00:42:28.524 --> 00:42:32.484 We're not gonna turn you away and say, sorry, that's not really a crisis. 00:42:32.514 --> 00:42:32.964 Okay? 00:42:33.374 --> 00:42:39.584 If you are experiencing some kind of meltdown or just an overwhelming sense of 00:42:39.584 --> 00:42:43.694 stress, please come in and talk to someone and we'll get you set up and get you where 00:42:43.694 --> 00:42:47.534 you need to go within Jefferson Center so that you can get the help you need. 00:42:48.644 --> 00:42:55.814 One last statistic I want to give you all before I sign off is that people 00:42:55.814 --> 00:43:01.754 on average wait 10 years before seeking professional help for mental illnesses. 00:43:02.069 --> 00:43:07.979 10 years of their life is spent struggling alone. 00:43:08.759 --> 00:43:11.849 That is a astounding number. 00:43:11.849 --> 00:43:18.239 I've seen that in research multiple times, and this is why if you are 00:43:18.239 --> 00:43:22.019 even considering thinking about counseling, come, don't wait 10 years. 00:43:22.049 --> 00:43:27.984 Don't let 10 years of your life be taken over by something 00:43:27.984 --> 00:43:29.794 that we can treat and work on. 00:43:29.844 --> 00:43:33.084 On that note, that is the end of my presentation. 00:43:33.174 --> 00:43:37.404 Please feel free to take note of my email address if you have any questions 00:43:37.434 --> 00:43:39.834 that come up after we all sign off. 00:43:40.234 --> 00:43:42.664 I'm happy to answer them at any point in time. 00:43:42.714 --> 00:43:45.084 I think now we're gonna answer any questions that may have 00:43:45.084 --> 00:43:47.004 come in during the presentation. 00:43:48.579 --> 00:43:48.849 Julia: Yep. 00:43:48.849 --> 00:43:50.169 We sure are. 00:43:50.169 --> 00:43:51.159 Thank you, Melissa. 00:43:51.159 --> 00:43:52.869 That was a really great presentation. 00:43:52.869 --> 00:43:55.989 I know I found a lot of very valuable information in it, and 00:43:55.989 --> 00:43:58.089 I'm sure others did as well. 00:43:58.339 --> 00:44:02.599 I do want to mention before we get to the questions that if you are interested 00:44:02.599 --> 00:44:04.409 in just chatting with a clinician. 00:44:04.409 --> 00:44:10.659 If you have more questions that you want to ask one-on-one or you're feeling a 00:44:10.659 --> 00:44:14.669 little bit off or depressed and you want to talk to somebody individually just 00:44:14.669 --> 00:44:18.429 private message us and we will get you set up with somebody right after this is over. 00:44:18.649 --> 00:44:20.749 Melissa, we did get a couple of questions. 00:44:20.749 --> 00:44:25.839 The first one is: I've been feeling pretty listless the past couple of 00:44:25.839 --> 00:44:30.369 weeks, and I know that I should be doing stuff like exercising or eating well, 00:44:30.579 --> 00:44:38.034 but I just can't get off the couch or out of bed to do those things, even 00:44:38.034 --> 00:44:39.354 though I know they're good for me. 00:44:39.624 --> 00:44:41.274 How do I get over that hurdle? 00:44:42.114 --> 00:44:44.134 Melissa: That sounds pretty significant. 00:44:44.134 --> 00:44:47.434 If the motivation piece I'm hearing a lot of people talk about lately 00:44:47.434 --> 00:44:50.284 and it is finding that motivation to get off the couch and do what 00:44:50.284 --> 00:44:53.284 you need to do, even though you know you need to do it, doing it's a 00:44:53.284 --> 00:44:55.084 different story is really difficult. 00:44:55.434 --> 00:44:57.924 I would really recommend making an appointment and coming in and 00:44:57.924 --> 00:44:59.544 talking to someone about that. 00:45:00.064 --> 00:45:04.444 Because if it's to the point where the motivation piece is so diminished 00:45:04.484 --> 00:45:05.864 that you're struggling that much. 00:45:06.444 --> 00:45:10.044 It sounds like you're walking more towards the moderate type of depression. 00:45:10.354 --> 00:45:13.929 You might need a higher level of care than just yourself right now. 00:45:14.389 --> 00:45:19.399 One thing that I do for myself and for clients when that feeling is 00:45:19.399 --> 00:45:22.779 really overwhelming for me is I set up a reward system for myself. 00:45:23.599 --> 00:45:25.819 Like the way you'd set up a sticker chart for a child. 00:45:26.189 --> 00:45:31.049 If I get up and do this one thing, then I can reward myself with this other thing. 00:45:31.049 --> 00:45:34.979 I hold myself accountable to not getting my reward if I don't do it. 00:45:35.059 --> 00:45:38.509 That sometimes can help me overcome some of that listlessness and clients 00:45:38.509 --> 00:45:43.519 as well with trying to provide some form of motivation for you. 00:45:43.519 --> 00:45:46.639 At that point in time for me, I'm highly motivated by Oreos. 00:45:47.149 --> 00:45:50.689 So for me, getting up and exercising means I get to eat Oreos and I love Oreos. 00:45:51.199 --> 00:45:55.489 So finding something like that for yourself where you can reward 00:45:55.489 --> 00:45:59.689 yourself for doing even just something small is gonna help reinforce 00:45:59.899 --> 00:46:01.189 that behavior and that pattern. 00:46:01.189 --> 00:46:04.549 But I would also really recommend coming in and talking to someone. 00:46:05.824 --> 00:46:06.934 Julia: That's a great idea. 00:46:06.934 --> 00:46:09.554 Figuring out what a good reward would be for yourself. 00:46:09.654 --> 00:46:10.404 That might work. 00:46:10.404 --> 00:46:14.454 The next question we have is, I am worried about my husband. 00:46:14.664 --> 00:46:18.624 He is just seemed kind of sad and down recently, but every time I've 00:46:18.624 --> 00:46:22.734 asked him about it, all he does is says he's fine and brush it off. 00:46:23.104 --> 00:46:26.344 I'm starting to get frustrated and how can I help him? 00:46:28.169 --> 00:46:32.129 Melissa: That one's really hard with spouses because they're adults, right? 00:46:32.129 --> 00:46:33.779 If it was a kid, you could just bring them in. 00:46:34.179 --> 00:46:37.809 What I would do if I were in your situation, what I would recommend 00:46:37.839 --> 00:46:39.829 is going along with a don't push it. 00:46:40.529 --> 00:46:43.079 Don't force him to talk about something he's not ready to. 00:46:43.349 --> 00:46:46.969 What I would rather recommend is you do is say: I'm noticing 00:46:46.969 --> 00:46:49.609 that you're doing this more. 00:46:49.609 --> 00:46:54.479 I'm noticing your more irritable lately and just gently reflecting 00:46:54.509 --> 00:46:56.159 the behavior changes you're seeing. 00:46:56.809 --> 00:47:02.209 With your own frustration, what I would recommend too is recognizing 00:47:02.459 --> 00:47:05.669 right now is a really stressful time and doing some self-care for yourself. 00:47:06.089 --> 00:47:10.484 You're seeing somebody you love and you care about struggle pretty significantly. 00:47:10.484 --> 00:47:13.764 I don't know if this is related to he's lost his job recently 00:47:13.764 --> 00:47:15.174 or something like that. 00:47:15.664 --> 00:47:18.364 But you're noticing behavior changes, so just making these 00:47:18.364 --> 00:47:24.784 casual, gentle observations of this and saying: I just want you to feel 00:47:24.784 --> 00:47:26.394 better or I just want to help you. 00:47:26.424 --> 00:47:30.204 I don't want to push you to do something you don't want to, but I am concerned 00:47:30.204 --> 00:47:35.694 and expressing that gently and in a non-threatening, non-judgmental 00:47:35.694 --> 00:47:38.694 way, just at least opens that door. 00:47:38.994 --> 00:47:44.364 I think that can sometimes be the hardest part for spouses or parents and clinicians 00:47:44.874 --> 00:47:47.274 at times, is you sometimes plant a seed. 00:47:48.144 --> 00:47:53.724 And it takes a while for that seedling to sprout into something you can see or 00:47:53.724 --> 00:47:59.814 that is tangible and you have to have faith in the process of offering that 00:47:59.814 --> 00:48:06.384 continual gentle support and trust that at some point that seed will sprout 00:48:06.384 --> 00:48:07.614 and that they'll accept the help. 00:48:08.509 --> 00:48:10.009 You can't force him into therapy. 00:48:10.539 --> 00:48:13.299 For you, if it's getting to the point where you're really aggravated 00:48:13.299 --> 00:48:16.359 and upset and getting more and more and more frustrated in your 00:48:16.359 --> 00:48:18.369 own kind of stress is rising. 00:48:18.749 --> 00:48:22.169 I do intakes for spouses all the time for this reason, who come in 00:48:22.169 --> 00:48:24.299 and say, my partner won't get help. 00:48:25.019 --> 00:48:29.819 I need to work on how I'm reacting to this because it's starting to stress me out. 00:48:30.449 --> 00:48:32.279 So that's also an option for you. 00:48:32.699 --> 00:48:35.669 But I would continue to just be the kind, loving, supportive spouse 00:48:35.669 --> 00:48:39.919 that you are and plant that seed and keep watering it with those gentle 00:48:39.919 --> 00:48:42.169 statements and don't force it. 00:48:43.774 --> 00:48:44.194 Julia: Great. 00:48:44.194 --> 00:48:47.514 Yeah, that's a really interesting if you're getting aggravated about 00:48:47.514 --> 00:48:50.764 it to go and see someone yourself, to talk to somebody about it. 00:48:50.814 --> 00:48:51.894 That's really interesting. 00:48:51.924 --> 00:48:53.484 We do one more question. 00:48:53.734 --> 00:49:00.064 This one says, so you've talked specifically about feeling guilty or 00:49:00.064 --> 00:49:04.834 bad about people you know, that might be having a hard time, but I've been 00:49:04.834 --> 00:49:10.054 feeling really sad about everything that's happening in the world. 00:49:10.054 --> 00:49:13.914 Whenever I go on social media, I see all of the things that are 00:49:13.914 --> 00:49:18.174 happening and I just feel very helpless and out of control. 00:49:18.274 --> 00:49:21.184 What can I do to help with those feelings? 00:49:21.874 --> 00:49:24.774 Melissa: So you're experiencing a form of compassion fatigue. 00:49:24.994 --> 00:49:27.124 That was actually one of the things I actually meant to touch on, 00:49:27.124 --> 00:49:28.384 so I'm glad you brought that up. 00:49:28.434 --> 00:49:33.054 When you're really empathic, everything in the world right now, it's like you 00:49:33.054 --> 00:49:37.334 just taking it all on and holding it all on your shoulders, and there's so much 00:49:37.334 --> 00:49:40.664 injustice in the world and there's so much frustration and so much to be angry about. 00:49:41.234 --> 00:49:44.714 But the social media piece brings up a really good point. 00:49:45.839 --> 00:49:47.159 Get off social media. 00:49:47.439 --> 00:49:48.609 I cannot stress that enough. 00:49:49.479 --> 00:49:53.229 What I would recommend doing is not using social media and instead 00:49:53.389 --> 00:49:57.949 picking a few websites like news sites like New York Times, or I 00:49:57.949 --> 00:49:59.479 always recommend unbiased news sites. 00:49:59.779 --> 00:50:03.519 You can pick whichever ones you want, but picking some news sites that you 00:50:03.519 --> 00:50:09.339 check in once or twice a day to get the news and not subject yourself 00:50:09.339 --> 00:50:15.219 to the sometimes pretty hateful, stressful world of social media and 00:50:15.219 --> 00:50:17.169 the opinionated world of social media. 00:50:17.479 --> 00:50:19.099 I find the same thing when I log off Facebook. 00:50:19.149 --> 00:50:21.129 I feel like my nerves are shot. 00:50:21.129 --> 00:50:27.969 I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm frustrated, and what I have found works for myself and 00:50:27.969 --> 00:50:32.479 what a lot of my other therapist friends are doing, who are experiencing a lot of 00:50:32.479 --> 00:50:37.549 the same things that you just described, is we limit our time on social media for 00:50:37.549 --> 00:50:42.699 that reason, and we choose to get our information straight from the news source. 00:50:42.729 --> 00:50:44.659 I don't want to hear anybody else's opinions. 00:50:44.659 --> 00:50:48.129 I don't want to see anybody else's response to anything 00:50:48.369 --> 00:50:49.869 because that stresses me out. 00:50:50.269 --> 00:50:53.959 It's hard to sometimes sort through all that noise on social media. 00:50:53.969 --> 00:51:00.004 It's such toxic thought patterns just all over the place and it weighs on you. 00:51:00.274 --> 00:51:01.084 It's heavy. 00:51:01.364 --> 00:51:05.474 The best recommendation I have for you is to delete it from your phone and only 00:51:05.474 --> 00:51:10.294 check it maybe on a computer if you have that, or move it to the fourth page of the 00:51:10.294 --> 00:51:14.884 apps you have on your phone so that it's not right there in your face every day. 00:51:14.884 --> 00:51:17.074 You're not just habitually checking it. 00:51:17.774 --> 00:51:21.629 A social media detox is very helpful. 00:51:22.739 --> 00:51:24.209 I think everyone should do them. 00:51:24.209 --> 00:51:26.909 If I could get rid of one thing in the world, it would probably be social media. 00:51:26.909 --> 00:51:31.589 So my recommendation would be to either limit your time, take a break from it, 00:51:32.039 --> 00:51:37.964 and get your news from different sources for the time beings just to help give 00:51:37.964 --> 00:51:41.894 your emotions a break because we're all in this trauma response right now. 00:51:41.894 --> 00:51:45.734 I think with everything that's happening, we're in a communal trauma and it's 00:51:45.734 --> 00:51:51.514 hard to get back to baseline when we're constantly seeing and being fed new images 00:51:51.514 --> 00:51:53.659 of things happening all over the world. 00:51:53.659 --> 00:51:58.329 You don't get a chance to really process them and deescalate when you're constantly 00:51:58.329 --> 00:52:00.309 on social media being re-exposed to them. 00:52:00.919 --> 00:52:04.159 A social media diet is my recommendation to you. 00:52:05.999 --> 00:52:08.284 Julia: That sounds like a good recommendation. 00:52:08.394 --> 00:52:10.014 That's all the time we've got today. 00:52:10.014 --> 00:52:14.164 Melissa, thank you so much for your presentation and for 00:52:14.164 --> 00:52:16.454 everyone who has attended today. 00:52:16.644 --> 00:52:19.134 No matter what you're facing in life, like if you're feeling 00:52:19.134 --> 00:52:23.154 overwhelmed or worried or stressed, Jefferson Center is here for you. 00:52:23.254 --> 00:52:27.144 We are open, we are accepting new clients and accessing care is easier 00:52:27.144 --> 00:52:29.094 than ever with virtual appointments. 00:52:29.334 --> 00:52:34.134 You can visit our website at jcmh.org or follow us on Facebook for more resources 00:52:34.134 --> 00:52:41.244 and information, and you can also reach us by calling us at (303) 425-0300. 00:52:41.634 --> 00:52:43.554 Thank you so much and have a great day.