Counseling Video - Politics and Mental Health 2020

Hello,hello,guys.

We'regoingtobegettinggoinghereinjustasecond.

Gladtohaveyouguysjoiningin.

Hello.

We'llgetgoingrightabouttwoo'clockandDr.StevePereira,

who'soneofourotherclinicians,

isgoingtobejoiningmyself.

Andwe'regoingtobegoingthroughsomedifferentquestionsanddo

aQ&Aforanybodywhohasquestionsthat'swatching.

Andwe'llbegoingoverjustsomewayssotake

careofyourselfinthemidstofastressfulelectiontime.

Sogladeveryonecanjoinus.

I'mgoingtoseeifIcangetDr.Pereiraherewithus.

Hellohello.Alongtheway,

ifyouguyshaveanyquestionsthatyouwouldliketoaskus,

thereshouldalittlequestionmarkatthebottomof

yourpageandyoucansubmitaquestionthere,

andyoualsocanfeelfreetocommentorchatatanypointalongtheway.

Ifyouhaveanythingtosay,

wejustaskthateveryonekeeptheconversationrespectfulandopen-minded.

Makesureyouinvitefriendsifyouknowanyonewhoelse

mightbeinterestedinhearingaboutthetopictoday.

Allright.Andwealso,

willberecordingthisandsothatwaylater

onifanyonemissedittheycanwatchatalatertime.

Havegotagoodcrowdsofar.

LikeIsaid,we'llgetgoinghereinjustaminuteortwo.

Allright.How'severyone'sdaygoingsofar?

Allright,thanks,

everyoneforjoiningusandwewillgetstartedhereinjustasecond.

Allright,hereitis.

Mycounterpart,Dr.Pereiraonheretojoinin.

Allright,hereisDr.Pereira.

Canyouhearme,Steve?

Hi,Karen.Howareyou?Canyouhearme?

Yesyes.

Perfect.Okay.Sowe'vealreadygotquiteafewpeoplejoiningin,

sothankyouguysallforbeinghere.

We'llstartoffwithsomeintroductions.

MynameisJoannaVelaandIamoneof

thelicensedcliniciansattheStudentCounselingCenter,

andthenthisisDr.StevePereira.

I'llletyouintroduceyourself.

Hi,everybody.Hi,jaguars.

MynameisDr.StevePereira.

IamapsychologistattheStudentCounselingCenter.

I'msogladtoseeallofyoutodayandyou'rejoiningus

forthislivepresentationonelections,

tovoteyourvotes.

Sowe'llbeengagingallofyoutodaytalkingabouttheelectionsandmentalhealth.

Allright,thankyou,Steve.

Andyes,wearesoexcitedtohaveyouguyshere.

ThisisactuallyourfirstInstagramliveasStudentCounselingCenter.

We'vebeennewtotheworldofsocialmediathisyearwithCOVID-19.

Andsowe'reexcitedtohaveyoualljoin.

Whattoexpecttoday,

wehavesomepre-setquestionsthatwe'regoing

tostartoutwithandwe'regoingtodoaQ&A,

answeringsomequestionsandthenanyquestionsthatyouguyshave,

feelfreetopress

thelittlequestionmarkatthebottomofyourpagetosubmitthequestions,

andwewillgettoasmanyofthoseaswehavetimefor.

Weprobablywillwrapupabout2:45today.

Andsowejustaskthateveryonethat'sparticipatingkeepanopenmind,

haverespectforoneanother.

Andwereallyhopejusttohave

somereallyhonestandhealthyinterpersonaldialoguetoday.

Weknowthatpoliticsingeneralcan

beadivisivetopicandsowe'rereallynotherenecessarilytotalkso

muchaboutpoliticsaswearetalkingaboutmentalhealthandhowwecantakecare

ofourselvesinthemidstoftheelectionseason.

SoIthinkthat'sallIhavetostartoffwith.

Isthereanythingelse,StevethatIhavemissed?

No,Ithinkthat'sallgreat.

Ijustwanttogiveaquickshout-outtosomeofthepeople

thatarejoiningusatanytimeinstaff,

MEBazeta,[inaudible],sapphiremooncreation,

stafftimeUSA,staffcouncil.

[inaudible].

Staffcouncillikedus.

Georgie,Ja2ja,[inaudible],

Georgie,andthe[inaudible]staff.

Thankyoueverybodyforjoiningustoday.

Yes.Andwewillhavethisrecordedforlater.

Soifanyonemissesitorwantstoshareit,youcandoso.

We'llgetthatpostedlater.

IthinkStevehasafirstquestion.

Yes.Sothefirstquestionthatwehavetodayis,

thiselectionyearhasmefeelingtired,

restless,andburntout.

Isthisnormalformetobegoingthroughthis?

Andthenjointheanswer.

Yes.Thankyou,Steve.

That'sagreatquestionandsomethingthatwe'rehearingalotfromstudents.

Anditisprettynormaltobedealingwithincreasedstressandanxietyatthistime.

We'vehadareallyroughyear.

2020ingeneralhasbeentoughandeveryonehasbeen

facedwithalotofthingsthatwe'veneverreallybeenfacedwithbefore.

Apandemicandthenthere'sbeen

significantracialinjusticesandthere'salotoffinancialstressors.

Andsothennowwehaveasignificantelectionandthat'sanadditionalstressor.

AndIthinkthat'sbeenoneofthemoredivisiveelections.

Ithinkit'sverynormaltobedealingwithsomeuncertaintyrightnow.

Thenit'simportanttoknowthatyou'renot

aloneandthatalargenumberofpeoplearefeelingprettyuneasyrightnow.

SoIwouldsay,it'sprettynormal.

Andagain,prettyexpectedgiventhefactthatsomanythings

areupintheairrightnowandit'sanunpredictabletime.

Doyouhaveanythingtoadd,Steve?

Yeah.Ithinkthere'sjustsomanyenvironmentalthingsthatarealsogoingon

aroundourcommunitythatimpactusinsomanydifferentways.

Iknowthatweallhavemanybackgroundsand

manybeliefsandtraditionsandthingsthathelpus

figureoutwaysinwhichwaywe'regoingtobetakingcareofourselvesinthistime.

Ifthere'sanythingthatyoufeel,

thisisagoodwayformetode-stress.

IthinkthatIwouldbeanexcellentwayforyoutobeabletoengageinself-care.

IwouldjusttoechowhatJoannasaid,yes.

Imean,Ithinktheelectionyearjustmakesalotofpeoplefeeldrainedingeneral.

There'sjustsomanymessagesgoingaroundandbeingraised.

Ithinkaslongasyouaretakingcareofyourselfandyou'remakingsurewhichone's,

whichmessagesareimportanttoyou,whichonesarenot?

Thosearewaysthatyoucanmanagestress.

Yes.ThanksSteve.

IsawtheMasonjoinedus.

HelloMason.Gladtohaveyouguyshere.

HiMason.

IhavethenextquestionandDr.Pereiraisgoingtoanswerthatoneforus.

Thequestionis,howdoImanageelectionbasedstressandanxiety?

There'samyriadofthingsthatwecandotomanageelectionbasedstressandanxiety.

Thefirstoneiscopingskills.

Ithinkweareallequippedtobeable

toutilizecertainthingsthathelpusfeelgrounded,

alert,perhaps,maybeevenjustrelaxalittlebit.

Forexample,therearewaysthatyoucanaccessmindfulness,

whichallowsyoutojustfeelgrounded.

Youcandosomedeepbreathingexercises.

Youcouldalsomaybedosomecoloringoryoucanevenwatchsomevideosonline.

Theydolikeguidedmeditations,

sothatyoucanrelax

yourwholebodyanddoabodyscansothat

you'reabletojustfeelmorewholeandpresent.

Wehavesomeexcellentresourcesavailableonourwebsite.

It'scalledtheZenDan.

Thereyoucanaccesssomanydifferentactivitiesand

somanydifferentmindfulpracticesthatyoucanengage

withtofeelmorerelaxedandreducestressandanxiety.

Youcanalsoreachoutforsupport.

Weallhavefamilymembers,weallhavefriends,

weallhavepeoplethatwegotoonadailybasisforhelporforadvice.

Mostimportantly,youcanuse

studentcounselingcenterservicessothat

youfeellikeyoucanhavesomebodytotalkto.

We'reavailableMondaythroughFriday,8:00-5:00PM.

wehaveon-callcrisishoursthatyoucancomeandutilizeservices.

Alsofrom8:00-5:00PM.

Grouptherapyservices.

I'vementionedbeforewehavethisendingandwealso

havenourishedyourflourishvideosonourwebsitethatyou

canaccesssothatyoucanlearnsomenewskillstoreducestressandanxiety.

Wealsoincludedhealthydistractions.

Anactivity,ahobby,

amusicplayliststhatyoulove,

perhapsengaginginsomespiritualwork.

Alsojustfunactivitiesthatyoucandowithothers.

Iknowthere'sawholelistofthingsthatwecandobutJoanna,

there'sanyspecificactivitiesthatyou'dliketodotoreducestressandanxiety?

I'vereallyfoundlatelyhowimportantitisformejusttogooutside.

Especiallythedaysaregettingshorter,

spendingsometimeinthesunwhenit'supcangoalongwayfromhelpingmymood.

LeavingmylunchtodaywassittingoutsideenjoyingthesunandIthinkthatcanbehuge,

especiallywiththetimechangethatwejusthad

nowit'sgettingdarkbythetimewe'redonewithwork.

UtilizingthatisreallyhelpfulandjustwatchingTV,

justthishealthydistractionsofsomethingjustto,

Ialsoreallyenjoyreading.

That'sone.I'mcuriousforthepeoplethatarewatching.

Ifanyonehasanythingsthattheyenjoythatcaneither

haveahobbyorsomethingthat'sahealthydistractionforthem.

Thathelpsthemnavigatewhenthey'refeelingstressed.

Ifyoudo,pleasehavecomments.

IwonderwhatOakleydoestomanagestressandanxiety.

Thatwouldbeagoodone.ButonethingthatIliketodo,

Iknowthattodayit'sreallysunny.

DuringmylunchbreakIwasabletojustgooutside

andtakingsomesunraysandalittlebit

ofthebreezeandthentheairtodayisdryandalmostfeelsdeserty,

soitjustfeelssogoodtobeoutthereforabit.

Ihearthattheweatherforelectiondaytomorrowisgoingtobegreattoo.

Thatwouldbeagoodtimeforyoutojustgooutandgetsomesun.

Perhaps,maybewalkaroundyouryardormaybeyou'reonyourblock.

Thatwouldn'tbeareallygoodthingtodo.

Whatabouthobbies?Joanna,whatdoyouliketodoforhobby?

Let'ssee.I'mreallyintriguedbySummitandRianasaysthattheylikehandlettering.

Ithinkthat'sprettycool.I'mgoingtohavetocheckthatout.

I'mgoingtoalsosayexercising,

Oakleygoesforawalk,

gettinghisexerciseandthenlet'ssee,

runninginmyneighborhoodandgettingoutofthehouse.

Thoseareawesome.

Ithinkexerciseseemstobeacommonthemehere.

Evenifit'sjustdon'twalk,

itdoesn'thavetobelikehardcorecardio,

butitreallycangoalongwayforyourmind.

ButHobbes,let'ssee.

Iliketodooldladystuff.

Iliketocrochetandknit.

Thosearethingsthatjustreallyhelpedmymind

disengagedandIdobaking,that'sagoodone.

Ialsodoalotofbaking.

I'vemadealotofpumpkinpiesalreadythisyear,

soIcantellyou.

Yeah.Weseebakingrunningintheneighborhoodandgettingoutofthehouse.

Yeah,that'salwaysagoodone.

Don'tforgettowearyourmask,

youwanttostaysafe.Storylinereclaimed.

Hi,thankyouforjoiningustoday.

Hobby,Ithinkthatforme,

Iliketohangoutwithmyfamily.

Whenwe'rewithfamily,weliketocookout.

I'musuallytheonewhoismakingmostofthefood.

That'soneofmyfavoritehobbiesisjustcook,

especiallywhenIgetanopportunitytodoitoutside.

Thenwealso,we'retalkingaboutmusic.

Myfavoritekindofmusic,

Imean,IloveLatinomusic.

Iwilllistento[inaudible]andIwilllistentoMexicanmusic.

ButunlessIalsolistentothemtop40,

butIjustfeellikeitreconnectsme,itgroundsme.

ItmakesmefeellikeI'mpresentandalive.

Whatmusicdoyouliketolistento?

Ilikecountrymusic?

Peoplehavemixedfeelings,butI'malreadylisteningtoChristmasmusic.

I'msuperintoChristmasmusic.

November1sthitsandItakeoffmyChristmasmusic.

SteveisalwaysourresidentDJ.

Anystaffmeeting,healwaysplayedsometunesforus.

Let'ssee,I'malsoseeingdancingwiththestars.

Anyfeel-goodshows.

I'mdefinitelylovingthefeel-goodshowsrightnow

becauseIdon'tneedanythingthat'smorestressful.

I'vecutbackonanyhighdramasuspensetype

showsbecauseIjustwantedsomethingtomakemefeelgoodandescape.

Yeah.Thevoiceisareallygoodshowtowatchtoo.

There'ssomesongsthatthey'llplay.

You'relike,theyjusthitme.

Likereallygood.

Messagingorisitagoodonetoo?

Yeah,thatwasagoodshowtoo.

Imean,thesearealldifferentmusics.

Iknowit'salmostChristmastimeandIthinkyoualsomentionedthatyou'd

liketostarttoturnthemintoChristmastunesalready.

It'salwaysgoodtojustgetthosenewChristmasbraidsingoing.

Onpiano712mentionedin2020,

Christmasholidaysstartnow,

soyeah,gettingintotheholidayspirit,

Ithinkthat'salwaysareallynicethingtoengagewith.

Itjustremindsyouafamily,thefood,

theweather,thecoldnessofit,

thelittlefireplacegoingon.

Ithinkthosearealllikegoodfeelsright?

Iknowwealsomentionedlikespiritualaffinityorspiritualpractices.

Theseareallgoodwaystoengagewithstressandanxiety.

Iknowthattodaywe'recelebratingtheyellowsmultiples.

Forthoseofyouwhodopracticethe[inaudible]is

agoodopportunityforyoutoreconnectwithyourancestors,yourlovedones.

Ifyoudidsitupanaltar,

that'salsoaspiritualpracticethatyoucanengagewith

andrememberthemputtheirpictureonthealtar.

Perhapsme,placealittlefoodontheir,

agooddistractionofwhat

mightbegoingonwithelectionsandjusttakingsometimetofeelgrounded.

Yeah,wewatchedcocoa,mykids,

Ialsogoonearliertodayanddefinitelydistraction.

ThensomebodymentionedalltheChristmaslights.

Yes,thosearealwaysnicetosee.

PerhapsIdon'tknowifthere'sanybodyintheneighborhoodsalreadyonChristmaslights,

butyoucanprobablydrivearoundtoseeifanybodyhasthemupyet,

soyoucanstartfeelingalittlebitmoreintothespirit.

Butmoviesissomethingthatwedidn'tmention.

Youmentionedcocoa.

IthinkIsawcocoalastnightonfreeformtoo.

Idon'tknowifthat'sthesameonethatwesaw.

Butanyothermoviesthatpeopleliketowatchasaway

tomanagestressandanxietyoranyotherpracticesthatyoudoathome.

Dropyourcommentshereandwe'llgiveyouashoutout.

Well,letothersknowonwhatyouengagewith.

Butmovingforward,wealsoidentifiedhealthydistractions.

Thenwealsotalkedaboutengaginginculturalstrengthsandvalues.

Iknowthatallofushavedifferenttraditions,

beliefs,andpracticesthatweengagewith.

Perhapsremindingyouofwhatsomeotherfamilyfunactivitiesthatyoudoathome.

Somepersonalbeliefsthatyouhavethatyoufeellike,wow,

thisreallydoeshelpmedistressandfeellikeI'mlessanxious.

AnyculturaltraditionsthatyouengagewithJoannaathome?

Ohman,that'sagoodquestion.

I'mtryingtothinkofanything.

WedoalotofdifferentthingsforThanksgivingtypically,

it'sgoingtolookalittledifferentthisyear.

Unfortunately,withCOVID.

Ithinkit'sjustgoingtochangethefamilydynamicsalot,

butwedefinitelydoalotforChristmastoo,

asfaraslookingatthelightsandwetakepics.

Thanksgivingtypicallyatimewehavebothsetsofhimlayoveranddoabigthing.

Butagain,thisyearisgoingtolookalittledifferent.

I'veheardthatfortomorrow,

someschools,you'regoingtobeout.

Thatmightbesometimetoo,

thatpeoplecanfindsomethingintentionaltodowiththeirkids.

Iftheyhavekidsjusttodosomethingreallydistracting,

maybenotspendthedaywatchingTVorwatchingthenewsmaybedosomethingtoo.

Iknowyoumentionedtheweather,it'ssupposedtobenicetomorrow,

somaybegettingoutanddoingsomethingwiththekidsifyoucan.

Justtoagain,turnyourattentionawayfromsomeofthestressofwhat'sgoingon.

Ithinkthat'ssomethingthatweallhaveincommon,

beingabletospendtimewithfamily.

IknowthatintheLatinoculture,

familiesmoreorfamilyislikeaculturalcoursestrengthenvaluethatweengagewith.

Atleastmyfamilyengageswith,

soknowingthatIhave

theirsupportandtheycantalktothemandtheycanbethereforme.

Ithinkthat'sagreatwaythatIcanreducestressandanxiety,

especiallywhentomorrowwe'reabouttofindoutwhobecomesthenextpresident.

Hopefullythosearesomeotherwaysthatyoucanengagein.

Managingtheelectionbasedstressandanxiety.

Pleasedon'tforgettovisitourvirtualZenDan.

Pleasecomebyandmakeanappointmentat

StudentCounselingCenterservicesMonday-Friday,8:00-5:00.

Don'tforgettoidentifytheactivities,hobbies,

anytypeofmusicorreligiousorspiritualpracticesareyouengagedwithso

thatyoucanmanagingthestressthat'scomingalongwiththeelection.

Thenalsomostimportantly,

likewementionedalittlewhileago,

family,perhapssupportsystemsthatarefriends,bestfriends.

Close-knitfamilytiesthatyouhavewith

adifferentbookcanalsoserveaswaysthatyou

canfeelthatwerepresentandlessstrengtheninganxietyduringtheelectiontime.

Thenasthey'rewritten,Ithinkitis.

Yeah,that'sareallygreatquestionabouthowto

approachtheconversationoftheelectionwithyoungerchildren.

Idothinkthat'sreallyimportant.

It'sgoingtobesomethingIthinkthateveryone'sgoingtohandlea

littledifferentlydependingontheirparentingstyle.

ButIknowthisisevenaconversationthatIhadwithmyfour-year-oldyesterday.

Weweredrivingtohergrandparentshouseand

sawaTrumpparadethatwasgoingonthroughthewholecityonthehighway.

Ofcourse,she'ssaying,well,

what'sgoingonhere?There'sflags.

WewereexplainingelectioniscomingupThisiswhatthatmeans.

Inatermthatshecouldunderstand.

Sayingthatit'slikewe'repickingthenextking

becauseshe'salwayswatchingshowswithkingsandqueens

andsomepeoplereally

wantthispersontobethekingandsomepeoplereallywantadifferentpersonality,

thekingandsothey'reshowingtheirsupportforwhotheywanttobetheking.

IthinkatleastformeandthewaythatIapproachparenting,

ItrytobeashonestasIcanto

helpmychildrenunderstandatalevelthat'sappropriate

forthemandthenansweringquestionsisappropriate.

Sheactuallyreallydidn'thaveanyquestionsbesidesthat.

Iwasjustlike,okay,

well,who'sgoingtobethenewking?

We'relike,well,we'llwaitandsee.

Butagain,Ithinkit'sreallyimportantthattheagethattheyare.

Butinmyopinion,

Ithinktryingtobeashonestasyoucanwithchildrencanbehelpful.

Idon'tthinkit'sbesttotryandshieldthemorlietothemaboutthings.

Becauseit'shelpful,Ithinkforthemtobeabletomaketheirowndecisionsevenat

ayoungageaboutwhattheybelieveandhowtheyseetheworldwork.

ButIwouldreallyencouragenomatterhowyouapproachitwithchildren,

toreallytryandprioritizeandhighlighttheirsafety

andthemknowingthateveninthemidstofmaybesomechaos,

thatthey'resafeathomeandthatyou'regoingtoprotectthemasmuchasyoucan.

BecauseIthink,especiallywithwhatkidsmayormaynotseeonthenews,

itcanbeveryunsettlingandfeel

unsafeandsafetyissomethingwe'regoingtotalkaboutaswellhereinabit.

Butthat's,Ithink,

reallyimportantforkidsaswelltoknowtheirsenseofsafety.

Insomeways,I'mgladthatsomeofthekiddosarestayinghometomorrowfromschool.

Yeah.Idon'thavekidsofmyown,

butIdohaveseveralniecesandnephewswhoaregoingtoschoolnow.

Theydiscussedthatduring

theirclassroomtimethatsomestudentswilltalkabouttheelection

TrumporBidenorHarrisinpantsandIthinkaskingthem,

ifyouwantedto,asaparent,

youcanaskthemandsay,hey,whathaveyouheardabouttheelection?

Arepeopletalkingaboutitatschool?

Whataresomeofthekidssayingatschool?

Whatdoyoufeel?Howdoyouthinkaboutthat?

Orperhapsyoucanbeanexampleoraservingpoint

wherethey'reabletoaskquestionswith

youandthenyouprobequestionsaswellandletthemknowwell,

howisthatimpactingyouandhowareyoufeeling,what'scomingupforyou?

Whatdoyouthinkingaboutthat?

Ithinkitcouldbeacollaborativeexperiencebetweenbothparentsandchildren.

I'mprettysurethekidsarealreadyhavingtheseconversations

atschoolalreadybasedonwhattheyhearfromtheirparents,

andsoitcouldbealittleconfusingforthem,

butIthinkit'dbehelpfulforparentstoalsobeableto

sharetheirthoughtsonwhatmightbegoingonandwhat'soccurring,

andIthink,Joanna,Imadeanexcellentpoint.

Justlettingthemknowthatthisisanexperienceforeverybodytobeengagingwith,

butalsothatitcouldbeawayforthemtobesafeandtobe

informedthebestthattheycanandIthink

informinginawaythattheycanunderstandthattheirlevel.

Dowewanttomoveontothenextquestion,Steve?

Yeah,wecan.Hopefullythatwashelpful.

Sarah,letusknowifyouhaveanyotherfollow-upquestions,okay?

ThenextquestionishowcanIcopeif

thecandidatethatIdon'twanttowinwinstheelection?

Ithinkthisisacommonquestionthat'soneveryone'smindatthispoint.

AfewpointsthatIthinkareimportant.

Oneistoreallysurroundyourselfwithsupportivepeople.

Itdoesn'thavetobepeoplethatnecessarily

seeeye-to-eyewithyouoragreewithyoupolitically,

butatleastpeoplethataresupportiveandthataresafe,

andevenmaybetakingamentalhealthdayorbreakifyouneedto.

Beingabletodowhatyouneedtotakecare

ofyourselfinthistimeIthinkisreallyimportant.

Settinghealthyboundarieswiththepeopleinyourlifeandforyourself.

Maybethatislimitingtheamountoftimethatyou'respendingonsocialmedia,

limitingtheamountoftimethatyou'respendingwatchingthenews.

Butthatcanalsobesettingboundarieswithotherpeopleinyourlife.

Ifyouseethatandcallyou

tomorrowthatyouknowwhatshe'sgoingtobetalkingabout,

maybedon'tanswerit.

Maybesendatextandsay,hey,

I'llgiveyouacallnextweek,Ican'ttalktoday.

Justbeabletosetsomeboundariesforyourselftonot

necessarilyexposeyourselftotoomuchadditionalstressfrompeople.

Iknowsocialmediaisgoingtobeaprettyheatedplaceoverthenextfewdays.

Somepeoplehavejustdecidedtostepawayfrom

socialmediaforawhilebecauseIthinkthat'swhereyou'regoingto

seealotofthedifferentpeoplebraggingabouttheircandidatesvictoryorwhatnot.

Thengoingbacktosomeofthecopingskillsthatwetalkedabout

earlierthatStevementionedtobeabletotakecareofyourself,

leanintothethingsthatcanbringyoujoy,

andreachingouttoresources.

OnethingIdidwanttohighlightasfaras

resourceswithourservicesrightnowbecauseofCOVID,

we'redoingmostofourserviceseitherthroughphoneorthroughWebEx.

Ifyouareinterestedorneedsupportfromus,pleasecallus.

Thatwouldbethemostrecommendedwaytogetintouchwithusandwe

dohavecrisisappointmentsavailableasStevementioned.

Giveusacallifyouneedus.

Thenumbers210-784-1331.

We'rehereforyouguys.

Wewanttobeabletosupportyouallinthemidstofthisadditionalstress.

Pleasereachouttoustomorroworin

thenextfewdaysifyouneedthatadditionalsupport.

ButIthinkthosearesomeofthethingsthatcometomindto

reallyjustbeingabletomakesureyouhaveyourboundariesinplace.

Maybenotoverextendingherselfwithresponsibilitiesoverthenextfewdays.

Beingreallystrategicaboutwhoyouspendtimewith.Ifyoucan.

Obviously,there'ssomesituationswhereyouhavetobearoundcertainpeople,

butmaybeit'sclosingyourofficedoororagain,

maybenotansweringthatphonecallorthattextmessage.

Anyotherthoughts?Steve?

I'mthinkingaboutthehealthyboundaries.

IthinkIjustwanttoechowhatyousaidearlier.

Alotofthetimeswegetmostofournewsthroughsocialmedia.

Ifthecandidatethatyoudon'twanttowinwinstheelection,

Iwonderwhatwoulditbelikeforyoutotake

abreakordisconnectfromsocialmediaforalittlebit.

Perhapsengageinsomeofthehobbiesarefunactivitiesthatyou'dliketodo.

ThenIthinkhealthyboundaries.

IwasthinkingaboutwaysonhowI

canjustengageinactivitythatIliketodothatarefun.

Iknowthere'sgoingtobelikesomuchgoingonaround.

Youwanttofindout,youwanttolearnmore.

It'sokaytoengagealittlebitwiththenewsifyou'dlike.

Butpleaseknowthatyoucouldalsosetsomegoodboundariessothatyou're

notconsumesomuchentirelyintheelectionprocess.

Asofnow,wedon'tevenknowifwe'regoingtohaveaclearwinnerattheend.

Sincethere'ssomanyballotsbeingcounted.

Thiscouldbeextendedafewdays,

sojusthaveaplan.

Thinkaboutwhatwouldyoudointhenextfewdaysifwe

haven'tdecidedyetwhowontheelection.

Thoseareallgoodwaysthatyoucanengage.

Iknowthatallofusrightnowarestudents.

Oneofthemostimportantthingsthatweneedtofocusonhisacademics.

That'sonethingthatyouknowthatyoudohavecontrol

overmakingsurethatyoudowellinschool.

PerhapsredirectyourenergytogettinganAon

thenextexamorthenextassignment

versustheelectionbecausethat'snotgoingtogiveyouagoodgrade.

Justtryingtorelatethesituationthatispersonaltomostofyouall,

whichIthinkallofyourightnowholdtheidentityofbeingastudentoncampus.

Thanks.Movingontoournextquestion.

Thenextquestionis,

howcanIcopeifothersreactnegativelypost-electionresults?

IknowthatoneofthethingsthatwewereabletoidentifyandIthinkalotof

otherresourcesincludekeepingadistancefromnegativeconversationsorsituations.

Ifyouknowthattherearegroupsofpeoplewhomayormaynotbetalking

reallypositivelyabouttheelectionresultsorperhapstheelectionday.

It'sokaytobeabletojustnavigateandjustredirectyourenergytowardsanotherpath.

There'snoneedtoengage.

Wedon'twantyoutofeelmorestressormoreanxietyorjust

feelmaybeangerorothersensitiveemotionsthatwillimpactyourdailyfunctioning.

Beingabletokeepthedistanceasimportant.

Althoughsometimeswemightfeelsafeincertaingroups.

Justknowthatanyconversationscouldcomeupandcouldbeatriggeringfactorforyou.

Thatcouldhappeninfamily,

thatcanalsohappenwithfriends.

Justknowthatkeepingyourdistanceisokay.

Perhaps,maybeidentifysafeplaceoraplacewhere

youfeelyoucanjustletreleaseorletgoduringthatmoment.

Youdon'thavetojustbestuckinonespot.

Beawareofyourinternalexperience.

Sometimeswemighthavedifferentreactionsofwhatpeoplearesaying.

Usuallywhenwehearsomething,

itmightbemoreheightenedthanitreallyis.

Butbecauseweareinaseasonof

electionandthere'sjustsomanyemotionsgoingonrightnow.

Anythingcanpushusontheedgeandmakeus

feelalittlebitdifferentandmaybenotreactinapositiveway.

Listentoyourinternalfeeling,

wecancallitagutfeeling.

Wecallitintuition.Howeveryouwanttodefineit.

Butjustmakesurethatyoulistentoit.

Ifyoufeelyou'regettingalittleupsetorangryaboutwhat'sbeingtalkedabout,

thenyoucangobacktothepointthatwemadeearlier.

Distanceyourselfandperhapsfindanotherpathtofeelmoregrounded

andthenfocusonwhatisyourcontrolversuswhatisnot.

Themillion-dollarawareness.

Doyouactuallyhavecontrolofwhoisgoingtowintheelection?

Canyougointhereandsay,

thispersonisgoingtowinorthisperson?

No,wedon't.Whatyoudohavecontrolover

isifyouhaveanexamthefollowingdayonNovember4th,

makessurethatyoustudyNovember3rdsothatyoucangetagoodgrade.

Youactuallyhavecontroloverthat.

What'sanotherthingyouhavecontrolover?

Makingsurethatyougetupearlyforworknextdayifyouneedtogo.

Orperhapsyouhaveaclassinthemorningthatyouneedtoturn.

Thosearethingsthatyouactuallydohavecontrolover

orversuswho'sgoingtowinthiselection.

Youalsodon'thavecontrolofwhatpeoplesayoutloudandwhattheydon'tsayout

loudornegativemessagestheymightbeemittingintotheenvironmentorthecommunity,

oramongsteachother.

Butyoudohavecontrolofbeingabletoremoveyourselffromthesituationcreated.

Sinceifyouneedto.Focusedonwhatisinyourcontrolversuswhatisnot.

Thosearereallygoodstrategiestoraiseawarenessonwhatyoucan

dointhemomenttofeelsafe.

Thatgoesontothenextpoint,safety.

Weknowthatcurrentlythere'stwodifferentopposingsides.

Joanna,Imentionedearlierintheconversationthat

we'vehadsomanyrace-basedincidentshappen.

WeknowthatCOVID-19isalsohappeningrightnow.

There'ssomanydifferentmessagesofopposingpartiesthataregoingbackandforth.

Ithinkit'sreallyimportantforyoutobeabletoidentifyassafespace,

foryoutofeelgood.

Alsobeingabletonavigateinanenvironmentthat

feelsgoodandhealthytoyouanddoesn'tcreatemorestressthanyouneedto.

Beabletoidentifyresources.

There'ssomanydifferentculturalcentersaroundSanAntoniothatyoucanuse.

AfewthatIcanthinkthatwastheoneIlookedat,culturalartscenter.

YoucouldalsoaccesstheLGBTQatPrideCenterinSanAntonio.

Justdifferentorganizationsorevenclubsoncampusthatyouseekout

thatwillbesupportiveofyouduringthistimeofelections.

Thenlikewementionedbeforeavoidingsituationsthatmightbeunsafe.

I'mnotsureifIcanthinkofasplacesthatcanbeunsaferightnow.

Butperhaps,ifyou'reathomeandyouarewatchingtheelection,

andtherearecertainmembersofyourfamilywho

don'tsupportthecandidatethatyou'resupporting,

itsokaytogotoyourroomifyouneedtoandwatchitonyourownordistanceyourself,

ormaybegowithsomefriendswhoareactuallysupportingthecandidateyousupport.

Theseareallgoodwaysthatyou

canengageinahealthyenvironmentpost-electionresults.

Anythingthatyoumightwanttoadd,Joanna.

Ithinkhereallyhiteverythingonthehead.

Ireallyappreciatethatpieceoffocusingonwhatisinyourcontrolversuswhat'snot.

Ithinkinatimewheretherearealotofthingsthatareoutsideofourcontrol.

It'seasytofocusonthosethingsratherthanthethingsthatareinmycontrol.

MaybeitisinmycontrolthatIcouldtake

asickdaytomorrowifIfeltlikeIneededto

ormaybeitismycontrolthatIdon'tgetonsocialmediaforthe,forthenextweek.

Orit'salsomycontrolofhowIrespondandhowIreacttothepeopleinmylife,

tomyneighbors,peoplethatIknowdon'tagreewithmepolitically.

That'ssomethingthatIcancontrol.

Reallytryingtofocusonthosethingsandthatreally

tiesintothatinternalexperienceaswell.

IfI'mawareofwhatmyinternalexperiences,

it'sgoingtohelpmetobeabletomorepositivelyinteractwithotherpeopleandnot

letmaybesomeofthenegativeenergythat's

happeninginsideofmespilloutontootherpeople,

especiallythepeopleIcareaboutandlove.

Ithinkthatthat'shugeandIthinksafetyisgoingtolookdifferentforeverybody.

ButIdothinkjustbeingawareofofyoursituationsover

thenextweekorsoand

doingwhatyoumightneedtodojusttomakesurethatyoudofeelsafe,

whetherthat'sphysicallyoremotionally.

Ithinkthosearereallygreatpoints.

Ournextquestionis,whatsuggestionsdoyouhaveforstudentswho

mightbetriggeredbythenewsmediaoutletsorsocialmediaplatforms?

Yeah,soIthinkalotofthethingsthatwe'vetalkedabout

alreadyapplyhereasfarasgoodboundaries,

maybesettingsomelimitsforyourself.

Iknownowadays,

evenourdeviceshavesomedifferentwaystohelpuswiththat.

LikeonaniPhone,

youcansetlimitsonhowmuchyouspendon

certainappsorevencertainwebsitesperday.

Somaybeit'snotrealisticforyoutosay,hey,

I'mnotgoingtolookatsocialmediaatallforthenextweek.

Butmaybeit'slike,hey,

IthinkI'monlygoingtolookatitfor30minutesaday,

andI'mgoingtosetatimelimitonmyphoneforthat.

Ormaybesomepeopledecideto

watchtheTVonmutewhilethey'rewatchingtheelectionresults,forexample.

Andsomaybethey'renotgettingsomeofthatconstantdialoguegoing,

butthey'restillabletoseewhat'shappening.

Ithinkdoom-scrollingisanewthingthatwe'veheardaboutlately,

butweprobablyareallguiltyofit.

Maybewe'rejustsittingtherescrollingandscrollingandscrollingandjustlookingat

allthisnegativityandallthisdifferenttypeofnewsthatwe'rebeingbombardedwith.

AndsoIthinkthatunfortunately,

itreinforcesthatbehaviortosomeextentthatwhenweseestufflike,

it'slikewhat'snext?

AndsoIthinkthatthat'swherehavingsomeof

thoselimitsforyourselfcanbereallyhelpful.

Moresorightnow,thenprobablyanytime.

Butthenalsodoingotherthings,

likejustfindingsomedistractions.

Likewetalkedaboutearlier,

doingsomethingsthatcan,

maybeit'sdoingaboardgameorapuzzle,

orplayingavideogame,

justsomethingtoturnmyattentionawayfromthatconstantinformationoverload.

Ithinkthosearesomereallygoodthings.

Lookslikewe'vehadacoupleofnewpeoplejoinin.

Helloeverybody.

Feelfreetopostanyquestionthatyoumighthaveinthecomments.

We'regoingthroughsomepresetquestions,

butwehavetime,

we'llansweranyotherquestionsyouguyshave.

We'regladtoseeyouguyshere,

andyoucanalwaysgobackandwatchthefulllengthofthevideolater.

Wewillhavethatposted.

Sothankyouguysagainforjoiningin.

Anyotherthoughtsthatyoumighthave,Steve,

asfarassocialmedialimits?

Ithinkyouhititrightonthenail,tobehonestwithyou.

Iknowthatwetalkedaboutitbefore.

JustanotherthingthatIwanttoincludeisthere'snolimitsto

distractionsoranyothertypeof

engagementthatyoucanuseforself-careandgrounding.

Whateveryoufeelisfunandmakesyoufeelhappy,

that'swhatyoushouldbedoing.

Sodon'tforgetaboutthosestrengthsthatyouhave,okay?

Allright,solet'smoveontothenextquestion.

Andthisoneforyou,Steve,

ishowcanIsafelyremovemyselffrom

anuncomfortablepoliticalconversationwithfamily,

friends,peers,colleagues?WhatcanIsay?

Thatmakesmejustwanttoleaveandgototheotherroom.

But,no.Youcandoalotofdifferentthings.

Onethingthat'scomingtomindiswe'reallstudents,

soIfeellikeyoucaneasilysayIhavetodohomework.