0:00

The Starbucks pistachio

0:02

latte will transport you to your

0:04

happy place. The comforting flavor

0:06

of pistachio, enormous Brresso and

0:08

Milk, all with a brown buttery

0:10

topping. Make today a good day.

0:13

Order ahead on the Starbucks app.

0:20

We are in the New Year, and this is the

0:22

time whenever one is trying to take it to the next

0:24

level. The best way to elevate

0:27

your life is to make sure you have

0:29

a solid foundation, and that

0:31

is what we are discussing this week.

0:34

Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm

0:36

your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

0:39

Every week on this show, I'll help you

0:41

face life challenges with evidence

0:43

based approaches, a sympathetic ear,

0:46

and zero judgment.

0:49

I haven't done an acronym in a while,

0:51

and it seems like an appropriate start to

0:53

the year because you know how much I love

0:55

them. Today, we're going

0:57

to discuss the DBT skill of

0:59

please, which is designed

1:01

to reduce your vulnerability to negative

1:04

emotions. Many

1:06

of those who suffer from depression, anxiety,

1:09

trauma histories, etcetera, fail

1:12

to adequately engage. In the

1:14

five areas that I'm going to talk

1:16

about today. If

1:19

you neglect your body, it

1:21

will have a negative impact on your

1:23

mental and emotional well-being. Moreover,

1:26

all those lofty goals or discoveries

1:28

you want to make about your existence may

1:31

fall flat if you don't have these

1:33

elements in order. The

1:36

p l and please stands

1:38

for treating physical illness. Physical

1:41

illness is linked to mental illness,

1:44

and physical illness may cause

1:46

mental health issues. At

1:48

the very least, physical illness

1:50

exacerbates mental illness. There

1:53

have been studies done that looked at the mortality

1:55

rates of those with various mental health conditions.

1:59

They found an increased risk of death

2:01

and conditions like depression, substance

2:04

misuse, bipolar disorder and

2:07

schizophrenia to name a few.

2:09

It's important when you're feeling ill to

2:11

take it seriously. And treat

2:14

yourself with compassion. This

2:16

can range from a simple headache or

2:18

cold to that unexplained physical

2:21

issue you've been having and

2:23

ignoring. I can't tell

2:25

you how many times in my life. I've

2:27

asked ill patients if they've

2:29

taken basic over the counter medicine

2:32

and discovered that they haven't. Other

2:35

patients will explain severe pain

2:37

or other concerning symptoms from

2:39

an unknown cause that has

2:41

been going on for months. Do

2:44

you want to take a guess if they've made the

2:46

effort to go to the doctor?

2:49

When your immune system is impaired,

2:52

it will not only leave you vulnerable

2:54

to more physical health issues, it

2:56

will have a negative impact on

2:58

your mental health as well. Don't

3:01

be dismissive about how you're feeling

3:03

physically. The

3:05

first e stands for balanced

3:07

eating. We all know

3:09

that emotional eating is a thing. In

3:12

fact, when we look at the symptoms of depression,

3:15

such as changes in appetite, low

3:17

energy, and changes in weight,

3:20

It would make sense to you that

3:22

these are also linked to things

3:24

such as poor diet, lack

3:27

of exercise, and obesity,

3:30

which impact our overall mortality.

3:34

I am not a pusher of specific diet

3:36

plans with my patients. Unless

3:39

they have specific issues like diabetes

3:41

or IBS. However,

3:44

we generally have an understanding of

3:46

what's healthy. For instance,

3:49

we know that having a plant based diet

3:51

has many benefits for our overall health.

3:54

Does that mean that you must be vegetarian

3:56

or vegan? Not necessarily,

3:59

but those are viable options.

4:02

The goal here is to increase your

4:04

consumption of fruits and

4:06

vegetables, and reduce your

4:08

consumption of animal based products.

4:12

So the next time you go to Texas Roadhouse,

4:15

instead of getting a twenty ounce rib

4:17

eye with a single string bean on

4:19

the side, perhaps opt

4:21

for a smaller steak and have a full

4:23

serving of vegetables. If

4:25

your mental illness causes you to forget

4:28

about or restrict eating, Perhaps

4:30

start planning out your meals, and

4:33

follow a schedule regardless of if

4:35

you quote unquote feel like

4:37

eating. Your body

4:39

needs fuel in order to regulate your

4:41

emotions. The

4:46

Starbucks pistachio latte will

4:48

transport you to your happy place.

4:50

The comforting flavor of pistachio,

4:53

warm espresso, and milk, all with

4:55

a brown buttery topping. Make

4:57

today a good

4:57

day. Order ahead on the Starbucks

5:00

app.

5:02

Hey, honey. How was your trip to Menards? Awesome.

5:05

The Menards back sale is back.

5:06

Oh, what's the back sale? You grab a bag

5:09

in store and save fifteen percent on everything

5:11

you can fit in the bag. I got a new cordless

5:13

drill, LED bulbs to help with the electric

5:15

bill, stocked up on toothpaste, always

5:17

need batteries, and paint for the mudroom.

5:19

Plus all my favorite snacks.

5:21

Where are you going? Menards, we're out of

5:24

cleaning supplies.

5:25

Hurry in. Grab a bag in store now through

5:27

January fourteen. Get fifteen percent

5:28

off everything you can fit in the bag. See store for

5:30

complete details.

5:33

A is for avoid mood

5:35

altering substances. Alcohol

5:37

and drugs can lower your resistance to

5:39

negative emotions. Many

5:42

folks who suffer with mental health issues

5:44

use substances to cope, and

5:46

I do include cigarettes here as well.

5:49

Some studies have shown an increased

5:51

rate of smoking among those

5:53

with depression. One

5:55

of the primary reasons for the tality

5:58

differences I mentioned at the beginning of

6:00

this episode is the lifestyle

6:02

choices of those who suffer from

6:04

mental health conditions. I've

6:07

also seen for myself folks

6:09

with anxiety or other conditions

6:11

use substances like alcohol and marijuana

6:14

to cope with their emotions. Only

6:17

to find that it simply doesn't

6:19

work. If you pair

6:21

in your mind pain or discomfort

6:24

with drug usage, you

6:26

will end up wanting to use every

6:28

time you feel bad exacerbating

6:31

your problems. As you

6:33

go in your wellness journey, you may

6:35

be met with obstacles. It's

6:38

important to embrace those experiences

6:40

and learn from them.

6:42

Rather than engage in the escapism

6:44

of a listed substances. If

6:48

you choose to use, Remember

6:50

to do so in moderation and

6:52

to avoid using to cope

6:54

with emotional experiences. Us

6:57

is for sleep. There

6:59

is a growing body of evidence that

7:01

suggests that lack of sleep leads

7:04

to a variety of mental health problems.

7:07

Half of the patients I see have

7:09

poor sleep habits when I first meet with

7:11

them. Pore sleep can

7:13

exacerbate mental health symptoms, leading

7:15

to issues like poor concentration and

7:18

decreased frustration tolerance. It's

7:21

important to note that both

7:23

too much and too little sleep are

7:25

problematic. Most

7:27

adults need between seven to nine

7:29

hours of sleep. So I

7:31

work with my patients to get as

7:33

close to that range as possible.

7:36

If you don't think sleep is impacting you,

7:38

Start a diary where you track your hours

7:40

of sleep per night along

7:42

with your overall mood each day.

7:45

Many of you will find that when you feel

7:47

well rested, you're more productive

7:50

and you're able to brush off stressors

7:52

more effectively. The final

7:55

e is for exercise. You might

7:57

have guessed that by now given the theme of

7:59

this episode. The

8:01

American Heart Association recommends a

8:03

hundred and fifty minutes of moderate

8:05

activity per week. Now,

8:08

if you've listened to me long enough, You

8:10

know that I dislike working out,

8:12

but I do it anyway. Why

8:15

you might ask? Well,

8:17

I keep reading research that

8:19

states that it improves your mental

8:21

health. One study

8:23

found that fifteen minutes

8:25

of vigorous activity, reduced

8:27

depression. I've read

8:29

others that suggested that anywhere

8:32

from twenty to forty minutes of

8:34

moderate intensity exercise improve

8:36

mood and anxiety in folks.

8:39

Furthermore, there is some evidence that

8:41

shows you may reduce the

8:43

likelihood of relapses in

8:45

your health by maintaining a

8:47

consistent exercise routine.

8:49

There is a Spikely

8:51

movie that I really enjoy called He

8:54

Got Game. Denzel

8:56

Washington plays an excellent basketball

8:58

player who ends up in prison.

9:00

He's talking to the Wharden one day about their

9:02

favorite basketball team and the Warden

9:04

wants his opinion. Mister

9:07

Washington states that their

9:09

fundamentals are sorely

9:11

lacking. Now, I don't play

9:13

sports, but ever since I

9:15

heard that line so many years ago,

9:17

it's always stuck with me.

9:20

And it's a message that I try to

9:22

convey to my patients. Don't

9:25

be in these streets trying to dunk

9:27

when you don't even know how to dribble.

9:29

As a psychologist, I'm

9:32

always trying to help folks to get sustainable

9:35

change. I want you to have

9:37

your Eureka moments. And

9:39

I want you to be able to not only

9:41

handle them, but to carry

9:43

forward beyond them.

9:45

At the most basic level,

9:47

I want you to live long enough

9:49

to enjoy your efforts.

9:51

As you make all

9:53

of your New Year's resolutions, or set

9:55

your intentions for the year. I

9:58

truly hope that you make it a

10:00

priority to take care of

10:02

your body. Because it is

10:04

the home basis for

10:06

self compassion, self

10:08

love, self exploration, and

10:11

everything else you want for yourself and

10:13

your life. What's

10:15

one way you plan to care for your body in

10:17

twenty twenty three? Let me

10:19

know on Instagram at kind mind psych.

10:22

You can also reach out to me via

10:24

my email at psychologist Psychologist's

10:26

dirty tips dot com or

10:28

leave a voice mail at ninety

10:31

9256 twenty one

10:33

ninety

10:33

one. The savvy psychologist is

10:35

a quick and dirty tips podcast.

10:37

Its audio engineer by Steve

10:39

Riekeberg was script editing by

10:41

Adam CECL. Podcast and advertising

10:44

operation specialist is Morgan Christiansen.

10:46

Our digital operation specialist is

10:48

Holly Hutchings, our marketing and

10:50

publicity assistant in Divina Tomlin,

10:52

and our intern is Cameron Lacey. Follow

10:55

savvy Apple Podcasts,

10:57

Spotify or wherever you listen

10:59

to podcasts. That's all for

11:01

this episode of Savvy Psychologist. Thanks

11:04

for listening. I'll see you

11:06

next week.

11:17

Hey,

11:17

honey. How was your trip to Menards? Awesome.

11:19

The Menards back sale is back.

11:21

Oh, what's the back sale? You grab a

11:24

bag and tour and say fifteen percent on

11:26

everything you can fit in the bag. I got a new

11:28

cordless drill, LED bulbs to help with the

11:30

electric

11:30

bill, stocked up on toothpaste, always

11:32

need batteries, and paint for the mudroom. Plus all

11:34

my favorite snacks. Where are

11:36

you going? Menards, we're out of

11:39

cleaning supplies. Hurry

11:40

in. Grab a bag in store now through January

11:42

fourteen. Get fifteen percent off everything you can

11:44

fit in the bag. See store for complete details.