The Skeptic's take on Journaling

A skeptical husband attempts journaling.... Will it increase his mental health? Will he become a master of the pen and the pad?  Or will he deem it pseudoscience?  

Transcript

spk_0:   0:02
Barnes experiment. Welcome to the barns. Experience old wives tales. And, you know, they got in touch with the scientific method. But the husband is a skeptic. To know what this really effective about healthy world. This real. You gotta check it. Welcome to the booth.

spk_1:   0:32
Welcome to the barns Experiment where a husband tests his old wives tales.

spk_0:   0:39
Oh, whoa, Whoa. I would not say old. I'm at least young ish.

spk_1:   0:46
Uh, we're not going to get into that right now. I'm ah Barnes here, and I'm with my beautiful, lovely wife, Kelly.

spk_0:   0:56
And in this podcast, we're gonna explore some areas of holistic health and wellness old wives sales, if you will, through the lens of the skeptic.

spk_1:   1:07
So Kelly is constantly learning about fads and trying to get me to try them out. I'm a fairly skeptical person and always like to understand the science behind something before I try it.

spk_0:   1:16
Yeah, I think what Barnes is saying is that I'm open minded and willing to maybe suspend disbelief for the ultimate goal of health and happiness. And he, on the other hand, once at least 125 peer reviewed scientific articles by the experts in the field with proven evidence before he's even willing to think about trying something new. I mean, it's skim milk versus 2% milk. Really? We don't need a whole white paper on that, Am I right?

spk_1:   1:45
So we decided to put it to the test every month. Kelly will be picking a specific fad for me to try. And we will document the whole process with subjective perceptions, empirical data and surveys completed throughout the process.

spk_0:   1:57
The goal of this experiment is to find ways to improve our health. And I'm gonna be a little science e here and tell you that I'm defining health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. And that's defined by the World Health Organization in 1948. So how we're going to do it is every month, I'm gonna have Barnes off undergo some sort of treatment anywhere from diet restrictions and eliminations to acupuncture, too. Cheap ballons and everything in between each month will get Barnes's initial reaction. Then I'm going to describe any scientific and anecdotal benefits of the treatment, and then we'll review Barnes is subjective and objective results. Okay, so how are you feeling right now? What's your baseline looking like?

spk_1:   2:48
Baseline is currently I guess I would be at a Let's call it the baseline. Right? A normal Barnes Day burns mentality with There's a couple other factors that air involved one. I just quit smoking two weeks ago. So

spk_0:   3:04
And that was prior Teoh. The real impact of the next thing

spk_1:   3:09
right now that we are sequestered in our house and there's a lot of unknowns right now currently in the world with the current cove in 19 Pandemic.

spk_0:   3:17
Yes. So we thought, Well, we're in isolation. While we need some distractions, why not start a podcast with probably two billion of our closest friends? Without this would be a fun way to one distract ourselves to give us some information on some of the other holistic health things that we can do to make ourselves feel better or make ourselves healthier. And then also, we've got some extra time on our hands where we can't leave our house. So seems like a good time to try something new. So podcast it is. All right. So we had Barnes do a few surveys. And after we get into the treatment and everything, I'll go through kind of how he's feeling based on those surveys. I'll tell you when you took the surveys kind of a state of affairs when things were going on and the surveys are about hiss physical, his perception of physical health, his perception of mental health and his perception of social health. So we got a baseline on that and then throughout each treatment will continue having him take those surveys and see if the survey results say something. But he still thinks there's no change. Or maybe the survey results say there's no change, but he feels like there something beneficial or not beneficial, maybe maybe feels worse. Okay, we're going to go through a little background on the first treatment. We did have to eliminate about 50% of the options because those involved leaving her house and not staying six feet away from other people. I don't think you can have acupuncture done via tele cracking.

spk_1:   4:48
That means the doctor just walks you through talking or the

spk_0:   4:51
adjusted chiropractor and acupuncture together for

spk_1:   4:53
the clinician. I'm not sure who performs acupuncture, but they could just video you walking through?

spk_0:   5:00
Maybe they could tell me where to put the needle. Right? Have selling needles. That's part of the same right?

spk_1:   5:05
That's it's exactly the same thing. And you get the same result. Me screaming in pain.

spk_0:   5:13
I mean, I'm willing to try it, that's all. I think I'm also willing to try other things. Like maybe now's a good time to get a full body. Me certified. I could stick you. I don't have those needles either, but

spk_1:   5:23
so you're not gonna cut my brain and 1/2?

spk_0:   5:25
Oh, what is that lobotomy?

spk_1:   5:28
Oh,

spk_0:   5:29
oh, Lobotomy is drawing blood. Sorry. No,

spk_1:   5:32
see, that's funny. You add an F to the front of lobotomy and you get a completely different thing.

spk_0:   5:38
Look at that. Funny funny that, Um So before I tell you what you're doing this maybe two weeks, I think I need to do need to dive into the film literature a little bit and see how long people are doing this before they see some sort of benefit. Before I decide exactly how long you're going to do it.

spk_1:   5:56
Is it sexy dancing?

spk_0:   5:58
I think you could do that no matter what.

spk_1:   6:02
Belly dance

spk_0:   6:03
that is your treatment plan.

spk_1:   6:06
I could probably do the trouble. Trouble.

spk_0:   6:08
Oh, if needed. We could do that. That's a good movie to We should watch that while we're locked in. Um, so let's first talk a little bit of our backgrounds. Why our use of skeptical of Let's call it Eastern medicine

spk_1:   6:22
isn't really eastern medicine. Can you attach the word medicine to it?

spk_0:   6:27
I think some of them are. I would call them Eastern Medicine. Some of it is not so much

spk_1:   6:34
so. We live in a world of mis information so constantly people are coming up with all these ideas, and there's no evidence to back it up. So if you have all these ideas, say I come up with an idea that you know wearing only one shoe is is help healthful to you or makes you more of a healthy person and run faster.

spk_0:   6:52
Do you remember the barefoot running trend?

spk_1:   6:54
I do people running well anyways, so here's what happens, right? So I come out and I say, and I make a fairly good or not good case for it, I would say, but it's ah, shocking and makes people think right and then two people do this treatment and say they both had a great They both worked for them as well. Right? Well, where's the data and not do ever see data for any of this?

spk_0:   7:17
Really. All you need is the media to pick it up.

spk_1:   7:19
Right? So the media picks it up and you know, is that a good thing?

spk_0:   7:23
And so my argument is, what if it doesn't physiologically or scientifically cause any changes, but it causes no harm. When I try it,

spk_1:   7:31
we'll see. I'm OK with that. But you know it is Our central oil is going to cure my cancer. No,

spk_0:   7:36
but maybe they ease your pain as you go through can.

spk_1:   7:39
But if somebody is selling, it is a cancer cure.

spk_0:   7:42
Sure, I agree. Snake oil is not ideal. And I work in the realm of science. I am an exercise physiologist. So I work with professional athletes that will believe if you say this snake oil is gonna make you jump higher, they're going to get a whole lot of people on board with that snake oil. So I truly believe in the science of the placebo effect. But I also agree that things should be tested in a scientific way.

spk_1:   8:06
Maybe they should have a cheaper option, right? So maybe I'm going to come out with a new treatment where if you clap three times before all your events, you will always run those 20% faster. Three. Clapping, pre race collapse.

spk_0:   8:21
It's, um, superstitions, right? Don't wash your socks because you're one year on a winning streak with those dirty sax.

spk_1:   8:27
I don't wash my socks anyway. Are you supposed to

spk_0:   8:30
You do the sniff test. So

spk_1:   8:31
right, See, Mel Tess is always valid for all clothing.

spk_0:   8:35
No, Went in doubt, rewatch.

spk_1:   8:37
Or have your wife try to small it just to make sure you're not. Your senses aren't dulled. Yeah, OK, smells

spk_0:   8:43
so I

spk_1:   8:44
like underwear.

spk_0:   8:45
I said, I'm a scientist, but I also I also have a background in psychology, so I appreciate the mental effect you mind over matter. What about you?

spk_1:   8:54
I am in astrologists and I believe in the card reader, son and the star alignment really impacts my my day to day life,

spk_0:   9:03
which it may maybe it does. Have you tracked it? Adding it to the list.

spk_1:   9:08
You know, I haven't been tracking it secretly, I'm adding it. So I'm a technologist. I guess you'd refer to me as the work is an engineer and like to make decisions based on empirical and valid scientific data.

spk_0:   9:21
I think it's also worth mentioning

spk_1:   9:23
notice. I said valid.

spk_0:   9:24
I Yeah, I also think it's worth mentioning that you grew up in a house. Ah, both your parents or nurses. So Western medicine was very strong in your house. That's correct. S so I think that I think it plays into it.

spk_1:   9:39
Well, it's always a big influence, right? So whenever I was sick, you know what? What did they ask me? They asked me, went through a list of what are your symptoms? And then Then they would go back and forth between each other, right? And, uh, and do it Ah, diagnosis. And whether it's a emergency situation or not. And

spk_0:   9:54
nine times out of 10 it probably waas

spk_1:   9:56
Well, you know, when rambunctious boy, right? You cut your hand on ah, opening the can get six stitches or you get elbowed in the head playing basketball. You get 12 stitches

spk_0:   10:06
and I grew up in a house of just put some dirt on it keep going. Think this fingers broken? We'll take a look at it in a couple weeks.

spk_1:   10:15
That's why you only have six working fingers. It's still broken, Mom. None of your fingers air straight anymore. So you know, you get your tradeoffs.

spk_0:   10:24
Yeah. I mean, sometimes six fingers. It's a random number, Lefty. All right, so I think that gives everyone a good background right on what makes us who we are. What gives us the input that we're giving to this? But I also think that we can all, ah, better ourselves all the time. So this is my effort to understand you better in all of this. And have you open your mind a little bit to other things?

spk_1:   10:51
Quick? Um, spoiler alert. I'm an enigma wrapped in a secret wrapped in bacon.

spk_0:   11:00
Okay, well, moving on from that beautiful picture. So what we're gonna do now, I'm gonna give you hints on what you're going to be doing. You're gonna guess what it is. And then you're gonna tell us what you think, and then where you will take a pause and we'll come back, you know, And where we're going as I go, what's it do you don't need. What is that? Roads? Yes,

spk_1:   11:20
where we're going, we don't need roads.

spk_0:   11:22
Yes, well, time travel, Teoh post treatment and we'll come back and talk about it. All right? How we figured out this treatment. I have a list of all the treatments we had. Our kids pick a number, and then whoever got the closest number, we use that. And I'm going to do it several more times because you couldn't go out in half massage therapy. Sorry. That's what could have been,

spk_1:   11:44
um, really looking forward to that one. What? Come on. In the SARS therapy treatments, I can buy into that.

spk_0:   11:51
There's no evidence, actually don't know. And it while you are undergoing the treatment, I will get a little bit more into the literature and also maybe do some Facebook surveys and see what people think of it. Here's your hint.

spk_1:   12:04
Fingers crossed. Massage therapy, massage. There be

spk_0:   12:07
That can't happen because you cannot leave this house. Sorry, we have bumped that that's completely off the little

spk_1:   12:13
turned out to destroy hope during the time of incarceration.

spk_0:   12:17
It involves a paper and pen

spk_1:   12:20
that sounds like generally a

spk_0:   12:24
thing to do during this tenuous, untethered time.

spk_1:   12:29
Everyone catch the sarcasm in my voice.

spk_0:   12:31
I mean, I do know you love to write. And I know you like to take time to really think about how you're feeling and put it on paper. This is it. This is your time to shine.

spk_1:   12:41
So how often and my journaling?

spk_0:   12:43
Um I think what we're gonna do is you can either journal first thing in the morning or right before bed every day

spk_1:   12:50
about toilet journaling. Spurred

spk_0:   12:52
now? No, because you can't send a lot of time in there cause we don't have a lot of other paper. There is a shortage of toilet paper right now. We've just all gotten over the stomach flu, so we don't have extras despair and actually may use your journaling pages if it comes down to it as toilet paper. Nice says, um are you going to choose to do it with an actual like pen and paper? Are you gonna type it? What do you do? You

spk_1:   13:16
want to do pen and paper?

spk_0:   13:17
Oh, get down. We're going to steal one of the kids notebooks or steal back our notebooks.

spk_1:   13:21
We need a fancy pen. A nice like a pilot. G two. Is this apology to? That's my my favorite pen. You know, I'm

spk_0:   13:30
on Amazon and get you your favorite. It's

spk_1:   13:33
like a pilot GT

spk_0:   13:34
journal with. I'll see if it has a plume on the end game with the feather or ah flower for you.

spk_1:   13:40
Think pot.

spk_0:   13:40
Actually, Maybe that would skew the results. Maybe that in itself would make you happy just seeing the flower, the comical whimsy.

spk_1:   13:48
Yeah, I wouldn't really be. Needs to be more a utilitarian device because we don't want to skew the double the results. Confounding factors. Like if it had, you know, big, fluffy puppies. On the end of it,

spk_0:   14:00
we should get a puppy. Well, we're in isolation.

spk_1:   14:02
There's nothing. Do what we're doing right now. Maybe i'll journal about that.

spk_0:   14:07
Can I read your journal? Sure. Can I read? Exerts on the next episode?

spk_1:   14:11
Yeah, I look forward to

spk_0:   14:13
it. All right. That's all I have for now. Until we complete this treatment

spk_1:   14:18
Now, we time travel into the future.

spk_0:   14:25
Okay? We're back with the Barnes experiment. We have fast forwarded. Not the month that we said we're going too. But instead, just two weeks and Barnes has done his treatment of journaling for these 14 days. Did you get 14 days?

spk_1:   14:41
I did 14.

spk_0:   14:43
14 full days. Um, so do you want to tell us? Tell us what your approach was to journaling.

spk_1:   14:48
So, um, maybe a combination of approaches that I actually went through, the first thing I did Waas Actually, I didn't even know what journaling waas or I've heard of journaling, but I didn't really know exactly what to do, so I just kind of made it up as I went along.

spk_0:   15:05
Yeah, I gave you no guidance.

spk_1:   15:07
So, um, my first entry said I was on March 22nd. I actually laid down a format. Um, he would

spk_0:   15:16
never surprises there to tell us you format.

spk_1:   15:19
This is what I started thistles. My starting format. Ah, actually had goals. Um, way could talk about my goals later. I assume, uh, format was I would put down the thought of the day I went into this, thinking I was really insightful. I was very insightful. It's a very good way to put it. Um, and then I would

spk_0:   15:38
wait a minute. You're not an insightful feelings kind of a guy.

spk_1:   15:42
Um, no way get into that as well. Um on. And then my next section was thoughtfully entitled Good Things. Why on and then Bad Things. And then we're really going to get insightful and deep into my psyche with ideas. And I have written here that it could be recipes, books or book or movie plots. Are

spk_0:   16:09
these things that relate to your life at that moment, or just random things you were thinking about?

spk_1:   16:15
Well, I thought this would be a great opportunity to write down a lot of those straight straight thoughts. Is

spk_0:   16:20
your journal Pinterest on paper?

spk_1:   16:23
Well, it's more like Have

spk_0:   16:25
you

spk_1:   16:25
ever seen like movies? When writers are like walking around doing everyday things? And, um, you know, they're like, Oh, that's a great idea and they pull a notebook out of their pocket. Then they're right down.

spk_0:   16:35
But you did not carry this notebook

spk_1:   16:36
with you. No, I didn't. I just expected to Teoh whenever I sat down. I guess that's another point. The format is is once a day. I would sit down and formulate all these thoughts, and you'll see quickly how well my initial format worked. Boats

spk_0:   16:51
and how ah, how did it go for you. Did you look forward to writing in it?

spk_1:   16:55
Um, I guess I'm type of person that if I have to do something, I never want to do it. And so

spk_0:   17:00
this whole experiment's gonna be a good time.

spk_1:   17:04
I'm like, I gotta do the journal.

spk_0:   17:06
Glad you signed up to do this with me. All

spk_1:   17:09
right, so I did, actually, that was just the first. The first couple days were like that, but as you as I got going, it wasn't. Didn't seem like it was a chore. Got a lot of recipes. So lots of new recipes.

spk_0:   17:20
Have you tracked many things? Is really humorous. The recipe pieces really interested me.

spk_1:   17:26
I have not. I think today I'm going to make the fish stick lollipops that is discussing what

spk_0:   17:31
I want in a part of that.

spk_1:   17:33
So maybe we'll tear that page ob.

spk_0:   17:35
Uh, do you want to share any anything that you put into your journal, or is it all private? Is it your privacy journal?

spk_1:   17:41
Um, do we want to talk right now? A little bit about how I how it evolved, The process evolved, so I kind of So I started with this emotional format, right? So thought of the day. Good things, bad things in ideas then that lasted one day. Part of the problem was I was trying to the best laid plans, right? I was trying to be very insightful and thought of the day, right? You know, it was gonna be like,

spk_0:   18:08
Wait, you're trying to be super analytical, Which fits your persona.

spk_1:   18:13
Right? Well, I was just trying to be, like, very profound, like, you know, when someone digs discovers this from my estate, my journal, they read this.

spk_0:   18:22
That is excellent way. Still haven't done our I'm capital time capsule.

spk_1:   18:28
So we way we could put my journal in there, and then when it's discovered, I'll be posthumously famous, like all writers. But like, I thought that my thought of the day would be like, I would really be inspiring people.

spk_0:   18:40
Can we just go back, Teoh? So do you think that this journal writing is like the kicking off point to you being a famous author?

spk_1:   18:49
Yes. That's really how I got started. Super. So I went ahead and I quit my job in anticipation of this good

spk_0:   18:58
news for all.

spk_1:   18:59
You should be excited. Uh, Now is a really great time to quit your job.

spk_0:   19:03
It does seem like a lot of people are doing really well. And putting the jobs is the top of the list.

spk_1:   19:08
So I went so thought of the day and I didn't even my first entry. I did not even get an idea. And I got zero ideas. I don't think maybe I don't have any ideas. Oh, wait, I did the second day. I did have ideas.

spk_0:   19:22
You had no ideas is just a blank page.

spk_1:   19:25
Well, I wrote down ideas in a dash mark, and then there's nothing after it. Oh, I may have

spk_0:   19:31
wasn't really tough day.

spk_1:   19:32
Uh, and just looking at the second day where I had ideas and I said it says Got nothing may need to change to joke of the day. Uh, so day two, I never actually wrote down any ideas. So my many of my millionaire ideas, they didn't actually come out on paper.

spk_0:   19:49
Nothing came to fruition. Maybe you should have carried it around all day with you.

spk_1:   19:53
I should next time.

spk_0:   19:55
Okay. What else? What else happened? How did it?

spk_1:   19:57
Okay, so it morphed. It evolved here. So um, you know, I'm seeing the good things and the bad things. I actually did a things I learned the T I a l um, which was interesting. It turned into end up doing a covert 19 update as opposed to just a bad thing. Oh, because the bad things end up being the covered 19 stuff.

spk_0:   20:18
Which do you think that made you fixate on the situation at hand, or do you think that it helped but get it out of your head?

spk_1:   20:27
So that's it's a really good point, right? So, um, I'm not the most forthcoming about my feelings and internalize pretty much everything.

spk_0:   20:36
Are you saying you bottle it up until you explode? Is that what I'm hearing?

spk_1:   20:39
Seems like

spk_0:   20:40
where is that what I'm seeing? So I'm living

spk_1:   20:42
like you may have known me a little bit, Okay. For a couple couple days, at least. Um, yes. So that z very accurate. I would hold it in until, uh, sometimes there's explosions. Sometimes not. Maybe many. They're not all Vesuvius. Right?

spk_0:   20:59
So do you think that it made you fixate our

spk_1:   21:03
know so well? I think I was already fixating on

spk_0:   21:06
as most in the world

spk_1:   21:08
when which I think is yeah, it was normal. And I comment several times throughout when I'm writing, I'm like, you know, I try to write, uh, you'll see, as I did this more and more kind of write down how I was feeling and I would say, You know, I am feeling a little bit anxious, but I'm like, no more than I think everyone else in the world. So I think it felt it felt good to actually get it out on paper and what I'm feeling. And it kind of helped helps us. Helps me, uh, from mental perspective, in my opinion. So All right, so I did the cove in 19 update. Right? So which is really every basically me acknowledging what day of locked down it is, cause we're currently in, uh, under a stay at home order

spk_0:   21:50
at home. It's been three weeks.

spk_1:   21:51
Yes, been three weeks, and I would do a cases in the US count and then a death count in the U. S.

spk_0:   21:59
Terrible. I don't want

spk_1:   22:00
to read that, and then I would do the lock down, and then I actually what I would do immediately right is I would take. I find out what? The percentage of deaths. But I don't know if it's actually a good

spk_0:   22:13
idea to do

spk_1:   22:14
are terrible to me, right? But it puts everything in perspective, and then you know eso. Then I'll get this percentage point and then all. Then I'll be like, Well, they're not testing everyone, right?

spk_0:   22:26
All right. So I think this is a good way to show that you are the skeptic and super analytical. Dick, Just this the way of your journaling has numbers and tracking to it, which I think just shows everyone like the type of guy you are. Um, Okay, So did you write anything besides the cove? It updates?

spk_1:   22:46
Uh, no. So I did write things beside the covert updates. I also and

spk_0:   22:51
I know you drew a dragon.

spk_1:   22:53
Well, I met him, Got to the driving

spk_0:   22:55
night, jumping and jumping the gun.

spk_1:   22:57
Um, so on day three, I decided I was going to take a tour turn, and I actually wrote about my most tragic, more most traumatic events in my life for the neck. And I took three days and I wrote about it, which is very interesting

spk_0:   23:14
going back and

spk_1:   23:15
Yeah, it's Yeah. So there's three journal entries and there's actually quite a bit of data that I wrote down and it was just specifically related Teoh one of most trip manic traumatic events in my life. And then I also I still did the cove in 19 update. We can't let that we say, Well, I figured if that be something you look back on, right? And even looking back on, you know, between when I started writing a journal when I stop, it was pretty helpful on then. I was doing highlights. I would I would do kind of one of the highlights of the day. And in these highlights, I was right. What my running pace is of that day, because during, um, lock down, there's a lot of exercise happening, and I think I ran probably 12 out of 14 days. So and we're seeing and I'm just watching my pace increase. So I'm recording my mileage and and I even record your mileage.

spk_0:   24:10
No. Is that what you asked me every time when my face Oh, just mileage on my base?

spk_1:   24:13
Oh, in your face. Uh, getting better or worse. You are getting better.

spk_0:   24:21
Well, I think I had, like a peaked like a weekend to the lock down. And now I'm just bored running. And so now I take the Children with me and we're push a stroller run with kid riding a bike.

spk_1:   24:33
Well, that's fun. It is kind of boring, but just got changed around up for your music. The Kellys Kelly's Gillis beats isn't coming

spk_0:   24:41
way have put together a playlist. Well, I have put together a playlist, and Barnes has named it Kelly's Ill SPD's. So yeah, it's going good.

spk_1:   24:51
You know, it's gonna interesting. You'll be rocking out and have a great pace. And then all of a sudden you get to piano Man. My Billy Joel are

spk_0:   24:58
still good

spk_1:   24:59
faithfully by journey. I mean

spk_0:   25:01
still good.

spk_1:   25:02
It's a great song, but is it really gonna Mario? Random

spk_0:   25:05
Broadway songs thrown in? I still enjoy them. Maybe they just bring your heart rate down to get into

spk_1:   25:13
it. I'm not necessarily looking for that.

spk_0:   25:15
Oh, I'm sorry. Reading. Listening to a book on tape is like it's you got, huh?

spk_1:   25:20
Maybe not so much either. But it's a little bit not not as boring.

spk_0:   25:23
Okay, So what else about your journal. Anything else you wanna tell us about that You included or things that you did with it?

spk_1:   25:30
I did do a joke. Oh, I think it's the only one.

spk_0:   25:32
Give us your joke.

spk_1:   25:33
You ready yet? I haven't heard it. You heard it on. But they haven't. What do you call a bear with no teeth?

spk_0:   25:41
I've already forgotten it. Hang on. Give me a second. Oh, no, I know it.

spk_1:   25:45
A Gummi bear.

spk_0:   25:46
Uh ah.

spk_1:   25:49
I actually saw that on the sidewalk when I was running.

spk_0:   25:53
Ah, that's good. We should add jokes. Did I say that last time? When you tell me?

spk_1:   25:56
Probably. Yes. Yeah, it feels familiar. So I did a joke. Um, additionally. Oh, I did a ah, a church. There was a did a kind of a gratitude versus loss. I guess it's almost like a pros and cons. You know what is good versus bad kind of chart. And I actually did that as well. Um, on one of the days, I thankful lots of feelings. March 31st I did draw quality dragon because I believe it was ah kind of explaining how I felt that that particular day

spk_0:   26:30
and can you just tell us what does the dragon, what feelings as a dragon represent? Do you feel strong and powerful or angry and fire breathing or kind of like a

spk_1:   26:40
like a docile and tired,

spk_0:   26:42
But that does not a dragon make that. Does that sound like a dragon? You

spk_1:   26:46
know, I vote powerful. Actually, I drew the dragon I didn't draw because that's how I felt on Dr because we do a dragon earlier with the kids. And I just wanted to see if I could still do it.

spk_0:   26:58
That next picture. I just got a glimpse of his quality work. I think we should post that on the block.

spk_1:   27:04
The cut

spk_0:   27:04
is that that

spk_1:   27:07
looks like a phenomenal Okay.

spk_0:   27:08
Looks like that cat needs a hairbrush.

spk_1:   27:10
Maybe it's Ah, it's a street cat.

spk_0:   27:13
Is it Cheshire? What's happening with its now?

spk_1:   27:15
Oh, it's good fangs. It's pretty. It's rather

spk_0:   27:18
Mm. No wonder what Freud would say about that.

spk_1:   27:22
Would who? Right? Oh, is there anything about forward? Forward? Say that I love my mother. I wouldn't marry my mother, and I

spk_0:   27:30
don't know. I understand drying scary things on a fluffy looking cat. There's also some really big claws. Not sure what? You were going with their Okay. What were you putting out?

spk_1:   27:41
Gets have big claws. I think it is the scale. Maybe it's your perception. Their teeth and claws are to scale.

spk_0:   27:46
That should be like gummy bears the

spk_1:   27:48
rest of the dry.

spk_0:   27:50
All right, we've digressed onto your artistry.

spk_1:   27:53
Um,

spk_0:   27:54
so you can be an artist and an illustrator,

spk_1:   27:56
Correct? In an author, right?

spk_0:   27:59
So I meant to say that I'm sorry. I don't mean artist,

spk_1:   28:01
so I'm gonna maybe I'm gonna author, right? Illustrate all my books. Like Weird al So good. That's pretty much it. You know, those air kind of the highlights of what I reviewed throughout the whole.

spk_0:   28:13
But I can cooperate that you did write in it.

spk_1:   28:16
I I wrote in every night, so I hit. I wanted to make sure that I gave it due diligence.

spk_0:   28:23
I did it. Take a picture that I'm gonna post on the block of the journal on the floor under the table. And I didn't know if that was somehow psychological that you were done with it. You've just thrown it away.

spk_1:   28:35
What was that after my last century?

spk_0:   28:36
No, it was after like third entry

spk_1:   28:39
or it's the the youngest child wanted to the

spk_0:   28:43
tornado. Tomato. Okay, so do you want to hear what I've researched about it? What I've learned,

spk_1:   28:50
uh, I think the answer. You're looking forwards? Yes.

spk_0:   28:53
I mean, it would be weird if you said no. No, I would just continue.

spk_1:   28:57
Wait, hold on. Is that like, all the rest of our conversations you're telling

spk_0:   29:01
a story.

spk_1:   29:03
Still going to tell you

spk_0:   29:04
I've been thinking. Um OK, so I read a couple of different articles about to the I guess research of how journaling affects people and something I maybe should have shared with you before, But I didn't want to put You don't want to give you a direction. I just wanted to let you do your thing and see where it turned out. This is the instructions that at least the this one set of researchers gave to their participants. They said for the next three days, I'd like for you to write about your deepest thoughts and feelings about the most traumatic experience of your entire life. Crazy You did it.

spk_1:   29:38
I'm just that good.

spk_0:   29:39
I guess there's more in your writing. I'd like you to really let go and explore your deepest emotions and thoughts. You might tie this trauma to your childhood, your relationships with others, including parents, lovers, friends and relatives. You may also link this event to your past, your present or your future, or to who you have been. We would like to be or who you are Now. You may write about the same general issues or experiences on all days of writing or about different topics each day. Not everyone has had a single trauma, but all of us have had major conflicts or stressors, and you can write about these as well. All of your writing will be completely confidential. Don't worry about spelling, sentence structure or grammar. The only rule is that once you begin writing, continue to do so until your time is up.

spk_1:   30:26
So how long was I supposed to write for?

spk_0:   30:29
Well, so they had them do. This was with younger. I think they were adolescence. They had them do 3 15 minute sessions.

spk_1:   30:36
Who's the

spk_0:   30:37
this group? Waas. Pennebaker and Chung In 2011 they did this research study. I didn't write down how many people they tested, but they found a way. Actually, before I get to what they found. Do you feel like reading that into me? Reading that instruction you ended up doing most of that? Or do you think that you kind of veered off of that instruction? I

spk_1:   30:58
I did some of it, I think.

spk_0:   31:00
Yeah. I was really surprised that you said you wrote about a traumatic event that I just didn't picture you doing that. The joke of the day, the recipes, the drawings and the cove, it update our 100% you. That is what I would have picked. I should guess what you wrote about. Oh, I should have guessed the structure. I would have done something analytical. Also, it's a little weird that you wrote about my running.

spk_1:   31:22
Well, I was here. That's more data was curious to see. What? How here in how you're running, improved in captivity, Captivity with you? Like a wild well course that's been crab.

spk_0:   31:33
Indeed. Eso This group found that writing just literally three sessions. 3 50 minute sessions, not a week. Just 3123 Done. They found benefits even nine months later. Whoa, That's insane. That would be like going to three therapy sessions, right?

spk_1:   31:52
Eso I'm curious how they know. How do you know you have a benefit? Nine months later?

spk_0:   31:56
Yeah, they did surveys.

spk_1:   31:57
Okay, Okay. So it's the same thing you did to me.

spk_0:   32:00
I didn't do the same exact surveys that they did, but it was the same general principle where they had less anxiety, less depression, depression, symptoms and higher quality of life ratings. Now, granted, they didn't control for everything else going on in their life over that nine months. So perhaps they had recently experienced something negative. And then over the nine months, their life had just naturally improved. But I think it's pretty impressive.

spk_1:   32:25
Maybe they took ecstasy right before they took the survey was

spk_0:   32:28
last survey maybe all of them, every participant, or at least enough to make that

spk_1:   32:34
maybe was a sweet part of their own right into

spk_0:   32:36
potentially. There's some other research that's been done that says that self reflection, journaling with self reflection, reduces anxiety through organizing thoughts and putting emotions and stressors down on paper.

spk_1:   32:49
That's interesting that it was one of my goals. Did I tell you my goals

spk_0:   32:53
did not?

spk_1:   32:53
Number one was improved. Mental health and then in breath seizes, reduce anxiety and then the third is organized brain. So

spk_0:   33:03
yet Barnes and I have both, um, self diagnosed ourselves with 80 HD. So we, uh, I think they organized organizing The brain thing could be legit in that there's more. There are obviously many studies found that increased it increased mindfulness. Obviously, you're writing about what's going on, so it's increasing that. But some people found that it may improve. I Q and memory.

spk_1:   33:30
I'm no genius.

spk_0:   33:31
I mean, you started out pretty bright. So the weird memory

spk_1:   33:35
feel like, um

spk_0:   33:37
wow, do you think this is improved? You're already really good memory. I'm in trouble. You're gonna remember way too many things. Now.

spk_1:   33:43
I'm like a monster. It's been released.

spk_0:   33:46
That's the dragon.

spk_1:   33:49
That's what I WAAS

spk_0:   33:50
illustrated dragon. Okay. And then there's another one. It was a metal analysis

spk_1:   33:55
taking over the world A like Lex Luther with my giant brain.

spk_0:   34:01
You think having a an amazing memory will help you take over the world? Absolutely. Or that a secondary goal. A side benefit?

spk_1:   34:09
Oh, yeah. Like I want to remember the whole process of taking over the world. Right? That's part of the wanting to do it.

spk_0:   34:15
I don't know. I'm not part of that. I have no aspirations, but that seems like a lot of work and way, way more effort than I'd like to put into anything.

spk_1:   34:22
All right, so you just want me to do it and I'll let you know when it's done.

spk_0:   34:25
Just don't tell me about it. It's like Are really tiring too much to him. OK, so there's a meta analysis, which means it's a study that looked at all of the studies and brought about it so they didn't do their own individual research. They read everyone else's research and compiled. It's basically summarising the pool of data, and they use 13 studies using expressive writing with healthy participants. They do a lot of studies and journaling with people with major depressive symptoms or with schizophrenia or other. We have significant mental health issues, so this is interesting that they use healthy participants, and they found a significant overall benefit and specific benefits in objective or self reporting, physical health, psychological well being, physiological functioning and general functioning outcomes. So they're saying their mind and body are better.

spk_1:   35:15
That's interesting. And did they say why? Like I'm curious about the physical. How does it make my making it awesome? Physical specimen,

spk_0:   35:23
if you are. If you do what you just did your recording your how much you're running your pace, that's likely gonna help you Physically.

spk_1:   35:30
I can see that, but not everyone's gonna do that.

spk_0:   35:31
But maybe people are. Maybe they're recording their dietary goals. I think in general just it gives you a place to put goals and hold you accountable for those goals.

spk_1:   35:40
OK, I could see that. I didn't know if, like the thought of writing beautiful prose on the page

spk_0:   35:45
may be greatly Well, there's a lot. My muscles. I mean, there's a lot of correlation, no connection between the mind and the body. So obviously we know that anxiety causes physiological symptoms. It causes symptoms in the body, so taking that away wouldn't have solar heart rate, you know, probably better. Raise a violation just in general will improve your body, your body functioning. So this says that so this was by Smith and Co. In 1998 and the review suggests that physically and psychologically healthy individuals the effects produced by expressive writing, are substantial and similar in magnitude to the effects of other psychological interventions, many of which are more involved in time consuming and expensive. Those would be like therapy.

spk_1:   36:28
Okay, so is this like a personal therapy session? Pretty much,

spk_0:   36:32
yeah, and they're saying it's as effective as going to a therapist. Obviously, this is a lot less expensive, a lot less logistically complicated. So what do you think of these? These results, I don't

spk_1:   36:44
know. It sounds It sounds very grand. Grandiose. I would agree that it's effective in helping better yourself and and Aiken, I can see it reducing anxiety and helping get some of that. You know, actually, talking about writing about how you're feeling kind of helps you alleviate some of those feelings if they're negative or positive already helps you. You know, if it's something positive that it helps you kind of you focus a little bit more own. Or maybe you celebrate your your winds a little bit more. Appreciate your winds a little bit more, but it sounds like and nose and I didn't actually read the It sounds like very grandiose like, you know,

spk_0:   37:23
Yeah, but that was a meta analysis. So 13 study said that

spk_1:   37:26
right? But it's somebody. There's a person that's doing it. That is a subjective right. It's a subject of analysis of 13 studies.

spk_0:   37:34
Well, not necessarily. Because they're all peer reviewed, so they're not gonna let them just give their thoughts. They're gonna have P values. They're gonna have statistics

spk_1:   37:42
involved. Guess I'd have to see it. But sceptic, um

spk_0:   37:49
what? Right. But

spk_1:   37:50
it sounded like overall, I think it's a good idea.

spk_0:   37:54
Do you want to hear what I also read about the anecdotally? Or I guess it's more of the lay publications. What they say journaling does for you. There's

spk_1:   38:04
one Playboy.

spk_0:   38:05
No. But this article says there's eight top reasons why you should start a journal today. Number one keeper Thoughts organized, which I think you agree with. Yeah, number to improve your writing a k a. Become a future other true check set and achieve your goals. Number four record ideas on the go. So this would have been if you would have taken it with you.

spk_1:   38:25
I know

spk_0:   38:26
and had your thoughts. Do you read this article?

spk_1:   38:28
No, I didn't I didn't read any articles where I wanted to. I wanted to be like. Well, what should I do exactly what is the most effective?

spk_0:   38:36
This is so outside your comfort zone. Um, number five is relieve stress and says writing down your feelings helps you do a brain dump and get your anxieties out. Six allows you to self reflect seven boosts your memory. And I think just the act of writing is supposed to help with memory.

spk_1:   38:54
Yeah, I could see that. I remember, like in back in college. And with all that studying that I did.

spk_0:   38:59
Yeah, right. And that one time resetting,

spk_1:   39:01
Yeah, I was remembered like when you write notes you were just the act of writing down would help. Do you remember the content more than just like highlighting in a book? We're listening to a teacher,

spk_0:   39:13
my organic chemistry teacher. I'm sure he gave me stats that I don't remember because if I don't need it, it's not in my memory anymore. He gave us extra points on our test if we turned in two copies of our notes, the notes we took during his class and then if we hand copied them again because he said there was, like, such strong evidence for the writing of it.

spk_1:   39:32
He could have done his own little experiment there.

spk_0:   39:35
I'm sure he has research on that. And I'm sure he gave

spk_1:   39:37
it a look about

spk_0:   39:38
and I don't know it anyhow, So booster memories, number seven Number eight is inspire creativity. And that number it is it. And I think I think it. This isn't me. Do you think that it inspired your creativity?

spk_1:   39:50
I think

spk_0:   39:51
do a scary cat.

spk_1:   39:53
I tried to be more creative. And whether I succeeded or not, I guess that's but I guess I never really wrote Before this, I didn't really have anything. The only thing I wrote were business emails I didn't have. Ah,

spk_0:   40:06
and I'm sure those air totally robust in feelings and emotions.

spk_1:   40:11
My goal when I write an email is that I want to be a succinct as possible and the least amount of lines with the most amount of data. So this is a little bit different, but I guess it was kind of like creative writing or narrative writing back in college.

spk_0:   40:25
So tell me how you think that what affected this have on your mental health or I guess, physical health Now, two weeks so 14 days of journal writing way more than 3 15 minute sessions.

spk_1:   40:39
Oh yeah, So I think it kind of helped me get through the past two weeks or cope with very stressful situations. And then I think it was very helpful. Like I said, when I at first I was like, I don't want to do this but after you actually do it a couple times and I'm you know, even after the first or second time, you feel kind of you feel better. You feel measurably better than you did before you started. Say, you have a little you know there's something on your mind. I attended toe well on things and just the fact of writing it down. And afterwards I felt better, kind of like a something's been lifted. The weight's been lifted.

spk_0:   41:16
So as interesting question. I would love to know if it helped you sleep better since you did it almost everyday, usually right before bed or in the couple hours before bed.

spk_1:   41:27
So that's an interesting I felt that I have been sleeping. I slept well, but one of the side effects of quitting smoking is you have issues with sleep, so it's kind of that whole piece of the puzzle kind of resident. But I and I would say I slept. What's abnormally Or maybe even better? I think when reviewing some of my data, I think I've averaged on 88 hours

spk_0:   41:52
into that. That's my job. Reviewing your data.

spk_1:   41:55
What did you You can't review my sleep data because that's my secret data.

spk_0:   41:59
Is it in your journal?

spk_1:   42:00
It is. Actually, only I started putting it in there, but I only did it like one or two days. I didn't keep track of it, but I have it on my from my garment.

spk_0:   42:10
Um and so it's just time. How much?

spk_1:   42:12
Right? And then it'll it doesn't really. I guess sweep sleep quality doesn't really factor into it, but I feel refreshed.

spk_0:   42:18
I mean, I think it tells you to sleep quality, but from the sleep research that I've worked on that is like a shot in the dark, not accurate

spk_1:   42:27
lies. Is that what you're saying? That's all. I

spk_0:   42:29
mean, it depends If it makes you feel good, then it's totally true.

spk_1:   42:32
How do you do a sleep study, then,

spk_0:   42:36
um, what is it called with the stickers on your head.

spk_1:   42:38
Oh, you have to do like a, uh e k g or now did you know

spk_0:   42:43
maybe BCG no stg is a heart,

spk_1:   42:46
right? Ah, I e g

spk_0:   42:48
Yeah. Yep. Sorry. Yeah, in sonography. Is that part of it? That's something else.

spk_1:   42:53
That's where you cup the person in the courtroom. Oh, Records. It's like your court reporter. That's what they do on the little keyboard thing.

spk_0:   43:04
Oh, my gosh. That's We had a fact, Jack. This Yanks. I don't know. Evidently, I know. I know that that is not accurate. And that's apparently all I know.

spk_1:   43:13
Got a gig,

spk_0:   43:13
Holly? Some Oh, sonography p o l y s o m n o g r a t h y

spk_1:   43:23
I make sure it's got, like, the Yeah, the graphing the arm, like a light attack

spk_0:   43:28
is speaking picturing, um, so close.

spk_1:   43:31
Yeah, I guess is you don't get brain activity from your watch. Correct. Maybe I need to invent that. I'll write that down as an idea. That's my first idea.

spk_0:   43:42
That's a good point. Do you think that you'll continue journaling? So I

spk_1:   43:45
thought about it. I was, uh I think that I probably should. I think it's helpful. Um, so I think I'll try to continue to journal,

spk_0:   43:53
and I think it actually will be beneficial moving forward in this experiment to kind of keep track of how you're doing along the way. Like throughout these different measures.

spk_1:   44:02
Yeah, I agree. And maybe Ah, yeah. So and we can actually refer back to previous pages and see demeanors and things like that before. Um, so you do have some results for me interested in these surveys that I feel that.

spk_0:   44:17
So I put together a larger survey based at and not based, but it comprises three different surveys. One is a profile of mood states better known as palms. I did the abbreviated 24 question one that asks how you're feeling. I don't remember how so get its five, I think five ah, levels of how you're feeling. If you're tents worn out, feel lively, active on edge. And you can answer not at all a little moderately, quite a bit or extremely for 24 different mood states. And then I gave you a shorter survey of just general physical and mental health feelings. So, in general, what is your quality of life in General, how would you rate your physical health in general? How would you rate your mental health, including your mood and ability to work? How would you rate your satisfaction with your social activities and relationships? I can imagine how that's going and isolation. And then how would you rate your ability to carry out your usual social activities and roles, including activities at home, at work and in your community? Responsibilities as a parent, child, spouse, employees, friend, etcetera. To what extent are you able to carry out physical activities like walking? Um, and then I went to the, um, Delta Daily Activities of Living Survey. So it's how you're feeling on again, a combination of multiple different feelings activities, physical, mental. And both the palms and the delta have been validated, validated in different groups. Specifically, I know they've been validated and athletes, because that's what we use them for. And based on your running 12 out of 14 days, I think this fits. So I had you do them baseline so before. Oh, no. The day that we recorded was that the day that we recorded the initials are the initial podcast, or just before

spk_1:   46:13
it was just before

spk_0:   46:14
and then one week into journaling and then literally, just before recording this right now miso, I put them together and I, um, took all the results and I did a percent change from baseline. So on each every single measure, how did you change from baseline Two Week one and then baseline. Too weak to and interestingly, altogether, you have on week one. So after one week of journaling, you had eight areas that you improved and six areas that you had declines. There was multiple areas that you felt the same. And then let's see the specifically your overall profiled mood states.

spk_1:   46:54
So hold on real quick. So between the my initial test, which is you know, how I was feeling before I started journaling correct. And then in the middle,

spk_0:   47:03
one week of

spk_1:   47:03
one week of journaling eight, there were eight topics that I felt better. Like, you know, am I less tired or am I, you know, not exhausted or and not as anxious. And then there were six items where I felt worse.

spk_0:   47:17
Correct. Ok, um so overall, your profile of mood score was pretty high to start with, um vigor, which is all off. The positive things put together was 20 out of 32 then you had fatigue, irritability, numbness So, like, kind of feeling blase and tension. Those all are put together, and there's multiple questions for each of those. But those are all put together for the negative scores. And then you subtract the positive from the negative. And from week one to week two, you improved by 4%. Kudos, Um, and your it looks like your, um, irritability went up 250% and your attention went up, but your numbness went down and your fatigue went down. Interestingly, you're pretty fatigued to start. Um, and then let's see the other your ah, physical health week. So this is baseline two week one went up by 50% your mental health went up by 33% and your satisfaction with social activities and relationship went down by 33% which again, it's not surprising because we are on house arrest and we can't I really do anything. Nothing. We did a lot of social activities,

spk_1:   48:30
right? I'm not like the most so biggest social butterfly.

spk_0:   48:33
Yeah, but your ability to carry out your usual social activities and rolls went up 33%

spk_1:   48:39
and this is is still that one week.

spk_0:   48:42
Um, and then your the Delta scores, um, went down by 50%.

spk_1:   48:48
What's it called again?

spk_0:   48:49
That is all of the

spk_1:   48:51
well, that's that's the physical activity one right where it says,

spk_0:   48:54
Yeah, there's a lot

spk_1:   48:56
normal. Better or worse. Yes, it was my exercise.

spk_0:   48:59
And you rate your diet, your home life, your friends, sport training, sleep, recreation, health, any muscle pains, tiredness, supplementary work, boredom, a recovery time, irritability, throat, internal

spk_1:   49:13
throw. That was a weird one. I thought that What was it like measuring throat?

spk_0:   49:16
Because that's big indicator of upper respiratory infections.

spk_1:   49:20
Um, I was like, Why don't why don't they ask me how leg?

spk_0:   49:24
And so a lot of people use Delta for over training to see if you are doing too much to put you at risk for illnesses.

spk_1:   49:31
Oh, so by training too much, you're more susceptible to

spk_0:   49:36
yet. But it's illness. It's above the level that we train at.

spk_1:   49:40
Are you sure?

spk_0:   49:41
No. But I will. I could find out.

spk_1:   49:43
I don't know if you noticed, but my vigor is up. 4%. I'm a rather vigorous individual,

spk_0:   49:50
but like you said, this is only a three category. It's worse than normal, normal or better than normal. Okay, and then let's go to two weeks. So after doing two weeks of journaling baseline to two weeks, you had 12 improvements. So up from eight and six, Still six areas where you declined. Delta again declined, but it stayed the same from week one. Okay, so evidently from baseline the week one, you had some sort of decline and then say the same. Um,

spk_1:   50:20
so would you say that put me in like, the 99th percentile of humans overall, would you say I had an A. I got an A A plus,

spk_0:   50:28
I would say, See,

spk_1:   50:30
how vigorous would you say I waas? How much did my vigor increase between baseline and

spk_0:   50:38
week to week? To 10%

spk_1:   50:40
told unknown,

spk_0:   50:41
Do you feel very bigger and vigorous, man, 10% extra bigger.

spk_1:   50:44
That's where the dragon came from. I was feeling my bigger increase.

spk_0:   50:49
I was wondering

spk_1:   50:49
if I want to

spk_0:   50:50
be irritability.

spk_1:   50:52
I wanted to express vigor in also irritability. Well,

spk_0:   50:55
okay, um, your fatigue improved a lot, which is interesting. So maybe it is that sleep good. And then let's see what other major things happened. Tension, you Tension improved. So that was the 10 to 1 week it got worse by 200 or by 100% and then significantly improved. So, Baseline Teoh, two weeks, you're up 25%.

spk_1:   51:21
Oh, nice. So

spk_0:   51:22
much less tense after two weeks of journaling or after two weeks of isolation or actually, three weeks isolation. But overall, your profile of mood state score decreased by 9% from baseline to two weeks.

spk_1:   51:35
Those worse? Slightly worse. But I thought I was up 12 on my vigor was at least 50% increased

spk_0:   51:41
your ear abilities down. Oh, evidently being second home with all of us get you will irritable maybe some of the other major ones. You said your physical health has improved 100% from baseline. So interesting that you are skeptical about the articles, improvement and physical health. But you rated it 100% better.

spk_1:   52:03
Well, maybe my mental my mental health went down so much that I couldn't really give correct answers.

spk_0:   52:09
Or maybe you were feeling so crappy to start that there was nowhere else to go. Your mental health also improved by 33%. In all of those quality of life ratings. Nothing got worse. Everything either improved or one thing say the same. And it's your ability to carry out your everyday physical activities. So you can still go shop, move a chair, walk

spk_1:   52:31
up the stairs.

spk_0:   52:31
Yep. Climbing the stairs,

spk_1:   52:33
climbing the stairs. You,

spk_0:   52:34
um Yeah. So, overall, I would say that your physical and mental health were, uh were improved with this experiment. So wait. So tell me how you feel about that. About the objective results of your subjective.

spk_1:   52:47
You just said I did worse on my pom poms score. You said my pom poms scored lower.

spk_0:   52:52
It is lower. But you know what? Let me look at it again. Mm.

spk_1:   52:56
But you go ahead and modify the data just before

spk_0:   53:00
bigger is better. Fatigue is better. Irritability is worse. Numbness is better. You don't feel at all fatigued or numb.

spk_1:   53:06
I would agree with that.

spk_0:   53:07
I mean, you've answered it just before this on. Tension improved. I may have a miscalculation in the overall score, but what I can tell you for sure is that You're bigger. Improved. Your fatigue got better. Irritability is slightly worse. And it was, like, a little too moderate. Not surprising if you take it right now. Are you more irritable now, after doing this?

spk_1:   53:27
Uh, no, I don't think so. But I do feel rather vigorous.

spk_0:   53:30
You are less tense. So you had a lot of improvements, is what I'm saying?

spk_1:   53:35
No, I would agree. I I would agree with the data to that data. Sounds like you know, there's a a definite improvement between baseline and now. And who knows? Maybe it. It helped me cope with our incarceration.

spk_0:   53:48
I think the incarceration is not even the worst of what gives you anxiety. The unknown stuff, I think, is what you

spk_1:   53:55
know. It's interesting kind of somewhere. Tell me somewhat on topic is I read an article this morning. You know, there's there's been some suspicion or people are making You are saying there's going to be a large set of babies and nine months due to our so but But then I read an article that said, Well, maybe you should. People shouldn't consider not having Children at this point in time, because I guess some early data out of the who byproduct province in China is the people are divorcing after their increased time together forced time together.

spk_0:   54:33
I also saw that, but I saw it as a cartoon. That said, In nine months, there's gonna be a baby boom of Onley first Children. It's a viewer. Second home. We are already having Children. You aren't procreating. True, But who has time? They're always here. We're always awake.

spk_1:   54:51
There was watching and judging.

spk_0:   54:53
They're everywhere. They want to be directly next to me. I have at least one Children, one or two Children touching me at all times.

spk_1:   54:59
That's true. That's very true.

spk_0:   55:00
Unless I'm cleaning out the marsh girls. Okay, So you in general, you agree with a with that? A meta analysis? That, huh?

spk_1:   55:08
I do.

spk_0:   55:09
Oh, interesting. So it seems that I have changed the skeptics perception. Would you agree with that?

spk_1:   55:17
Uh, what are you using To define perception

spk_0:   55:20
that journaling is beneficial for your mental and physical health

spk_1:   55:23
based on

spk_0:   55:24
your own results? What, you think?

spk_1:   55:30
Yes, I would agree with that statement.

spk_0:   55:33
So if you're going to rate how beneficial journaling is, the pros versus cons on a scale of one through 51 being Let's go 0350 is better for a nothing no benefit. Maybe even made you worse. And five being so great. Why is everyone not doing this? What would you rate journaling?

spk_1:   55:49
I would say for

spk_0:   55:50
like, four of your fancy pens, Fortified fancy pens

spk_1:   55:53
O r of my new and improved recipes directly from the journal.

spk_0:   55:59
So 45. That's pretty good. Yeah. So you say that people should definitely pick up a pen and paper and get their thoughts?

spk_1:   56:04
Yes, I would wholeheartedly agree with that.

spk_0:   56:07
Wow, This is actually quite surprising to me. I did not think that you would embrace journaling as much as you have.

spk_1:   56:13
What? I haven't opened mine. I love to write about feelings. You do talk about feelings,

spk_0:   56:21
but I think actually, this is better because you don't have to talk about them. It's true. This is like your secret emotional output are outlet, not output Outlet. Um, OK, so shall we discuss what you're gonna be doing? Moving forward? I would say the next month, but let's go with two weeks.

spk_1:   56:35
Um, fingers cross, please. No veganism. Please, no. Begin. Please. Nobody.

spk_0:   56:42
Okay. So I had to modify the list. Okay, let me hide some things. Oh, veganism. Still there. Don't worry. Because some of the things take you outside of our home, and right now that is against the law. So let me see.

spk_1:   56:54
Massage therapy.

spk_0:   56:55
Um, sorry. That is off the list.

spk_1:   56:57
You can just perform it. Uh, no.

spk_0:   57:01
Could but won't anyways. So I had to eliminate things like the chiropractor. Acupuncture chakra alignment. Tai Chee, Things like that.

spk_1:   57:11
You can't do like a zoom meeting. Get your track ra realign.

spk_0:   57:15
I'm not sure, but it was beyond the scope of what I was willing to invest in Esso. Something's There's 25 things left on this list that we're going to do a random number generator to get what you're gonna be doing next. But some of the things are a gluten free diet trying oils.

spk_1:   57:31
So I would have to say about the gluten free. I'm not going back to the store.

spk_0:   57:40
I'm not a rescue willing to take.

spk_1:   57:42
Not really.

spk_0:   57:42
Then I guess you're gonna have to be really creative with what we've got. Eso gluten free diet using oils, you essential oils, yoga, meditation. A very structured sleep regime, Um,

spk_1:   57:56
sounds like a bedtime. Is that what you're saying?

spk_0:   57:58
45?

spk_1:   57:59
Is that what

spk_0:   57:59
it is? So sleep, hygiene or sleep routine is one of the biggest indicators of sleep quality. So going to bed at the exact same time every night and doing they say, pick three things that you do every single night. As your ritual

spk_1:   58:13
sounds interesting,

spk_0:   58:14
take out to contacts. Pressure to get in bed. Yes, so that's trying that something mawr regimented. No screens. There's like a list of knows you can eat in a certain amount of time before bed. You should eat a certain thing in the last thing you eat like a, um, a certain kind of protein, usually like a yogurt or like a cabbage cheese. And then

spk_1:   58:34
that's what you gotta She's in bed

spk_0:   58:36
in bed, but it's like in the two hours before bed and then nothing else. I don't think I'd have to look into the all of it, but that's part of it, um, social connection. So you'd have to either text, video, chat or call somebody a physical person. Non work related every day. Ideally, you'd be someone knew that you haven't talked Teoh, but could be the same. Could go a couple times the same person. Okay, um, you could do Oh, this one's good. Read a classic philosophy book and I have some good ones. Knee J.

spk_1:   59:07
P. Then Q. Is that what we're talking about here? Is that logic? I took philosophy slash logic and freshman year.

spk_0:   59:15
It was one class. Yeah, that's Southern Illinois University. I took a lot of Asian philosophy classes and I think could be really interesting to get your perspective on it. Um, and there's also two other ones. One is a daily 45 minute cardio. You have to do 45 minutes of cardio every single day. You're almost at that. So I don't really

spk_1:   59:35
mind doing 45 minutes, so I know because I'm some vigorous

spk_0:   59:39
at the other one is 45 minutes of weights every day. Oh, yes. Who's got the time with all the errands were running and social activities were going. Teoh

spk_1:   59:52
anything. We have enough waits for me to lift him for 45 minutes.

spk_0:   59:56
I mean, I don't think you didn't physic number. Think well. One weight.

spk_1:   1:0:00
You need more weight.

spk_0:   1:0:01
One set of weight

spk_1:   1:0:02
used your new weights every time.

spk_0:   1:0:04
And you don't need new ways every day.

spk_1:   1:0:06
When did this come in? I've never talked about this with

spk_0:   1:0:09
you. Ready? Random number generator. Here we go. So, minimum numbers, one maxim numbers 25. So let's take a look. Sorry. I'm just going to the generator. Oh, you got social connection. Oh, I I think this will be really interesting to see. And I wouldn't I would love for you to dio some journaling throughout on this so that we have something

spk_1:   1:0:33
Sort of one of the rules with Yeah, well, connections.

spk_0:   1:0:36
So non work related. It could be someone from work, but it has to be about something non work related to your friends with some people from work. Okay, fine with that has to be a text exchange can just be like a one random mean that you send has to be like a back and forth or a phone call or a video chat.

spk_1:   1:0:54
Gonna They're gonna be like what? Why is this guy calling me?

spk_0:   1:0:57
Well,

spk_1:   1:0:57
like really weird? Something happened.

spk_0:   1:1:00
Diet. I've been loved to see how this is an experiment. Give it a go. It would be hilarious. and you love to mess. If he goes, I feel like this. You being so out of the blue would be fantastic. Also the Joe since keys. They're going up your number on this so much Because we do a lot of video chatting with them.

spk_1:   1:1:16
Oh, yeah. So I can use that.

spk_0:   1:1:18
As long as you're involved in it. You can be out of the camera the whole time and say, rectums time.

spk_1:   1:1:24
I'm in the same room as them.

spk_0:   1:1:25
But you're not

spk_1:   1:1:27
in the same room. Is the video

spk_0:   1:1:28
You're gonna have to be sitting on the couch? I'll be the one in the chair. The lazy boy by myself. Actually, I would be the one of the lazy point with three Children, and you'll be on the couch yourself. So how do you feel? We feel good.

spk_1:   1:1:40
All right. I feel like this is rigged. I think you did this intentionally. I want to validate your number.

spk_0:   1:1:46
Well, I mean, to be fair, there's a lot less options,

spk_1:   1:1:48
but you seem really keen on the social.

spk_0:   1:1:51
I am really excited about it,

spk_1:   1:1:52
right? So I don't know if there's some bias or

spk_0:   1:1:55
some of the other things were screen time restrictions. So only using Elektronik devices for a certain amount of time of the day. That would have been interesting.

spk_1:   1:2:03
So I I would agree this will be interesting. People would be like, Why is this guy calling me right now? I could just see that. Like we kind of contacting friends that I haven't talked to you. Where people haven't talked, would by enemies,

spk_0:   1:2:16
is everyone you know

spk_1:   1:2:17
should be like enemies keep in

spk_0:   1:2:19
touch with people terribly. I think this will be really interesting. Yeah. Enemy. Sure.

spk_1:   1:2:23
Maybe annoying when I have to be like Like what? So how maney you say? Text exchange. Does that mean? Does that mean, like, three like, Hi. How are you? I'm good.

spk_0:   1:2:34
And we don't wanna be a jerk and then sign off like what just happened? That was really weird, Tim. Just Barnes just texted me to say hi, and literally that was it. So let's say there has to be. At least I would say 10 back and forth. You have to have 10 things. They have to have 10 things.

spk_1:   1:2:53
All right, All right. I can do this.

spk_0:   1:2:55
Texting should be way better. What could be an email to. I'm fine, but has to have exchange

spk_1:   1:2:59
normal e mails anymore. 20 twenties

spk_0:   1:3:02
Could be a letter going. A letter writing campaign.

spk_1:   1:3:04
It's been It's been so long since our last correspondence. Can I send it by Pony Express?

spk_0:   1:3:10
I don't think that's running right now.

spk_1:   1:3:12
I don't know. Maybe our

spk_0:   1:3:13
name, because it's 2020 and B because it's not an essential business.

spk_1:   1:3:20
All right, well, it's exciting.

spk_0:   1:3:22
Are you excited? Yeah,

spk_1:   1:3:24
sure. I'm excited that it's not veganism. Yeah, that's gonna be a sad day when we that one gets selected.

spk_0:   1:3:31
I think you might love it.

spk_1:   1:3:33
We'll see. No, that's a different story.

spk_0:   1:3:36
I think that you're probably equally as, ah, negative about it, as you would be about this thing. You're equally is negative about this, as you would have veganism. We'll see. Okay, So what's come back in two weeks? I think two weeks is an ample amount of time for you to be social. 14 people. It's 14 people. Yeah, your parents count. You got that? Parents. The Joe, since he's a good video chat. My mom, she's downstairs. Um, and I'll look into some evidence anecdotal and scientific, about social connectivity. But if anyone has any ideas on different treatments that we can do, I'm gonna post the treatment list both a full full list and the abbreviated coverted isolation list on the blog's. And if anyone has any more suggestions on things that we should subject Barnes to, um, you can email to me my email dresses, Kelly K E L Y at the Barnes experiment dot com and what we have that on the block to and are blawg address is the Barnes experiment dot com

spk_1:   1:4:42
or the barn sex pyramid dot com does. Depends on which way you look at

spk_0:   1:4:46
that spell out sex indeed on. And then we'll come back in two weeks and see how this is gone. I'm excited. Thanks for playing. This is good. I'm shocked selling breast. You're just like an evolved human. Now

spk_1:   1:5:01
I'm like, a superhuman.

spk_0:   1:5:03
Interestingly, though I have noticed nothing different Anyways, that's good. CN two weeks.

spk_1:   1:5:09
All right, Thanks, guys.