Girl Gang Podcast

Episode 6: Frostbite & Feelings: When the Cold Hits Harder Than Life

• Girl Gang Podcast • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Seasonal depression has hit the Girl Gang and we know we aren't the only ones. In this episode, we share personal experiences with seasonal depression, anxiety, our relationship with medications, coping mechanisms we've learned, and the importance of community support. Listen now and let us know if you need to chat about something that's been weighing on you. Don't forget to text us feedback and episode suggestions!

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Rachael:

Hi everyone, welcome to Girl Gang Podcast. My name is Rachael,

Sarah:

I'm Sarah

Brandi:

Brandi, and we are your hosts for this episode.

Rachael:

So this week we are talking about seasonal depression and ways to cope with anxiety, because we're in winter and it sucks and it's cold.

Brandi:

We're missing that D, the vitamin D, of course.

Sarah:

Vitamin D, that serotonin for the brain is lacking

Rachael:

Yes, most definitely so. I think all three of us have been struggling quite a bit with the winter, so I wanted to take this time to talk about how we've been coping and our history over the years with seasonal depression and anxiety, because I think each of us have kind of gone through forms of that.

Sarah:

Especially being in the Midwest too. I mean, I know that it might be different in other areas of the world or the country too, but midwest is just known for the seasonal depression, like it just starts to get cold and it's like I don't know a different world.

Rachael:

Yeah you are not on a beach and you love being on a beach

Sarah:

the cold it's. Winter is coming, the cold just comes here and it's just, uh, unbearably cold and you don't want to do anything and you just don't feel like yourself at all.

Brandi:

So

Sarah:

I'm telling you, it is way colder here. It's a different type of cold. I shouldn't say it's colder down here, because it's really cold up in Chicago too, but it's a different type of cold. This is just. I don't know how to explain it. It's just different. Even the summer times are different here too. It's crazy. Just four or five hours away it has such a big difference. I know it's the lake effect up there too which contributes to that.

Rachael:

The lake does make a big difference, absolutely

Sarah:

It's so cold.

Sarah:

I am a lizard, I need to be. I was built to be in a warm climate.

Rachael:

Yeah, you're in the wrong state for that.

Sarah:

I really am I love the summers, but I, but I, can't take the winters here anymore.

Rachael:

I feel like I don't really suffer from depression all the time. I definitely think I'm more of a seasonal depression kind of person. But I've always been nervous about it because my mom has really bad depression, so I've always had a fear that that might run in the family. But I would say I think this really all came to a head a few years ago when I was in a new relationship. That caused a lot of anxiety for me. I was in a job that I was taking on a lot bigger clients and I had never really dealt with that situation before, so there was a lot of anxiety during that time in my life.

Sarah:

And you worked from home,

Rachael:

and I worked from home and it was the winter when this all kind of started.

Rachael:

So I feel like I was really struggling in all of those aspects. And I talked to my doctor. They prescribed me some anxiety medication and I got my prescription. I got on a plane to go to a work event and this guy was a little crazy on the plane and he started ranting about how anxiety medication is terrible and Zoloft is terrible for you and that's what I had been prescribed.

Rachael:

so he really

Brandi:

great timing

Rachael:

, yeah, so he really got into my head about the medication and how it might fuck me up. So I got off and called one of my family members and I said you know, am I gonna die from this? Like is something bad going to happen.

Rachael:

Like I'm just really worried to be on this medication. So I went through a journey of being on Zoloft and it did not work well for me. And then I moved to Celexa and it was better, but I just I did not react well. They made me more depressed or they kind of made me a zombie or sleepy.

Sarah:

Everyone's so different. I did not enjoy Zoloft either.

Rachael:

Okay,

Sarah:

I did not. I felt like you said a zombie, yeah, and just emotionless.

Sarah:

And robotic,

Brandi:

and I thrive on Zoloft.

Rachael:

Everyone's so different. Yeah, interesting. So you've been on Zoloft and have you ever switched?

Brandi:

No loft, and have you ever switched? No, I've just slightly increased and it's like, so like your body gets used to it and everything and it, you know, adapts, so you occasionally have to bump it up, so, um, but I've been on the same dosage now for over a year and I'm fine.

Sarah:

Have you noticed any differences during warmer times or warmer climates than you do in the winter seasons

Brandi:

as far as, like my anxiety levels?

Sarah:

Yeah, like this anxiety depression, or are you, or is it more straight across,

Brandi:

um,

Sarah:

because you don't mind the cold, right?

Brandi:

I love winter, yeah I personally, I'm like the exact opposite of you, don't get me wrong. I love when it's like sunny and 70 and like a light breeze, but the dead of summer in missouri, when it's like you step outside and you feel like you are in a muggy shower, yeah, I hate it. I hate the humidity.

Sarah:

so I'd rather that than this.

Brandi:

Absolutely not reason. Nope, I will take this weather all day, every day. Um, I would, I would move north, like I would love to move to Michigan.

Sarah:

Um, I'll visit you in the summertime. That's fine. It's beautiful in the summer too much snow.

Brandi:

So I don't honestly my anxiety like don't get me wrong. There's definitely days, especially when it you the sun doesn't seem to like come out from behind the clouds in the winter, that I'm just like I'm in a funk. All I want to do is nap and like snack,

Sarah:

especially when the sun's down at 4 pm.

Sarah:

Yeah, I mean, we get off of work and it's bedtime.

Brandi:

Yeah, luckily I have a window at my office so I kind of see some daylight. But I've had jobs where I have like I go in before the sun's up and I get home when the sun's down and like you don't see it for like months.

Brandi:

Uh, but I will say my anxiety is more around like what's kind of happening to me personally like it's usually like in the past, like if something's up with my relationship I'm in or if I'm really stressed at work even like financial stresses and stuff can kind of build up on my anxiety and sometimes, if I forget to take it for a day or two my soul off, then I can actually feel it kind of coming on. Oh yeah, uh, which I also have, a propanol, I think that's how you pronounce it. Um, because when I did get like those anxiety attacks, like it helps calm my heart rate and everything, so it's like an as Something with hydro something.

Rachael:

Yeah. So it's like a oh yeah, Like a Xanax or something, Not quite it's like, honestly just for, like, the heart rate.

Brandi:

Oh, okay, it's a heart medication. Okay, but I only take a really low dosage hibernation mode for me. Um, you know, like I said, you know I may take more naps or not get off the couch, um, as much you know, I'm definitely not outside like I would be when it's it's sunny and summer out but I also don't like the bugs, so sometimes I'm in the ac more too,

Sarah:

that is true, that is the one thing is.

Sarah:

I'm not the big.

Sarah:

I love being outdoors, but when we said before, when it's hot and sweaty and sticky and then there's bugs around like no, thank you

Brandi:

yeah no, um, so yeah, no, I definitely like a hibernation mode where I keep like all the really unhealthy snacks in the house, even though you should be eating healthier to help avoid the depression. But I kind of I keep some of that in there. Like I try to eat more fruit, I take a vitamin D supplement to kind of offset.

Rachael:

Oh, so do I,

Sarah:

there, you go,

Brandi:

but I usually only do that in the winter, like when I kind of feel it. But yeah, it's like the crappy snacks it's Netflix on. You know, I take a lot. I take a lot of naps. I take a lot of naps period. But I take even more naps in the winter.

Sarah:

See, I feel like my sleep gets worse in the winter because I'm not a big napper Like I wish I could be. There are so many times where I'm just so exhausted during the day, but like if I go to sleep, I'm going to sleep and then my sleep schedule is all messed up. I'll take a four-hour nap and I'll be donezo, and then I'll be up all night and we'll be able to sleep

Brandi:

oh no, no, I can take a four-hour nap and then sleep for another eight or nine hours.

Sarah:

I mean right, but then then I'll be, I'll be, and I won't want to get up or do anything, or I'll just be up all night.

Brandi:

Oh yeah, no, I can sleep. I can nap half the day and then still go and sleep normal. That might be a problem, but it's okay, that might be different.

Sarah:

I think, what the hardest part, for me too, is like, once the holidays pass, like especially in the Midwest like it doesn't always get super cold right away. So you kind of, and I love fall. I love sweatshirt like campfire, bonfire, weather.

Brandi:

Sweater weather,

Sarah:

oh I love those.

Sarah:

Love it. I was trying to think of barefoot blue jean nights. Like just love it, but you have the distraction of the holidays in between there, so like it's cold but you still have family to see or activities to do.

Brandi:

Yeah, you've got that felt up.

Sarah:

Right. Once it's New Year's it's kind of just like a dead silent cold when like there's not really anything going on, everyone's, like you said, in this hibernation, like hermit mode and there's just nothing. And for like two weeks, you know, the calm is nice and it's relaxing, it's like okay, let's like get back.

Brandi:

Yeah, you're almost like hungover from the holidays and all

Sarah:

the but then it's kind of like all right, so now we just sit and wait, and you know what's?

Brandi:

kind of funny.

Sarah:

Until the birds and the flowers come up.

Brandi:

Like stores and stuff their hardest two months are January and February because people aren't wanting to leave and going, oh yeah. And spending. Two months are January and February because people aren't wanting to leave and going and spending money, because they've spent all their money around the holidays and now they're like trying to recoup until, basically until tax return season comes

Sarah:

right

Brandi:

So you've got this like not only is the weather impacting your like emotional, mental health, but you've got like the the bad side of the holidays where people have maybe overspent or maybe they don't have like a nice strong family to be around, or you know there's stress from that. And then all of a sudden you know you're kind of dealing with that on top of not seeing the sunlight and all this stuff, of not seeing the sunlight and all this stuff. So it all just kind of builds up and you're just in this, like you said, perpetual fog, like an endless cycle of not being able to dig yourself out of it.

Sarah:

Yeah.

Rachael:

Do you think that taking that time for yourself to binge, to nap helps, or do you think other things would be more helpful to get you out of that funk?

Sarah:

I think it depends on the day, because I think both can be beneficial. But I know, like myself, I can get too comfortable in like that hermit mode. So, because it just is, I can constantly find those distractions around like my house and not like good ones, but re-watching every you know childhood Disney movie because they're my feel-good movies and I'm warm in my comfy clothes and my blanket and I don't want to see the outside world because it's cold enough.

Brandi:

Yeah, so are you like asking if I should be like washing my dishes and mopping my floors instead of watching TV? Absolutely.

Brandi:

I should be, but am I going to?

Brandi:

Probably not. Yeah, no, there's 100% Like for me. I could 100% have healthier habits during this time of year. You know I should probably be exercising more and eating a little more fruits and vegetables and you know, getting those vitamins and things like that, but at the same time, I think you make a good point, Kozy

Sarah:

those recharge

Brandi:

bed rotting is what you need.

Sarah:

Yes,

Brandi:

um, so I think more to your question, Rachael. I think there's a balance

Rachael:

yeah

Brandi:

and you just have to be mindful of when you might get into a funk where you're just doom scrolling on your phone and you're letting those chores and responsibilities build up, to then where you're overwhelmed by how much you have to do and then that just kind of keeps you from doing them, because I that happens to me all the time

Sarah:

yes

Rachael:

I feel like I listen to.

Rachael:

I didn't used to listen to my body, but I listen to my body more when it comes to that, because I am always an on-the-go kind of person. But I do need those days to relax. But there's a part of my body that gets anxious in sitting for too long or eating shitty food or drinking or things like that, and I think that it's just tuning in with your body a little bit more to say, okay, like it's time to do something else now and move on to the next activity. But I also think working from home I have had to teach myself that even if it's really cold, you still have to leave your house every day because

Sarah:

that was something that was so hard.

Sarah:

Working from home,

Rachael:

yeah

Sarah:

in the winter time

Brandi:

yes

Sarah:

like I could tolerate it, but once the winter came and this was, I guess, I was 2019 so winter right before COVID, is when we what? Yeah that. And then the early spring is when I worked from home. For that, you know, at least six months, but yeah, it was hard because I didn't want to leave my house anyways, but I was just stuck there. So what do you do while you're working at home? To, like help? Do you have like exercise routine or like something else that you do to help get your body moving or get out of the house while you're working?

Rachael:

So, even though it's really freaking cold, I still try to take a walk, even if it's one lap around my neighborhood.

Rachael:

That's 10 minutes a day, I bundle up because I'm just like.

Rachael:

I just need to stretch my legs. I need fresh air. So even if it's really fucking cold, I still try to take a walk every day, which is helpful.

Sarah:

I'll try and step outside at like 2 pm, 3 pm, when I know it's going to be like the warmest point of the day before the sun goes down, just to get a little bit of sunshine, like oh it's.

Sarah:

It's so cold, okay,

Rachael:

or those days that are super deceiving, that it's all sunny and it looks really pretty, and then you step outside it's really cold, and

Sarah:

those are the only days I like snow though those are the only days in my opinion it is acceptable to have really pretty white snow, beautiful sun, shining day. Those are the only days, I don't mind. The rest of them, no, let's have that on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Those really pretty, even though it never does.

Sarah:

That's, that's so. I hate that. That's a whole nother topic. Just a pretty snow, those nice days, and then it can all go away and then sunshine is warmth. That's it. In my opinion, yeah.

Brandi:

So I think so, while I have those days where I like don't get off the couch or like I take a lot of naps, I can only do that for like a day, maybe two, and then I get cabin fever, so bad. I don't go and work out, but I usually go like out to eat or shopping or something like I like make an excuse to leave the house, as long as the roads are decent. When we had that really bad snowstorm and I got over a foot of snow and I couldn't leave, like I was going insane because I wanted to go do something and I was stuck in the house. So so I can get that cabin fever.

Rachael:

Do you have a routine, like if there was a go-to routine, to get outside of your house and enjoy the day and feel better? What's that routine for you?

Brandi:

Retail therapy

Rachael:

Retail therapy. Okay, explain.

Rachael:

Tell us more.

Brandi:

Yeah, so my favorite store Barnes Noble obviously the bookworm over here. Favorite store Barnes and Noble obviously the bookworm over here. Now, granted, I do. Sometimes, you know, I I do try to support local bookshops too, like I'm not, um, but Barnes and Noble is the closest for me. Um, they've got their cafe in there. So I typically go to my Barnes and Noble and I go to the cafe. I get a coffee first thing, like I just beeline right over there.

Sarah:

That's a must for a bookshop day

Brandi:

and then I just lock the shelves and fill my cart because I, I always grab a basket. They really need shopping carts for people like me.

Rachael:

Yeah

Brandi:

because the or or those uh rolling baskets you know that Walgreens and stuff have. I'd really need one of those because the normal baskets get really heavy by the time when I do those days I'm dropping a hundred bucks on books easily. Do I read them all at once?

Brandi:

Absolutely not.

Brandi:

But I like I go through all the new releases, I go through young adult romance, fiction, nonfiction, like, oh yeah, I'm going through that whole store and I am just like it's my happy place.

Rachael:

Yeah, also, they have really great gifts, like those small little kiosks of like

Brandi:

oh yeah, oh yeah, I buy,

Brandi:

I buy a lot of non-book stuff too, there, yeah they have really cute stuff and their lego selection top notch, yes, top notch.

Rachael:

Love that that's a good routine. I really like that routine. I feel like so. I, a few years ago I learned about this company called the Adventure Challenge and the Adventure Challenge. They have solo adventures, they have couple, they have friends ones and it's basically a book of 50 adventures that you don't know what they are and it kind of gives you clues. It'll say

Brandi:

are those?

Brandi:

the scratch off ones.

Rachael:

Yeah, so it'll say.

Rachael:

It'll say you know how long it'll take, what supplies you'll need, and then you scratch off the adventure. And as soon as you scratch it off, you have to do it so

Brandi:

does it give you the duration beforehand?

Rachael:

it does, yeah, it'll say like it'll take one to three hours, yeah.

Rachael:

So it'll say like you're gonna have to go shopping for this or it'll be outside, or you'll have to get food for this it'll roughly cost you x amount of dollars

Sarah:

if it's something you can do in your home, or if you have to like yeah, go somewhere,

Rachael:

if you have to go out

Brandi:

okay,

Brandi:

I didn't realize it gave that much information ahead of time.

Sarah:

Yeah

Rachael:

so it does.

Rachael:

Yeah, it gives you like a set of icons so that you can know, yes, I would like to do this, and they have pages.

Rachael:

So they'll have pages that'll say good for a rainy day or like good for a sunny day out on the town. So you really could kind of pick how you're feeling. So I did start this a few years ago of trying to do one whenever I get into those funks and making sure that I get out of the house. So I just did one a few weeks ago and, um, my partner had to work that weekend so I dropped him off at the office and then I took my book and I scratched my scratch off and it said, um, you know, go to a bookstore and pick up a book and find a page in that book and write a poem or something like that. So I got to go to my local bookstore that I really like, I got to buy a book that I wanted and go to the coffee shop and get a coffee but other ones that I've done I mean, it's told me to make my favorite breakfast food and lay in bed and listen to music or news from like the 60s or 70s.

Rachael:

It's made me create forts.

Rachael:

Yeah, it's made me create forts out of all of my blankets and pillows,

Brandi:

and is this the solo edition?

Rachael:

This is the solo edition. Yeah, so I have done the solo edition, I've done the friends edition. The friends edition I've done. I have a couple, yeah, I have a couple's one but I haven't started it.

Brandi:

Don't they make like a travel one?

Rachael:

They do. You have um like bucket list ones that you can get.

Brandi:

Okay, that's what I think

Sarah:

you can scratch it off and it gives you a little square too, so you can take like I think it's meant to be for, like your polaroid camera or something so you take a photo of you doing it, but we always forget to take pictures myself when I have the solo one and for the couple's one.

Sarah:

So we end up just like, yeah, writing our little description and we'll at least take, like, the date of it. So if we did take a picture on our phone, we can just scroll back to that date, and whenever we actually remember to print photos, we'll do that eventually yeah

Brandi:

Yeah

Rachael:

I think that's been a good and also the solo adventure challenge is good for me because it allows me to be brave and go out into the world on my own, which I'm not opposed to doing. I just feel like I don't really get designated alone time just for me often, so the solo adventure challenge gives me that opportunity, which is really nice

Brandi:

welcome to my life

Rachael:

you're always doing the things

Rachael:

I envy that um

Brandi:

I'm always doing the solo thing

Rachael:

but I, I do a lot of retail therapy as well, like even if it's just going out and walking in a store, just kind of perusing, seeing what's out there, um,

Brandi:

even the grocery store for me

Rachael:

oh yeah, any place.

Rachael:

around the mall

Sarah:

See, yeah, no, I am still not leaving my house I don't even want to go. I don't want to go to the grocery store either. Oh, that's just a whole. That's in general.

Sarah:

I don't want to go to the grocery store

Rachael:

I hop from like store to store to store especially in the summertime. Yes, um, yes, I go to REI. If you know what REI is, it's like an outdoor equipment place, camping gear. It's an adventure, yeah, an adventure store, so they have camping gear and hiking gear and bikes and kayaks and everything like that. So I literally just walk around REI and probably spend too much money while I go there.

Brandi:

Yeah, that place has got a lot of expensive stuff.

Brandi:

So I could see you easily overspending there.

Rachael:

Yeah, it's like so it's my favorite.

Sarah:

Yeah, oh, it's so much fun, yeah, much fun.

Rachael:

What about you, Kozy? What do you do? I mean, you're not leaving your house. Is that what you're saying? Yes, you're not leaving, okay it.

Sarah:

I genuinely, to my core, get irritated in the cold like and I hate that about myself too like I, I'm telling you I am built for warm weather

Brandi:

is it just because you're uncomfortable and so, therefore,

Sarah:

I just hate being freezing and I don't know if it's, maybe I'm going through kind of like an anemic thing at the moment too, but I've always been that way like I've probably recently is probably why it's more irritating to me.

Sarah:

But no, even as a kid like I went out to go and build snowmen, but there was a specific reason I was going outside was to do something or like play or sled or something. I was never outside on like without a purpose, like that just to enjoy it.

Brandi:

So when we got, all that snow? Was your hubby the one that shoveled the driveway?

Sarah:

Oh, this was the first year we've been in our house five years we finally got a snow shovel.

Rachael:

Thanks for letting me borrow that by the way,

Sarah:

You're welcome.

Brandi:

That was like one of the first things I bought my first winter at home.

Sarah:

I'm like yeah we always thought about it, but then I guess we kind of got lucky the past five years too, with not getting like an abundance amount of snow for very long. They were like in spurts at snow and then melt. So we were kind of fine.

Sarah:

This last one the snow was here for, like I don't know, a week and a half, I guess, maybe until it really started to like melt away and I shoveled up to our front door, our little walkway, and then enough to get to our trash can on the driveway, and then that was really it.

Brandi:

And you did that.

Sarah:

Then with Brian's truck when he goes over it every day, he ends up just kind of like melting it away and making his little path. Yeah, so it ends up just kind of like melting it away and making his little path. Yeah, so it always turns out to be a little bit fine. But we have just one area that will be covered in snow. And since we have I have two cars at the moment because I got my grandpa's old car my other car was out on the street and we're unincorporated, so one part of the street gets plowed. So one street just sat there for like a straight two weeks just piled in with snow. Oh yeah, and that just sat there for like a straight two weeks, just piled in with snow.

Sarah:

Oh yeah, and that just stayed there.

Rachael:

I think it was four days before a plow came through our neighborhood.

Brandi:

What?

Rachael:

And I yeah, so

Sarah:

We're last

Rachael:

It was yeah, which is surprising for where you live.

Sarah:

We're right on the line.

Brandi:

Yeah, I'm not surprised for Kozy, but I'm shocked with you

Rachael:

No on the St. Louis side, on the other side of the bridge, it it's vastly different. I feel like, and so it snowed what saturday? Like a saturday and a sunday, and uh, it was a monday. I had to go to houston.

Rachael:

I walked to the top of my neighborhood because I live on a hill yeah, I walked to the top of the neighborhood and got in an uber and my uber got stuck and then I had to get in my uber's car and steer while he pushed his uber out.

Sarah:

Oh, my god.

Rachael:

So that was a scary experience.

Rachael:

And then the plow didn't even come until wednesday and then it snowed again and we were stuck again until like saturday

Brandi:

oh, I

Rachael:

also had to borrow a shovel from Kozy because we didn't have a shovel.

Brandi:

That still makes me laugh

Rachael:

so we didn't even get it. Also, I had to borrow a shovel from Kozy because we didn't have a shovel.

Rachael:

So we didn't even get it shoveled until like Wednesday or Thursday.

Sarah:

None of this would happen if we didn't live in a cold climate state. Okay, well, just saying I'm not kidding,

Rachael:

Move to Florida then

Brandi:

I like it

Brandi:

Too humid down there.

Sarah:

We wouldn't have that problem.

Rachael:

Okay, but if you stay inside, how do you get out of your funk?

Sarah:

Um

Sarah:

I end up reorganizing every room and closet in my house at some point in time.

Brandi:

Okay, you want to come stay?

Sarah:

with me for a little. No, because I I still haven't like completed it. There's, all my christmas stuff is taken down. Um, but we're working on now putting everything into their proper bins to now put to the storage unit. So we're transporting and we're getting ourselves into a rotation of storage things. So that's what I'm working on at the moment. Um, lots of Broadway show tunes on repeat in the background. Um, music is something that makes me think of not the cold weather times for you.

Sarah:

Yes, yeah, um, there's things I'd like to try that I haven't yet. I mean, working out is something I know that would help when it is when we do get our warmer days, like the other day. I went for like a two, three mile walk. Um, I will love doing that. I know I need to get outside of the house and walk um, but unless I am bundled up in my comfiest clothes, going straight into a already pre-warmed car being dropped off outside the front door of the gym, where I know for a fact it is warm and cozy inside, I don't want to go.

Brandi:

You are such a baby,

Sarah:

I know. I know

Brandi:

You're not alone, though.

Sarah:

I want to be cuddled up, and same thing for, like, even the fashion. I was thinking about this the other day Because I think lately I've been trying to mess around with my own like the clothes that I wear. I've never aesthetic my like clothing aesthetic. I've never been a fashionista kind of girl. I've always just like this is what Pinterest I think looks good on Pinterest. What do I have? My closet that like resembles that in some sort of way?

Brandi:

Yeah

Sarah:

but I'm noticing that I also still dress like I'm in 2012, 2014 sometimes. So, my charm, I almost put on a scarf the other day with the long necklace. You know we layered them.

Brandi:

No, I never did that.

Sarah:

Okay, so that was just me.

Sarah:

But I've just noticed that. So when I was working at the senior center I bought a whole bunch of fun dresses. So, anyways, I've been trying to like mess around with my, my fashion. But in the winter time I wear sweaters and I dress like Adam Sandler. I just I'm in sweatpants and sweatshirts and that is just the only thing that feels comfortable to me.

Sarah:

So being in my like comfort, just comfy clothing where everything's bundled up, just makes me feel happy

Rachael:

honestly, I think comfy clothes has been the downfall of me, especially working from home, because I used to wake up every day and put on jeans and a nice top and straighten my hair and do my makeup, and now I just put on sweatpants every day

Sarah:

so I notice that too.

Sarah:

I have days where I have to try

Rachael:

my mental health has decreased because of that.

Rachael:

So if you work from home, I would highly encourage you to still go through a morning routine, because it's really important that you put on normal pants.

Sarah:

Get yourself dressed and shoes.

Rachael:

Shoes make such a difference.

Sarah:

It makes a huge difference.

Rachael:

You are more productive when you have shoes on. These are scientific facts,

Sarah:

huge difference.

Sarah:

So I will say that is something that I do try to do is actually get up, get dressed, put a little bit of makeup on, put my shoes on and pretend like I'm getting ready to go outside the house. But I'm really not psych bitch, you're just cleaning your own house. So I try and check myself that way. Yoga is still something I try and do in the mornings, is still stretch. You know, I won't say it's every day, because I really only feel inclined to do it when the sun is like I can see the sun rising through the window, for whatever reason if I wake up, yes, if I wake up and it's gloomy, I'm like I'm not getting up.

Sarah:

But if I wake up and the sun is like rising I can see it from my window, because the sun rises right through that window, which I love, brian hates um, then I'll get up and I'll you know okay, let's do some yoga, let's, let's be that girly today for like an hour and then go back to bed.

Rachael:

I do feel like I am so much more so I really dislike leaving my house when it is cold, but for instance, yesterday it was really cold and raining and all I yeah, all I wanted to do was sit on my couch, but I do go to a dance class and that dance class really jazzes me up.

Rachael:

I went and I got so excited and then when I came home I did my Pilates board and then I rearranged my whole basement and then I did laundry and then I went back to work for a while and I just made like a whole four hours out of all these things and I feel like if you do get a workout in, it does boost your energy and it helps you kind of get other things done. So then tonight after this podcast, when we're done, I'm gonna sit my butt on the couch. You know it's all about balance.

Brandi:

You make a good point. I feel like when I leave the house for a little bit, it almost like resets me and I get back home and I'm like miss productive. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to get some laundry done, I'm going to clean this, I'm going to, but if I just sit at home and rot all day, it doesn't happen.

Sarah:

That's a perfect example. Even today, I went into work for like four hours just to cover, or three hours just to cover to close for another person, cover to close for another person and we bought a new shower head or shower head shower curtain the other day. That's been sitting next to the door for maybe three days and I had all morning to do it. When did I do it? As soon as I got home from work, between the the hour that I had. Yeah, when I got home from work before coming here is when I actually did it with my shoes on because I kept them on and didn't take them off.

Brandi:

Yes, yeah, that's probably the reason then, but yeah, I feel like doing something that like tricks your body into thinking like you've come and gone, and then you come home and you're like let's do this yes so that's huge for me.

Sarah:

Honestly, I feel like it might have been one of the books that you talked about. Maybe it was atomic habits, I can't remember. There was something that I had heard that this guy who was talking he tried to change his mindset when he got up in the morning. Not, oh, I have to get up and do this and then go to work and then go do workout and all the things you do for the day. He's like let me just get up and get into the uber, because the first thing he did in the morning was get up and go to the gym.

Sarah:

And he's like, oh, would, I would dread getting up and have to go to the gym, have to go to the gym. No, I'm not going to the gym, I'm just getting up and going to the uber, because as soon as you're in that uber, there's nothing stopping you. You're on your way to the gym and once you're there, you're there, you get that kick of motivation. But how? How? That little mindset change of - I don't want to get up to go to the gym. No, I'm just getting up to just get my Uber. That's all I got to do.

Rachael:

I think I need to take that approach, because I always say I want to wake up just one hour earlier.

Sarah:

Yeah,

Rachael:

to like maybe get if I did like my Pilates and like little workout in the morning to kind of get me jump started but then also have time to like make my coffee and eat my breakfast and take that hour for myself.

Brandi:

but they do say you're more productive if you throughout the day, if you do stuff like that in the morning

Rachael:

I read a book called the 5 am club.

Rachael:

I don't know if you read that book.

Brandi:

Nope because that sounds terrible.

Rachael:

It does sound terrible and I'm definitely not a 5 am kind of person. But his logic is good because he said, it's the 20 20 20 rule.

Rachael:

So you wake up at 5 AM and for 20 minutes you sweat, for 20 minutes you reflect and for 20 minutes you learn or something like that. So you're kind of hitting. You know you're getting workout in your being able to write or learn something or do something, um, and then you're kind of planning ahead for your day and I feel like that's a good way to jump start the day. But I would never do it at 5 am.

Sarah:

I try getting up that early.

Sarah:

I can't, but I love that concept, because I've been trying to do that and like, like he's at least getting up an hour early and having that time for myself before I actually have to start the day, because my whole I've always been a person who needs to wake up and my I will wake up at the very last second man me to get up, get my makeup on, through everything and walk out the door like I. That's just always been that go-go kind of person. But I've noticed that I appreciate more when I slow down and make my breakfast, make my first cup of coffee at home instead of stopping at the drive-thru, and so I'm not feeling as rushed in the morning and my days just start out better. But it does. It takes more of that self-discipline to wake up, yeah, a little bit earlier and take that time for myself.

Rachael:

I think it's the mental switch of like I'm not waking up to work out, I'm waking up to enjoy a cup of coffee

Sarah:

yeah,

Rachael:

or something like that

Sarah:

yeah

Brandi:

start, at least start with something that you enjoy and then, as you kind of develop your schedule and your body's used to like, waking up at that time then you can incorporate some of the not so fun things.

Rachael:

Yeah,

Sarah:

you know I see I see a lot of people like doing that on tiktok too, where it's like wake up for their like me time, their devotional, it's like I don't know, maybe I mostly see it for moms, but it could be anyone. They get up for that little time where they sit down, have their coffee before every like the whole house wakes up.

Brandi:

Yeah, yeah,

Rachael:

also, since you all recommended Finch to me. I'm on like day 56 or something like that as soon as you told me about it, I started doing it, and what I really like is they have these sections that are like reflections and breathing exercises.

Brandi:

Yes, some of your daily quests.

Rachael:

Yeah, and so I do feel like or depending. So every week it'll say like, what went well, what didn't go well, and a lot of times I say I didn't move or exercise as much as I wanted to. So now they're like well, why don't we add a suggestion for you? And then it kind of adds to my tasks and then I just feel more motivated to do the things, because then I'm like, oh, I get more points and then I get more furniture

Sarah:

It does help in the wintertime.

Sarah:

I've noticed too of just having those little things, because I know that I'm not leaving my house to do nearly as much as I would when it's warm outside, but it definitely has helped,

Rachael:

absolutely

Brandi:

yeah

Rachael:

So outside of it seems like we all kind of do something different. You know, we stay in, we do different things. Um, what about anxiety and how do we cope with our anxiety? I know that each of us have been on medication at one point or another.

Brandi:

Still am. Yeah, don't struggle.

Rachael:

I was on it. Like I said, I was on Zoloft and then I was on Celexa, and I agree with Brandi, I think it really does have to do with life circumstances. Honestly, I was in a relationship that made me very anxious. My job was giving me anxiety at the time. Honestly, I was having panic attacks. I couldn't really sleep much.

Rachael:

My sister gave me some like essential oils lavender to sniff before I would go to bed. I would wear like a lavender mask before going to bed. Um, but I stopped taking my anxiety medication a little over a year ago actually, because I was in a new relationship and I felt like I just felt like I didn't need it and I felt like it was kind of putting me into a funk and I was very tired all the time. But a cousin of mine had posted online saying that she is very anxious and like is even afraid to go to the grocery store and if there are tips and tricks for that, and I feel like I feel like I've done a good amount of things to kind of help with that, I feel like the essential oils help a lot. Um, honestly, when I was in therapy, uh, my, our therapist taught me how to do like butterfly hugs. Do you know about this?

Brandi:

no

Rachael:

so if you are, like anxious, you like cross your arms over your chest and you basically pat left right, left right, left right or, if you feel like that's too obnoxious,

Sarah:

like pat on your lap I basically do like a head, shoulders, knees and toes like you, or pat like your chakras

Rachael:

yeah,

Sarah:

to like help you, I don't know, feel more grounded in the moment and like remind yourself you are physically safe and physically here

Rachael:

so she was saying that you're.

Rachael:

If you, even if you put your hands on your lap and you tap right, left, right, left, right, left, it changes your brain functionality because your brain has to switch between the left brain and the right brain because it automatically calms you down?

Sarah:

no, so it's. It's basically emdr. I think that's the right pronunciation and I can't remember the doctor who, uh, discovered, studied, whatever the term might be came through with that. But yeah, it's the switching. It's like rewiring your brain. The way it was explained to me is like if you have different file cabinets and or like a computer desktop, different files, different things. It's just going to help reorganize those file folders. Some wire connections might be broken, some might be not prioritized or organized in the right way, but they're still there it's a physical like movement or sensation that you have, and I think it started again.

Sarah:

I could be butchering this, we'll have to go back and look it up. But she discovered this switching mentality while she's walking down a path and she's looking at trees and she's going left right with her eyes, because you can do it with your finger, like your eye movement, or it's a buzzing sensation or it's a tapping. I've done the EMDR therapy before, so I know just very little bit about it, but it's definitely hard for some and also very rewarding for others too.

Rachael:

Well, and I feel like when you're in that situation and you're about to have a panic attack, you really don't know how to stop it. You're in that situation and you're about to have a panic attack, you really don't know how to stop it. So if you feel like you are getting to that situation where you are going to have a panic attack, the tapping hands might be good, something that my sister also. I had a really bad panic attack in Target one time and I was with my sister and she was like look at me and she said tell me three things you can see right now. List three things that you can hear right now.

Brandi:

Yeah, I've heard that one

Rachael:

List, three things that you can smell right now.

Rachael:

And that was I was able to kind of calm down because of that.

Brandi:

Yeah, because it forces your brain to think of something other than what you're fixing on, Exactly yeah.

Sarah:

Because our brain, our minds, just play tricks on us. So it can take you so far to a whole different, what seems like a whole different world, and you just need to bring you down back to the 3d world and just yeah, grounded at the moment,

Rachael:

absolutely and then I was even talking to another friend about anxiety medication and he recommended um magnesium.

Brandi:

I've heard that.

Rachael:

So, and he recommended magnesium. I've heard that.

Sarah:

I have heard that.

Rachael:

And he was thinking about getting on anxiety medication. But he tried magnesium and it's even supposed to help with sleep. So he started by taking it in the day and he felt like it did make him sleepy. So now he takes it at night and he said that he didn't feel like he needed to go on the medication because it helped in more of a natural way. So I feel like there are a lot of options and you know whether you decide to go on medication or not.

Rachael:

Or yeah, work out, or

Brandi:

it's a personal preference for everything

Rachael:

you have to see what's best for you

Brandi:

yeah, it's in its trial and error 100

Sarah:

and it can also be temporary.

Sarah:

I mean, I was on anxiety medication and I am no longer. I was was on it for I don't know, maybe four or five years and was able, with therapy and other you know ways to just kind of work myself off of it and find other ways to cope with it.

Rachael:

Yeah, that's great,

Brandi:

but it's a good like in between while you're figuring those things out.

Sarah:

Most definitely Because you have to be able to feel that like sense, like silence or that calmness in your body before you can actually do it for yourself.

Brandi:

Yeah, figure out what works to get you to that point.

Brandi:

naturally, Absolutely yeah.

Rachael:

And when I went on it they gave me a Xanax, which was a fast acting, so if I was having a panic attack I could take it and it would calm me down a lot faster. And then there was like a daily so I had options,

Sarah:

whatever they gave me I don't know what it was hydro something.

Brandi:

Yeah, I'd say mine was strictly for my heart rate, because that was what would that would be, so I wouldn't necessarily have full-on panic attacks. I think they're slightly different from an anxiety attack. My anxiety attacks were my heart would elevate, my heart rate would elevate, but like my mind would just spin into like, yeah, all these like bad situations that could happen from it. But I wasn't like having trouble breathing or like some of those things that you get more from an actual panic attack. Same. I would just ruminate like shit, like I would just just go down these rabbit holes and like not be able to get myself out of it, and then the elevated heart rate would be what prolonged it, whereas if I can get that settled down and I can focus, yeah again

Rachael:

and I also feel like my anxiety led to more of the depression and I don't know.

Brandi:

That's, that's normal. So most people's depression unless it's like, know from bipolar or something like you actually have day in and day out like super bad depression Most people get depression from their anxiety. It's just, it's just a part of that anxiety, how your mind is working and how it's trying to solve issues. How it's trying to solve issues. Yeah, I mean, gina even was like, oh okay, so you just have depression caused from your anxiety and even my doctor who prescribes my Zoloft and everything they're like, so you don't actually have depression. You have depression caused by anxiety, which is actually different and it's circumstantial, whereas someone with true depression it's like all day, every day, like you can't escape it, but it when you have anxiety from sorry. You have depression from anxiety. It's because you're more anxious than normal or something's causing that, that reaction to happen. So that's that's pretty normal. If you have, you usually have phases of depression, but they usually kind of come and go.

Rachael:

Yeah, and I would really encourage people to know that it's not a forever feeling I felt when I was in this situation. I felt like I was never going to be able to get out of it, and you do eventually see the other side of it. So if you struggle with anxiety or seasonal depression, let us know. Today we talked about a couple of different strategies. I know that I like to get out and be a little bit more active. Brandi does a lot more retail therapy, Kozy is all about organizing her house and Broadway tunes.

Rachael:

So everybody has a little bit different way of coping with seasonal depression and we've learned over the years a multitude of ways to help coping with our anxiety.

Rachael:

So reach out to us.

Brandi:

If you are feeling kind of out of depression and all of that you know, we encourage you to call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, which is now 988. If you are feeling that badly, you know, reach out to support from them. You can call or text them now from that 988 number, you know. So you know, don't think it's normal to have those feelings that never go away. Like, make sure you reach out and get help when you need it too,

Sarah:

and remember spring is coming.

Rachael:

Spring is coming.

Brandi:

March 20th.

Sarah:

It will be here soon. It will be here soon.

Sarah:

We're almost out of this.

Rachael:

We're almost out of it.

Brandi:

Six more weeks guys.

Rachael:

Yeah, we got some fan mail.

Sarah:

We did.

Rachael:

yes, Sarah's going to give some info.

Sarah:

Thanks for the fan mail.

Sarah:

We had a listener from Taylorville, Illinois. Thanks so much for the info on our transcript. We're going to go back and make sure our transcripts are all legible for everyone to read along as needed.

Rachael:

We're testing out AI functionalities with helping us generate transcripts.

Rachael:

This is exciting.

Rachael:

Now we get to get a little bit of help and get some transcripts.

Sarah:

Let us know, keep letting us know, your feedback on everything that we're doing. We love to hear from you. Also, thanks for giving us some topic advice. She thinks a spring cleaning episode would be great and says whatever you take to mean to that actual cleaning, organization goals, donating etc. So let us know if that's something that you all want to hear as well.

Brandi:

Or if you have other ideas,

Sarah:

I'll be getting spring cleaning soon

Sarah:

Words are hard for me.

Brandi:

And she just used the text feature that's at the beginning of all the episodes, so you can do that. There's also Facebook, Instagram all those fun avenues.

Sarah:

Love to hear from you Everything.

Rachael:

So thank you all so much. We really appreciate you listening to this episode. So until next time,

Sarah:

stay bold,

Brandi:

stay empowered.

Brandi:

Girl Gang out.

People on this episode

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Brandi S

Co-host
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Rachael A

Co-host
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Sarah K

Co-host

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