Thriving Minds: Navigating Mental Health and Autoimmune Diseases with Ms. Deborah Sawaf

In this episode, Dr. Diana Girnita is joined by a special guest, Ms. Deborah Sawaf, a renowned fashion designer and founder of  'The Power of Words' movement.

Key Topics Covered

1. The Psychological Impact of Autoimmune Disease: Explore how autoimmune diseases affect mental health, causing stress, anxiety, and depression.

2. Empowerment Through Fashion: Learn how Deborah Sawaf uses fashion as a powerful vehicle to empower people to express their emotions and beliefs.

3. The 'Power of Words' Movement: Discover how words can change mental states, the science behind it, and practical daily tools to harness this power.

4. Emotional Expression and Healing: Understand the importance of empathy, compassion, and resilience in dealing with autoimmune diseases and how expressing emotions can aid in healing.

5. Practical Techniques for Better Mental Health: Insights into using gratitude journals and other techniques to rewire the brain for positivity.

6. Role of Healthcare Professionals: Medical practitioners are essential in understanding and communicating better with patients to aid their recovery.

Find more information about Ms Deborah Sawaf and the movement https://thepowerofwords.com/

Transcript

Welcome back to Thriving with Arthritis. This is another episode. And today we're going to talk about the toll that autoimmune diseases will take on your mind. Many patients that are newly diagnosed with autoimmune diseases or they struggle with autoimmune diseases, they will report that they have a lot of stress and that will impact their mood from anxiety to depression to disturbances of their sleep and that will change also the relationships that they have with people around them.

Today I have the pleasure to have a very special guest and also very dear to me, Miss Deborah Sawaf she is a Bombay born Italian and L. A. fashion designer. She is a lady that through her fashion world, she was able to empower other females and other people to take the responsibility and express their emotions with words. 

She is actually the founder of an impressive movement, which is called the Power of Words.  Deb, I'm very happy to welcome you here.  Thank you so much, Diana. I'm honored to be talking to you. And the work you're doing is so incredible, so needed, so impactful,  because so many people suffer with autoimmune diseases.

quietly. It's hard for them to explain. It's hard for them to connect with people because it's very hard for normal people that aren't suffering with it to understand what they're going through. But more importantly, how do you support them? So thank you for speaking out because when you talk about it, the, the rest of the world that doesn't understand what someone with autoimmune diseases is going through.

Understands how to help them, how to support them. So I appreciate you and thank you for having me on.  How come that from a successful entrepreneur and also the CEO of your own label,  Taleb Blank, and how come you that work with designers like John Galliano, like Valentino, Robert Cavalli, names that we just see on publications, you came down to us?

And you started to work on such an important mission, the power of words. Tell us your story.  To begin with, thank you for saying that, but I've always been on earth because I've always been in the factories. I've never been on the stage with the major brands. I'm already, I've always been behind the scenes.

We're creative research and development in for new techniques and fashion. Fashion is, as a very powerful vehicle.  Everybody understands fashion. If I'm talking to a little kid, that's homeless, or I'm talking to the CEO of a company, everybody is interested. It makes people happy.

Fashion has a way to just lift your mood, but it's also your experience. Expression, it says who you are. When you wear something, you are putting out a message there. And sometimes it's very subtle and sometimes it's really loud like this. It's a lot of, but you're putting out a message, you're expressing yourself.

I'd been in fashion for so many years, for over two decades, and when I was asked in 2022 to be the fashion event at the NBA All Star weekend and give back to mental health. I realized at that moment in time, my life had come full circle. First, the issue of mental wellbeing is a very personal topic to me.

It's been a very personal topic in my life. I found that if I'm able to use this vehicle of fashion for change, this is what I was going to do. And I made a commitment and mental health is not a moment. It's not a moment or a trend for something. This is a movement that we need to do. What we're doing is not.

Going to go away. It's always going to be there. And as as we talked earlier on autoimmune diseases, cancer Anything that you can talk about? Handicap. All of these Ailments and illnesses come with a mental health condition come with depression come with anxiety Come with stress, but not just people that have an ailment.

It's people that are normal, that don't have an illness, that have issues. I made it my mission now to be able to speak out through fashion, but also create a movement that's tangible. Can you tell us why you believe in the power of words to impact the mental health? Recently read a book, Lisa Barrett, it's called seven and a half lessons about the brain.

It's how the words you say can physically change a person's mental state of mind. That's because the part of the brain that. That controls language actually controls major organs of the body and, thinking about that. If you think about you, you can say something to someone and they walk away from you.

You never know how they've taken it because some people respond right away. There's a reaction. And sometimes people just walk away, but you don't know how they are processing. what you've said. So it's so important. The words you say, the words you come out, you can pick somebody up or you can crush them.

And it affects your entire nervous system. It for some people more than others. If you're someone who reacts right away and you can talk back, it's great. But there are lots of people that  You know, don't know how to process something that's said to them. But having said that on the other side, because of this, the generation gap, think about California, we're a melting pot of cultures.

Everybody brings a different perspective to our environment. Everyone brings their own emotions, their own thoughts, their own perspectives. So it could be whether someone's coming from a different culture or someone's coming from a different generation. When they say it's. something to you. It's about how you receive it.

You might not really understand what they mean. They may mean well, but you can take it and understand it completely differently and not respond. And it could affect you. But what I'm trying to say there is we have to understand that when you're in a melting pot of cultures, you have to be able to stop and think and ask what someone means when they say something to you.

And I think the situation where certain words are said, it's different. So like you, you were trying to explain, there is a big connection between our language and our brain and our feelings. And many times we try to dissociate those things, but they have a great impact. And for my patients with autoimmune diseases, I do find out that they feel isolated.

They feel misunderstood many times because of their invisible nature of their autoimmune disease. Many of those people, you don't see how tired they are, you don't see in how much pain they are, but they do live with that and that will impact the way that they react in certain situations. Now, can you teach us with the words that you promote, how to use them to express emotions?

It's so true that you say someone with autoimmune diseases, they can be beautiful and all put together on the outside. What's going on in the inside doesn't really show. And then sometimes they are mistaken for someone who's a constant complainer, someone who's complaining all the time.

And unless there are people that understand. What they're going through clinically, they're never going to be able to be in their company and be tired of their attitude or, sometimes you lose your patients so easily. What I try to teach through the power of words is.  We brought all we took all of the emotions and then brought it down to seven really important emotions Starting with magic.

I always say magic is your vision is your higher power It's the ambition everything you want to be empathy in this situation is really important itself It's paying attention to the emotions of others walking in their shoes, speaking out a really important tool for people with autoimmune diseases.

Compassion is something else that we need to have. Let's walk alongside with them. Let's give them a helping hand. These are all the words we have. And then for the people with the disease, it's optimism. Looking at the bright side of life, maybe there is something more positive out there that we can go after.

We can do this, we can try different things. We can go and see Dr. Deanna, because I know, and I've heard from so many of your patients, I've seen them say how you've changed their lives. So you know, there you are optimistic, there may be something that can help them. And then resilience is just staying the course.

This is your path.  And I firmly believe we come into the world and this is our path. There is nothing that has that we've done or anyone else has done that has caused it. So let's be resilient. And then the last is warrior. We are all warriors. We either warriors accomplishing something, or we are warriors struggling with something.

something, but you are a it takes. Let's do this a and optimistic and just b because when you believe matter what the issues yo  you have or the pain that a magical, You're the only one of your kind in the world. Feel that, let yourselves be energized. I think that's what it does to something in your body, right?

When your brain just, puts out these emotions and these positive emotions, you think it, you live it, you manifest it, and you believe it. I like to say, take it one day at a time. Today, you may be in a lot of pain, but you want to be optimistic or you're going to be a warrior, but just reminding yourself, today I'm wearing warrior actually in magic, but just reminding yourself that you're going to get through this, you're going to be able to do this, or there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so choosing your words intentionally.

On a daily basis and focusing on it. Lisa Barrett says, what goes on in your brain connects with your nervous system. Your thoughts connect with your nervous system. So you can change just through being positive. You're an artist of words. I have to tell you that I couldn't put it in words. What you said.

I try with my patients to give them the perspective. I tell them about writing a gratitude journal to find those three things that they are grateful in their life every single day. And it does help because it's rewiring the brain. It's actually a lot of science that me as a physician, I was not aware because in the traditional medical system, we are not taught about that.

We are taught to go to the level of the cells, to the molecular level and treat with the targeted therapy. But we forget about the fact that in front of us, we have the most complex Anyway, we have a human being in front of us with feelings, emotions, like you said, generational trauma, people that are from multiple reasons, they can suffer not only from their emotional toll of an autoimmune disease, but there could be so many other things that could impact the way that they feel.

We doctors have to learn the language of talking to patients.  What do you think about this aspect of how doctors will talk to their patients. How will that impact the patient recovery or healing? It's so important. And I love that you say that yesterday I did a podcast with Dr. Tiana Woolridge.

She's an orthopedic doctor at UCLA. Just talking to her because I know her she's a friend. She's a brilliant young lady. And we talked about, it's not just for patients. Doctors need it as well. Because all you're doing, like she said, is you keep emptying your cup. You have your personal life, you have your professional life, and then you have patients that you always have to show up to. 

I love that you're asking me about how you can talk to your patients, but how even you, even for you and your team, how do you talk among yourselves? How do you express yourself? So once you start expressing yourself, you fill up your cup to be able to help your patients. I would love for you to have the tools, the power of words tools for your patients.

And I think that's one way. I'm happy to come and do a talk with your patients, but starting with your team, with the doctors, with the nurses, so that you can fill your cup before you go out and help others. What are the steps that a patient with an autoimmune disease should take to learn the power of words?

Because it's difficult when you begin to think about how can I use my words,  but there has to be somehow a path for them to start using words to express their emotions and to feel better. When we talk about mental health, we talk about depression, we talk about anxiety, we go see a therapist, we go see a psychologist or, a counselor if it's youth.

All of that is about us. We're healing ourselves. We're trying to talk about what we're going through. We have a discussion and we walk away from that, but we don't have the tools after that. So we're working with therapists and psychiatrists and some of who, to be able to let their patients walk away with the tools.

And the tools are simple. There's seven bands. We either present the power of words in a community. So we have a classroom or a team or a group of people that we come and present the Power of words. We talk about the emotions. We talk about picking an emotion for the day and especially for people with autoimmune diseases.

Every day is different.  Every day is not just emotionally different. The pain you feel physically, it actually controls what's going on in your brain at this point. So let's reverse that. Let's get your brain to control how your body's feeling. Let's give it a try. So we present the power of seven, we have the tools and we ask, patients or people to pick the emotion they're feeling right now and let's talk about it.

And when they pick the emotion, you talk about what are you feeling really? And we give you the tools we choose from one of those seven words. And say, okay, to be able to show up for people, be optimistic or show that you're a warrior or just believe your magic. And that is how, if you practice this on a daily basis, and we say, we do a 21 day survey when you've been practicing it every day, the results are pretty incredible.

You just, feel like a better person, but this also makes you as an individual more caring, thinking about others, a kind, it brings all of that to the surface because while you're expressing your emotions, you're also paying attention to people around you. You're paying attention to the emotions that they're expressing.

And sometimes you want to say to people, you know what? I'm wearing compassion today. Please. I need some compassion. Walk alongside me and you'll find that you get the support of people. It's beautiful practiced on your own, but it's powerful practiced in community.  Like everything else, the power of words, we have to practice practice to come out with the.

the feelings out. For many years, patients and normal people, I would say, we suppress our feelings in an effort to show up differently or to be perceived as powerful and without any flaws. And I do find out even for myself that it's very difficult  to express myself. I really don't know. What do I feel? In that moment, and that feeling of numbness, it's very hard to overcome.

Practice, as you said, might be the way to go. Trying to pick that emotion that you think is closest to your heart. Now, tell us more about your programs. How do you implement your movement, the power of words?  So when we have a community that's interested in the program, for example, it can be one on one, but if I'm working with corporate or I'm working with somebody in the medical field, for example, if it was you or a psychiatrist, I first work with the team, the faculty, it trickles down to the patient.

So if it's a school, we work with the faculty, we teach them what the program is about. And it's incredibly simple. The beautiful thing about it is you can be a CEO, etc. And you can go home and your seven year old can be expressing his emotion, but you know exactly what you're talking about because it relates to one another.

We do a talk, we train individuals. We have a team that will come out and train you and it rolls by itself. It's not something you have to do every day except for pick your emotion, choose what is the tool you need. What's a powerful tool you need to get through the day. Just go with it. And then in 21 days, we like to, check in and then do a survey about how many times did you express yourself and why, because through the learning process, you find that there are hundreds of ways to be able to express one emotion and use one tool.

So some days. People use resilient for different reasons, right? Because you're fighting something you want to get through this day. Some people use it for something as simple as I want to remind myself to work out personally. This is one I always use because it's reality for me. I worked out today, but on a day that I have to work out and I.

I have to drag myself to the gym or to go walk or to go soul cycle. I wear resilient. And if by the time I'm ready for bed,  I haven't gone to the gym yet. Then I get up and go walk or do jump rope or whatever it takes. That's my resilience. That is my reminder, my constant reminder, because I can see it. to get out and do something before I take it off at night.

And, someone else wears it because they want to control what they eat and how they eat. And every time they reach for food, they have a reminder on their wrist. I need to make the right choices and pick the right thing. We use it in really severe cases for substance abuse and addiction, where you're asking for help.

You're saying, I want to speak out, but I cannot speak out. So there are, you Hundreds of ways, but until we get into a community and discuss it, it takes about two hours to do the presentation and discuss it and talk to people and explain to them, get them to pick their emotions. The program just rolls by itself. 

Because you are a fashion designer and everyone could tell by your elegant look, what do you think about putting up the makeup and dressing up to make you feel better?  Yes, absolutely. Anything you can do. Wearing something beautiful can make you feel better. I don't feel good when my hair is not done.

I have to get my head and it makes me feel good. And when I'm having a really bad day, I'm overwhelmed and I'm struggling. You'll see. See my gray hair showing and I feel terrible, but I have to show up. But I would never normally show up to anything if, if my hair's not done well, that makes me feel good.

It's not just vanity, it's how you feel about yourself as well. It's how you present yourself to the world. I think it's really important. Thank you for making that comment. I even tell my daughters, 'cause I have two daughters about.  Putting something nice, making that appearance nicer for you first, because it's so important to make you feel better and put together before you step out of the house.

And especially for people that are suffering with autoimmune diseases that they say, I don't have power to fight through it. Just doing the smallest things that will bring you pleasure. is so much more important. It's going to feed your soul and it's going to feed your mind. And it's not about faking it.

It's about doing things that will bring you pleasure and respecting your body and respecting yourself.  I want to thank you very much. You are a wealth of resources. I want to congratulate you for taking such a hard mission of educating people and empowering people because that's the hardest thing that you could do.

Really digging deep into the mind of the people that need the support, but they don't know how to ask for the support. Absolutely. And the band bond initiative is a way to ask for support. For support. It's a way to say, I need compassion today. I need empathy today, by the way, I'm struggling and I'm being a warrior.

So someone can at least give you a thumbs up or a high five, or actually start a conversation with you because you're struggling with something. And, ask you because there are only seven words and seven colors and everybody universally understands that, but really more importantly, going back to your message about, putting on makeup or dressing up to feel good.

Just believe your magic. You are one and only of its kind in the world. In fashion, we say you're the haute couture of human being. There is nobody else like you. God took the time, or the higher power, took the time to create you. You have so much. So much value in this world that gives you the drive to believe you can do it.

It's just believe in yourself, no matter what you're going through. And, it started with someone saying to me, what are you? I was like, I don't know what I am, but I'm not basic. I don't believe any human being is basic. You just have to come out. So he said, okay, then if you're not basic, what are you?

I'm like, I'm a statement.  And that became a really funny thing for me to say, because my collection is actually called statements. I don't do anything. We live once don't do anything. That's basic. Anywhere you show up as a statement, make a statement. I'm here today. I'm gone tomorrow. I want to take that time to make a difference to somebody, to make somebody happy.

So make a statement in whatever you do. Life is beautiful.  And you are a beautiful soul, Debra. So I wanted to say thank you again. I say to my patients all the time, you have a disease, you are not the disease.  What you have taught us today, it's extremely valuable for my audience, which is majority of them are women, but also for men that are suffering with autoimmune diseases. 

Once again, thank you. It was a pleasure and I hope to have you again in my podcast.  I would love to thank you for having me really appreciate you all of the