From Out of Nowhere

Show Notes

In this heartfelt and honest conversation, Bobby is joined by his cousin Lisa Green, who shares her deeply personal journey with mental health. Despite being close relatives, it was their shared experience with mental health challenges that brought them even closer.

Lisa recounts how, seemingly out of nowhere, she was struck by severe anxiety and insomnia in her late 60s. The episode follows her struggle to find effective help, from initial doctor visits and medication trials to a pivotal hospitalization and the life-changing support of a compassionate psychiatrist. Lisa also discusses the importance of group therapy, ongoing self-advocacy, and the value of not giving up—even when the road to recovery feels long and uncertain.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The sudden onset of mental health challenges later in life
• Navigating the healthcare system and the search for the right support
• The power of group therapy and community
• The importance of self-advocacy and persistence
• Family connections and breaking the stigma around mental health
• Hope, resilience, and making peace with ongoing challenges

Resources Mentioned:

• Lisa’s daughter, Tamara Green, is a holistic nutritionist and author. Her latest book, "Good Food, Good Mood" is recommended and linked in the show notes.

Takeaway Message: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, remember: you are not alone, and there is no shame in seeking help. Advocacy, support, and hope can make all the difference. As Lisa and Bobby remind us, sometimes the hardest journeys bring the greatest growth—and sharing our stories can help others find their own path to healing.

Subscribe & Share: If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and share it with others who might benefit. Together, we can break the silence and support each other in our mental health journeys.

Thank you for listening to "What's in Your Toolbox."

Links

Good Food, Good Mood

https://www.goodfoodgoodmood.ca/

Subscribe to What's in your Toolbox? http://nomagicbullet.org/

24/7 Crisis Support 1-888-893-8333

Transcript

0:02

Welcome to No Magic Bullet podcast series. You're listening to What's in Your Toolbox monthly podcast on mental health. I am your host, Bobby Kay, a comedian mental health advocate and executive producer of the documentary. No magic bullet. What's in your toolbox is an honest discussion on mental health. I am 70. Oh. years young, suffer from Tourette syndrome and love doing these podcasts. That always reminds me to practice what I preach.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 0:40

Hello everybody. Welcome

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 0:42

Welcome

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 0:43

11, season four of What's In Your Toolbox, part of No Magic Bullet. The title of this episode is From Out of Nowhere, and you're gonna find out why we call it that. This follows the last episode, which was A Daughter Becomes a Mother, which is about her mother being. 85 and and coming down with some mental health challenges. My guest is the same age as me, so she's not 85, but we're not spring chickens either. And mental health basically ha

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 1:20

Basically

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 1:21

is not selective when it comes to people's age. We are family cousins, actually cousins on both sides of my p turn, my maternal and paternal grandparents. So. We'll talk a little bit about that, and mental health has created a special bond, a new bond between my guest and myself. As we found out that aside from sharing a relative. We share mental health, so it does have a few benefits, mental health, but not very many. This is my guest first podcast, so please welcome Lisa Green.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:13

Hi, Bobby.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 2:13

I am so good and I'm so happy

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:17

I'm

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 2:17

can see you, but they can't see you because it is

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:20

it's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 2:21

just audio.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:24

so,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 2:25

Aside from the fact that we're relatives,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:28

relative,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 2:28

do we know each other?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 2:30

each other? So really that. Is what brings us together is relatives. As you said, were related on both sides, and one side is my husband and one side. Is me. So on my side, my mom, late mom and your late mom are first cousins. that's what brings us together, the Epstein side of the family. And that's how we know each other. And you know, I, I've seen you at different events and you know, I friendly with your sister, so I hear what's going on and you hear what's going on a little bit with me and. And the other side of the coin is that my husband grandfather and your late grandmother are first cousins. So it's not all on my side. It's on my side and his side. And that's where we come to be

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 3:31

And I am not quite sure, but

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 3:33

Sure. But

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 3:34

may might have told me that you

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 3:36

that

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 3:37

were not well and were experiencing some challenges and that's when we connected and all of a sudden a light bulb went off

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 3:44

the light

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 3:45

and we'd been like.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 3:46

and

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 3:47

Si me's twins ever since supporting each other, which is what this podcast is called,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 3:53

Right, exactly. You called me for something and I, I don't even, I guess that's what you called me for and we started to talk and we just kept talking and you were listening to my story and you said, I gotta get you on my podcast. And

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 4:10

So why do we call it from out of Nowhere?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 4:12

call it from out of nowhere? we call it from out of nowhere because that's exactly where it came from. Out of nowhere, I even remember experiencing any problems, issues, anxiety, that I had. Yes, everyone is anxious, but, I started to get. anxious and having more anxiety, and it probably started in the, in the end of August of, 2020. Two. I had my grandchildren up north for the weekend and one grandson was really having a hard time because his parents weren't there and he, I think he kind of felt abandoned and he was having anxiety and he was angry and I was getting anxious'cause I felt really bad for him he wasn't sleeping. And it, it, it. Bothered me a lot, but then his grandparents, his other grandparents took him and his brother to their cottage. So I thought, okay, this is great. And out of nowhere, I went out for dinner that night and I just felt sick there. I knew there was something not right, but I couldn't figure out what it was and I couldn't eat. I ordered the food, and the food came and I couldn't eat, and I. We went back to the cottage, it came ho when we came home and I threw up whatever I did eat, and I was like, what's going on with me? And it was time to go to bed and I was completely wide awake 24 7. And I remember walking around that cottage going from room to room to see if I could sleep in another room. And then I finally turned the TV on and I think I watched Hallmark movies. All night. So that was a start of not sleeping, and then I figured once I go home and I'm in my own bed, I will start sleeping. But that didn't happen. So this went on for a couple of days, and finally I called my doctor and I said, I don't know what's going on, but I'm anxious. I have severe. In insomnia and I'm not sleeping. And she said, okay, I'm gonna put you on an anti-anxiety medication.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 6:40

course.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 6:40

And I thought, great. This is a short fix, which I was looking for and it's gonna help me. it didn't help and I just kept getting worse and I. I just kept not sleeping, like sleep was not a thing, but actually I shouldn't say that. would fall asleep, for around 11 o'clock and I tried to stay up later and later thinking if I stayed up later, would sleep for X amount of hours, but for some reason, I went to bed at 11 two o'clock on the dot or one 30 I was up. Wide awake with such anxiety. I had pain in my arm, pain in my leg, and I couldn't stay in my room. I had to just get out of there. I was so anxious. I just had to get out and go downstairs, and I went downstairs, turned the TV on, lie down on the couch thinking I would fall asleep, but of course I couldn't. And then I start, as I call it, bouncing off the walls Two o'clock or two 30 onward until early morning. What I don't understand with me was that I somehow, I was able to function. How I was able to function. I don't know. I did the things I had to do, but, and that just kept me going, but. I knew something was not right. So I found my doctor again and she said, okay, let's try another med, another medication, and a sleeping pill. Well, needless to say, that didn't work on me, and I know you have to try different medication before it works, and I guess that's what it was. Maybe I didn't give a time, I don't know, but it wasn't. on me. I started to struggle and look for more help, and my kids didn't know what to do with me, who I thought would be able to help me, because he worked on the 4 0 8 and suicide line, and he would get these kind of phone calls. So we used to role play he would ask me questions and whatever to see if he could help me. he was useless. And I think he was getting more frustrated, with me and I, I could see that. So that was making me more anxious. And my kids, I would call them and I would try and talk to them, but you know what? My kids are busy. They have young families, they have jobs. They, they tried to help, but they didn't, they just didn't know what to do with me.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 9:29

So what then? So the reason that I called you is'cause I know I, let's just fast forward it because everybody, they're all drug pushers. That's what the psychiatrist, that's what the doctors do. Yes. It does take time to get up and it takes time to get off. And

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 9:43

to get

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 9:44

been through all of that. But then you end up where,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 9:47

where in the

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 9:48

oh my god.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 9:50

So, but before I ended up in the hospital, A couple. We had planned a trip to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland I actually had spoken to a professional and she said it would probably be the best thing for me to go back to my roots. And maybe there was something there was, that I had suppressed deep down knowing that I was going. Going back, but maybe it was gonna surf. That's probably what surfaced. I don't know. It's like your cup was full to the, with your milk and it starts to pour over. And I guess that's what was going on with me. So we went to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and unfortunately we ran into really bad weather and Nova Scotia had a hurricane The hotel we were in, we had no power and we were going to synagogue for the high holidays and it had no power and it was freezing there and I was just getting more anxious. And I begged Barry, let's not go to Newfoundland, but he was on a roll because he's a, he's a camera guy and all he wanted to do was to go to Newfoundland and take pictures. So. Of course I went because I didn't wanna leave him alone and I should have just got on a plane and came back to Toronto. he kind of forgot about me. In Newfoundland ex, the only thing he was interested in was his camera. And luckily it was time to go, although I must say I did have a little bit of peace while we were in Newfoundland just to see the scenery when it was a nice day. Anyway, I came back and I was struggling again, and I was, again, I was looking for a quick fix. So my doctor put me on another medication and then I started to work with a social worker, psychologist who. Was useless. And I kept saying to my kids and, and Barry, it's not working. It's not working. And they said, just give it time. Well, you know, your body and you know, time wasn't, it wasn't working. It was a waste of time and it was a waste of a lot of money. So. Anyway, I was getting more and more depressed. I asked my doctor to find me because I kept hearing that if you find a psychiatrist, at least they could help you and put you, maybe, maybe put you on their medication. My doctor wasn't able to help me. She said since COVID, it's really hard to find one and the. Psychiatrist, psychiatrists aren't taking patients, but I asked everyone. I was out there looking for help from anyone who would give it to me. I did find a psychiatrist who was a total mistake and. I, I can't even understand how he can practice medication. I, I had an initial assessment with him and then he said, I'll, I'll refer you to your doctor for everything else. And unfortunately, it was Christmas time and my doctor was away and I needed medication. So I called him and he kept ignoring me. And finally I sent him an email and he. Called me back and said, I told you not to call me. I said, I wouldn't dare call you except I need some medication. I don't know other than you who to get it from anyway. He goes, I'll do it this time, but I don't do it again. And don't call me unless it's absolutely necessary. This is a psychiatrist. So anyway, I, I it and so for the month of January I was still up and down. I was like a roller coaster and finally I had had it. I couldn't

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 13:43

Okay, so before, because there's been so much here, how long is it first thing, this story is very common.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 13:49

story, very common. Mm-hmm.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 13:51

fact that there is no magic bullet. That's what this is all about. You can't find the right medication or the right person, and no therapist is better than a bad therapist, which is another point. But how long between the time that you couldn't eat? And that's

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:07

you couldn't

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:08

I'm related to you. So when we can't eat, then we definitely know there's something wrong with us.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:13

something. I know I could, I couldn't eat, I was losing weight. I was like unbelievable skinny. Like didn't recognize myself how

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:21

So how long between the time that you couldn't your grandson

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:24

couldn't, your

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:25

or grandchild, and now it's January, how long is that time?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:29

How long is that time? So that started in, in August, and I ended up in the hospital in February,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:37

My God. So there you go. August, September, October, November, December. Ja, that's seven months.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:42

January,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:43

I also have an expression which says sometimes when things are going well,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:49

things are going well,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:50

hours turn into minutes.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:52

turn

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:53

But for those seven months,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:54

those

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 14:55

minutes, tune into hours. Like the days are long, right?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 14:58

long. Right. E Exactly. So I, I, I don't know. I was able to go out and go grocery shopping, do a few things. I really didn't wanna see my friends. I didn't want to go out for lunches. I didn't, I really didn't wanna go anywhere. I. The only thing, I did see my grandchildren sometime, but I had really. Probably no real interest in bonding with them because all I wanted to do was get better and find that like no magic bullet or no quick fix and get me well again and get back to being me. it, it didn't happen and I

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 15:34

No.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 15:34

struggling for help and I said to Barry, I gotta go to the hospital. I got nothing to lose. All they can do is send me home. I ended up going to the hospital and I was a wreck that day, like a total, total wreck. I think if I could, I probably would've jumped off a cliff the way I felt that day. So he took me to the hospital and I had never been like and this was a new hospital cord Delucci, and they have like a mental section and their emerge section The doctor that saw me I needed to be admitted. And so when I was able, I got a room on the mental health floor and I was a total wreck.'cause I was scared to death. I didn't know what was in for me and all. I kept thinking someone. In that mental health floor is gonna come in and choke me at night because these, this is what I was making up in my mind. These were the stories I was telling

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 16:41

So what did they do in the hospital and how long were you there for before you got out?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 16:46

so the first thing they assigned me to a psychiatrist and I just felt that as soon as I started to talk to him. I, I felt this bond and this kind of relief, and there was something that he, somebody was actually listening to me and to this day, I tell him every time I see him and I still see him, and I hope he never lets me go. He is my life saver and I really think he was. So, he put me on some medication and he said you've gotta sleep. You're probably like, I. sleeping for like six months, you're like a drunk driver. how he described me. So. And he would come in to see me every single day and we would have a talk and I would just talk about it. I don't understand. I was like the hap, kind of like the happy go lucky person, and all of a sudden out of nowhere this comes, but obviously it, it, like I said, it had to surface. So he would come and see me every day and he would either up my medicine or down my medicine. But the most important thing. he felt is that I needed to sleep he, he was not letting me out of there or do anything unless I slept about six or seven hours a night. I'm not gonna say hospital was a real I don't know what the word to think of, but I mean, I had some mean nurses there,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:22

Right.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:23

whatever,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:24

Well, you didn't have all, you didn't have all this noise going on around you and you could focus on sleeping. Now listen, I'm gonna tell you,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:31

I'm gonna

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:32

this mental health stuff is so crazy.'cause my problem is, is all I did was sleep.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:37

I did was sleep.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:39

I couldn't get outta bed for seven years. You know, I had to use Mel Robbins with the theory of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. So here we are.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:46

here

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:46

We both got challenges.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:48

the

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:48

can't sleep.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:50

can't

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:50

I can only sleep.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:51

can

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 18:52

Now. Listen, I wanna get to the part first thing. So how long were you in the hospital? And then when you get out, are you fixed?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 18:59

are you fixed? So I was in the hospital for three weeks. And you know what I, I, I somehow felt a comfort zone. I don't know if it was my psychiatrist or I just felt. Yeah, maybe they're fixing me here. But I didn't believe in the in, in the magic bullet anymore because I realized there's no quick fix. We had to go through a whole thing to make sure my medication was working and I was sleeping, and he wouldn't let me leave the hospital unless I slept at least six hours a night. And every day he would come in and he would clock me to see how many hours I did sleep. So it was time to leave, and when I was leaving but before that, I, the hospital, they had all these programs and I was willing to do kind of program that I thought would help me. So and they did help me and I was, you know, with other people in some group there. Therapy there, whatever. Left, I was very nervous about going home because I didn't know what was ahead of me. I was scared that this would happen as soon as I went home again.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:20

did it.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 20:21

I just had that.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:22

So there you go.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 20:23

no, not

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:24

So that's, that's

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 20:24

So

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:25

our listeners.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 20:27

yeah, and I honestly, I'm telling you. put me on the right medication, got right from the beginning and he said to my daughter, if she had been put on this medication right

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:39

Right.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 20:41

she probably would never have gone through this. But doctor and my and my GP said, what do I know? You know, she's, they're not, they're not equipped to deal with mental health. So I went home, but

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 20:55

Mm-hmm.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 21:13

for five weeks I started the following week. went to the hospital every day from 10 to two, and every week we did a different topic like cognitive behavior, therapies, self-esteem, anxiety management planning your journey, depression, maintaining wellness, and we, we had social workers there. If we felt during those five weeks, we needed to speak to someone. We, there was someone there to talk to us, and I have to say it was group therapy and I really think that that, for me, the group therapy helped because what some people had, I never experienced, and I hope I never experienced this again, but some of it related to me and it helped me.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:00

Well listen, you know something Lisa, the point is, is that you can look at it as a negative, took seven months before you found the magic potion, or it only took seven months, and then you found the magic potion

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:12

found the

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:12

because.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:13

right? So there's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:14

there's a positive and you are doing fantastic, but I want to take advantage of our

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:20

of

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:21

connectivity as relatives to talk about something else so that our readers can listen to something, you know? And I know that our family is

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:29

our family

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:30

fraught with mental health,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:32

with medical health.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:33

both on my, our side, the Epstein side, and both on the green side. I've been lucky enough to inherit my Tourettes from my Bubba Green.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:42

my

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 22:43

She twitch her brains out. All her kids were doctors and nurses, and they just thought she was nervous and they thought I was nervous. And you had some mental health in your family, right?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 22:56

Right, exactly. I have it more on the Simon side and, and yeah, the Epstein, the Allen side, but I'm more aware of from the Simon

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:08

So let's look at the glass half full. You survived. When did this all happen to you? How old were you? Like 65.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:19

So three years ago, so it was like 67.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:23

67 years without

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:25

years

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:25

terrible,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:27

terrible

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:27

inherited genetic

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:29

genetic

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:30

health silent illness,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:32

illness,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:32

then it hits you.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:33

and then it hit you. Exactly.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:35

hit me when I was 22.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:37

it. When I was 20.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:38

So,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:39

And did, how did, did yours come out of nowhere or it was, you felt that there was something leading up to

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:45

I didn't,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 23:45

I.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 23:46

everybody just kept telling me I was nervous. And then I got, I was working at Ed Edmonton and I got encephalitis, which was the swelling of the brain from Rocky Mountain Fever, and before they did the spinal tap on me, they put a psychiatrist on me and he said, so, you know what's

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 24:02

so.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 24:02

bad? Like, what bothers you? I said, I Twitch. He says, oh, really? That's when they diagnosed me. So I didn't have a clue this was going on

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 24:11

going

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 24:12

I got into the proper environment. You got into the proper environment, and I think that's a message that we wanna tell everybody. You know, you gotta get yourself into the proper environment with the proper therapist, the proper psychiatrist. Proper environment. But the one thing that you did say and you didn't is that you went through a bunch of other stuff, including CBT Group Therapy, the five step program. You've done lots and lots of work, so.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 24:43

And then I did more because I saw an ad in our local paper from Canadian Mental Health. They were offering courses, so of course I called and they said, yeah, they were teaching courses and. Wanted me to come in for an interview and I talked to them and then they said, yeah, you're, you qualify for the courses. So again, I took courses. I took CBT again, I took shame. I took Dialectic. Dialectical, right? DDBT. Like there was exercise and movement and wellness again and maintaining your health. And so I never let it go. I just kept looking for more to, to be able to understand mental health

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 25:34

you.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 25:35

and also it was group therapy and listening to their stories, help, like we helped each other in

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 25:41

Well, I ended up with group therapy. I didn't know about it. I started at the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario.'cause they had a program called Laughing Like Crazy. And I thought it was just gonna show me how to be a comedian. But really it was group therapy. You have to check in,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 25:55

You have

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 25:55

you have to check out, and you find out where you are in the continuum with all the other people in the group. So in your group therapy, where were you in the continuum

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:04

you in

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 26:05

from a functionality point of view?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:07

functionality? I was good. I used to volunteer a lot of. Other people just sat there and said nothing. But I was comfortable in those groups, and maybe it was because I did the stepping stone program before that. I, I, I just wanted more and I would ask questions and, and sometime I got the answer I wanted, and sometime I

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 26:34

when I was in group therapy,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:36

Well,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 26:36

what made me feel really good is I was probably the most functional, at least in the top. If there was 10 people in the group therapy, I was at the top two and I looked around and I said, oh my God, I'm not alone out there. There's not,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:49

alone.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 26:49

one that's got these challenges,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:51

that's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 26:52

and so being in group therapy helped me, you.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 26:54

good therapy helped me. You, yeah. I, I really like group therapy. I thought it was, it was best. I would only really do group therapy now. If I could, if I can, and I like you, I was very functional and I got an sometime answers about myself that somebody else said that. I went, wow, that's me, that I did this, or that's where it

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 27:21

Well, you know what? Look,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 27:22

So.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 27:22

I'm gonna tell you. A lot of people say, boy Bob, boy Lisa, you guys are lucky.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 27:28

guys,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 27:28

at, you're one of the lucky ones that have got yourself to the point that you can do these podcasts, that you can talk to others, but you know what they say. I don't know who says it, but the harder you work, the lucky you get,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 27:41

luck

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 27:41

and just from listening to you for the last 27 minutes, you've worked hard girl.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 27:47

worked hard girl. Definitely, and I honestly, I, I really owe a lot of it to my psychiatrist and I tell him, as I said before. You are my lifesaver. And I gave him a bag of lifesavers one day and I said to him, this is what I think of you. And, and, and every appointment I see him, I, before I leave and I say the same thing, you are my

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 28:12

Well, that's me too. You know, I have a psychiatrist and I see him all the ti. I talk to him all the time, and a lot of the times we don't have anything to say, but most of the, so when I need him, he's there. So you and I

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 28:26

That's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 28:26

lucky because we're related. We're both from the Maritimes and we both can talk about. Mental health, which is what this is all about, that hopefully if we can help one person and they res and it resonates with them, they'll understand that it can come from out of nowhere.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 28:46

Exactly. And there's no shame. That's the thing, to try and hide it. There's no shame. It's a sickness, just like a, a physical sickness. But it's a mental sickness. And I, you know what I talk about my, my mental health with people. I'm not

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 29:05

Well, obviously you do because you're fantastic and I think the messages have been great. Now, we're almost gonna run outta time, but I want

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 29:12

but.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 29:13

you to capsulate, summarize. What advice would you have for others if they all of a sudden, in their sixties, can't sleep or feel bad?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 29:26

So my thing is obviously. F start with your family doctor, and if you're on a medication and you've been on it for a while, maybe it's time to change. You have to lean on your family and your friends, and you also have to be an advocate for yourself. I strongly believe that now because it's very hard to find a doctor. Or a specialist. And you know what? You also have to move your body. You have to exercise. And, the other thing is if you're not getting help and you feel that you're getting worse, go to the er. Maybe you might like me. Be lucky and find the right help there and they have some empathy and either admit you or put you on a medication and say, we wanna see you after X amount of time and don't give up. Don't give up. Just keep pushing yourself though with though it's hard the right help can change everything.

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 30:32

to me. Time is up, but I wanna tell you that whatever you've done is fantastic and your message to everybody is, is great. I think it's about being kind to yourself,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 30:48

Exactly. That's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 30:49

sounds to me like what you've done is make. Your mental health challenge is your friend. Don't try to so hard to get rid of them,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 30:59

get

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 30:59

but just accept because we gotta live with them, right?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:03

Exactly. They're, they're, they're not, they're not going away. They're there and being made me, my medication is what's the one that's helping me, but I'm always aware I, I, I have it and there's

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:16

Well, you know what we should do at the next family function?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:18

family

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:19

We should let everybody know that we both suffer tremendously so we can get to the front of the line and get the food while it's hot. So, Lisa Green cousin, friend, companion

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:32

Bobby. Friend,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:33

this journey, thank you so much for taking your time out

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:38

your

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:38

to be on. What's an

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:41

you. I just

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:42

go.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 31:43

I feel like me again, a better me and a more aware of what's going on and more aware of the help and knowing that I. Can get the help I

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 31:56

Well, there you go. So this is Bobby Coven and

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:00

Colvin and

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:01

saying thank

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:01

Green

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:02

you so much for listening to this episode of What's in Your Toolbox.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:06

in

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:06

Holy moly. That was unbelievable. I didn't even know what to expect.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:13

I, you know what I was gonna

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:14

Well,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:15

I was gonna say to you, you know, I've never done a podcast before. You've taken me out of my comfort zone, and you

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:22

well you did fantastic. I think if you look at the dictionary under what you should do, if you can't sleep instead of seven months, go on what's in your toolbox podcast.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:33

What?

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:34

So listen at, at the end of these, I always like to read something that I've read in the newspaper, and this was in the newspaper

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:41

this was in the

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:42

today. And it says, the arts can help

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:45

the

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:45

cure our mental health woes,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:47

health

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 32:48

you know, through no magic bullet. We offer educational seminars on nature based. Therapies, but there's this new, relatively new concept, and it's now known as social prescribing.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 32:59

prescribed

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 33:00

embraced in the United Kingdom and is gradually catching oat.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 33:03

gradually

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 33:04

On in North America, the innovative approach allows doctors and medical professionals to prescribe participation in social, cultural, or nature activities as an alternative or compliment to pharmaceutical, drugs and other therapeutic interventions. Rather than asking patients, what's the matter with you? Medical professionals might inquire. The ch the chance to develop skills, a sense of self-worth and deeper ties. So everybody, in conclusion, aren't we lucky that Lisa decided that she wanted to do this podcast because this is an honest discussion on mental health. My first guest that had insomnia. Most people just can't get outta bed. And she is an advocate for herself and for anybody that's listening. And as you know in the show notes, you can pass this podcast onto other people. Now, one of the things you sh should know is that Lisa's daughter, Tamara Green, is a natural, holistic, natural path, and. Holistic nutritionist. Sorry. Gotta gotta get it. And she's written a couple of books, but her latest book was called What?

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 34:23

Good food,

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 34:24

And we're gonna put a link to it in the show notes so that you guys can read it.'cause I've, I've looked at it and it Fantastic. I'd love to get her on the podcast, but she's so busy promoting a book,

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 34:35

promoting a

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 34:36

her family, promoting her life that I'm not sure that's gonna happen, but. Thank you, Lisa, for your willingness to share and if we can help just one people. The bottom line here is hope Lisa provides everybody with hope. So our next

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 34:54

that's all we can have is, is

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 34:56

well, you do have hope. I think you just changed your name to Lisa Hope Green. So our next episode.

lisa-green_5_11-17-2025_111601 35:03

next

bobby_5_11-17-2025_111553 35:04

The last one of seasons four. We have a guest that's called Still Life Retreat and stick around for next month.'cause you're gonna love to hear what she has to say. So F everybody, thank you so much for listening to this episode of What's in Your Toolbox.

35:33

Thank you for listening to No Magic Bullet. What's in your toolbox? I am not a doctor, but have lived experience in dealing with. The many challenges of mental health. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and share with others who will benefit from learning about tools they can use to deal with their own mental health challenges. If we can help just one person, all this effort to bring this podcast to you is worth it.