Just In Time to Save a Life

Ep. 5 - Your Body Is the Brain Hack

• Jessica Greenwalt • Episode 5

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When your thoughts won’t slow down and your chest feels tight, the fastest way out might be through your feet. Jessica sits down with Parker for a candid, practical conversation about how movement changes mood, why neuroplasticity makes lasting change possible, and the small, repeatable actions that pull you out of a spiral when motivation is low.

We dig into the research in plain English: exercise is linked to fewer poor mental health days, aerobic movement boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and endorphins actually shift how stress feels in your body. Then we map science to real life. From “touching grass” after a day stuck in bed to taking non-negotiable work breaks, from pushing a stroller at dusk to a seven-minute guided meditation in an infrared sauna, the tools are simple and doable. We also explore cold plunges and heat as stress-training, breathwork that calms the nervous system, and micro-commitments that keep you moving when an hour-long workout feels impossible.

Modern life keeps us overstimulated and on demand. Nature cuts through that noise. Parker shares why hunting and fly fishing restore attention, while Jessica talks about dancing while vacuuming, garage-gym routines, and protecting your media diet when you’re vulnerable. We offer a quick “time test” for anxiety, "will this matter in a month?", and a reminder that self-compassion is a skill, not a slogan. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s traction. Ten minutes of movement can open a window for better thoughts, better choices, and real hope.

If this conversation helps, pass it on. Subscribe, leave a review, and share your favorite no-cost mood lifter in the comments. What small move changes your day?

If you are in a crisis or feel unsafe, call or text 988 or dial 911 for immediate support. There are people out there who will listen and can help.

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SPEAKER_01:

Hi, I'm Jessica G, and this is the Justin Time Podcast. If you're struggling today, I want you to know this podcast is here for you, but it's not a substitute for professional health. If you're in a crisis or feel unsafe, please call or text 988 or dial 911 for immediate support. There are people out there who will listen and can help. On this show, I'll be sharing personal experiences, mindset shifts, talking with key experts, and sharing real tools that help me go from barely surviving to thriving. This is not about quick fixes or one size fits all advice. It's raw, it's honest, it's what worked for me and what I believe can help others too. Let's walk together from darkness to hope. Hello, hello. This is Jessica with Justin Time to Save a Life podcast. Thank you so much for following us and um listening to us. So today, actually, I had a guest um that had to cancel just due to an emergency. So we're improvising, adapting, and figuring the situation out. I have Parker with me today. He actually works at the podcast studio. Um, so we are going to talk about exercise, neuroplasticity, ways to deal with depression, or ways to move stuck energy. Um, one of the things I wanted to go over a couple key statistics today. Um, it says that people who exercise report 40% fewer poor mental health days compared to non-exercisers. Uh another um research uh quote says a review of 1200 studies found that 89% showed exercise improves mental health. Uh exercise consistently reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety across multiple age groups. Endorphins are released during movement, and natural chemicals will boost mood, ease pain, and reduce stress. Uh, the other thing is aerobic exercises boost um BDNF, which is brain-derived neurotrophic factor. So when we talk about neuroplasticity and movement, um, this supports neuron growth and repair. So exercise increases neuroplasticity. It helps the brain rewire itself and adapt to new healthier patterns. And one of the things on the show is rewiring the brain, uh, is you know what we really like to talk about because that is what worked for me. Um and the reason why I want to trump about exercise today is because for me, um, and everyone's different. Um, whenever I'm feeling stuck, like emotional, mental, or just like overloaded or overwhelmed with everything that's going on, um, not even including like anxiety or depression, just like everyday life. So when we talk about suicide prevention, we're really talking about mental health and how to how what are the ways in which um things that we can do to keep up our mental health and and and keep it at bay and keep it on check. And for me, exercising is like one of the number one things. It's just like being able to move my body and like removing that stuck energy. And then, you know, doing my research today, I didn't even know this is news to me, guys, um, that neuroplasticity, um, that exercise actually helps neuroplasticity and it makes sense because you're creating new healthy habits. Um, so for me, I have a personal trainer in the morning. If you're a person that, you know, feels stuck. I would suggest that you get out there, even move like 20 steps, or say, I'm gonna do five minutes of breathing exercises or yoga or just do something to get your body moving. And sometimes that helps the brain kind of catch up, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I actually was and I mentioned to you because you'd reached out to me while you were still on your trip, and I was like, I'm actually down sick. Um and ended up spending about 24-ish hours in bed and just being stuck in bed. I was just like, I'm so tired of being in this room. Yeah. That I just literally one night, I mean, it was probably 10 o'clock at night. I had just woken up from sleeping on and off that day, and I just walked outside. My wife's like, What are you doing? And I was like, I literally just need to touch grass, not to be like the you know, the saying grounding. I just need to like touch grass and be outside and like breathe fresh air. And so I think it's elements to the when are you born?

SPEAKER_01:

When's your birthday?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, December of 1990.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I'm April, so I know that's like an Aries thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

Wait, what is it Sagittarius? What's your son?

SPEAKER_00:

I haven't I haven't checked into it too much. Um but yeah, it's I think it's just it's in general, just getting out something is so good. I mean, that's what people always say like just take a you know work break and we do it here all the time. Like if I'm either been in staring at my computer for five, you know, hours or a couple hours, it's like just go outside and walk a lap around the building and then come back and sit back down.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, um, I was thinking about that in the way I run my business. So I usually don't want the girls at the salon working like more than six-hour shifts without taking a break. Like if you work an eight-hour shift, great, but take two 15-minute breaks minimum.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, and so sometimes um I'm like, hey, have you had your break yet? And they're like, no, I don't need one. And I'm like, no, no, no, like go take your break. And it's not because I want them to like clock out and not pay them for 15 minutes. It's because literally taking a break from like what you're doing kind of just sometimes just resets you, you know. Um, we have like a little table and chairs out back, and um, there's just like nice greenery, and the weather was so pretty today. And I just like took a moment before I came here and I stepped out there and I I gave myself a 15-minute break because it's like I actually need to do what I say, tell them to do. Because I'm like, one of the girls called me out the other day, she's like, Have you taken a break? And I was like, I haven't even eaten lunch. I need to step out of the bathroom. Yeah, I was like, You're right, you're right. Which, you know, and just that happens sometimes.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's it's important. I was um, you know, I've got a little almost 20, 21 month old today, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and you know, it's you're at work all day from eight to five, and then you go home, and you know, even though you're not at work, still being on alert with him all the time. I mean, yes, you know, especially at his age, he's running around, he's jumping, he's doing all this crazy stuff, and so it's actually more alert than when he was a baby because you're like trying to let them every second. Exactly. So it's not really until that like seven. It's easier when they can't crawl, right? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. When they're when they're like, when I can put you on the couch and you're not gonna move, it's great. Now it's like you do put him on the couch and then you turn around, then it's like, where do where do you go? Like, hey, where are you? And then all of a sudden he's in a bedroom somewhere, and you're like, How did you get back there? So uh, but it's not until he goes down that you kind of can get that like, okay, like I can unwind and I can racks. And that's usually like my wife will take turns, like as soon as he goes down, like, hey, I'm gonna go take the dog for a walk, or I'm gonna go for a run, or I'm gonna work out, or do whatever. Because yeah, even though you're exhausted at the end of the day, like getting that blood pumping and your heart rate up starts firing new and it makes you feel more energized. Yes. That's I hate waking up super early, um, unless it's like to hunt or go fishing. Um, but to work out, it's like whenever I do, that alarm goes off and you're just like, I really don't want to get up. But the second that you do and then you get done, it's like the mornings that I do that and then come to work, I'm like, oh, I feel great so much better.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Metabolism's right. And it's a habit too, you know what I mean? Um, when those endorphins are released over time, after just like a week or so, like nobody ever regrets a workout or going on a walk or moving their body. And, you know, if you're listening to this today and you you need a mood lifter and you're just feeling really down and out, think about something that brings you joy. Like you said, you like to hunt or fish, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So I think it's really important. Like, I don't know, you know, in America, we're always like work, work, work, work, work. You know, if you work hard enough, your dreams can come true and like all of this stuff. But sometimes we've got to slow down to speed up. And taking that time for ourselves is so important. You know what I mean? That's another thing that I do in the morning, is um, I'll either journal. I love sitting in the infrared sauna and doing uh a meditation. Like even if it's just like a five-minute meditation, um, there's one called sitting around the fire. It is so good. And it's actually like you're listening to fire like crackle. And it's this guy he's just like talking and like going over, I don't know, not affirmations, but just like, I don't know, just like talking about life, and it's like super soothing. It's seven minutes. And like sometimes when I just need to like slow myself down, I'll do that. Yeah. So like I'll work out, I'll move my body, I'll get it unstuck, even if it's like stretching or five minutes of stretching, like try to do something like that. Um and yeah, so it says endorphins equal natural mood lifters, exercise reduces bad days, 40% fewer bad days.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, 40%.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a lot, and then neuroplasticity equals brains can rewire with practice and movement. So maybe you like to dance. For me, I have the best dance parties all by myself in my house. I have really weird dance moves. Nobody's watching.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And um, except for my husband, he came home the other day and I was like dancing and vacuuming at the same time. He's like, Are you?

unknown:

And I was like, Yeah, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_00:

It's my time. We'd be able to home like early.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And I did, I didn't hear the front door and I was in the garage. So we have like a gym in our garage, which again, this is how important like movement is to me. I totally like, we don't even park our cars in the garage, like it's a whole entire gym. So we have lights set up, infrared sauna, cold plunge. Oh my gosh. If you can, if you can get with cold plunge, that really helps. Um we did a cold plunge event um a couple years ago for just a time.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice in the winter time.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh no, not in the winter time. Okay. We did it in the summer actually, and we just um had these uh not bins, but like these like flotation devices like full of ice. Nice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So very cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Um, we had one of our clients donate tons of ice and we just kept refilling it. And uh Justin Turnus, he um does a lot of breath work. Um, and he actually kind of helped lead the cold plunge. So it was a great turnout. Yeah, really good turnout. We had the um Marine Corps there, they were going at it.

SPEAKER_00:

They were So you could stay the longest. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

It was like they kicked the cold plunge off and it was like, all right, five minutes, let's go.

SPEAKER_00:

I've done some from football, and it is it's the if you can get past the first like 10 to 15 seconds and just settle down, you're okay. I mean, it still doesn't make it any better.

SPEAKER_01:

For me, it's like a minute.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and then just don't go numb. Yeah, if you and then and then you move a little bit and you're like, oh, that was a mistake.

SPEAKER_01:

But I have to keep my fingers and my toes out.

SPEAKER_00:

Ah, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01:

Because like I don't have otherwise like great circulation. Yeah, it's so painful. But yeah, now they found for women, like it's better if it's not like 42 degrees. It's better for women if it's around 50. Don't quote me on this, you can look it up. But um, because cold plunge has been like a thing. Yeah, I will say though, because I'm on my feet all day, I have inflammation, I have scoliosis. Um, whenever I'm in excruciating pain from my job, um, because I've been doing hair for 20 years, I will go home and I will force myself in the cold plunge. And I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, but it does reduce the inflammation. And what happens too is it helps um reset your nervous system and then also tells your body, hey, I can you can do hard things.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Cause you're like, holy crap, like I can do that. And even if you just do 20 seconds or 30 seconds and then you work your way up, or you don't start freezing cold, then slowly work your way up, it's really good. It's really good. Um, it helps you to like manage stress in a way. Um, but if you're I don't know, if you're already like a super taxed, it's just one of those things that you have to kind of like try it for yourself to see if it's for you. Yeah. But it's not comfortable. But the rush that you get afterwards, like the skin turns red, you're flushed, and then when you allow yourself to like naturally warm up, it feels so good.

SPEAKER_00:

So like feel it like coming from your core through your extremities. It's a really cool feel.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you get to the place where you're shaking, like you're probably running fat at that point.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. One of the things, real quick, I wanted to kind of go back on is you mentioned um the world in such a fast pace. Like it's always go, go, go, ork. And one of the things I was, I don't remember how I was talking with this about the other day, but there's so many little things every day that we don't think about. I mean, the things such as I can order something from Amazon and it's here like same day the next day, maybe two days at the very slowest. And so I think we get, you know, same thing with Netflix and all these things. I know it's kind of a weird connection of things, but we're so used to having everything on demand. Oh my gosh, it's always being able to stimulate our brains, like no matter what, all the time. And so you mentioned like hunting and fishing. That's probably the reason that I love doing that so much, is because getting out in the nature, it's just like it's disconnecting. Exactly. If I'm hunting and I'm sitting in a tree standing, you're not on your phone. Nope. I'm not able to do anything. I'm stuck, I'm sitting here, I can't really move. I may be sitting here for four hours, and like there's no other times really to do that. And it forces you to like really slow down. Um, that's the same thing with fishing. Like, I I love fly fishing, and people that don't know what fly fishing is you look it up, or you probably have heard of it, you know, it's very what I like to call very much kind of an art form, uh, without sounding like one of those fishing guys. But what I like about it is that I'm very much kind of an ADD person. Like I I get really bored just sitting very easily. Like it takes a lot for me to just sit and be consumed by something. I'm always like, oh, it can be doing this or doing this. Um, but fly fishing is such a slow activity that I think it really just requires me to take a step back and enjoy it. And then when you do that and allow yourself to kind of pull it back, it's like, oh, now I'm noticing like the sound of the water and the sound of these birds and little things like that. And then you get done, and it's like, I may not catch anything, but yeah, I'm leaving that water going, oh, I feel great right now.

SPEAKER_01:

You'll be fly fishing, and I'll be going down in the tube, fly flying around one of those.

SPEAKER_00:

I get that a lot. People will come by a big group of like kayaks, but it's like try to catch anything. Yeah, but at the same time, it's the same type of thing. It's people getting for me, it's outdoors. I'm a big human.

SPEAKER_01:

I loved it. I loved it.

SPEAKER_00:

Getting in a kayak or a canoe or a tube and just like take that time to float two hours on a body walk.

SPEAKER_01:

And getting inspired by the landscape around you. Like I went to Wyoming, um, saw the Tetons, um, did some whitewater rafting in let's see, where was it? Montana in Wyoming, actually.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Where are we? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was just, it was absolutely amazing. Um yeah, getting out of nature. So it's like basically that's what we're talking about today is like what are things that can help improve our mental health um and prevent, you know, unfortunate things from happening, right? We we we talk a lot about suicide prevention, but it's really um more about, you know, protecting our mental health on a daily basis. And one thing that you just mentioned was we are overstimulated by, you know, our emails, our phones, our Instagrams, like everything is constantly um movies, Netflix, all of that. So when you were talking about that, one of the things that was popping up is be very careful what you consume. Um, whether it's what you're reading, whether it's what you're watching, the movies that you're listening to. Um, I have noticed this, this is just me. Um, if I watch a really dark, depressing movie, um it's not the greatest for me. Yeah. Like if I go to sleep and I I wake up with this super heavy feeling already. And I think for a long time, when I was severely depressed and struggling with suicide ideation, I would like watch these super, super deep movies to try to make me feel more alive, but it actually just made me feel more depressed, I think.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And it was like, I was kind of like addicted to that feeling almost. And that's where neuroplasticity came in. I had to like cut that feeling because I was like, I didn't know any other feelings. I didn't know it like happiness felt like or safety or you know, any of those other things. And it was like, and I think like even as you're raising your kids, probably you're like, what are they listening to? What do they have access to? Right. Even like some cartoons, commercials, like things they call TV back in the day, used to be called programming.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01:

So if you think of programming, right? So they're programming us and we're buying into all of the pharmaceuticals, we're buying into that new cool toy that we want. I remember the Barbie roller blades, right? Like we're programmed to like want these things and this, and it's just it keeps coming. So it's like you have to have a parent in the household that says, Hold on, I want what, want, what, what, what, but what do I actually need? You know what I mean? And like I think um getting outside and going fishing with your dad, hunting, my dad was an avid um hunter and fisher, fish, fisher. Fisher left a fit, fisherman, yeah. Um, but he loved to build things and all that. So I kind of got the best of both worlds, and I actually didn't, I think I grew up in the age of pagers.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, wow, yeah. We're I remember him uh 34.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I'm 39. So I remember I remember the first flip phone. It was like a razor phone.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. Really showing my age here. Actually, I had one before that. It was a um, it was called a no, I had to page my mom though.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, wow. I was at school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Partly because I think they just didn't want to give me a phone. Yeah. But if you think about it, phones were safer back then than they were at all because now you have the whole internet.

SPEAKER_00:

Everything's in, yeah. I mean, back whenever I first got my phone, it was called an audio vox. I don't know if that was like silver and blue, and it was a flip like that, and the only game it had was Snake. And like it was I could call or I could T9 text, which like the big one? Oh, yeah. And it just had Snake, where the all you could do is just this the whole time. And that was it. That's how you did. And now it's like I can watch movies and I can-I mean, I can literally you can live your entire life just with this, like a room, if you really wanted to. Yeah, entertainment to work and connectedness and everything.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think like if you think about posture, right? What is our posture when we're on the computer?

SPEAKER_00:

We're saying we're working on our phones, right?

SPEAKER_01:

This is not a happy posture. So, you know what I mean, when we're sitting up straight, and like even there has been studies show that like the way that you carry yourself, the way that you walk, posture is very important. Not only how your postures, but how you posture yourself in life as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, so so yeah, I think it's really important um to watch the things that we're consuming um and making sure because we may be in a vulnerable place depending on wherever you're at, whoever's listening to this podcast right now, depending on where you're at, like if you are already feeling like dark and gloomy or you're just not the happiest and your mood kind of sucks. Watching a scary movie or like a sad movie is not the way to do it. So maybe, you know, make a change, do something different to help break that cycle when it comes back to neuroplasticity, is go out and force yourself to go on a walk.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, or dance in your room, put your favorite song on, music, move just whatever it is, move your body and see how you feel.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, try something, even if you've not, it's not something you're familiar with doing. Yeah, like just go fall.

SPEAKER_01:

Try it for the first go go to a football court and try to jump in, right? Or I don't know, ride your bike. When's the last time you rode a bike?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, me personally? Yeah. I got in an accident when I was 12 and I went like 15 years without riding a bike. Shockingly enough. Okay. And then I remember that. No, you're all good. All good. It wasn't anything like severe. I just like gave me anxiety of trying to bike again.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and then I actually got one probably seven or eight years ago now and decided like I'm gonna try to like I almost had to reteach myself to ride a bike. And so I love it now. My little boy's got one that he rides, my wife has one, I have one, and we just kind of cruising them in it. But yeah, it's the same type of thing where it's just get out and ride your bike. But it's easy to forget those things when you decide.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, and it's free, right? Like, I mean, well, maybe the bike isn't, but like after you buy the bike, yeah. But there's a lot of things that you can do that don't cost money that will make you feel better, you know, just like going on a walk.

SPEAKER_00:

Go to a park. That's our one of our favorite things to do because it is really expensive to do things. It's like it's a Saturday, what are we gonna do with our little boy? It's like we go to that, you know, in the aquarium or something, but it's like, well, we're gonna spend a hundred dollars to go do that, or we could just go to a park and he's gonna have a blast and we can walk around and it's free and it's completely free. And you get to interact with people. And kids should be playing with dirt, yes, you know, and having other kids and interacting and learning. It's it's a it's a good element.

SPEAKER_01:

Being outside, like you said, you're like, I just needed my so there's grounding mats that people actually use. Yeah, I have a grounding mat at home. I think it's my hyperdose something dose. And it's like this, it's these crystals that heat up, and then you plug it into the wall and it has a grounding, there's also like grounding sheets, there's all kinds of kind of grounding techniques. But the best way to do it is to take your socks off and just put your feet on the grass and like walk around and you ground your body, ground your stop, and it's supposed to take inflammation out and all of that.

SPEAKER_00:

Interesting. I'd never heard of that. But if after doing it that night, I completely agree because when I came in, I was like, I feel better already. Yeah. Physically, did my body feel better? Maybe, but mentally it allowed me to go, okay, well, I'm not in this room anymore. I'm now outside.

SPEAKER_01:

It's funny you say that because whenever I I don't really get sick, but if I do start feeling like a cold or sickness or this and that, I will literally throw myself in the sauna, drink a ton of water, you sweat it up, load up on vitamin C, and then I'll get on my treadmill or my um stairmaster. Yeah. And I will just sweat it out. And usually like my doctor's like, what are you doing? Don't do that. You need to rest. You need to rest. But for me, I have to like push junk out. And that's what I found works for me. Now, if you're really, really, really, really sick, then I don't need that. Don't take my advice, any medical advice from me whatsoever. I am not the expert. I'm just saying like what I like to do for me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Let me let me be clear on that. Um, okay, let's see here. Here is some notes that I have. Okay, I want to zoom in on how movement and brain change work together. Um, I think we already went over that. When I get stuck emotionally, mentally, and physically, I feel trapped. We went over that. Um, but when I push my body just a little, walking, lifting, stretching, I feel those endorphins kick in. So when you feel energy trapped, like anxiety swirling in your chest or tension in your limbs, movement becomes a tool. You're not just burning calories, you're shifting that energy, opening pathways in your body and mind. And with that shift comes new possibilities. So we're talking about making a difference, making changes, and you just never know how you're gonna feel afterwards and what's that, what that's going to lead to. You may walk out your front door and go on a walk and meet the love of your life, you know? And I think it's just like also being open to all kinds of possibilities. If we're feeling like so down and like closed off from the world, we're cutting ourselves off from possibility. And possibility gives us hope. And hope is what we need when we're really struggling with, you know, anxiety, depression, um, just feeling down, feeling sad about something. Um, and so we always have to remember not to talk ourselves out of possibility and to keep moving forward no matter what. And, you know, lean on a friend, talk to a friend, reach out, find a Pilates studio, find some way that doesn't feel like an insane amount of work to you, whether it's going fishing, whether it's hiking or hunting or something maybe that you could add into your routine every day where you're like, even if it's 10 minutes, like that 10 minutes is for me, and this is what's gonna help my mental health.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And then I that's what I need.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You know, so and I think you and I talked about this a little bit. It was for me, I've not wouldn't say that I had like severe anxiety. And I'm just what I'm saying here really only worked for me personally. Like not everybody's different. Yeah. Um, but I used to exactly I used to experience that not, I wouldn't say a ton, but a fair amount. I mean, which everyone does daily.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, but I had to kind of decide one day, I was like, I'm I'm making myself exhausted, worrying about something I don't know the outcome of.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah. You were talking about anxiety that you had. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And so for me it was like you overcame anxiety.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. That's right.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. So for me it was, you know, put it into it's always about trying to find the perspective of it. You know, there are some things in life that it's like this is a major impact on my life and the outcome, and there's no other way around that. Yeah. Um, but there's certain things like on a daily basis, that's am I gonna remember and so what works for me is I said, am I gonna remember this in an hour from now? If I am, okay, but am I gonna remember it tomorrow? Maybe. Am I gonna remember it in a month? Probably not. Then why? You know, if you're willing to for, you know, if you are thinking about something that you know you're not gonna remember a month from now, yeah, like don't allow it to consume you in that moment.

SPEAKER_01:

Don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_00:

It's it's you know it's in the near future, it's not gonna be a problem. Yeah, it's not gonna be as big of a deal. Worry about something else. Exactly right. Yeah, shift your mind and focus into something else. But it's it's really easy to sit there and just overthink on it and go, Well, and you can spiral over one little thing.

SPEAKER_01:

I do that all the time because I'm did you mention your ADD or ADD? Yes, I did, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I am too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's bad.

SPEAKER_01:

So for us, like we're we're impasse and we're sensitive. And so, like, if there's something in our atmosphere that isn't right or whatever, because like justice is like really important. And if something's not just, right, but it's out of our control, I will spiral on it. But then it's cause something just happened last week and had to deal with the situation. And I was like, I found myself for three or four days like really thinking about it. And then what you just said literally helped me because I'm like, you know what? Am I gonna be thinking about this in literally two months? No. Yeah, is it has it getting no, absolutely not. It was like something mean somebody said to me or something. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, and it's because like when you're in leadership, you're you know, made out to be the villain sometimes. Yeah, and it was like a comment that was made, and it was like just you'll forget about it down the road. Yeah, and you're just like, oh my gosh. But you you'll you'll sit there and you'll spin on it, and then you know, you'll doubt yourself. But that's that's you know, people can do that. But um, no, I I'm gonna apply that because it's like, am I gonna be worried about this in a month? No, I'm not even worried about it a week later. Yeah, you know what I mean? It's like it is what it is.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and it's easy to get caught up in that moment and like you said, just continue to spiral and go, well, what if this, and then if this, what if this? And then all of a sudden you can I feel like there's times that I've done that and gotten so far down a what if train that I don't even remember what the original thing is that triggered. Yeah. Now I'm worried about 10 other things because I've been thinking about it and I don't even remember what the original thing was that could be.

SPEAKER_01:

And that just goes to show the validity of that worry, anyways. And like I will say, like, you know, there is something you want to be aware of these things, but then also um you don't want things to cause self-harm or self-doubt, right? I should have said self-doubt first and then self-harm because when we doubt ourselves, sometimes we can harm ourselves. And if you're struggling with anxiety, you're struggling with depression, and say somebody does say something that's mean to you or whatever, don't let that spiral in your head. Don't doubt yourself. Like, try to find um core things about yourself to like provide yourself enough evidence and information for you not to doubt yourself. Because I think a lot of people that do struggle with anxiety and depression, sometimes they're bullied. Sometimes people say mean things to them. Sometimes, like, you know, not everyone's kind, you know. Somebody may like flip you off while you're driving to work because they think you cut them off, but you're like, what are you talking about? You know? And to somebody that's like struggling with anxiety and depression, all that, like that can be really hard for them. And so I think, you know, if you're one of those persons that is easily affected um or you take things really personally, just remember like, hey, am I gonna be worried about this a month or two months or even a year from now? Yeah. Then like let's just pull it off the table. And then also to remember, don't it's it's good to be aware of how you act and how you treat people. But then it's another thing to um self uh doubt or doubt yourself and then spiral into that deep hole, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So yeah, it's it's it's not an easy thing to do. Yeah. I would say it took me a long time to even get to that point of like it's okay. Like, I don't have to worry about this. And to your what you said a minute ago about the self doubting, it's you know, nobody wants to be a quote unquote selfish person, but there's there's such a thing as a healthy, selfish, and an unhealthy selfish. In my opinion. Like seeing healthy selfish is like in my book, no one should be, and if you do have people that are, it's it's even better, but no one should be a bigger fan of yourself than yourself. Like if you you have to have that allow the ability to like love yourself. And there's times where you don't. I mean, there's times that I don't, you know, there's times where you look at yourself and you're like, What are you like, why did you do that? What are you doing? I mean, it happens in everyone's life.

SPEAKER_01:

It's so important to have self-compassion. That's that absolutely I work on all the time. It's like I can be so hard on myself, but then I'm like, Am I hard on other people like that? Like, no, not really.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But then I have a higher standard, but I'm like, no, that's because I think you're all are amazing and you guys can achieve great things. Like we can do hard things, we can do great things.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But you're right. I think loving yourself and having that self-compassion is so important. So I hope that we um, you know, left you guys with some tools and tips and just sharing some of the things that we do to help with our mental health and um keep us feeling good if we're down and keep watching the podcast. And I think in a few weeks we're gonna have um a couple new key speakers. Actually, cut all that out. I don't want to announce it just in case I can't. Yeah, sure. Um, where was it at? So okay. Well, I think that includes the session today. Yeah. Hold on, clean that out. I just said that right. I think it includes I think this concludes the session today. Um, I hope everybody that's listening out there, get out there, move your body, do something you love. Hopefully, this is just kind of a fun, lighthearted thing for you guys to listen to. Hopefully, our um our little tips and things that we do for ourselves may have impacted you or helped others. And if you can, if you know someone that's struggling, um send the podcast to them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Have get in the comments, talk about you know, what do you guys enjoy doing that gets you out of that stress and that frame of mind. Like one of the greatest things about things like this is get in the comments and talk about it and start a thing. Let you know. There's probably 500 other things outside of what we mentioned that you can do that is relaxing that would help somebody else.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you see one of those things and you're like, oh, that sounds cool, get out there and try it. And remember, Aeroplasticity is always trying something new. So thank you so much, you guys. See you next time. If you're struggling, remember how you think is how you feel. If your feelings feel heavy, start by shifting the thought. You're not stuck, your brain can change, so can your story. I'm Jessica G. This is the Justin Time podcast, and I'll see you next time. Until then, keep going. Never give up. And remember, the world is better with you in it, whether you believe it or not. To help reach others, please share this with your friends, family, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and donate.