Transcript 

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

Good morning.

This is Joanne Williams Anxiety Simplified, and I heard something this morning that was so concerning to me that I wanted to do kind of an emergency podcast and I'm going to call this Podcast emergency techniques for anxiety and depression and this includes suicide.

I heard something this morning that was so concerning to me, that it is really driving me to do this podcast.  I'm usually, know, happy, go lucky, and want to focus that way on happiness.

But this, hit me, and I felt immediately, I need to share what I have seen and heard as a as 30 years, as a licensed mental health professional, And a private practice counselor, all this time, and, and really having to find ways to help people. With anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

That are simple and helpful and useful right now. And I feel like that is where we are in a crisis.

This month is August 2020. And the Coronavirus has killed 160,000 Americans already.

People don't seem to be taking this as serious as it should to help.

I think it's up to each one of us, not the government, not your state, not your governor Take care of you and your family at this point.

Sometimes, I, as I look at it, as, I'm going to put myself in my own bubble to protect me from others' thoughts about this whole thing or seeing people without masks.

That really brings me fear, or anxiety or hearing the political happenings around a government that looks like it's going more towards authoritarian or a dictatorship.

It is just very concerning and so much is compounding us.

That now Washington Post article in May, 2020, talked about a shadow pandemic, a mental health shadow pandemic.

And I do see this now already happening in this article from Washington Post, May 2020.

That previously we've seen anxiety rates about 18, 20%. It's gone up to 33, to 50% anxiety and depression, especially in our most vulnerable states.

But the Kaiser Family Foundation is reporting that nearly 50% Americans are reporting that this coronavirus is harming their mental health.

And a federal emergency hotline is you're putting 1000% increase of calls from last year, thousand percent, We can't even imagine these things.

• Another study found that 77% of Americans are feeling their concentration is affected.
• 31% are lonelier.
• 39% more irritable.
• 72%, our lives are feeling disrupted.
• And 74% feel, the worst is yet to come. We Call that a sense of doom.

Every single one of those, these are symptoms, of anxiety and depression.  And I want you to know these symptoms, because that is what we need to be on the lookout for ourselves, our families, our coworkers, our kid’s friends as they go back to school.

• The Statistic that hit me this morning, that the CDC is now seeing that 11% of Americans have can seriously considered suicide in June 2020. That's double the percentage from 2018.  And the rates are highest in 18 to 24 year old’s and unpaid caregivers for adults.

These are college age, children who just graduated from high school without a traditional graduation, who are now maybe, not going to college, maybe are in college for the first time, in it being a very different world than they ever imagined their wonderful college years to be.  And 11 % percent of 18-24 yrs. and UNpaid Caregivers are seriously considering suicide, not just thinking about harming themselves, Taking Their Lives.  These are our Grandchildren, Sons, Daughters, Grandparents, Mothers or Fathers that are caring for your family member.  

They are NOT asking for help!  ASK THEM “WHAT CAN I DO TO LESSEN YOUR STRESS!”  They don’t know what to do.  They are overwhelmed, shutting down, because their brain can’t process information anymore to make decisions.  They need your help. If it is paying for someone to give them 15 minutes to go to the store of take a nap, to caught up on their sleep. It doesn’t need to be a grand gesture, just do something.  Listen to a young adult, look for these symptoms.

This is a crisis time right now through December at least this year, as the worst time.

“USE THESE TECHNIQUES NOW” TO HELP

1. Simplest thing you can do is to use your most natural way to relax and calm yourself: BREATHE in through your nose and out through your mouth. 4 X.

Anytime you get anxious to calm yourself.  We forget our most natural relaxing way.  DO IT NOW. It will take only 1 minute.

2. KISS- use the same coffee mug that you love.  Use it every day, keep some rituals, driving the same way to work.  Start your day with something you love to do.  Listen to music.  Smell a flower.  Find something you enjoy. The Simple rituals calm us.
3. Give some time to yourself first before family time. So, you have more to give when you are calmer. This is critical. There is a reason the flight attendants say put your oxygen mask on first.
4. I made a 5-minute Relief now meditation on my website AnxietySimplified.net you can listen to anytime.
5. GET A DOG-I do evaluations for people to have their dog certified as an Emotional Support Animal ESA and that is one of the simplest ways to calm yourself.  You can take them to fly and be in no pet housing.  Your listener can go to www.esapros.com and take the 1 minute prequalification worksheet to see if they will qualify for an ESA with the 3 qualifiers to receive a letter to give to property manager or the airlines. Or see the video https://vimeo.com/412779248 
6. S-M-I-L-E    You will get through this.
7. Take a walk and look off in the distance, this has been shown to as affected as depression medications.
8. Open up your arms over your head like you are going to Yawn and reach up and look up and Smile and feel the good and the blessings from above coming into you and reach up and drawn them into your heart.  It will change your mood immediately.
9. Think 3 things right now you are grateful for.  If you can’t think of 3 quickly.  You need to practice this one.  I hope this includes you SO or children, sunshine or rain.  Your abilities. Your DOG.
10. KNOW YOU ALWAYS HAVE OPTIONS.  Or choices about your life.  
11. Trace a heart over you heart 3 times.
12. Place your left hand on your heart and right hand on your belly and say.  Open heart soft belly. And breathe. This is a Donna Eden Energy medicine technique. Then tap on the back of your left hand between the ring and little finger. 
13. Look at only the good in any situation. Decide to let go of the Drama and CHOOSE to see what is going on well.
14. Be FOR something instead of Against something.  It will change your focus.  Be for a cause instead of against one.  Be for peace, instead of against war.   Be for understanding instead of against a certain type of groups. 
15. Use compassion as much as possible to understand that we don’t know what this person is going through right now.  Their poor behaviors my not be about you, but you are in front of them, but they may have just lost their wife or husband to sickness. 
16. Focus on the positive and what you want in your life. Instead of the negative and what is going wrong. 
17. Focus only on what is going right in your life or in the world not at the drama.
18. Your emotions are your guidance system, listen for what they are telling you. Anxiety is to get prepared, get ready. 
19. Take Yoga, it helps with physical, emotional and breathing. 

Use these: Depression HELP LINE -1800-273-8255

www.MHANational.org Mental Health America

ISMOHO.org Int’l Society for MH 

So these are college age, children who now for the hour, that may have just graduated without graduation, who are now maybe not going to college, maybe are in college for the first time, in it being a very different world than they ever imagined their wonderful college years to be.

This is serious. But, there is things we can do, and that's when I want to share right now.

But, the main point here is, is that you need to focus, instead of where all this looks like it's headed thou not having the anxiety.

Life isn't worth living. Poor me. I don't like it. I'm fearful. Shift that. Focus back to what it is you want in your life. Instead of looking at the drama And all this that's going on, sometimes I feel like I call it put blinders on.

But what I'm choosing right now is happiness and joy in my life, and having surrounding myself with healthy people, happy people that will help me stay focused on what it is I want more of in my life right now.

That is looking at your thoughts about it and your feelings about it, how do I create that feeling?

I am happy. I am healthy.  I have things I am grateful for, And sometimes, if nothing else you can do, I am grateful for having hands that work.

Think about all the things that it takes to make these fingers. My brain has to say, go to this finger , Move, this.

Muscle move that all the things that just happened in our body, to make ourselves, have hands, that work or feet, that will take us places.

But it is your thoughts.

And, feelings that, start, this process is marched to what it is we want.

I don't think people realize this, and I don't hear it anywhere.

I don't know anybody else talking about this, that's why I want you to hear this here, this now.  Universal laws and principles.

You get what you asked for you, get what you focus on.

Most of the time, what you think about most of the time is what is created.

Something has to start. Starts with a thought, to create something.

A feeling of, all, my gosh, when I get that feel that feeling, of happiness, joy, that love around me.

It is the easiest and the best thing in the world to do.

I call it simplest that's why I went with anxiety simplified.

It is simple.

But it can be difficult because we don't belive the thought starts here.

Don't believe I can be happy.

I don't believe us.

I'll succeed.

I don't.

I don't I can't, I won't, I never.

Get them out. Take them out. Focus, I can, I will I can feel this, I will. I know I can, I am Words, I am successful, I am happy. I am worthy. I am secure, I am safe. And in this moment, no. You are create that feeling. I am feeling safe, I am happy.

And that's all you need to do. Focus on what it is.

 You want more of.. create that thought pattern and feeling pattern, And this is actually what my ACT Act method that you can find on my website, anxiety simplified. net will take you through. It's free.  Just download it.

You can do it yourself or call us, and I'm happy to give you recommendations and help.

But this needs to be started now, when 11% Our college age kids are seriously considering suicide right now, right now. And our caregivers, Unpaid Caregivers.

Sisters or spouse's,  your grandmother or grandfather, taking care of the other one was sickness or Alzheimer's. They're isolated.

You know what you feel like, because you're isolated.

What if you also had the care of someone that you love, but they're saying?

Yeah, I invited coming to help me.

They're probably not asking, and that's what I'm saying to you.

Ask for what it is you want.

And I will give you some other techniques right now.

But I do want you to keep it simple.

I don't want to make this more complicated or harder.

Simple is going to be the best.

It doesn't overtax your brain, breathe, practice your breath in through your nose, even so that you lift your belly, and breathe out through your mouth and feel at far bre, then.

Fill your belly rise.

In my meditations that I have on our website, anxiety simplified dot net, you can see there get at least to up the end of most. Not most, many of the podcast. I do a meditation because this is so critical for calming yourself for learning. Because this is all cumulative whether it's positive or negative, whatever we're doing right now in our lives.

So either you're increasing stress or you're decreasing it.

We never stay the same, growing or dying, always the way it is.

So start to accumulate the calm with just your breath.

Keeping things really simple: there, K I S S, Technique.

Even just using the same mug that you love how it feels in your hand.

Use that every day.

Keeps some rituals in your life that to bring you.

Some sense of just normalcy.

Drive the same way if you're driving to work.

Start your day with something you love, smelling of flower, meditating, being with your loved ones, having a happy breakfast, Make it happy, naked joy felt.

Listen to music, dance a little bit.

Find something you enjoy, simple, rituals, calm, us, doing the same thing.

Just like you're doing the same thing with the thoughts you want, Bring the feeling connected to it, to then practice that continuing through the day.

I am happy, I bring joy to my life.

I feel the joy.

You can feel it come over you and that's when you want to really, truly know that you're there. Feel it.  Do a five minute relief meditation.

 Go to anxiety simplified. net and listen to it.

Please rate and review to when you do it, if you really like it.  I'm trying to get i-tunes to notice me.

Get a dog. If you have a dog, grab your dog, it really has shown that even patting your dog for 10 minutes. Or 'hug kitty cat, she heard me, well, I had a cat, I hamster.

Yes, she is, Bobby here, a cry It can help us calm study, show.

So, you can get an emotional support animal so that you can fly with them or keep them in housing if you're afraid or you know, pat housing.

We do those and you can see more at our sister website ESApros.com for an emotional support animal, you can take the one minute pre-qualification to see if you qualify.

But, it's really, really, really important to work on some of these things and work on them daily.

Do you know what is my SMILE does to the way you feel inside?

Try it.

It's amazing, how this one works.

I think three things that you are grateful for right now.

My family, my friends, my dog, my home, my ability to have a kitty cat right here.

Three things I am grateful for.

Now, we know that our animals help us because, the shelters are empty during covet.

Keep thinking of things you're grateful for.

Grateful for the sunshine.

Grateful for the rain.

Your abilities that you do have a job or that you do have family that you can depend on.

Told you this was impromptu.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

20:45 - 20:48

They know you always have options. I always have options or choices in your life. Always, always.

They may not seem like you do always know, think.

What are my options right now?

Trace your heart three times.

About placing your left hand on your heart, and you're right on your belly.

Yeah, do that, again, place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly, and say, open heart, soft Belley, and breathe.

Donna Eden Technique, energy, medicine technique.

And think about what you want, and when happiness and health, great immune system, My kids to be safe as they go off to school, whatever it is that's most important right now, you can do any of them and all of them.

Just breathe and feel how this is calming.

Can do this anytime in the day.

Combining some things here, tapping of meridian's, energy Madison. Thousand year old, meridian's, we've known about as rivers of energy.

Doesn't have to be woo.

We'll just use it.

Choose to look only at the good in a situation.

Do you know you have the choice of that?

And not to choose the drama that it seems like right now it's like everywhere, and that's what we choose, is the drama. Choose to see the good or see past, maybe where somebody is trying to take you with their drama.

You are control of your attention where it goes. Your thoughts will follow.

So you have a choice here.

Make unknown conscious choice.

I choose just to feel calm and see the good in things.

This is a really important one, too, that I don't really know who I've ever heard, except Esther Hicks.

In the book.

Ask and, it is given.

Great book recommended, Highly Esther Hicks.See on YouTube.

But before, something, instead of against something be for, Justice, be for peace, instead of against war or against racism. Be for, understanding, instead of against certain groups, focus on what you want is to focus on what you are for Sort of, a political party.

Or against a person, or a political party, be for what you want in that party: Equality, fairness, justice, peace.

Use compassion as much as possible to understand that we know what this person might be going through.

You don't know that they just lost their grandma.

Or, God forbid their spouse from this virus, or in the hospital unknowing on a ventilator.We have a lot of grief right now, a lot, a lot of grief.

And there is a difference between grief and depression.

Grief is short lived or we hope it does when it gets back.

I call it.

That's when it goes into depression.

Depression, We look at it for major depression.

I'll show you my DSM.This is our little book that we use for diagnosing, and it's called the Diagnostic.Manual, for Mental Health Disorders, DSM, this is the fifth edition.But this is what we look at, for depression and the symptoms of, like, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Which, one of the things that, in this Washington Post?

Talking about continual exposure. Two stressors.

Like we're going through, can create secondary, traumatic stress, snap host, traumatic PTSD.

But secondaries. Traumatic stress, which has some of the same components up, dramatic stress, it's overwhelming, our coping mechanisms.

And it makes for it shut down.

And that is components of both of these are depression and anxiety.

But when things feel so out of control, you feel helpless or hopelessness is a depression major depression symptom.

If you felt it in the last 14 days, when we look forward to diagnosis, we looked just in the last 14 days for major depression, can go beyond, of course, but to diagnosis, di Agnos helplessness is one of the keys, or just a lack of interest in doing things.

I don't care what you know what goes on, motivation goes down, I don't really care whatever is going on at School  That sadness, overwhelming says

I feel like I'm doing digging deeper.Not getting out of this hole.That's what depression can feel like.And yes, it can be low grade, we can have it mild, moderate, or severe.

But it's the symptoms, these feelings, you want to look for, poor concentration.

We named some of these earlier.Maybe just numbness, that's when it can go into post-traumatic stress disorder.

I'm just so overwhelmed.

I am numb.

Getting angry or cynical, feeling really hopeless.

Nothing is going to work sleepless or disturbed sleep.

Again, depression, too much sleep, too little sleep, waking up, chronic exhaustion of energy.

28:57 - 29:09

And then, of course, that 11% is what we're talking about right now that are actually feeling like they want to commit suicide.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:10 - 29:27

11% of our kids, your kids, almost one out of ten, look around, one out of ten in this room, with your family, with your greater family, one out of almost 10, 11%, so one out of eleven, serious.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:31 - 29:34

If you're feeling these things, it's critical.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:35 - 29:36

You do something.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:36 - 29:37

You must act.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:39 - 29:46

There's a depression hotline, 1 800, 273, 82 55.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:47 - 29:49

I'll make sure it's in the show notes 1 800.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:49 - 29:51

Put this in your phone.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:51 - 29:53

Everybody should put this in their phone.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:54 - 29:56

If it's not for you, it's for your friend.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

29:56 - 29:59

When they're saying these things, and you don't know what to do, I don't know what to do.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

30:00 - 30:02

Hit this number, hand them the phone.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

30:03 - 30:08

1, 800, 273 8 to 5 5.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

30:08 - 30:11

There's somebody standing by right now.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

30:13 - 30:16

Put this in your phone right now.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

30:18 - 30:21

1, 800, 273-8255.

There's a Mental Health America website. www.MHANational.org Mental Health America

ISMOHO.org Int’l Society for Mental Health  There are people waiting to help you. You have to ask, going right back up to the top, You must ask for what you want. Right now, it's important that you use compassion for each other. We need to help each other right now. This is a time of crisis.

And I know the natural tendency is think about yourself, which you do want to do number one.

Take care of yourself first, put the oxygen mask on yourself first, then you can put it on somebody else.

But don't let somebody else's poor behavior affect you, or effect where yura options and choices, be focused on what it is you need, and you want in your life.

First, repetition, what you think about most of the time is, what happens in your life.

Create the feeling.

And like I said, I have this act method on my website that you can get for free, which is A, for awareness aware of those thoughts that I am thinking and refocusing than on what I want.

That C is Connect, connect that thought with the feeling to feel what it is you want.

The T is train your brain with practice, that sequence.

What do I want with the thought? What I need to feel with that thought, to create it, practice it, thought, feeling action Awareness comes first, So is that a you gotta be aware of what you're thinking and feeling.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:01 - 33:08

Know, your emotions or your guidance system, they are not trying to sabotage you, they're not trying to work against you.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:08 - 33:11

And listen to what they are telling you.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:11 - 33:16

Anxiety, each one of them have their own information.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:16 - 33:18

They're giving you anxiety is to get prepared.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:19 - 33:20

That's why we need to wear masks.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:20 - 33:22

We need to do things of washing our hands.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:22 - 33:23

We have to prepare.

Prepare, take, action.  You can also do some things physically. It's very important for your mental health to move your body, get up up and down the stairs, if nothing else, up and down, walk the dog get outside.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:44 - 33:50

Look at the sunshine Look at the horizon, look ahead of you, as you walk not down.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

33:51 - 33:57

Look, I had a view that has been shown to be as good as an anti-depressant.

Look ahead, add up.

34:01 - 34:02

Breathe.

Use these resources and call these helplines if you need it.

34:08 - 34:18

They're all here for you, But you must, ask, Look out, around you for the children that have their heads down. They're feeling overwhelmed, I don't know what to do. They're stuck. They can't think. They can't move. I don't know what decisions.

It's too much. I'm overwhelmed. That's a shutdown, it's too much.

The people that are not feeling too much need to help the others, So please, everyone, let's support each other, work together, be loving to each other.

Meditate, go to that place of just letting go.

34:54 - 34:59

And and knowing that you have extra-terrestrial.

If you want to call them, angelic supporters, ask for them.

Whatever you believe, your source, whatever that is, God, it is always waiting for you to ask.

We have for you Well, you must ask.

There is so much support and Source's waiting for you to ask.

35:30 - 35:38

Maybe you do want to ask your angels to come and support you, and lift you and hold you, and help you to come ask who's gonna now.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

35:53 - 35:56

Do some things that create your happiness right now.

In any way, you can find it.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

35:58 - 36:00

There is so much good stuff.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

36:01 - 36:08

Donna, Eden staff, YouTube, Esther Hicks, Wonderful things on the internet.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

36:08 - 36:12

There's so much free about my podcast, Anxiety Simplified.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

36:12 - 36:14

I'm putting so many free resources up.

• Joanne Williams, LCSW

36:14 - 36:21

This is 30 years of what I've condensed that I know, for sure, works.

36:21 - 36:24

My ACT method is step by step.

36:24 - 36:26

It works.

36:26 - 36:28

I use it with clients.

I'm updating it.

I'm gonna put pictures in it, so that you can put your, go to the, go to the Internet, and put a picture that makes you feel good in front of you on your mirror.

I am successful, I am happy.

I am a good mother, father, sister, brother, student, whatever it is you are, say it, and feel it, and I feel excited when I think that way, I feel happy.

When I dance, I feel I and put that in a picture and look at it as many times a day and say those words I am, and feel it.

For now, I hope this is helpful, I just could not hear this statistic and not say something to you.

I truly do care, and I love you all, and let's all go with love.

Bye for now.