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Happy Spurling - Regular Font
Kayla Lanier - Bold Font
Hey guys, today we are talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder. In other words, SAD. This is clinical depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern.
Millions of Americans suffer from this. It generally affects more women than men from September through April, with the worst times being December, January and February.
Most people kind of refer to this as seasonal depression, which makes perfect sense. The real cause that they have found in research, more than anything, is of course a vitamin D deficiency, coupled with the lack of sunlight.
So, this actually causes a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, and it keeps it from working properly, so it leads to a disruption in the circadian rhythms, which eventually affects our serotonin and melatonin levels.
So the symptoms of SAD, seasonal depression, seems to be a decrease in energy, trouble sleeping, loss of interest in, like, favorite activities, difficulty focusing, just depressive feelings of oppression, decreased sex drive, appetite, or weight gain changes, and, well, that's, that's symptoms to handle.
That can pretty much derail your entire routine.
Yeah, and it, it's so symptomatic also with just generalized depression, anxiety disorder or depressive disorder. But I think what makes SAD, it kind of separates it, is that it is more of the time that it happens. So you have these same symptoms with clinical depression, but then the telltale sign is when you begin experiencing them during these months, which, you know, is really common after the holidays.
I think we do experience, for a lot of people, it can be a time of sadness, depending on what the memories hold, but overall, it's usually a time filled with excitement and joy, at least on some level. And then you kind of have that high, and then we go out of that into really a dark winter, you know. So it's very common for people to feel like that.
I feel like in January and February especially, I know a lot of clients talk about that, that they're just like, I don't know what's wrong with me? I just don't, I don't feel like as happy as I should, or really even not having the words to explain it.
Exactly, and it's like, you know, people say, oh, you just need to, you know, be positive, just get up early, go to bed early, build your own routine, create healthy habits, drink more water, try to go outside for 10 minutes.
Yeah, these things are awesome and great, but sometimes you don't even have the energy to stand up. You just want to sit on the couch. Like, sometimes you don't even have the energy to shower. And it's like, things that you love doing, like going out to your favorite coffee shop or hanging out with your friends, it's like, I don't even care about this right now and then you feel guilty and you're like, I wish that I had the energy to go do these things and you isolate. It's just this horrible cycle.
We were talking about New Year's resolutions and how they seem to wane for people but how really. In the last few years, there doesn't seem to be as many resolutions in general, and I think sometimes that's just because people feel so discouraged that to think about the energy that it would take to do something totally different in your routine isn't really something you think about tapping into when you don't even want to get out of the bed.
Exactly. I mean, who wants to add another thing to the list when you barely want to even take a shower? Like, and this is like serious stuff. I mean, this is no joke. I mean, people don't talk about it a lot, but it's real.
They actually know that it tends to begin in September, of course, when the light changes. And then you'll often feel like people are experiencing maybe, during the holidays even, that they just don't feel like they think they should feel about the holidays and you kind of start picking up on maybe it doesn't feel like Christmas or it doesn't feel like the holidays. And I think that's because those low light levels are a very big deal.
And I know that in two offices that I have, I don't have a window in either of those. And it's funny because that's kind of been my prayer is that, Lord, when you give me my, my wellness clinic, that's going to be for the last time that I move, I want windows because it really affects. It affected me even in the summertime because 40 hours a week I've been in an office without light.
And for me, that, looking at that and seeing how much it actually affected me and trying to do things. If you're in a windowless office, I think it's very important that you try to do strategic things to bring light in because it affects your sleep pattern because it affects the melatonin production at night, if you haven't actually had light exposure during the day then your serotonin levels do not increase properly, which makes you feel sad and depressed. And then serotonin is what triggers melatonin for you to be able to get a good night's sleep.
Your circadian rhythm can actually be very messed up even though You're trying to go to bed at night, it's just that you don't actually have any light, morning light to wake us up. And I think that's a really big problem in our society is that we no longer wake up to natural light. Very few of us, unless you're very purposeful, you don't wake up to natural light and you also don't turn everything off in time to get melatonin production so that you actually can get sleepy. And ultimately that affects your serotonin level, which affects your daily life and the ability to feel happy and have those feelings of everything's okay.
And I think our society has really set us up to fail in that area. So you have to be very purposeful with the light, especially one thing that I did in my office was. to get a light therapy, so a circadian optic lamp that I got on Amazon. It helped in my office some, I will say that it was better, but I think it's really hard to replace natural light.
But the light therapy does seem to help because you still get the change in the timing of the day, you know, where you're at least feeling like, hey, I didn't become a vampire. I did get some light today.
So it did help some?
Yeah, I think so. And I've noticed clients coming in notice it too, because when I didn't have it, it was more like, you need a window.
So it's like, open space, because it's just, that's so important. You wouldn't think something so simple would be so important to your health. But I mean, like you said, you know, working in an office with no windows, getting up in the, in the dark, going to work in the dark, leaving work in the dark.
Oh yeah.
The killer pattern of most people in the wintertime.
I think a lot of, especially, I mean, any of us working and having to work inside is, is it really starts to affect you. I've never been someone to struggle with depression. I've had times where it's been a little harder, but my personality is always. It's been more driven towards anxiety.
And so this was new for me. And I remember even in the middle of the summer feeling like I had seasonal sadness that didn't make any sense because I just wasn't getting outside. So I think until this past year, I didn't realize how much it could affect people. And then I started thinking, of course, about other people. Most of my clients work inside that you have to be really strategic about how you help.
But I do feel like it helps that 15 to 30 minutes of light therapy is really helpful. I leave mine on all day long in there. I don't know if you can overdo light therapy, but I haven't. I don't feel like I have yet, and it has helped a lot, but I'm just very thankful that we're about to move into the new nutrition clinic in Murphy and I have two windows in the offices, which is so exciting to me. When you ask the Lord for a window and he gives you not just one, but two in your office. And then I actually have actually have windows into the lobby from my office, which is like, you know, the Lord has a sense of humor because there are so many windows and I'm so excited about light!
It's just going to be wonderful.
Oh, that's so exciting! It's going to be such a better environment for your clients as well.
Yeah, and super, super excited that I'm going to be able to have counselors within the office for mental health counseling, as well as massage therapy, and then of course our nutrition services.
So it's really exciting, but even in that, I think the most exciting thing is light. There's going to be light in windows. I think it affects you and it really helped me understand, my goodness, it's so important to have that. And if you can get outside first thing in the morning, that is so powerful. And honestly, I'm rushing around here like crazy and doing, you and I are doing the echelon bike live classes together, but I mean we're getting exercise, but like I have to walk outside and you know when it's time to stretch and literally just go out for five minutes and face the light because it does get that serotonin production going and it actually shuts down the melatonin production from the night so that you are more energetic and if you're not doing that, it can be a complete game changer to just walk outside, bundle up if you need to, you know, and go look at the sun.
If there's no sun, just get outside on a cloudy morning. You're still going to get the light to filter through the eyes, which is really what triggers the nerve to turn off the melatonin switch and turn on the serotonin, which helps us all with our mood.
Which is just, I know it sounds so simple, but it's free. And it's one of the best things you can do for yourself. I mean, I'm not, I have noticed work now that I work out inside, my mood has changed a lot in the mornings. Like, so I have to make sure I at least get five minutes outside where, like, sometimes I'll take my laundry basket outside and just fold laundry in the mornings because, like, that's the only time I'll do it.
And I think too, it is free. And I think sometimes we overlook the obvious. Because we're like, well, what can I do to help myself? Surely there's therapies or there's supplements or all these things. When one of the greatest tools we can use is the light that's already been provided. I mean, we're geared for that triggering from morning to night.
And you know, in other cultures, they really don't have this problem because often they're getting out, you know, and their activities require them to be outside. So they traditionally have better sleep patterns and of course less depression because they required to be outside and it's an amazing gift really.
Of course, they face all kinds of elements in doing that, but overall it's really beneficial for them.
Which, honestly, I mean, just knowing that has to be encouraging. Knowing that you can still take control, not out of your hands, and even though it may be very overwhelming, even though you may not want to even get up out of the bed because it's cold, and your blanket feels amazing, like, the things that we have on hand are natural and free and, I mean, yeah, it'll take more time, you know, than a quick fix, or, you know, a substance, but It will be natural and it will be long term if you can just apply these things.
Yeah, and it brings us to the true deficiency in, in vitamin D that we started the episode with that triggers low serotonin and therefore a lot of women are D deficient and we don't even think about how monumental that is in every area of our life from our neurological ability to make neurotransmitters all the way to immune system and lowering inflammation. Having low vitamin D levels, that's a major master hormone that regulates serotonin production.
So if you couple that with, you're not getting any real light, and then you have low D coming into the winter. And a lot of people do. It's a very common deficiency. then you're not getting serotonin to be triggered. And as women, you know, especially depending on our age or our genetic background, we're coming into everything with low serotonin.
It's a perfect storm. If you enter the season and you already have hormone dysregulation, then it's no wonder that a lot of people are prescribed antidepressants during this time of year, more so than any other time. And I think that at times you may need that tool, but also to reach in and do those things that are doable and often free to try to see if you can navigate it some other way.
Exactly. So, I mean, now that you're mentioning vitamin D again, like as far as like the supplement itself, it's really affordable and easy to purchase.
Yeah, and always making sure, and I know we've talked about this on other episodes, but if you're going to supplement with vitamin D3, that is the best form, and you really need a combination supplement of K2 and D3 together.
K2 keeps that D from sequestering calcium in the artery or the kidney. So it can be kind of a negative effect if you high dose D and you don't have the co-factor to go with it. So just a, you know, a general dosing, A lot of those bottles are, are 5,000 IUs with a 50 or a hundred micrograms of K2.
This is not to diagnose or tell anyone what to take. It's just a general supplement, a dosing that you find.
Also, putting magnesium with that, which can help with your circadian rhythms and help with the cofactors of serotonin and melatonin production. So if you can couple those together, you have a pretty good combination to get your D up safely, which is what you want to do. You want to get it up without having any negative side effects.
Something to talk about, too, is to keep exercising, and I know that sounds so It sounds crazy when you don't want to get up, you know, but it's difficult to say I'm going to go hit the gym even though I don't want to get out of the bed, but regular exercise has been proven over and over again to help with traditional depression and seasonal affective disorders no different.
It's absolutely necessary to move to be able to get serotonin production up and also to get your other hormones going.
Which honestly, I mean, even like as little as 10 minutes a day you don't have to do anything crazy. And it doesn't even have to be like heart pounding, drenched-with sweat-kind of workout. You know, just get 10 to 15 minute walk. I mean, we've stressed that so many times in our podcast how beneficial walking is.
Honestly, in the south where we are, I know this doesn't apply to every area listening, but we, normally you can just bundle up in the winter time even, and then you're getting the benefit of light therapy for 10 minutes with the natural light plus a walk.
And I encourage women, if you get a lunch break, if you get 30 minutes and you're able to eat your meal that you've brought rather quickly and just say, Hey, I'm going to get five minutes outside, I'm going to go outside. And that's what I do at one of our offices. The park is literally just right behind the office and it's been so nice because that has been a lifesaver for me to say, okay, I have, I have 30 minutes. It's not a lot of time, but I can go outside and get 10 minutes of walking in it. And honestly, I feel so much better when we come back inside because it's like, okay, now I'm, I'm kind of regrouped and I can get back to, you know, taking care of people, which is I think getting outside for me changes it completely.
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's definitely a game changer for me. And getting outside in the winter is hard, but like, most of the time, you know, if it's in the middle of the day, you know, you bring a couple jackets. You could just brave the weather, just for like 15 minutes, or go somewhere where you walk near a window.
Yeah, isn't there like a saying. I can't think of where it's at. I think your dad has always said it. Maybe it's in Norway. It says there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. And I think if they can say that where they are, we're probably without excuse that, you know, just bundle up.
And the cold air is invigorating, and I think that actually stimulates neurons in the brain that is It's similar to cold therapy. It's not as much as doing ice baths or anything like that, but it's a little weaker willed way of doing it for me, so you can get, you know, some cold air in, in your lungs and just breathe in for a few minutes and then go back inside, you know.
It's really refreshing and I think it does kind of give you an energy boost when you come back in if you can just make yourself get out there to do it.
You and I were talking a little bit about B vitamins, which I know we talked about vitamin D. That may not be coming through on the microphone as B and D. So B as in boy for vitamin B. And you said you were listening to some information that some people have a negative effect from B vitamins because I know that's another critical vitamin to make sure that you've checked your levels of B12 and folate and if you don't have a gene issue because sometimes you have to take certain kinds and you were saying that some of the things you had read about by vitamin B12 maybe had a negative effect for some people. We were going to talk about why that might be.
I mean, because I feel like B12 is abused sometimes, especially B12. I feel like people use it a lot. Like it's in every electrolyte powder, you know, there's very few that don't have B12. And when it's synthetic, what I have researched and came across was that when you use a high amount of B12, or even if you're just not someone who can metabolize a lot of B vitamins all at once, it can cause like a mood crash and it can be very hard to get out of that slump.
And a lot of times people use B vitamins for energy, you know, which I mean, of course I was doing. I was using all the B12 shots and like the B12 electrolyte powders. And then I realized that much like caffeine, the goodness of it is in the dose. So I will say that this has just come out. I don't know if there's like a whole lot of information behind it. What you told me about methylated B vitamins seem to be more plausible. It seemed to have more of a scientific ground.
I think oftentimes people are having the other form, like a synthetic form of B12, which is very common. And it's usually in those energy drinks and in the shot it's cyancobalamin.
And that one isn't really able to be. taken up or absorbed in most people's cases. There might be a small amount of people that can utilize that, but mostly it's a very small amount. But getting a methylcobalamin, so having the methyl group added to it, makes it a lot more usable. And if you have the MTHFR gene mutation and you actually use Cyancobalamin, which is the B12 in most things, it actually can block your receptor for B12 uptake.
So it's, the body gets a signal that, hey, I've got plenty of B12, but it can't actually use it when it gets in the liver. So you can be deficient even in the presence of supplementation because you're just not able to break that down in the liver. And I do think there are times that people just can't even take methylated forms of B vitamins.
I have clients that struggle to get a methylated form. They feel like it does make them feel even jittery or maybe anxious, which is odd because B12 and the B profile usually is very calming and helps with depression and anxiety. But if you have a certain gene issue in the liver. Maybe you need methylated forms, but you can't handle a straight methylated B.
There are other forms of B vitamins like hydroxy B12, which is just before it's methylated, and you're actually able to uptake it. So, some people do much better and they feel like a totally different experience with a hydroxy form and then some need the methylated form. I would go as far as to say pretty much no one needs a cyancabalamin.
There just doesn't seem to be any benefit to using it since the liver has to work so hard to try to break it down. And unfortunately, it's in a ton of stuff. And so you have to be really aware of that that you need that B6 and B12 and B9, but you have to know that one there, you're getting a methylated form of B9 and B12, and then having a complex where they combine them in the right ratio. That goes a long ways too.
And people can just get too much straight B12, especially when it's in the cyancobalamin form. But you can also over methylate and have a dose of B12 that's too high for what your liver actually needs. It's very individualized, which is why it's good to work with someone to set that dose because every person is different as to what they require in order to have good conversion of that.
Wow, okay, so we know now that B vitamins are important for like your nervous system and your mood but the types of B vitamins and the brands are very important. So like make sure not to get anything synthetic and also maybe test and see if you have that gene to see if your body metabolizes it the same.
Yeah, and that's a deceptive serum level to get on a blood lab is your B12 and folate because often you will be well within that wide range that they give and you'll think, Oh, no, I don't have a B12 deficiency. I'm fine, and I don't have a folate deficiency because see here, my levels are, but it's completely not like that because any kind of blood lab like that's going to pick up the level of B12 and folate in your blood and so it's in the serum. And you're getting a recording of that level, and if you take supplements for B12, even good ones, and you go get your labs done the next morning, you're probably going to show a high level of B12, but it's not because you have this tremendous amount, it's just that it's actually picking up what's in the serum.
The real test is can you use it once it gets in the liver. And that's where that homocysteine test is really good to kind of tell if you're able to convert B12 into folate so you really need all three numbers. And if your homocysteine is outside of an optimal range, generally 7 to 8, then if it's higher than that or lower, you may not have enough methylated B or you may be over methylating.
So there's a lot in that lab to be able to tell you if you have a gene issue and then also what dosing you may need to correct it best.
Okay, so just make a note of that and watch for that, especially if you're already taking B vitamins and you might have noticed that your mood or something physical has changed, especially, you know, depending on the types of B vitamins, so.
And you kind of have that, I think you and I have talked about that, I have to be, so I take a B complex plus that's methylated, but if you have a multivitamin and it has methylated B's in it, even though those are good ones to have, I often will go over supplements with clients, and they'll be taking some really good things, but when we start calculating how much B vitamins are you getting, then it's like they're getting it in the multi, then you're getting it in a complex, and then you may actually be adding it in through powders or drinks or something like that, and you really can have an adverse effect from that.
And even though B vitamins are water soluble, they don't absorb and stay in the bloodstream like the D and A and E do. They still can build up too high and that methylation can actually cause you to feel bad. Some people can even get rashes or redness in the skin. Or for me, anxiety. If I don't have enough B vitamins coming in, then I'm more prone to have anxiety, but if I try to take it in two different supplements, and I have too much, I know immediately that if I've accidentally taken a B complex when my multi had it in it, because it actually causes anxiety, and that's when you know you're over methylating.
Okay, so, would you recommend cycling it?
I think that's, I think it's a really good idea and I tell people once you get established in like, let's say you had a B12 deficiency or you had a gene snp and now you're getting the right form, I tell people if you feel really good taking it, you'll usually notice it, you know, immediately and then you might take it 6 months or a year and then all of a sudden you're like, I don't feel so good.
And then I tell people, just pause the B vitamins. Give yourself a few days, and usually you'll have another turnaround where you're like, I feel better. And then you'll know when it's time to go back on because you're usually like, no, I don't feel so good again. And so it's hard to get, you know, I think we just want the easy thing of, yes, take one every day.
But the truth is our body doesn't. We don't normally encounter the same amount of supplementation in our food every single day. So I think cycling it like you suggested, I think it's really awesome. And I encourage my clients, especially if they have the MTHFR gene mutation, cycle your vitamins, listen to your body.
How do you feel taking this? Just because it's what you need doesn't mean you need that much or that you need it every day. And I have a lot of clients that take their B vitamins every other day or three times a week, and they can tell that they feel optimal at those levels. So it's hard to say everyone needs this amount because it's too individualized.
Okay, which that's very important to know and I like what you said about just not taking it because you're told to and just notice how you feel. I will say I was really low on B vitamins about a year ago and I started taking them like all the time and then I started to develop cystic acne on my neck and then I was like, okay, my body's trying to detox it another way.
Yes.
But, I ordered the B complex that seemed to help.
Yeah, and I think a lot of times, and you made a good point, you know, over methylation can cause breakouts because it is your body's way of saying, there's too much of this in the liver. How can I get rid of it? Well, we push it out through the skin, which is why some people would get rashes.
And then some people not so much because if you get anxiety from it, it usually stops. Sooner than someone who wouldn't notice because it takes a little longer to go through the skin But I think that's definitely something because too much of a good thing is not a good thing
Which brings us to another point when it comes to supplementation, that's great but what can we do with our diet? What can we incorporate that's going to give us these things naturally that we can help our bodies absorb? And you know, that will help us have, you know, a better day, whether it's a high protein breakfast or, you know, a low carb evening snack that will help us sleep better.
Oh yeah, now you're getting into the work of it all.
It's fun stuff though. It's just fun. It's food. That's my favorite topic and the only one I know about, so.
That's the, that's the one that I think is the hardest thing for everyone, and I know my clients right now and, you know, this in January, we've all been having the same conversation of, well, I fell off the wagon. It's time to eat healthy again because I feel like crap, but it's hard because you're down and so it's like, and you do crave carbs and you crave sugar foods if you have seasonal depressive disorder because those foods from our other podcast, as you know, can act like serotonin in the brain. And so when you have a serotonin deficiency caused by vitamin D, lack of light, all of those things, B vitamins, then you have a higher chance of being really craving carbs and needing that because it's like your serotonin replacement.
And so eating a healthy diet, a healing diet, is one of the best things to keep your hormones in check and boost your serotonin levels.
So, lots of lean protein. I feel like for women, if there's one thing that we Just do not get enough up. It's probably our protein amounts. And, or we go the other way and we start eating massive amounts of protein.
And I think it's like let's just focus on 60 to 90 grams of protein for most women unless they're athletes. They're able to really thrive on that. And so, making sure you're getting that and leafy greens, which has that B vitamin profile. And trying to get away from the carb urges, because protein's going to keep you satisfied, and even though it's not as much fun to eat, it will keep you from having those cravings later.
Right. Okay, so, like, eggs, maybe, like, lean ground beef a couple times a week. Ground turkey, ground chicken, chicken breast, stuff like that. Are we gonna try and like stay away from like cottage cheese, or would that be a good supplement for protein as well?
I think for most people, unless you have a dairy intolerance, cottage cheese is kind of one of my go tos, simply because it has, it packs so much protein, and I'm not a huge meat protein I don't love meat protein.
I eat it, and I like some of it, but overall, I think, and I hear a lot of women say this, I could be a, totally be a vegetarian because they don't even like meat, and I think we have to kind of force, you know, force that and be able to say, okay, how do I get a craving for that more? But for me, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are great go-to proteins, and they're quick. I can grab that if I only have a five minute I break or something, I can get something and get 12 grams of protein in pretty quick, which is the equivalent of two eggs. So it's pretty good. And try to focus on 20 to 25 grams of protein per meal and then hopefully get some protein in a couple of snacks during the day as well.
But it does make a big difference because once you start down the carb craving road and you give in to carbs, you will find that It's insatiable because your serotonin is not being made and your brain is like, oh, that works. That'll work for a little bit of energy, but it's going to make you keep coming back to that food or a similar food because you need serotonin. You don't need a replacement for it.
I think that's where medications are hard sometimes if it's a serotonin uptake and as far as it's recycled serotonin. They work good if you have plenty of serotonin production, but you know, the idea is how can we get a plentiful amount of serotonin? And that comes from getting outside and doing all the things that we talked about, eating a healthy diet, making sure your vitamin levels are optimized.
I really love amino acid therapy, which is another podcast for another time, but the amino acid L tryptophan and 5 HTP, they're amazing. And I know you and I have both used those, but they're amazing because they can immediately turn into serotonin in the brain. And that is miraculous. And those same aminos that we isolate and use as a supplement are found in meat protein or plant protein. So you can get tryptophan, which immediately converts into what we actually need to feel better in protein sources, and it's very readily available in that. And turkey, of course, being one of the highest tryptophan foods.
Which is why everybody gets sleepy after they eat Thanksgiving dinner. It's the serotonin or the turkey. It's also a carb coma, so I won't give it all to that, but it's also the turkey has a high amount of tryptophan, so that goes back to what you talked about with eat a healthy diet and get lots of lean protein because that's going to give your body the tools that it needs to make serotonin, which is the problem in the first place.
Exactly, and it would definitely be more satisfying. I feel like all of these whole foods that you've mentioned is gonna be the best bet. Protein shakes, protein bars are great when you're in a rush. I feel like it shouldn't be every single meal of every day.
Yeah.
Maybe like at night when you are low on protein, you wanna mix together a shake, but I feel like whole foods are the best way to go, and honestly, they're more affordable than a lot of protein powders you can buy. Not downing protein powders, but I've learned that with my digestion, and with my lifestyle Whole foods have been the best, so.
Yeah, and that's such a good point because I think as a society we've gotten so used to substituting protein with powders and although I think it can be a good addition, I'm with you, you're never going to beat a whole food product, like, not with a powder.
And the thing about the powders is if you do them occasionally it's fine. If you do them every day then you're looking at higher amounts of heavy metals that come through the production. Of protein powders and really greens powders and things that I'm not against, but if you're doing it all the time, you really want to make sure that you're able to kind of rotate that in and out because you do get a higher amount of lead and cadmium and some of the minerals. Just because you're eating a concentrated product, so the nature of it in itself can make it actually not be as good for you as you think it is. Because we get focused on, well, I need the protein.
Well, yeah, you do, but you're not getting just protein if you're doing a protein powder every day. And, uh, Of course, depending on does it have artificial sweeteners in it? Is it a naturally sweetened protein powder? What's actually in your protein powder?
I think a lot of people are more aware of that than they used to be, but there's some pretty scary stuff in protein powders that you, if you don't have a good source, you don't want to be having that all the time.
Well, yeah, and typical, you know, January, everyone sees all the marketing, there's always a new supplement or protein powder or shake, and you just want to stock up because it, it looks like the healthy option, marketing is genius, it makes you feel like you're doing the right thing, but honestly, all you gotta do is pop over to Walmart and get some grass-fed ground beef and a dozen eggs and you're good, you don't have to stress or, you know, try to analyze what's the best Protein shake that's going to make me slim this year.
You know, it's not in that, you know, it's, it's all simple. The satisfaction and the beauty of life is simple. Just being able to just go with the flow and not stress, you know.
Yeah.
There's all kinds of stuff out there that's gonna. Deceive you or trick you in marketing, but you just got to stick to the basics and get a new good nutritionist like mom That's what you really need.
Some direction sometimes I mean, there's a lot of good information you can, you know, google. But I think sometimes having somebody just sit with you and say well What supplements are you taking and how much of each of these vitamins do you really need and let's talk about your diet And kind of get into the nuts and bolts of it all in that way.
You're able to help yourself as a whole person.
And I think the last thing is to reach out for help. Think as a society, we're so independent and that's a beautiful thing, but when you're going through depression of any type that, it's very isolating and, and often you don't even know how to explain with words what you're going through. And then at the place before where even trying to communicate it was too much work. And so not to get in that place and, and that's, you know, the real advantage to being able to, of course, talk to family and to friends, but sometimes you have to have someone else to talk to. And there's no shame in that at all and getting some coaching or, you know, somebody to just help you process through information.
Because I think that's the thing is if we feel isolated, then we become silent and then we suffer. But if we can actually have somebody else like this say, Oh, you feel like that too. That's been going on with you. And just knowing that one, you're not crazy and two, you're not alone is a really great way to kind of break out of that pattern that's really trying to take hold.
And of course, just talk therapy, I mean, it's very proven that just having a talk therapy session with someone, and sometimes it's a girlfriend, or it's your husband, or it's us on the podcast, you know, that you actually see, like, if you have an app for tracking stress levels and activity, I'm always amazed to look at my app and see that my restoration time goes, the only time I get restorative time is often when I'm processing with someone or I'm talking about something and I think that everybody needs to know, find somebody to process that with so that you're not alone and really reach out because more people deal with this than you would ever know.
And I think I know that because I see them daily. And when you see 30 to 40 people in a week, you realize this is a real thing, and it's not as isolated as people feel. And sometimes just knowing that can help a lot.
Well, yeah, and sounds like from your first hand experience, this is one of the most important things to take away from this podcast. It's just, you're not alone, and I feel like to not, just don't be hard on yourself, you know. If you can only take one of these things from today's podcast and just be like, you know, I'm gonna apply this this week. I'm gonna turn off Netflix a little early tonight. I'm gonna go to bed. You know, I'm going to actually get up before 8 o'clock, you know, in the morning or whatever.
Just do one thing for yourself.
Yeah.
You know, and just celebrate that. Be proud of yourself.
And build on it. And I think, yes, to wrap it up, it would be get up in the morning. If you're awake and it's time to do whatever, don't lay there on your phone. Get up and go. Open the window and look outside at the world.
And if you can, slip on a house code and go outside and don't freak your neighbors out in the nude or anything. But you know, just go out there and greet the morning for just two or three minutes.
It is so changing to your neurotransmitters and then. Not laying in the bed on your phone, but actually getting up when you are awake and getting engaged. The earlier you can do that, the better for you it's going to be. And then of course establishing a sleep pattern like you said.
And I think it's awesome. Do one thing this week. Get up. Don't allow yourself to scroll on your phone. Say, I'm awake, I'm getting out of the bed, and that's what I'm going to go do, and don't allow yourself, because it is proven that the more time you lay in the bed, the less serotonin production you get, which means you're probably going to be less motivated during the day, and we don't need that if we're struggling.
Exactly. And, you know, what I've learned to do is just, I put my phone in the bathroom so when the alarm is blaring I have to get up. And I put my clothes at the foot of the bed that I'm going to change into for workout or just going to work or whatever. I make sure all my clothes and socks, shoes, everything are right there so I can just grab them.
That's exactly what I do. At night, I get my workout clothes and I lay them by the bed and then I have my phone away from me so you can turn off your wifi and all that mess and get. Give your brain time to actually not have those waves of electricity going through it.
And then I just get up. I like my, it goes off, I have to go get it, and then I grab, I literally am still, I have my eyes closed, and I grab my clothes and I go downstairs. Changing your routine takes three weeks. to make a new habit. So it's a good time. It's not too late for New Year's resolutions. It's not too late as long as you're in this year.
And if it gets too late for that, we'll make them for next year. You know, so.
Exactly. And motivation is not a thing, guys. It doesn't just happen. You gotta do it.
Amen.
Motivation is a fair weather friend.
It is. That is so true because I think sometimes people are like, I don't know how you're so motivated to exercise.
I am totally not motivated to exercise. My motivation is when I finish, I feel like a human being again. So, I think that it is over and maybe some people just wake up feeling so motivated. Mine's more about, I need discipline. I need to be able to, to make this happen. And you don't. Have it. I think that's such a great point.
It doesn't, it's not like some people are just gifted with the ability to get out of the bed early and go exercise. No, we don't want to do it, you know, but once you get there, it's like, Oh, I'm so glad I did that because it does make a difference. So make a few new habits. Get out of the bed, make that one habit.
Build on it with an establishing a sleep pattern. Turn your phone off so that serotonin and melatonin can do their thing. It'll help you out tremendously. And eat well, get outside, and talk to somebody.
That's all you gotta do, guys.
Anyway, well, I guess we're done. It's been a little bit since we did one with the holidays and all. So I'm excited that we have this and we're gonna try to, to put some more podcasts out or some more episodes, not some more podcasts. It's been a bit, as I said, so, anyway, thank you guys for tuning in and we appreciate you listening.
Disclaimer: Content on this podcast is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist, or other licensed healthcare professional. You should not use this information as self-diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease.
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