[Kari speaking] Welcome everyone! Welcome to our webinar on self-care. My name is Kari Uhlman and today with me is Matt Gilbert, LMFT. Matt, would you like to say hi? [Matt speaking] Matt - Hi folks! Thank you so much for attending and being with us here today. [Kari speaking] Thank you Matt. Yes, we're really excited to be able to be here with you today. During our time together we're going to talk about self-care and strategies that you can use to support yourself and to support others during these unprecedented times. We'll also have some interactive moments where you can ask questions and you can feel free to answer questions we have for you. If you have questions you can put them into your chat box which you'll see at the bottom of your screen. The presentation is about 45 minutes, but if people are interested, Matt and I can remain on the line longer. We'll be here to answer any questions. We'll try to get to as many questions as we can. We hope to create a supportive community for all of us! Matt will be starting us off talking about mental health in times of stress and uncertainty. [Matt speaking] Great, thank you so much Kari. First and foremost, there are some questions coming in asking about audio. We currently have all audio muted. We encourage you to ask questions, and we'll table those questions until the end. We want to get through as much material & as much information as possible. But feel free to ask questions and we'll circle back to those at the end of the presentation. When we think about taking care of our mental health in times of stress and uncertainty, we need to remember - as humans we are hardwired for the familiar and for community. When things feel uncertain or unsafe, it's really quite normal to feel some stress. But just know the stress reaction is there to protect us. However, it can also cause all sorts of havoc or discomfort on our physical self, and certainly on our mental well-being as well. Many of us are certainly worried about or have concerns about COVID-19. Some of us, in fact, may even feel somewhat helpless about what will happen or what we can do... which is why we're bringing this presentation to you today - in support of you and in support of your well-being. Those feelings might also connect to our uncertainty about other aspects of our lives perhaps, or remind us of past times when we didn't necessarily feel safe or weren't safe. If you are a first responder and you're working directly with folks that are feeling impacted - whether it's a medical community or through policy design, you may be experiencing what's called secondary traumatic stress as well, or potentially at risk for secondary traumatic stress, otherwise known as vicarious stress. It's times like these our mental health can suffer. We don't always know it's happening. In fact, you might even feel more on edge than usual, you might experience what I refer to as being a bit more wafer-thin, and our tolerance... we might find ourselves a bit more agitated, angry; and - in some cases as I mentioned before, helpless or even sad. You might notice you're more frustrated with others, or maybe you simply want to completely avoid any reminders of what's happening - like turning off the news or more isolating things like that - so at times like these our mental health can suffer. If we're not fully aware that it's happening, sometimes what we're experiencing can actually worsen. It's important to make a plan. It's important to think about how we want to respond - versus react - to the current crisis that's happening around us today with COVID-19. Here's a few examples of things that you might do in helping sort of foster or create a plan. You might make a list of ways that you'll seek support should you find you're experiencing some mental health symptoms or even physical symptoms that are getting worse. Remember, you've gotten through moments in life before. Think all of us - we've experienced (in some cases) traumatic events but we've experienced it and experienced life's obstacles and challenges. Those things have helped improve upon our skill of resilience. Keep that in mind and offer yourself some self-compassion and remind yourself, "Hey, I'm doing the best I can!" Right?!? I think sometimes we can be a bit hard on ourselves, a bit critical or self-critical, and in some cases we can project that outward and blame others for not doing enough. Also, if you're currently seeing - and this is important - if you're currently seeing a mental health counselor, please, please - I can't emphasize this enough - continue to stay connected even if it's by phone. Many counselors right now are moving towards telehealth and some of you may already know that or be aware of that. You can still meet with them online versus going into their office. Some of us may not have that opportunity today. It might be safer and limit the exposure to the virus. With that, I'd like to bounce it back over to you, Kari. [Kari speaking] Great, thanks Matt. If you think about self care, what can be really helpful is to stay in the present moment. Particularly in stressful times like this. It's really easy to get focused on the past or to worry about what's going to happen in the future and then those worries can start compounding and make it difficult for us to function. We start projecting into the future and worrying about all the different possibilities of what might happen. When this happens, it puts a stress on our nervous system. Our nervous system gets activated and our nervous system is meant to prepare us to run, to fight, or to hide from the threat. This is our body's natural design and it helps protect us, protect ourselves. It's an important function to have but sometimes it can be like having a light switch that gets turned on and it gets stuck in the on position. This type of threat response is not helpful when it gets to that place. Over time, if the light switch stays on with an over activated system, this can reduce our immune response and impact our health. By being present, we can remind ourselves that we're safe right now, in this moment, and find ways to calm our bodies down. Today, we're going to talk about some ideas around that. One of those is around using mindfulness practices. You may have your own practices that you already use and you made, and at this time need to add other practices in. Or it may be that you're starting to use mindfulness. Mindfulness activities are a way to ground ourselves and have a sense of more control. There's a lot of research showing that mindfulness is very helpful. Let's talk about a few strategies that you can practice to help be present and calm down your nervous system. The first one I would mention is mindfulness apps. Some of you may already have those mindfulness apps. You can go to the apps store on your phone and download those. There are a lot of free ones out there and some of the most well-known are: headspace, calm, and insights timer. They have thousands of talks around managing stress, meditations, they have nature sounds, music - they can help you with sleep. They also have things that are specific to COVID-19 that they have put on there and you can find things that are particular to what we're all going through right now. The apps have talks lasting from one minute to an hour and a half. Some have music too. There's a lot of variety out there - even if you just have a minute. There are one minute breathing exercises that you can do. Another thing you can do when you find yourself worrying is to really come back to yourself - to your senses. As I'm talking, you might do this wherever you're at right now. Notice what you can see around you. Notice the colors, notice the textures, notice the lights - and then also notice any sounds that you can hear beyond my voice. Maybe that's in the background, maybe in your neighborhood if you're working from home or somewhere in your office if you're at work. This is just a simple grounding exercise that you can use - is coming back to the senses. If you have a cup of tea or something next to you that you can sip on, or a cookie or healthy snack next to you to take a bite of - you know, it's like noticing our tastes as well, noticing your feet on the ground, your chair supporting you, coming back to your senses can be really helpful. Another thing that can be helpful that many people already practice is yoga. It can be very centering and grounding. There's a lot of free videos online that will take you through yoga and meditation. You can just put in your search engine "free yoga" or "free meditation" and find a lot of strategy. I want to talk in this section about breathing and taking mindful breaths. In fact, let's do it together. I'm going to talk you through this and then practice. This is a simple breathing technique called square breathing. It's a breathing technique where you breathe in for four, and you hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four. We're going to start this in a moment. What I'd like you to do first is to notice in this moment how you're feeling. We'll go through this together and then we'll check in and see how you're feeling at the end. So, together now - we're going to inhale for four, and hold for four, exhale for four and hold for four... inhale, hold, exhale, hold. One more time, inhale, hold, exhale, hold. All right, so check back in with yourself and see what you notice. If anyone who noticed a difference, if you feel comfortable, feel free to just type a little note in the chat box. Practicing the simple breathing technique, even a few cycles can be really supportive to the mind and the body. All right, Matt's gonna talk to us next about how to support your body. [Matt speaking] Thanks Kari, appreciate that. You know, another important aspect of self-care during stressful periods would be our physical self. For example: movement - right?!? It's not just that exercise can help us physically feel better. Stress and trauma tends to really "get stuck" in our bodies. Choosing to move - whether it's through walking, a daily yoga class as Kari mentioned, or a weekend hike with loved ones - can be quite helpful. Physical activity also releases endorphins. Powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy. Regular exercise activity can have a major impact on our emotional and our mental health. You can relieve stress, improve memory, and help find and maintain sleep - which is critical. Another aspect of attending to our physical needs would be the foods that we choose to consume. I love this photo. It's pretty much everything I enjoy eating all in one plate. [LOL] An unhealthy diet, as we know, can take a toll on our brain, our mood, and it can it can just actually disrupt sleep patterns, sap your energy, and weaken our overall immune system. Conversely, switching to a wholesome diet - you know things that are say, for example, low in sugar and rich in healthy fats. Those things can give us more energy. It can improve upon our sleep, mood, and it can even help us look and feel our best. What are some foods that boost mood? Would you be willing to type in some examples in the chat box? What are some examples of foods you believe that will boost your mood. That's interesting - two people wrote the same word at the same time -"chocolate." Oh... [LOL] - lots of chocolate? There's oranges, sweets, apples - friends and family ?!? Okay, I'm not sure if we can categorize that as food... but okay. [LOL] Excellent! Here are some other examples: fatty fish rich in omega-3 such as salmon, herring, things like that; nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts; avocados; beans; leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and even brussel sprouts. Right?!? Also, fresh fruit such as blueberries and strawberries. You know it's interesting - apart from these foods and apart from the dark chocolate responses.... I'm seeing in the chat that there was a recent research study where a group of students were gathered to find their baseline level of their depression and anxiety levels. And what's interesting about this research was, half of the students were told not to stop eating unhealthy foods. They were encouraged to continue the way they normally do, but but just add more veggies and fruit to their diet. After only two weeks, there was a significant improvement to their mental health. So again, just incorporating more vegetables, fruits and what I call, or refer to as, brain healthy foods can really work to promote your your overall mood, your energy, and also reduce stress. Here are some additional ideas to promote healthy eating habits during this time. For example: you might set some times to eat like you would normally if you were in the workplace - I know a lot of you are at home teleworking. When you have your traditional break time or lunch time, continue to try to stick to that routine; and if you can, not graze throughout the day as well. Try to drink as much water throughout the day ... or drink water throughout the day I should say, because it can serve as a buffer or filler, especially if you feel like snacking throughout the day. When you go shopping, when you go get groceries, you know it's so easy to go for the ramen and canned soup even though those things aren't always necessarily good for us. You might even consider incorporating some of the fresh vegetables and fruits that I still see at the grocery stores. I'm seeing a lot of missing canned goods, but there's still a lot of fresh food out there. I would encourage you to consider purchasing some of that if you can if you haven't already. Because, you know for example: you might cook a big pot of soup - you might split it up for various meals. If you are practicing say, the keto diet, you might consider using those fresh vegetables along with an egg or something like that in a small muffin pan to create an omelet. You can freeze those omelets. You could do a lot with fresh foods. Also, I think when we think about physical means, it's really important to think about finding and maintaining sleep. It's really important to not skip our sleep. Sleep helps us manage our stress. When it comes to your mental health, getting enough sleep is a necessity; it's really not a luxury. Skipping even just a few hours here and there can take a toll on your overall mood, energy, mental sharpness, acuity, awareness, things like that - and the ability to handle stress overall. And over the long run, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your health and your overall outlook as well. A dults should aim for about seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. I think a way to promote that is to take a break from the stimulation of television screens or our cell phones. In some cases we're encouraging people to leave their cell phone in another room. That way, there isn't that temptation to look at it and go through it at bedtime. Turn off the computer if you can at least two hours before bedtime. If you can put aside some work, postpone those arguments [LOL] and can reconsider thinking about "Is this worth my time and energy and focusing and worrying about something that's outside of my influence or control?" Continue to brainstorm new ways of coping and incorporating ways to find and maintain sleep as you move forward. Those are just a few examples of ways that we might maintain or take care of our physical needs - whether it's through diet - or again finding and maintaining sleep. Kari? [Kari speaking] Great; thanks Matt! I just wanted to note that one of the participants suggested that a great way to find fresh fruits and vegetables in that fruit stands. [Matt speaking] Oh yeah! [Kari speaking] Thank you for that. Yeah! During these difficult times, it can be helpful to focus on what you do have control over. There's a lot of things right now that we don't have control over. A strategy can be to kind of pause and reflect on what we do have control over. You know - the things that we've all been told - to wash our hands and to remind others to wash theirs, to take vitamins. These are challenging and difficult times and it's expected that we would have some worries or anxiety. There is a lot that we're all going through. But what can be helpful is not to inflame those worries! One way to do that is to limit our consumption of news. With the 24-hour news cycle and social media that we currently have, it can be really easy to become overloaded with bad news. Many people that I'm working with are deciding to make a conscious choice to not watch the news at different times. Particularly, I would suggest, right before going to bed. You might even decide to leave your phone charger in another room so you're not tempted to check your phone from your bedroom. Some other strategies around this are to maybe set a timer or a limited amount of time that you would access news feeds and look at the news. It might be that you decide I have 30 minutes today to look at the news and that's it. May decide a frequency, like I'm gonna look three times a day. For some people, a strategy for them might be I'm only gonna look at this one news source because I find myself looking at so many different things. Focusing on one source of news that I really like that, is a strategy that might work for me someone might say. So picking and choosing what strategy might work the best for you. It's important to remember to get outside and go for walks and go on breaks during your breaks. Finding ways to connect with colleagues, family, or friends via video. These are all things that can help us feel like we have a sense of control - reaching out to people that are important to us. We each have an internal locus of control even when things outside of us are changing. We can't necessarily control the circumstances but we can control our actions and how we show up in the world. A question to think about is "Who do I want to show up as when I get to work?" - whether that's from home, or if you're going to work site - and who do you want to show up as when you get home? Whether that's the end of your day while working at home, or as you come back home? Just some questions to think about around the pieces that we do have control over. And I'm sure that you could probably think of other things too that you also have control over. Keep those in mind. Next Matt's going to talk about ways to create safety. [Matt speaking] Thanks again Kari, and I think this is a good segue into safety as well - I just love this photo by the way, [LOL] with the baby and the little teddy bear. It just makes me feel more comfortable just looking at it. You know when it comes to feeling safe, obviously this is going to be different for everyone. It's important not to compare yourself to others. It's ok if you've decided you know in terms of what makes you feel safe - like say for example - limiting your attendance of larger social events which is one of the recommendations that's currently out there... but just make sure that when you choose to separate out from others it's because you're working to prevent sickness or illness versus isolating because of depression. Consider this: does listening to an uplifting song make you feel calm? Or smelling coffee? Or a favorite scent? Or maybe squeezing a stress ball works quickly to make you feel centered? The point is, everyone responds to what's referred to as sensory input a little differently. Start experimenting now to find out what works best for you. Once you discover how say - you know, for example - your nervous system responds to music... for example how does it respond to music? You'll be able to quickly calm yourself no matter where or when stress hits and that's really important because - I'm probably going to repeat myself but - it is about responding versus reacting. One thing that has been comforting to me is just knowing many of the world's top viral scientists, as well as many other experts in this field whether it's county, state, or federal other intercontinental entities are working diligently and in a very focused manner on this issue. I find comfort in knowing that which then allows me, you know, or us then to be able to focus practicing on our own safety measures that are within our control. Things like hand-washing, you know we talked about social distancing - some people are referring to it as isolating but it really is about just being consciously or mindful about, you know, practicing those things that we've learned when we were just knee-high. Right?!? Washing your hands... and they say washing your hands for 20 seconds, you know for example... you might even sing the Happy Birthday song. Right?!? That would be an appropriate length of time so feel free to insert my name in your happy birthday songs [LOL]. Think about things or ways that will help you feel more safe, more secure, finding and restoring stability. You know, obviously our schedules right now are in a state of flux, our routines are in a state of flux, some of us have children that are not at school, and so their routines are in a state of flux, and with that being said - just know that we're going to add some additional resources and some creative ideas to help you folks with children, in particular - or maybe in some cases grandchildren - to to find ways of keeping those kiddos busy throughout the day as well and helping them find that routine, as well as yourself. Now Kari is going to talk to us a little bit about another aspect of self-care. Kari? [Kari speaking] We are so lucky in our state that we have so much nature to appreciate and there are so many benefits for going outside including getting more vitamin D. Right now, here in Olympia Washington, it's very sunny and I don't know how it is in other parts of the state. You can feel free to add that to the chat box... what your weather report is from your part of the state. I'd love to see that. Getting outside even for a few moments can be very refreshing and it can really put worries in perspective. Just earlier today I just went outside for a few moments and had a chance to look around me - look at the trees - and I found it really grounding. You can also go outside too, when... maybe on some of your video chats. If you're on FaceTime, you can maybe think about going outside. Just finding ways to get out and notice the stillness, and calmness, and perhaps... you know, one thing that we can still do is go outside. Whether it's on your own or with family, doing your social distancing and whatever (or friends), but just remember - exercise helps you both physically and mentally. I see from the chat there's lots of sunny places out there. [Matt speaking] Great, all right great! I did respond to a question in chat, and I think it's worth repeating - someone had asked, "Will this information be posted on our website?" and the answer to that is "yes." We plan on posting this webinar on our website, as well as a link for the PowerPoint presentation which will include a lot of resources and different ideas - so thank you for asking that question. Which I think is a great segue into kindness... which I think Kari - you're going to talk a little bit more about? [Kari speaking] I am. Thank you. I think it's really helpful to remember that both fear and kindness are contagious. And you know, we can see this. We, as humans, are very socially focused and we respond to social cues. We can see this in babies. They mimic and synchronize facial expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements in reaction to caregivers. We all do this. We notice what other humans are doing and both can be contagious. I think it's really helpful to remember that we can spread kindness, and that we can role model this to others in our lives. I think about this particularly with kids. This is a great time to be role modeling to children - whether they're your own children, or neighbors, or grandchildren, your nieces or nephews - whoever it might be doing that with them, as well as for others. This quote on the side by Parker Palmer, "Here's the deal, a human's soul doesn't want to be advised or fixed or saved it simply wants to be witnessed, to be seen, heard, and companioned exactly as it is." And sometimes, being there for someone... and sometimes we can't do anything in particular, but just simply being able to be there for someone and listening can be very powerful. As public servants we're mission driven and this is the time to take care of people and to practice empathy with kindness, and I'd suggest just to hold your tongue... if you're having a hard time with that [LOL]. It's an opportunity to reach out to others whether that's checking on an elderly neighbor if they need groceries from a store. Or like I said earlier, just simply listening to someone without giving them advice. I'm noticing that on NextDoor, which is an app for neighbors, that in my neighborhood people are posting on there that they're willing to help if anybody needs groceries. These are people that don't know each other, you know... willing to run errands, willing to do whatever people need help with, willing to share toilet paper and supplies. There's also, I understand, a Facebook crisis response group so you can check that out if you're interested. There's a lot of ways that we can be kind to others. And I'm curious what your thoughts are? Ideas that you have around that, so if you could put your ideas into the chat box, that would be great. That way we can see... kind of expand our list, of things that people can do at this time in the spirit of kindness. How can we help each other out?[Mouse clicking sounds]Some workmates have created a Facebook group to stay in touch. Yeah, sending texts to friends you're thinking of them. Did you see one Matt? [Matt speaking] I did. I love this one! You inspired me to text my neighbor and check in on her. [Kari speaking] Ah, that's awesome. [Matt speaking] I love it! [Kari speaking] Skype meetings to stay in touch. I know I am using a lot of Skype and Zoom to stay in touch with lots of people... whether it's work or family. [Matt speaking] How about this one? Have kids make cards for senior care facilities or first responders. [Kari speaking] Oh, yes! [Matt speaking] That's that's beautiful! [Kari speaking] Such great ideas! Feel free to keep adding if you have other ideas that pop into your head and feel free to keep adding them in there as we continue forward. It's nice to work together to kind of learn different ways that we can support each other. Yeah, texting someone in particular that you know is having a hard time. [Matt speaking] Yeah. [Kari speaking] Yeah. Great! All right. Matt's going to talk about gratitude. [Matt speaking] Right, I think this, again, is another wonderful segue into this particular slide which is near and dear to my heart. You know the there's a research study that was done which shows show that gratitude can actually help us cope with crisis or in a crisis situation. So, you know... all that to say, you know, processing a life experience through a grateful lens does not necessarily deny life's difficulties. Right?!? Or, practicing some sort of form of, radical form of, superficial happyology, as I like to refer to it. In fact, instead it means realizing the power you have to transform an obstacle into an opportunity. It means reframing a loss into a potential gain, recasting negativity - I'm going to say that one more time - recasting negativity into a positive channel for gratitude. I mentioned the research and I'll cite some of that: a growing body of research has examined how grateful recasting works and a study conducted at Eastern Washington University, and we may have some EWU folks in here with us today? If so, thank you very much! Participants were randomly assigned to one of three writing groups that would recall and report on an unpleasant open memory. In other words, an open memory meaning that hasn't fully been resolved. Right?!? It could be something like a loss, or a betrayal feeling, or having been victimized, or some other personally upsetting experience. Well, the first group wrote for 20 minutes on issues that were really irrelevant to the open memory. They just basically wrote about anything and everything they wanted to write about. But, the second group wrote about their experience pertaining to the open memory - just that. They just wrote to the open memory. The researchers asked the third group, and this is important: to focus on the positive aspects of a difficult experience. Right?!? Focus on the positive aspects of a difficult experience and discover what about it might make them feel more grateful - which is probably counterintuitive for most of us. But the research showed that they demonstrated more closure and less unpleasant emotional impact than those participants who just wrote about the experience without being prompted to see ways it might be redeemed through the lens of gratitude - which I think is interesting. So what does this study show? Well, it shows thinking gratefully can help heal troubling memories, and in a sense, redeem them - a result echoed in many other studies. So here's what I like to do: I would like to invite all of you to consider what you are grateful for - especially during this stressful, and obviously this unusual time. Think about someone today that you're grateful for. Or perhaps somebody in your past, or for those of us that don't have that certain someone, maybe someone in history that we could point to. So here's the challenge: I want you to write down in your own time and in the privacy of your home, write down what you're grateful for. And when you're ready, I want you to take what you wrote and I want you to share it with someone - hopefully with that person that you're extending, that you're looking through that grateful lens at. So if you can, write it down. List why you're grateful and then choose to share. I'm going to send a link of that research study too. Some of you may want some more information on that along with some other tips of practicing gratitude. When you visit the EAP website and you download the PowerPoint presentation and handouts, you can expect to see some additional ideas around that as well. Kari? [Kari speaking] I wanted to let you know that one of the participants had let me know that they were living in Paradise, California, when the fires went through... [Matt speaking] Oh. [Kari speaking] ... and they really had the practice of being thankful for all things. They said it was really hard to say that they were thankful for the fire, that took away almost everything and their neighbors owned, but they think that it really helped them to go through it without feeling depressed, or going through depression. I thought that was really important. [Matt speaking] Yeah, I personally would like to express my gratitude for the team that I get to work with here in support of 100,000+, you know, state employees across Washington State. But in particular, I'm very close to a family relative - to a sister, in fact - that I'd like to show some appreciation for. [Kari speaking] Great! [Matt speaking] I like this: "I am grateful that I am working. This has hit a lot of folks in the private sector hard. My thoughts are with them." Thank you, David. [Kari speaking] Yeah, and a lot of what people seem to be grateful for is around people. So let's talk about that and how important it is to stay connected. It's being connected and then reaching out for support right now if you're needing it is really helpful. Yeah and so it might seem like an oxymoron to stay connected at a time when everybody's asking you to do social distancing, but as humans we need social connection. And with this it's really important to talk about isolation and loneliness. It's really a phenomenon in our society, and there's research that supports that long term, there could be long-term harm caused by feeling isolated and lonely that impacts you mentally, as well as physically. Researchers have found this connection between social isolation and loneliness and how it takes a toll on our bodies. And in that research, they found that people who are not feeling connected are more likely to catch a cold, experience depression, develop heart disease, and live a shorter life. And in fact, the long-term consequences of loneliness can be similar to the effects of doing things that might not be good for your body - like smoking. So there's a consequence to isolation and we're all in this together. And it's an opportunity for us to reach out - not only for ourselves, but for others - and to remember that if you're feeling lonely right now, there are lots of people that are feeling lonely too and would appreciate being reached out to as well. Consider that. So you know, we're all - I think - doing a lot face-to-face but from far away, through... like we've talked about video chats. Video chats are preferable over the phone because, as humans, facial cues and body language and other nonverbal forms of communications are really important for bonding. So as much as possible, if you can use the video chats and those platforms to be able to see people, that's really helpful. Finding ways to cultivate your community: there's a lot of online groups that are out there, there are support groups for everything that you can imagine - for new parents, a particular illness that you're struggling with - there's just so many different support groups that are out there that you can find online. Another thought too: is its an opportunity to deepen or broaden your friendships, your connection with family and friends - and so perhaps, reaching out to someone that you haven't talked to in a while, maybe a high school friend or an aunt or an uncle or someone that you haven't talked with for a while - and use this as an opportunity to get to know them, maybe in a new and different way. With all of this, it's really important to talk about resiliency so, Matt, I'm gonna pass it to you. [Matt speaking] Okay, well... I want to be mindful of the time too. So there's quite a bit - boy, this could be like half a day, or a conversation that builds on resilience [LOL]. And, in fact, I would point many of you to an "any time viewing" webinar that we currently have on resilience on our website, which will go into a bit more depth on what I'm able to provide here and in just these few minutes. But allow me to define resilience. It's defined as: "the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, and other significant sources of stress." Things like that. As much as resilience involves bouncing back - and we've heard about this sort of idea of bouncing back from life's difficulties or difficult experiences - it can also involve profound personal growth. And for those of us who have experienced trauma or life's difficulties - I'm sure many of us here have - in looking back, we recognize the significance of the personal growth that has resulted, from those life challenges. So I want to talk a little bit about some important components surrounding resilience. Again, I can't really go into a great deal of depth, but what I'd like to share with you are ten that I'd just like to quickly identify, and then maybe we'll pick one or two kinds to get into a little bit more. But, the first one is to prioritize relationships. We've already talked about the importance of connection. The importance to not isolate out of depression connecting, you know, with empathy and understanding with other people. Moments where they perhaps are feeling alone in the midst of life's difficulties, you can really - not just help support them - but it helps support us as well. It helps build upon that skill of resilience. It feels good just to help and do for others, and it alleviates or reduces things like the pain of stress, or the fears that often circulate. We talked about the emotional contagious contagion effect, so it's really important to prioritize those relationships, stay connected, be positive, and consider joining a group. There's a lot of groups forming - I think you may have mentioned this already - online. I think I've even heard of like a happy hour - virtual happy hour - for employees that have some tea or wine, or you know some snacks, to kind of get together and stay connected even if it's through Skype or some other online device. So again, it's important not to isolate and use those electronic means if you have access to them. Also it's important to take care of your body. I already mentioned the importance of our physical health. You know, self-care right now - if you ask any counselor, like myself - I tend to promote self-care. It could be a popular buzzword, but it's a legitimate practice for mental health and building resilience. It really is. And that's because stress is just as much physical as it is emotional. I mean, think about where you hold your stress, where you carry your stress - is it in your arms, in your neck, your shoulders, and your lower back, things like that. So when you think about taking care of your body and hydrating, and getting exercise, getting outdoors and getting some of that vitamin D with the sun shining - think about proper nutrition, finding sleep. All of these things help your body adapt to stress and reduce the toll of the emotions... things like anxiety and depression are in it. In doing that, I think the next component of practicing resilience is critical, and it is practicing mindfulness. You know mindful journaling, or yoga, or spiritual practices like prayer or meditation, can also help us build connections and restore hope - which can then help us deal with situations that require resilience. Right?!? When you journal, or meditate, or pray, or whatever possible trying to ruminate on the "positive" aspects of your life and recall the things that you're "grateful for" even when life is difficult, we tend to ruminate on worst-case thoughts or catastrophic thinking which can be very distorted because we don't always have all the data, all the information. But because we feel it, we do what's called emotional reasoning - which is to say: because I feel this way, therefore it must be true. And so I would just encourage you to hit that pause button and slow things down, step back, externalize the concern that you may have, and think about - What else could it possibly be? What information do I still need to gather? - and then also work towards shifting your thoughts towards the things that do bring you joy and comfort. A lot of you already mentioned the importance of connection with family and friends, and so you know practicing mindfulness is also slowing things down and just appreciating being in this moment, not in the past and not always in the future. Another example would be to be proactive. It's helpful to acknowledge and accept your emotions during these difficult times, but it's also important to help foster self-discovery by asking yourself "What can I do about the problem in my life?" If the problem seems too big to tackle, break you them down into manageable pieces. We often refer to that as "eating the elephant one bite at a time." I don't know who came up with that [LOL], but there it is. For example: for those of you that might be concerned about your hours at work, or you know somebody in the private sector that may have been laid off, you can - for yourself - or you can encourage them just spend an hour each day thinking about your top strengths, and working on your plan of being proactive, and moving forward and taking that initiative. That will remind you that you can muster motivation, and purpose, even in the face of adversity during these stressful periods of your life... so increasing the likelihood that you'll be able to rise up from these painful times, these stressful times. So be proactive, stay connected, listen to your body, practice mindfulness, and practice giving yourself the gift of time - which is, to just appreciate each and every moment. And of course, if and when, we can try to accept that change is also a part of life... accepting circumstances that can't be changed... can sometimes help you focus on those things that can be altered or changed. There's a lot going on in the world right now, and even though we can sometimes feel powerless or helpless, think about what you can influence in a positive way. Right?!? Change is happening, but it doesn't necessarily need to be catastrophic change. It can also be change that we can all grow from. I think that we're learning just how important connection really is - at least I am in the face of what we're we're facing today - which is to say, maintain a helpful but but hopeful outlook as well. It can be hard to be positive at times when there's so much scary news going on that's being reported. But some of that scary news is inaccurate, so try to maintain an optimistic outlook which actually empowers you. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear. Think about that; it's a shift in our cognition, a shift in our thinking. Instead of focusing on the fear, I want you to start to think about "What do you want to experience today and tomorrow?" And along the way, I want you to just make mental notes - any subtle ways in which you start to feel better again. It's about practicing mindfulness, listening to your body... and when you make those changes, the subtle changes... you know, there's an old African proverb that says "when the music changes so too does the dance." I think I may have gotten that African proverb from my colleague, and my friend here, Kari. That really resonated with me. I would encourage you to think about it that way - this mindset of maintaining a hopeful outlook, can also have a positive influence on others around you as well. Right?!? You can model resilience - day in and day out - and again, I've got so many other components and things that we can explore and talk about as it relates or pertains to resilience. I'll be sure to add some additional information in our handout packet as well. And so with that: continue to please practice being resilient, daily. Kari? [Kari speaking] Great! This slide is meant to be a somewhat humorous reminder about what we still do have, and what's positive around us. You can still go outside, you can still sing, we can dance, we can laugh, still have music, and so... embracing the positive of what we have. Yeah. [Matt speaking] Absolutely! Okay so folks, just to just to wrap up here and be mindful of your time... we want to honor your time. We want to talk about what to do if you do need more help. We've we've talked about what you can do for yourself, or what you can do in the community if you or a loved one experience some of the symptoms that are associated with what you see here on this slide. Things associated with trauma, anxiety, depression, re-experiencing flashbacks, or finding yourself in the sort of state of avoidance - which ironically is what we're all trying to do right now - but to the degree where there's excessive fear or you're just finding that your baseline reaction to what's going on in the world today is above and beyond what you would normally be able to cope with. And experiencing things like poor concentration, or reckless behaviors... things like excessive drinking, if you find yourself struggling with addiction, or substance abuse at this time. Also, having families home together with the kids out of school can create another layer of tension or stress, so we want to be sure that we're honoring ourselves and our family members as well. Or if you find that your sleep - that you're experiencing some sleep disturbance - these are things that you might consider reaching out and consulting with your doctor, your primary care physician about. Please consider doing that. Even though we talk about stress during these difficult times, remember: it's also very much physical not just emotional. Please consult with your doctors; and, of course you're also invited to reach out to us here at the EAP for ongoing support. Both Kari and I are internal counselors here, and we have others here that would certainly be honored to work and support you during this difficult time. I'd like to invite Kari to and share with you how you might get in touch with us. [Kari speaking] Great! It might be helpful to know that our services have moved to telephonic support, so you don't have to come into the office. We can help you via the phone. The number to call is the number that's on your screen: it's 877-313-4455. You just call that number and you'll talk to one of our intake specialists, who will help provide you either with resources, or help you get an appointment to talk with the counselor. We are free and we're confidential with expert professionals that are here to help you, support you - around work or things happening outside of work. You can see our website address which is EAP.WA.GOV. That's where you'll find the information that Matt was referring to. We are working to get more information up there and that will be supportive to all of you. We are going to be offering this webinar again because there's so many people throughout the state that could benefit from this. We'll be having that information up on our website. We will also be having other types of webinars that will be up there around COVID-19 and supporting you around your mental health. You can look at our website for updates on that as well, and this is the end of our presentation. Thank you so much for joining us today, and we both wish you all the best. [Matt speaking] We wish you all the best! Thank you so much!