Episode 2
Episode 2: Wellness, Flourishing, and the Importance of a Holistic Approach to Self-Care
Lynda Lahti Anderson, a researcher from the University of Minnesota, talks about wellness and flourishing and the importance of a holistic approach to self-care.
Resources
Promoting Wellness for Better Behavioral and Physical Health by Mel Kobrin
Seven Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship With Stress by Jill Suttie
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Learn more about the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota
Transcript
- Hello and welcome to
the podcast Wellness
Speaker:Matters for Direct Support.
Speaker:This is a podcast
developed by the University
Speaker:of Minnesota's Institute
on community integration.
Speaker:Wellness matters for direct
support will focus on the
Speaker:importance of health, wellness,
Speaker:and self-care for direct support workers.
Speaker:I'm Mark Olsen, one of your hosts,
Speaker:and I have to acknowledge
that our friend chat chatter,
Speaker:who is usually co-hosting with me,
Speaker:is off doing a wellness thing right now.
Speaker:She'll be back with us
for the next broadcast.
Speaker:So I look forward to
having her back shortly.
Speaker:Today we have Linda Lottie Anderson,
Speaker:she's our PI on this project,
which stands for Projects
Speaker:Investigator, which is a weird term that,
Speaker:that we use in research that
really is just that she's,
Speaker:she's the head person.
Speaker:She's gonna share with
us a little bit about why
Speaker:and what we're doing with this,
Speaker:but then also we'll get into
some very specific topics
Speaker:around flourishing and
wellness and those things
Speaker:and how they're kind of the
same and different in a way.
Speaker:So what I'd like to do is
introduce Linda. Linda, welcome.
Speaker:- Thank you. Thank you.
- Could you tell us a little bit
Speaker:about who you are and, and,
Speaker:and why you, why this is important to you?
Speaker:- Sure. I was a direct
support professional, one
Speaker:of my first jobs, and did that
for quite a while, worked in
Speaker:providing residential
supports to individuals
Speaker:with intellectual disabilities.
Speaker:Back in the days when all,
all services were ICFs,
Speaker:intermediate care facilities,
Speaker:there was no community
support services at that time.
Speaker:We were live ins back
also in those old days,
Speaker:they used to be house parents.
Speaker:And so we lived in a house with six adults
Speaker:who had an intellectual disability.
Speaker:We shared the house together
and we did that for four years.
Speaker:And then I worked as a
frontline supervisor,
Speaker:and I worked as a project director,
Speaker:and I worked as a case manager.
Speaker:So I spent a lot of time
working, providing supports
Speaker:to people in some manner or another.
Speaker:I'm interested in wellness
and, and direct support workers
Speaker:because it's a tough job.
Speaker:I remember stretches of time
Speaker:where we didn't have
relief staff on weekends,
Speaker:and we worked months
without, without a break.
Speaker:It can, it, it can be,
it can be a lot that
Speaker:of stress and burnout if we
don't take care of ourselves.
Speaker:And so that is really why I'm
interested in this project
Speaker:and this podcast that hopefully
our personal experience,
Speaker:our personal experience
Speaker:and our knowledge of the research and,
Speaker:and the work that we do,
Speaker:we can share some practical
information for people.
Speaker:I'm also interested in wellness for people
Speaker:who have intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
Speaker:They experience health disparities,
Speaker:poor health outcomes
because of poor access
Speaker:and other things to healthcare.
Speaker:And so that's also been a part
Speaker:of my work here at the
University of Minnesota.
Speaker:- So, on that,
Speaker:before we get into the actual meat of
Speaker:what we're gonna discuss today,
Speaker:I thought it would be
really interesting for you
Speaker:to just share when you were
working specifically on,
Speaker:on wellness for folks with
disabilities, you worked with,
Speaker:was it the Arc or was it ACL
Speaker:or who was it that you worked
with to kind of come up
Speaker:with a little curriculum
Oh, yeah. On wellness. Yep.
Speaker:- So that was a project
that was funded by,
Speaker:it's called the National Institutes
Speaker:of Disability Independent Living
Speaker:and Rehabilitation Research.
Speaker:It's a very big mouthful,
Speaker:but they gave us funding to do,
Speaker:develop a curriculum, a
program for a wellness program
Speaker:for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Speaker:And we decided that social,
Speaker:social support is an
important part of being well.
Speaker:And so the, the project was
designed that a individual
Speaker:with disability
Speaker:and a person of their choice would go
Speaker:through this program together.
Speaker:So it's called partnerships and wellness.
Speaker:And so the whole, all of the
activities were done as a pair.
Speaker:All of these, all of the,
the, the weekly assignments
Speaker:and everything else was done as a pair.
Speaker:And the idea was that they
would work in support each other
Speaker:and, and making changes in, in their
Speaker:lifestyle and daily habits that they,
Speaker:that they themselves chose.
Speaker:And so it was an eight week program
Speaker:and we focused on nutrition
and physical activity
Speaker:and social support and relationships
Speaker:and other aspects related
to taking care of ourselves,
Speaker:like managing stress.
Speaker:- So what, what I'm hearing there is that,
Speaker:that you have a lot of background
Speaker:and you have a lot of desire to make sure
Speaker:that people are taking care of themselves.
Speaker:Let's get into the overarching
Speaker:questions that we're
gonna talk about today.
Speaker:Sure. And I'm gonna just start
Speaker:and ask you, what is wellness?
Speaker:- The Global Wellness
Institute defines wellness
Speaker:as the active pursuit
of activities, choices,
Speaker:and lifestyles that lead to
a state of holistic health.
Speaker:So that's sort of the official definition,
Speaker:but it really isn't a, an active process
Speaker:that includes the choices we
make, the things that we do,
Speaker:and then it addresses things more than
Speaker:just our physical health.
Speaker:So sometimes we think if we're
not sick, then we're, well,
Speaker:but this is much more broader than,
Speaker:than just our physical health.
Speaker:And it usually includes things
like our physical health,
Speaker:our mental health, emotional,
Speaker:financial, spiritual,
social, environmental,
Speaker:and our intellectual or
vocational wellbeing.
Speaker:And intell and vocational,
there can mean more than
Speaker:a job that we get paid for.
Speaker:It's, it's things that we choose to do,
Speaker:how we spend our time
that are important to us
Speaker:and give our life meaning and purpose.
Speaker:And so it's vocation in a broader sense.
Speaker:And just the job I go to.
Speaker:- So case in point, I'm,
I'll turn it to myself
Speaker:for a moment in that when I'm
not doing my work here, right.
Speaker:I enjoy spending time doing theater,
Speaker:improvisational comedy, things like that.
Speaker:And those would be considered wellness
Speaker:because they are that vocational piece
Speaker:that's not a paid vocational piece,
Speaker:but it's one of those things I choose
Speaker:to do that fulfills me.
Speaker:- Right. And it's giving
your life meaning and purpose
Speaker:and it's something that
you love to do. Absolutely.
Speaker:- And DSPs really need to
work on this, I would expect,
Speaker:because oftentimes I know,
and you, you spoke of it DSPs
Speaker:and in my experience as well,
Speaker:you end up working such long hours
Speaker:that you don't find
those things as quickly
Speaker:and as easily as you possibly can.
Speaker:So, alright. What are some
criticisms of the wellness
Speaker:- Movement?
Speaker:Sure. The wellness movement
has some, has some challenges.
Speaker:Number one is that it has a real focus.
Speaker:I think on
Speaker:one of the, one of the main criticisms
Speaker:of the wellness movement is
Speaker:that it really does set unrealistic
expectations for people.
Speaker:If you look at the, the
images that come with like,
Speaker:wellness messages
Speaker:and you hear like what you're
supposed to be doing to be,
Speaker:well, it,
Speaker:it's not always realistic for people.
Speaker:And, and then people can
feel like it's unattainable.
Speaker:And so if you really love going to gym
Speaker:and lifting weights for three hours a day
Speaker:and that's really makes
you happy, that's awesome.
Speaker:You should do that. But
that's not what we have
Speaker:to do in terms of, like, for
example, physical activity.
Speaker:It's not always evidence based.
Speaker:So you can get a lot of
information in the wellness world
Speaker:that really has no standing
Speaker:behind it other than
somebody dreamed it up
Speaker:and thinks it works for them.
Speaker:And so that is a other
criticism of wellness.
Speaker:And then the other thing,
there's two other things
Speaker:that the wellness movement
has, has some issues
Speaker:with being ableist.
Speaker:And that almost by definition of
Speaker:how people think about it is
that if you have a disability,
Speaker:you can't also be well, which
is not, not true at all.
Speaker:And there's a somewhat
classist space to it too.
Speaker:The sort of the things that
people tell you that you have
Speaker:to do to be, well, you
can only eat, you know,
Speaker:fresh organic food,
Speaker:or you can only, you have to
go belong to this expensive gym
Speaker:with all this fancy equipment can,
Speaker:can make it seem unattainable for people.
Speaker:And which is, none of that is true.
Speaker:Frozen vegetables are
inexpensive and nutritious.
Speaker:You don't have to have the, the organic.
Speaker:And if you, if you like organic food
Speaker:and you can afford organic food
Speaker:and you can support organic
farmers, that's great
Speaker:for the environment, do it.
Speaker:But it shouldn't be a
barrier to thinking about
Speaker:how you take care of yourself at all.
Speaker:I kind of like to think
about a different term
Speaker:that's starting to be
much used much more often.
Speaker:And it started in the mental health world.
Speaker:And I think it fits better with sort
Speaker:of the person centered
thinking about, about health
Speaker:and just sort of being person
centered and for ourselves
Speaker:and for the people we support.
Speaker:And that is flourishing.
Speaker:And flourishing really means
that we are living a happy
Speaker:or a good life as we define it.
Speaker:So we all have things, different values
Speaker:and different things that matter to us.
Speaker:We all start from different places.
Speaker:And if we're able to do things
Speaker:that make us feel like we're
having a good life, then
Speaker:that's, that's what's important.
Speaker:And so it encompasses like
activities and feelings
Speaker:and thoughts and relationships
Speaker:that make us feel happy and whole.
Speaker:- For those that haven't
heard about person-centered
Speaker:thinking or person-centered processes,
Speaker:I'm gonna take just a moment to kind
Speaker:of give a quick explanation
of how I view that.
Speaker:As someone who trains
direct support folks in
Speaker:person-centered thinking, it
really is about the balance
Speaker:of what's important to a person
Speaker:with what's important for a person.
Speaker:Now, many of the things that
we talk about when we think
Speaker:of wellness per se, would be
those important four items.
Speaker:So, you know, health and safety and,
Speaker:and you know, taking your medications,
Speaker:doing a certain amount of
exercise, those things.
Speaker:But in order to make those
things happen for folks,
Speaker:you really need to balance that with
Speaker:what is important to them.
Speaker:And oftentimes what's
important to a person
Speaker:is what's gonna drive
being able to do that.
Speaker:So you might have somebody
who does not really care to go
Speaker:to the gym to do their exercise,
Speaker:but they do like to walk well.
Speaker:Finding a way for them to walk
Speaker:and maybe meet people
to walk with those types
Speaker:of things would be balancing
that important to them,
Speaker:which is that walking
Speaker:and something that is an
exercise that they'll enjoy
Speaker:with what's important for them.
Speaker:And that is just getting the exercise.
Speaker:So just that balance is
what's important and,
Speaker:and there's a lot of literature on
Speaker:person-centered thinking out there.
Speaker:You can certainly, I'm gonna give the,
Speaker:the email address that we have.
Speaker:If you have questions
further about that, please
Speaker:ping the email address and, and,
Speaker:and we'll get back to you about that.
Speaker:But alright. Back to flourishing, Linda.
Speaker:- Sure, sure. While we're
talking about email addresses, I,
Speaker:I also wanna just give out a website
Speaker:that has good information about wellness
Speaker:and it's the, the SAMHSA well website,
Speaker:which is the Substance Abuse
Speaker:and Mental Health Services Administration
Speaker:of the federal government.
Speaker:And that the web, the website
address is SAM hsa.gov.
Speaker:And so if you go there and
search, they have a lot
Speaker:of really good information about wellness
Speaker:and the wellness wheel
and it's a great place
Speaker:to get more information if
you're interested in that.
Speaker:- That's wonderful that
you bring that up, Linda.
Speaker:So what's the difference
between wellness and
Speaker:- Flourishing?
Speaker:So I think wellness, they,
they, they overlap somewhat,
Speaker:but I think wellness
sometimes feels a bit more
Speaker:prescribed to me.
Speaker:So, and this is my, per my
personal thought, how I,
Speaker:how I think about it in that
there, there's guidelines,
Speaker:for example, you should exercise
150 minutes a week from the
Speaker:CDC or there's, there's this and that.
Speaker:And I think wellness has taken on an error
Speaker:of something that, that
Speaker:to be really well you, it's,
it's almost, you have to be
Speaker:very driven and perfect in
this sort of, this pursuit
Speaker:of perfection of some
ideal that's out there.
Speaker:And it feels very external to me
Speaker:and I just base that, not
on research or anything,
Speaker:but really on what the
wellness industry has become.
Speaker:If you look at images, if
you listen to influencers,
Speaker:if you read books
Speaker:and articles by people
who aren't doing research,
Speaker:but this is sort of their
personal opinion that, you know,
Speaker:there's a lot of messages
about you should never eat meat
Speaker:or you should only eat meat,
Speaker:or you should, you have to drink
your body weight and water.
Speaker:Or there's a lot of, of ma messages
Speaker:and sort of myths out
there about what it means
Speaker:to be, to be healthy.
Speaker:That, that, it's unfortunate
Speaker:to have come into the wellness industry
Speaker:and the wellness concept because
it didn't start that way.
Speaker:But that's sort of where it's taken.
Speaker:And I suppose that's what happens
Speaker:and maybe someday the future
flourishing will also be
Speaker:there, but
Speaker:- Well, and and I look at it as the,
Speaker:there there's a media piece to it.
Speaker:Yeah. Any sales piece to it Absolutely.
Speaker:That has come in place.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker:And of course, what do they wanna sell?
Speaker:They wanna sell that,
that, that that woman
Speaker:that's really healthy.
Speaker:Yeah. You know, in the, you
know, almost the size zero
Speaker:or the, the endomorphic man
Speaker:with the bib muscles and all of that.
Speaker:Yeah. And so those are the images
Speaker:that often are equated with wellness.
Speaker:When wellness is, is is much
more than just absolutely.
Speaker:Those physical attributes. Absolutely.
Speaker:In fact, for most of us,
in fact the majority of us,
Speaker:it's not that, it's not
that you can be well
Speaker:and you can be any shape.
Speaker:Yeah. Any size, you know, you
can have any kind of pursuit
Speaker:and you find your wellness in you.
Speaker:- Exactly.
- So, alright. So
Speaker:- Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:That's why I like flourishing
Speaker:because it really sort of takes it back to
Speaker:how we define a good life
and what makes us feel happy
Speaker:and whole outside of
Speaker:the external pressures of
how we're supposed to be
Speaker:- For you.
Speaker:And I'll share as well. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:What does wellness look like for you?
Speaker:- Sure, sure, sure. For me,
Speaker:the ways that I, I take care of myself
Speaker:and pursue wellness is I
Speaker:exercise almost every day.
Speaker:And I do, I try and
meet the CDC guidelines
Speaker:'cause I have a background
in public health.
Speaker:But, but, but I, I, I do strength training
Speaker:because maintaining our,
I'm, I'm getting up in age,
Speaker:we're concerned about muscle
loss and bone loss is a thing.
Speaker:So I do strength training
Speaker:to make sure I'm maintaining
my muscle mass and bones.
Speaker:I also find nature very
important to my wellness.
Speaker:So I like hiking and I
spend as much time outside
Speaker:as I possibly can.
Speaker:I have taken up art as
Speaker:I'm not good at it, but
it's a, a stress reliever
Speaker:and a way to be mindful
Speaker:and just focus on something in the present
Speaker:and not worry about what
else is going on in life.
Speaker:I eat lots, lots of vegetables
Speaker:to make my gut healthy and happy.
Speaker:I also struggle, frankly, with my weight
Speaker:and I spend a lot of time trying
Speaker:to improve my nutritional input.
Speaker:And then, then, you know,
my family's really important
Speaker:to me too, is another aspect of thing that
Speaker:helps me feel well to make
sure I'm staying connected
Speaker:with, with my family. So,
Speaker:- Alright.
Speaker:So now I promise that I'd share. Yep.
Speaker:Alright, so I'll share a little bit
Speaker:about my wellness journey.
Speaker:Alright. One of the things
for me is that at the age
Speaker:of 46 I had a heart attack
Speaker:and so that, you know,
made wellness even more
Speaker:of an important thing to me,
but for me it, it involves some
Speaker:of the exercise and eating better.
Speaker:And I'm still struggling with both
Speaker:of those things pretty regularly.
Speaker:But what I found was really important
Speaker:for me was de-stressing.
Speaker:And that was one of the wellness
journey pieces that, that
Speaker:helped me flourish.
Speaker:And so to de-stress, I, I let
go of some things that I had,
Speaker:I had seen is, you know,
where I wanted to be in life
Speaker:and said I want to do some
things that I enjoy and have fun.
Speaker:That led me to doing theater,
Speaker:to doing improvisational
comedy, to doing things
Speaker:that just fulfill me more
so that my vocational time,
Speaker:my time off from work
became much more fun.
Speaker:I too love the outdoors.
Speaker:I too love my family and,
and and drawn to my family.
Speaker:And then the other thing that really kind
Speaker:of completes me is my pets.
Speaker:- Hmm. Yes. Yes.
Speaker:- You know, and, and, and for some
Speaker:people that's the thing, that's it.
Speaker:Others it might not be.
Speaker:And that's one of the
reasons why I asked that
Speaker:and I shared as well,
Linda, is that this is
Speaker:that person centeredness
we're talking about applied.
Speaker:We each have a completely
different walk in what wellness is
Speaker:for us, but that's that
wellness, that's how we flourish.
Speaker:Right. And then we can be
healthier because of it. So.
Speaker:Alright. Yep. So maybe this
next question I just answered,
Speaker:but I'm gonna still ask it.
Speaker:Yeah. How do we know
when we are flourishing?
Speaker:- Well, I think I'm gonna,
I'm gonna take that to
Speaker:how do we know when we're
stressed or experiencing burnout?
Speaker:So, we'll, signs of stress can be
Speaker:our, our brains don't function as well.
Speaker:So we might have a hard
time making decisions.
Speaker:We might be forgetful,
Speaker:we might be angry or irritable a lot.
Speaker:We might be have insomnia.
Speaker:That's, I know I'm stressed is
Speaker:because I stay awake all night
Speaker:and my brain spins out
all the horrible stories
Speaker:that could possibly happen where,
Speaker:and we're just generally not
taking care of ourselves and,
Speaker:and burnout is stress that's
just gone to another level
Speaker:where we're, we're just,
we've become apathetic
Speaker:and we just don't care
Speaker:and we're just sort of
lost interest in life.
Speaker:And so if you're feeling that way,
Speaker:you're probably not flourishing.
Speaker:So flourishing. If we're
flourishing, we feel pretty content
Speaker:that having, having a
wide range of emotions is,
Speaker:is a typical normal human response.
Speaker:So there will be days
that we don't feel great,
Speaker:we don't feel happy, but that's,
if long as it's temporary
Speaker:and it goes away and
it's just part of the ups
Speaker:and downs of, of daily
living, that's fine.
Speaker:If you get into a stuck place
where you're feeling happy
Speaker:and it goes on for a long
period of time, that's a time
Speaker:to seek, seek help from a professional.
Speaker:But if we feel energetic, if
we feel wake up in the morning,
Speaker:happy that the day's
there we feel hopeful.
Speaker:We feel like we have social connection
Speaker:and we're not feeling lonely
Speaker:and isolated, that's probably
all pretty good signs that,
Speaker:that we're flourishing. You
Speaker:- Can have moments of flourishing
in within a day, I expect.
Speaker:And you can have moments
where maybe you're not
Speaker:flourishing so much.
Speaker:Yep, yep. I mean, one of the
things that I did recently was,
Speaker:was of course got all my
holiday cheer decorations
Speaker:and whatnot and I have a bunch
Speaker:of those fun fancy light
bulbs that have the,
Speaker:the flicker like a candle thing going on.
Speaker:And so I put those in a bunch of my lamps
Speaker:and I turn those on,
put on some nice music
Speaker:and I get that feeling
of hia that that Yeah.
Speaker:Or yeah, that, that, that we talk about.
Speaker:That's kind of a Danish
philosophy. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:Of just finding that
just inner peace Yeah.
Speaker:In those moments. Yeah.
And sometimes it, you know,
Speaker:it's for 20 minutes. Yeah.
But it's a thing that,
Speaker:- And those 20 minutes can help.
Speaker:And that's one of the
things that when we, I also,
Speaker:I didn't mention earlier,
do a training for people
Speaker:who are direct support
workers about taking care
Speaker:of themselves and,
Speaker:and being, well I should
have mentioned that earlier.
Speaker:'cause it's an important part
of, of what I do, important
Speaker:to me to do that class.
Speaker:And we really talk about
that, that a lot of people
Speaker:who are direct support workers are,
Speaker:might be caring for a family member.
Speaker:So then it's sort of an an on all the
Speaker:time kind of situation.
Speaker:You're always working or
people work multiple jobs.
Speaker:And so it's hard to find time for that.
Speaker:And so it's important for me
that people get the message
Speaker:that, you know, even taking five minutes
Speaker:for yourself can make a really can,
Speaker:can really help and make a big difference.
Speaker:That, and that it's people need
Speaker:to give themselves permission to do that.
Speaker:That it's okay to, to
take care of yourself
Speaker:and you need to, you
need to do that so that
Speaker:you stay healthy and also you,
Speaker:you can provide better supports if you're
Speaker:taking care of yourself.
Speaker:- So that's kind of
speaking to the why. Yeah.
Speaker:DSP should find it important. Yeah.
Speaker:So what does research say about direct
Speaker:support in, in in wellbeing?
Speaker:- Yeah. Well, it's really interesting.
Speaker:Colleagues of ours here at
the Institute on Community
Speaker:Integration did a, a series of surveys
Speaker:of direct support workers across
the United States over the
Speaker:past few years of the pandemic.
Speaker:They did actually four surveys
Speaker:and a lot of direct support
workers are really struggling.
Speaker:There's a lot of people who
are feeling very stressed
Speaker:and burned out and no longer
love the work that they do.
Speaker:They're not having a
good work life balance.
Speaker:And that work is completely
taking over their lives
Speaker:to the point where they can't take care
Speaker:of themselves or their family.
Speaker:And so it's a workforce
that's really struggling
Speaker:and in crisis.
Speaker:And certainly there was some
of that before the pandemic,
Speaker:but it worsened over the pandemic.
Speaker:And so figuring out how we can support
Speaker:direct support workers to be resilient
Speaker:and to manage their stress is important.
Speaker:And, you know,
Speaker:but there's the long term we need
Speaker:to fix the under systematic issues.
Speaker:But that's a, that's a
different conversation.
Speaker:But it's, it's, it's not
been an easy few years
Speaker:for people but who provide
direct support work.
Speaker:A lot, a lot happened over
the past few years that added
Speaker:to the stress that was already
going on in a profession
Speaker:that is really, really important
and usually undervalued.
Speaker:- Well and hearing you
talk about the, the,
Speaker:the actual policy changes
that need to be made
Speaker:makes me think about,
you know, that that's one
Speaker:of the things that I also would say
Speaker:that I've done at a time.
Speaker:But now I'm kind of
passing the torch on that
Speaker:and that is taking
Speaker:and being someone that,
that is working in the field
Speaker:and is approaching those policy makers.
Speaker:That was part of my
wellness for a good part
Speaker:of my life was trying
to make a difference.
Speaker:Now sometimes when you're
talking about policy
Speaker:and big policy like that,
Speaker:it takes years and years and years.
Speaker:So you have to be ready for the long
Speaker:- Haul. Absolutely.
Speaker:- But you know, maybe that's
something that's a part
Speaker:of somebody's wellness Yep.
Speaker:Absolutely. Is, is to say, I'm
gonna make the change. Yep.
Speaker:I'm gonna be the person that
pushes that change in my neck
Speaker:of the woods within my
organization, within my,
Speaker:just my particular area of service.
Speaker:You know, it can be at any level,
Speaker:but just making the
changes that that make,
Speaker:make wellness a part of things. So.
Speaker:- Well it's just, it's
interesting you say that
Speaker:because feeling like you have
control is an important part
Speaker:of resilience and, and wellness.
Speaker:And so being active
Speaker:and an advocate is a, is
a really good way to sort
Speaker:of build wellness and
flourishing and being resilient
Speaker:because you're taking action on something
Speaker:that hopefully will improve over time.
Speaker:Even if it's just going
to your elected officials
Speaker:and telling your story.
Speaker:Stories matter.
Speaker:They, they listen to stories
Speaker:of constituents more than they listen
Speaker:to statistics from researchers.
Speaker:So always, you know,
sharing your story. Yeah.
Speaker:- In my policy work, that's
always been the case.
Speaker:You have a good story
that's got a hook line
Speaker:and a sinker that gets 'em
to kind of wanna support you,
Speaker:but then you back it up with Yeah.
Speaker:Then research you up with
research. Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker:So that's the way that
you can get folks to kind
Speaker:of listen a little bit more.
Speaker:So we could go a whole
podcast on that itself.
Speaker:Yeah, that's right. And we
won't spend the time today
Speaker:'cause we're focusing on
wellness and flourishing. That's,
Speaker:- That's right. That's right.
Speaker:- Why is self-care important?
Speaker:And you may wanna do
find selfcare for us a
Speaker:- Little bit.
Speaker:I think self-care is the things
that we do for ourselves.
Speaker:And so it is the, the actions and thoughts
Speaker:and choices that we
make regarding our own,
Speaker:our own wellbeing.
Speaker:Our brain is an amazingly plastic organ.
Speaker:And so the our, we can retrain it to do,
Speaker:to do, to do things differently
and think differently.
Speaker:It's not a hard, it's hard work.
Speaker:It takes a lot of work to
do that, but it can happen.
Speaker:So self-care is doing
those things that sort
Speaker:of teach our brain how, how
to manage stress better.
Speaker:How we might move our bodies in ways
Speaker:that enjoy ourselves on a regular basis.
Speaker:And so it is things about, you know,
Speaker:making sure you get
enough sleep, taking care
Speaker:of your physical health
Speaker:by getting those doctor's
appointments and preventives
Speaker:and care done.
Speaker:And which can be difficult
when you have, don't have a lot
Speaker:of time or if you don't
have good insurance,
Speaker:I recognize that.
Speaker:Making sure that we maintain
social connections with people
Speaker:and thinking about our food choices and,
Speaker:and how if they're supporting,
Speaker:supporting us in away in terms
of being healthier or not.
Speaker:And sometimes, you know,
food has, it's not just
Speaker:for physical reasons like hunger,
Speaker:but sometimes food has other purposes.
Speaker:It's a social thing. It
can be a comforting thing.
Speaker:And so just thinking about, you know,
Speaker:why we're eating while we're eating
Speaker:and if it's helping us move forward
Speaker:in the goals that we want,
Speaker:- There's a whole psychology
connected to food.
Speaker:Oh, absolutely. And, and yeah.
Speaker:And it's, it's one of
those things that yeah,
Speaker:I think I contemplate
every once in a while.
Speaker:Yeah. It's like, okay, why am
I choosing to eat this? Yeah.
Speaker:When I've got this here.
Yeah. That's healthier. Yeah.
Speaker:It's like, you know what,
it's because I've had a
Speaker:really stressful day.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah. I'm, I, I, you
know, it's just, I I'm,
Speaker:I'm bottling it in that way.
Speaker:Yeah. And that's one of the
things that I work on Yeah.
Speaker:To try and make the more healthy
choice in those situations.
Speaker:Although I don't beat
myself off of Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:Self up if I don't And
Speaker:- Sometimes it's okay to make,
to pick the comfort food.
Speaker:Right. You know, it's fine.
Speaker:- Yeah. And, and that's
the thing that I think
Speaker:that our wellness, you know,
a lot of the folks that are
Speaker:pro providing wellness ideas
Speaker:that aren't providing
a research base Yeah.
Speaker:Are oftentimes it's all
about what they think. Yeah.
Speaker:And what they think is, you
know, you have to do. Yeah.
Speaker:And it's not a, it's not a have
to, it's not a should. Yeah.
Speaker:You know, we don't shit on people.
Speaker:It's okay, what
Speaker:what do you need in this
moment when you're at a better
Speaker:place, what might you do differently?
Speaker:Right, right. You know, and, and,
Speaker:and you can think about it.
Speaker:Yeah. And, and that's
one of the great things.
Speaker:So, alright, so we've got you here. Yeah.
Speaker:You've given us an opportunity
Speaker:to learn a little bit about
wellness and flourishing.
Speaker:Sure. What are some simple
Speaker:and quick ways for direct support folks
Speaker:to care for themselves?
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:- I'm gonna talk a little
bit about mindfulness first.
Speaker:Mindfulness has a lot
of research behind it.
Speaker:Mindfulness is not meditation.
Speaker:So I'm not telling you to sit on a cushion
Speaker:and silently for an hour.
Speaker:For some of us, that would be an un
Speaker:an unpleasant experience.
Speaker:- That would be h and double
toothpicks is what you're
Speaker:- Telling me.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah. But for some
people that works for them.
Speaker:And do it really, mindfulness just means
Speaker:bringing your mind
Speaker:and focusing on the present
and whatever you're doing.
Speaker:So you can be mindful
in all kinds of ways.
Speaker:You can do mindful walking,
Speaker:where you focus on your footsteps
Speaker:and then the sounds and things you hear.
Speaker:You can do mindful dishes
Speaker:and pay close attention
Speaker:to the act actions of doing the dishes.
Speaker:There's all kinds of ways of being mindful
Speaker:and sometimes just sitting with yourself
Speaker:and just focusing on your breathing in
Speaker:and out is a way of being mindful,
Speaker:but really is a way to stop
worrying about the past
Speaker:and stop worrying about the future.
Speaker:And just really focus on what's going
Speaker:on in your life right now.
Speaker:And my, and thinking about
being mindful when, when you're
Speaker:with other people is
helpful in, in relationships
Speaker:and you can get closer to people
Speaker:and you can understand that
people you support better.
Speaker:It's all sorts of resources
out there about mindfulness
Speaker:and its benefits.
Speaker:And there's been a lot of
research about its benefits in
Speaker:terms of our brain health and
our stress and mental health.
Speaker:It's a, it's a powerful tool
that's actually fairly easy.
Speaker:And if you want to mark, we can do an
Speaker:activity right now if you want
Speaker:- To.
Speaker:Let's do one. I think that would
Speaker:- Be fun.
Speaker:Okay. This one's really, really simple.
Speaker:Just get comfortable and open your eyes
Speaker:or close your eyes,
whichever works for you.
Speaker:Just take a couple deep
breaths, the kind that sort
Speaker:of fills your abdomen, your stomach up,
Speaker:and just do that a couple times.
Speaker:- The old singer in me says,
oh, breathe from the diaphragm.
Speaker:- Breathe from the
diaphragm. That's right.
Speaker:Okay. I would like you
to think of five things
Speaker:that you can see.
Speaker:I would like you to think of
four things that you can hear.
Speaker:Three things that you can touch
Speaker:- I,
- Two things
Speaker:that you can smell
Speaker:and one thing that you can taste.
Speaker:And so it's called a grounding activity.
Speaker:It's a very simple way of sort
Speaker:of pulling your brain
back into thinking about
Speaker:where you are right now
and focusing on the now.
Speaker:It's one of those things
that's really straightforward
Speaker:and simple that you can
teach the people you
Speaker:support to do also.
Speaker:And, and it's good
Speaker:to practice these things
when you're feeling calm.
Speaker:And so then you remember it
when you're feeling stressed.
Speaker:If you just only practice it
when you're feeling stressed
Speaker:or the person you support
is feeling stress,
Speaker:you won't remember it Well
Speaker:- And for those of you
that that are out there, I,
Speaker:I just wanna say that in
doing that, as Linda talked me
Speaker:through that, one of the things that
Speaker:that happened is I could feel myself, all
Speaker:of a sudden my muscles
loosened a little bit.
Speaker:I was less tense.
Speaker:I started breathing more,
more, more gently and smoothly.
Speaker:And if, if I were to take
that for a little bit longer
Speaker:and just sit and do those
breaths for a while,
Speaker:it would've really calmed me even more.
Speaker:Yeah. So I could feel how that
actually made that happen.
Speaker:And it, what I love
about it is it's really
Speaker:- Quick.
Speaker:Yeah. It's really quick.
It's something you can
Speaker:do in a minute.
Speaker:You can, before you get out
of your car if you're going
Speaker:to a stressful meeting
or just, just anything.
Speaker:I think the other interesting
part of the, the breathing is
Speaker:that how we breathe can
affect our heart rate.
Speaker:So when we're feeling anxious,
our heart will beat faster.
Speaker:So if we slow down our breathing,
Speaker:it auto it automatically also
slows down our heart rate,
Speaker:which can help us feel a
little less anxious about,
Speaker:about situations.
Speaker:- You've talked about
nutrition, social support
Speaker:and the importance.
Speaker:Ah, one thing on here that we, we,
Speaker:we really haven't touched upon
Speaker:yet is the importance of sleep.
Speaker:- Sleep, sleep is really important.
Speaker:If there is, maybe other
than physical activity,
Speaker:if the other thing that
I can encourage people
Speaker:to really think as, as
improving your sleep
Speaker:and there's all kinds o
of things you could do.
Speaker:Dimming the lights before you
go to bed, getting rid of the,
Speaker:the screen time before, you
know, give your brain some time
Speaker:to unwind from the
stimulation of the screens.
Speaker:People sleep better in cooler
rooms than in hot rooms.
Speaker:Some people might benefit from sleep mess
Speaker:or ear, ear earplugs to sleep better.
Speaker:I, it is really hard if
you're a shift worker
Speaker:to have good sleep shift work fights our
Speaker:bodies natural rhythms.
Speaker:And so for people who do direct support,
Speaker:who work overnights, for
example, it's a, it's going
Speaker:to be a bigger struggle for you.
Speaker:And it may be something
that you wanna talk
Speaker:to a healthcare provider about
in terms of help with that.
Speaker:But our brain, our, our body needs sleep.
Speaker:Our brains function better
when we've had enough.
Speaker:The sleep is the time when
our bodies kinda repair itself
Speaker:and clean out the clean out the garbage.
Speaker:And so it's really, really important.
Speaker:But it doesn't, everybody needs different
Speaker:amounts of sleep though.
Speaker:And so the range is sort of seven
Speaker:to nine hours is the
typical range for people.
Speaker:And so generally if you fall in that,
Speaker:you're probably doing fine.
Speaker:Some people need more, some
people need less sleep if
Speaker:you're not sleeping well.
Speaker:And it's an ongoing issue,
it's something to talk
Speaker:to a healthcare provider about.
Speaker:There are some things
Speaker:that over the counter
that works for people.
Speaker:But I would, again, talk to
somebody who's a medical expert
Speaker:and not me, but
Speaker:for some people melatonin
works well for sleep for me, I,
Speaker:I have a lifelong problem with insomnia.
Speaker:And for me, magnesium is the, is the,
Speaker:the magic thing that helps me sleep.
Speaker:If I not taking my magnesium,
I don't sleep as well.
Speaker:That's a tricky one
Speaker:because if you take too much of it,
Speaker:you have gastrointestinal side effects.
Speaker:So, so you wanna, you wanna
manage that carefully.
Speaker:A bit of a balance thing you
gotta do there. That one.
Speaker:Balance, balance there, you
know, but so I, I just really,
Speaker:sleep is really important.
Speaker:And so if, if you could
figure out how to make
Speaker:that happen in your life, I
know it's, it can be hard.
Speaker:That's, that's a really good thing.
Speaker:And then the other thing I think that is
Speaker:that studies show without question is
Speaker:that human beings need social support
Speaker:and that having a support
system is critical
Speaker:to being mentally and physically healthy.
Speaker:People who are socially isolated
Speaker:have poor health outcomes in terms
Speaker:of physical and mental health.
Speaker:And so, however you can think about
Speaker:to build social support into your
Speaker:life, it's really important.
Speaker:It doesn't mean you have
to have 700 friends.
Speaker:Like for some people having two, one
Speaker:or two solid people is, is
Speaker:what they want and need and that's great.
Speaker:But having somebody who cares about you
Speaker:and who you care about in your life,
Speaker:however that looks is really important
Speaker:to being well into flourishing
Speaker:support groups can work for people.
Speaker:Finding activities with people
that have same interests
Speaker:as you is one way to get that support
Speaker:if you're careful about careful about it.
Speaker:I mean, there's also online opportunities
Speaker:to connect with people.
Speaker:Zoom has helped with that, you
know, for the past few years.
Speaker:- Well I, I think that
that's one of the things
Speaker:and I was just thinking of that.
Speaker:It's like when we run into the Covid thing
Speaker:and it hit us so hard.
Speaker:Yeah. You know, I know I was
a part of multiple groups
Speaker:where we would get together
Speaker:and we'd, you know, we, on a Friday night,
Speaker:we'd have our little happy hour Yeah.
Speaker:Where we'd all get together,
we'd pour ourselves a drink
Speaker:of whatever we wanted to drink.
Speaker:Yeah. Whether it was coffee or,
Speaker:or you know, a beer or whatever.
Speaker:Yeah. And a glass of wine.
Speaker:And we would just sit and
chat for about an hour. Yeah.
Speaker:And just be there for
each other in that way.
Speaker:And it didn't last the entire covid run.
Speaker:But initially it was really a good way
Speaker:for us to keep connected.
Speaker:- And it got you through that
first part of the pandemic,
Speaker:we didn't really know what was going on.
Speaker:It was a little stressful.
Speaker:- Right. And so that was one of those
Speaker:things where, you know, okay.
Speaker:That was kind of, you know,
worth doing, setting that up.
Speaker:Yeah. I still have people
this day that were a part of
Speaker:that one say, you know,
Speaker:I really liked it when
we did the, I I did too.
Speaker:But you know, it was just
suddenly people started dropping
Speaker:off and then so it's like, okay, we're
Speaker:- Done now.
Speaker:We're done now. Yeah. It
served its purpose. Yep, yep.
Speaker:- And that's okay. Yeah. And
- That is okay.
Speaker:- But yes, I, that whole
social support thing,
Speaker:that's another thing
that I talk about with
Speaker:when I got into the theater thing, was
Speaker:that I found families basically.
Speaker:Yeah. Each time we did, I
did a show, we were together,
Speaker:you know, every evening
until we started our run.
Speaker:Yeah. And so it really became
almost like a family. Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah. And, and you take
away good relationships
Speaker:and friends from that.
Speaker:So find those interests,
find those interests
Speaker:because your interests are the things
Speaker:that will help you find people
Speaker:that will probably be in
your life for a long time.
Speaker:- Absolutely. There's
some other things that
Speaker:people can do that are really simple.
Speaker:Again, don't take a lot of time,
Speaker:but have proven benefits of people
Speaker:who research these things have found.
Speaker:And they research these things.
Speaker:Like, well they do surveys
like asking you how you feel
Speaker:before and after, but also
they look at change like
Speaker:how the brain, the brain is going.
Speaker:But so practicing gratitude.
Speaker:And so every day writing down, well,
Speaker:not every day actually the research shows
Speaker:that if you don't do this every day,
Speaker:just multiple days a week,
it actually works better.
Speaker:But writing down things
that are good from your day.
Speaker:And it can be really tiny.
Speaker:Like if it was a rough
day, like, you know,
Speaker:the sun was pretty today.
Speaker:It doesn't have to be
anything earth shattering
Speaker:or sending thank you notes
Speaker:or you know, thank you emails to people.
Speaker:Those kinds of things are helpful.
Speaker:Having a spiritual
practice can be important.
Speaker:If you have a, a faith tradition
Speaker:that can be really helpful in wellness
Speaker:and flourishing, you're
finding some other way to meet
Speaker:that, that need.
Speaker:For some people it's nature.
Speaker:And another thing is,
there's two things that,
Speaker:that are interesting and I'm, that have,
Speaker:that are popping up in the
research that interests me.
Speaker:The first is awe. So like
experiencing awe, which is sort of
Speaker:that feeling of wonder and amazement.
Speaker:So if you watch a beautiful
sunset over a lake
Speaker:or you go to the Grand
Canyon, you know that feeling
Speaker:of like, there's just
something out there that's
Speaker:so beautiful and powerful and
awe can help us feel better.
Speaker:Which is an interesting
and then savoring things.
Speaker:Just really slowing down and
enjoying whatever you're doing.
Speaker:So taking time
Speaker:and actually eating your food in a way
Speaker:that you're tasting it,
not just wolfing it down
Speaker:or if you're spending time
with someone you care about,
Speaker:puts your phones away for a
little bit and it, it's hard.
Speaker:And just savor the time
you're spending together.
Speaker:'cause you don't know when
you'll see each other again.
Speaker:And, and, and it's just
a good practice in terms
Speaker:of just life will feel
better if you take time
Speaker:to enjoy even the simple things.
Speaker:It doesn't have to be any
or shattering thing though.
Speaker:The walk to your car was lovely today
Speaker:because the sun was out
and the breeze was blowing.
Speaker:And just experience that and savor it.
Speaker:Those are other really simple things
Speaker:that you can do while you're
doing your other things
Speaker:that can help build that
resilience and flourishing and,
Speaker:and feeling like life is,
life is going well for us.
Speaker:- Well one of the things
that I've, I've run into is
Speaker:we are not the best and and
this is most of us Right.
Speaker:Are not the best at giving
ourself positive self-talk. Yes.
Speaker:We tend to focus on our
negative self-talk. Absolutely.
Speaker:And for every one thing that we,
Speaker:we will say good about ourselves
Speaker:or we will think good about ourselves.
Speaker:We're gonna be saying or
thinking 10 things that aren't
Speaker:so good about ourselves.
Speaker:We need to flip that script. Yes. Yeah.
Speaker:Let's get it to at least
half and half. Yeah.
Speaker:You know, I'd love to get it
to other, you know, where it's,
Speaker:it's the predominant,
we look at the positive,
Speaker:but it's so hard.
Speaker:It is hard, you know, and
it is one of those things
Speaker:that we all struggle with.
Speaker:Yep. But just remember, you,
you, you can always look
Speaker:for the positive in what you've done.
Speaker:Like, okay, well that happened,
but what did I learn? Yeah.
Speaker:- Yeah.
- You know what,
Speaker:what will I do different next time?
Speaker:Yeah. You know, that kind of a thing.
Speaker:And you can sometimes improve
your wellness that way. So
Speaker:- We're very unkind to ourselves.
Speaker:Yeah. And that's hard.
It is. You're right.
Speaker:It is a hard, hard to thing to break.
Speaker:- Alright, we're coming to
the end of our time today,
Speaker:so I would like you, do you have one final
Speaker:thought that you'd like to give
Speaker:- Folks?
Speaker:I have one final thought.
These are all grades ideas.
Speaker:They, they, they can help us. They work.
Speaker:But if you're really
struggling, therapy's okay.
Speaker:It's okay to get therapy and,
Speaker:and maybe that's what you
need in your life right now.
Speaker:And so check that out.
Speaker:And if you don't wanna go places,
Speaker:there's online places you can do it now.
Speaker:And that's also an important
part of taking our care
Speaker:of our ourself is, is recognizing just
Speaker:as if our physical health
wasn't good that we would go
Speaker:to a healthcare provider who
takes care of physical things.
Speaker:If we're struggling with our mental health
Speaker:that getting therapy is,
might be the answer that would
Speaker:make things work better for you.
Speaker:- Well, and it might be one of the things
Speaker:that just helps you get to
Speaker:that better place just that much quicker.
Speaker:Yep. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker:We have many great topics
lined up to look forward to
Speaker:and we look forward to
talking with you again.
Speaker:Tune in for our future episodes
about building resilience
Speaker:and taking care of your mental health.
Speaker:Episodes are available
on your favorite podcast
Speaker:streaming services.
Speaker:If you have ideas for topics
that you would like to discuss,
Speaker:send an email to DSP
Wellness, all small letters,
Speaker:again DSP
Speaker:wellness@umn.edu
Speaker:and share with us what
you'd like us to talk about.
Speaker:'cause we'll be able to look at
Speaker:what you guys are all concerned about.
Speaker:That's what we wanna do. We
wanna bring wellness to you.
Speaker:This podcast is produced by the University
Speaker:of Minnesota Institute
on community integration.
Speaker:And it is made by and for
direct support professionals.
