In this week’s TMD I am in Huntington Beach, California helping my parents who have fallen ill and talking about how I am addressing the topic of managing stress and mental health in my own life.
Compartmentalization
My parents have fallen ill and my sister, who has been amazing in taking care of them, needed some help and of course I wanted to come out and make sure my parents are ok. So, this week I am in California and wanted to talk about the topic of managing stress.
For me, I’m a big compartmentalizer. I take these stressful issues and I wrap them up in a tiny little box and I stick them away in the depths of my brain so that I can go about my day. It lets me go about my business and manage the things that need to be addressed. That’s my way of dealing with it.
At the end of the day, I realized I have a fair amount of tiny little boxes that are stored away in my brain in my conscious and or my subconscious mind that need to be addressed. So, I’m going to be seeking out counseling to help me address and deal with the issues, both recent and past. The reason I say these things to you is not that I want you to feel bad or sorry for me but because we all go through challenging times in our lives. I want to awaken some of those tiny little boxes in your brain and make sure that you are taking steps to get the help that you need.
I know it can be very difficult to find the right type of support. The right type of counselor. I’ve had counseling in the past and it has been very beneficial for me. Recently I’ve tried and haven’t been successful in finding the right person, but I realize I need to persevere and be gritty in my approach to find the right person that I can talk to to help address these issues.
I want you to do the same. If you have these tiny little boxes deep in your brain, make sure you reach out and get the support that you need. Ultimately it will help you improve your mental health, your wellbeing, and your happiness.
That’s today’s TMD. Again, I don’t want anyone feeling bad for me, this is part of life and I’m going to be just fine but I want you to be even better than just fine. If you need help reach out. Head over to our Facebook page and let us know how you are managing your stress.
Your questions and feedback are always welcome and appreciated!
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It’s good to have Dr. Jay back on here live with a new Two Minute Drill. Don’t miss this week’s Two Minute Drill where Dr. Jay is talking about mental health, inspired by Simone Bile’s courage at the Olympics.
Mental Health
For those of you who don’t know, Dr. Jay recently got COVID and was pretty sick. In addition to being the sickest he has been in his entire life, it definitely took a toll on his mental health as well.
He was literally so sick he was wondering if he was going to live. He was pretty scared and at one point and wondered was going to be the same again.
Last Monday he was breaking through to finally getting healthier and feeling better thanks to so many people in his life who sent advice, supplements, nurses who provided IVs, and also monoclonal antibodies. All of these helped him turn a corner as of last Monday and he was finally able to start working. However, he remembers waking up Monday morning laying in bed and having this overwhelming feeling of depression, inadequacy, and fear.
So what is the ultimate message he is trying to send to you today?
First, how did he get through that first day? It was little baby steps. It was getting out of bed, it was taking a shower (which was not easy), dealing with one email at a time, one zoom call at a time, one task at a time. By the end of the day, he was pretty exhausted but from a mental health perspective, he felt better because he took action.
Second, have a tremendous support system so that when you are not feeling your best mentally you can leverage that support system. Make sure you leverage the people that care about you and love you. Because they want to be there for you. They may not know what you are going through, but reach out and those people will be there for you
Third, get professional help. There are so many great ways to get professional help. You don’t have to schlep to the psychologist’s office anymore and feel uncomfortable. There is telehealth, online platforms, betterhealth.com, Talkspace is a really great app, and so many more. There are a lot of really great ways to connect with health care professionals who can help us in the comforts of our own homes.
In summary, we all deal with stresses in our own lives, and when we do, take some baby steps. Take some action. That will make you feel better about what you accomplish. Leverage your network and the people that love and care about you. Lastly, get professional help. Leverage online platforms, apps, and or professionals in person who can help you deal with the strains and stress of life itself.
That’s this week’s Two Minute Drill. We hope it is helpful and that you take care of not just your physical health but your mental health as well.
Your questions and feedback are always welcome and appreciated!
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