February 5, 2025 • 24 mins
In this edition of Community Spotlight, Callie asks about some of the supports and resources people might consider for mental health and wellness, the differences between them, and also ways we can work on our personal goals on a day-to-day basis.
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Episode Transcript
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ERIN (00:04):
Hello and welcome to the
Community Spotlight podcast.
Each episode highlights
something interesting in the
community of Lexington or
surrounding areas of Kentucky.
The podcast was started by
students in the College and
Career Studies program at the
University of Kentucky, thanks
(00:24):
for listening.
On this edition of community
spotlight, we will hear a
conversation about the topic of
mental health and wellness.
Callie, a student in the College
and Career Studies program at
UK, is also doing a project
(00:44):
about mental health and
wellness. As part of her
research on the topic. Callie
interviewed two people at UK who
know a lot about this subject.
Amy Rodquist-Kodet, who works
with UK human resources, is a
holistic health coach and
wellness specialist for UK
health and wellness. Kristen
(01:06):
Dahl works at the Human
Development Institute at the
University of Kentucky on
multiple initiatives that center
mental health, wellness, and
mindfulness. Kristen is
passionate about advocating for
mental health and disability and
overcoming stigma and barriers
surrounding mental health
conditions. In this interview,
(01:27):
Callie asks about some of the
supports and resources people
might think about for mental
health and wellness, the
differences between them and
also ways we can work on our own
personal goals day to day.
Thanks for listening.
CALLIE (01:46):
Hello, Amy and Kristen,
how are you all doing today?
AMY (01:50):
Hi, Callie, so nice to be
here.
KRISTEN (01:54):
Great to be here today,
and I'm doing well, thanks.
CALLIE (01:56):
I would like to ask you
all a few questions about mental
health and wellness. First
question, there are a lot of
different types of supports and
terminology in the field of
mental health and wellness.
Coaching, counseling, therapy,
(02:18):
peer support, self help. Can you
explain some of the differences
between these terms?
AMY (02:27):
That's a great question,
Callie. This is Amy, and I think
a lot of times people can use
some of the terms
interchangeably. You kind of
hear people say, Oh, counseling
and therapy kind of as the same
thing. And I would say coaching
(02:50):
is, I frame it up as like a
conversation that helps guide
people towards their own inner
wisdom, their own clarity, their
values, a sense of possibility,
right? So as a coach, I offer my
clients encouragement and
accountability to help them make
(03:12):
sense of the things that are
really important to them, the
goals that they want to do, or
when they have mess ups, you
know how to offer them support
in the midst of like big
obstacles. I would say
counseling and therapy.
Sometimes the counseling part, I
(03:32):
would say, can be someone from a
faith tradition or a particular
field, like a like a financial
counselor, and a lot of times
they are like an expert, and
they're advising you to do
something, versus a therapist,
who tends to be somebody who is
(03:53):
a licensed and certified
practitioner. Maybe a licensed
psychologist or a Masters of
Social Work, or a licensed
family therapist, and they
really help folks deal from pain
and trauma, when folks are
dealing with grief and loss and
(04:14):
really difficult things that
have you know been challenging
in the past, that's where I
think a therapist can really
come in and self help, I think
is oftentimes can be, you know,
books and websites and podcasts
and things that people can
really find on their own to kind
(04:37):
of empower themselves, to to
learn and explore and and learn
about new topics, yeah, that
they're interested in and that
they can access that all on
their own.
Kristen Dahl (04:51):
Like Amy said,
counselor or a therapist is
often used to identify the same
role, and they are trained
professionals that might help
you work through difficult
things in your life. They might
diagnose or treat mental health
conditions. They might help you
deal with your emotions and
manage stress or anxiety or
(05:12):
other mental health concerns.
Therapists and counselors listen
to you and they help you to set
goals for yourself. And then if
we add peer support in there, so
peer support is when you receive
connection and encouragement
from peers or people who have
had similar challenges to what
(05:32):
you're having. So people who
provide peer support share what
they've experienced and how they
manage it, and then they can
help you with recovery and help
you figure out how to be
mentally healthy. And counseling
or peer support might be done
individually or might be done in
(05:53):
a group.
CALLIE (05:55):
Can you describe what
happens in a health coaching
session and how that is
different from counseling or
therapy?
AMY (06:05):
Yes, so this is a million
dollar question, Callie, because
a lot of times folks have no
idea the difference between
counseling and therapy, and so
it's my job as a coach to really
help them understand what we can
do in our coaching conversations
and what would be a better fit
(06:25):
to talk to their therapist
about. So therapy is a great fit
for somebody who wants support
dealing with things from their
past, right? Maybe it's trauma
and hurt and loss and grief,
toxic relationships, so much
healing can happen from good
therapy, and a lot of times,
(06:47):
I'll recommend that clients see
a therapist while we're also
doing our coaching
conversations, and in some
cases, from a person who was
really, really struggling with
grief and loss, I suggested that
they do their therapy first, and
then when they were feeling a
little bit more steady, that
they would then kind of reach
(07:08):
out, and then we could do some
coaching. The coaching, I would
say, really helps a person look
at their present and what they
want from their future, right?
So kind of helping folks figure
out, okay, where are they
getting stuck, what's a goal
they have? Where are they
feeling dissatisfied, and how do
they want it to be different in
(07:29):
the future? So I was thinking
about a client I had over the
holidays, and she was talking to
her therapist about really
difficult, like her family was
really, really challenging, and
were, you know, had a lot of
different difficult family
relationship stuff. And so she
(07:50):
talked to her therapist all
about that, the really tough
family stuff. And then with me,
she would talk about boundaries
she wanted to set with her
family. And so that was
something we talked about a lot
in our coaching session, of who
was she going to invite, what
was the expectation she was
going to set for the holidays,
(08:12):
and really helped her walk
through some of those difficult
things she was going to do in
the moment and how she was
feeling about it. So that was
kind of some of the different,
different roles that the
therapist played talking about
the really tricky, toxic family
stuff. And then as a coach, I
was able to help her make a plan
(08:33):
for how she wanted to, you know,
be with her family over the
holidays, and how she did not
want to be with her family in
other ways. So that's how we
talked about it.
KRISTEN (08:44):
That's such a really
great answer. I love how you
explained this, too. I would add
that in a therapy session, a
counselor or a therapist is
going to get to know you, ask
about your background, your life
and why you are. In therapy. You
might talk about what you want
to happen and set goals, whether
(09:04):
that's you know, having less
anxiety, getting along with some
of that toxic family
relationships that Amy
mentioned, or many other reasons
and in your set in your session,
you will share your thoughts and
feelings, Your therapist will
listen, ask questions and guide
that conversation. And then they
might use different types of
(09:26):
therapy, such as cognitive
behavioral therapy or other
treatments to help you that they
are trained in, and they will
probably give you homework to
practice skills and techniques
such as breathing exercises, to
take small steps to help your
mental well being. And as Amy
said, sometimes these things
overlap, right? So a person with
anxiety might have a coach who
(09:47):
helps them to set goals and and
be in the present moment. They
might see a therapist to explore
ways to deal with their anxiety.
They might be in a peer support
group with other people who have
anxiety, and they might use some
of. Those self help tools, such
as a journaling app that helps
them cope and take good care of
their mind and body.
CALLIE (10:06):
Thank you. It helped me
to have goals for myself,
because I could learn more about
myself and how to meet those
goals. Why do you think it's
important for people to have
personal goals in their life?
AMY (10:24):
Good question. I think that
our goals and our aspirations
really point us towards things
that matter to us, right? They
point us towards our values. And
so if we want to, you know,
(10:44):
journal or listen to
meditations, maybe that's our
goal. It's because maybe we want
to feel more calm, or we want to
know ourselves better, or we
want to decrease our anxiety.
And so I think our brains love
goals because our brains love to
(11:05):
feel a sense of achievement and
accomplishment. It gives us a
sense a shot of dopamine, and it
helps our brains to feel good
when we do what we say we're
going to do. So I think making
goals that matter to us.
Sometimes. I'll call it with my
(11:26):
clients, I'll say making goals
with soul, like having a soulful
goal, not just a goal that you
know doesn't really feel
important to us, but really
drilling down and making goals
that feel important and that get
us closer to who we are and who
we really want to be, are my
(11:48):
favorite type of goals to set
for myself and to help my
clients set for themselves as
well.
Kristen Dahl (11:55):
Yes, I totally
agree with that answer. So a
goal is kind of like a map that
we follow to reach something
that we want. So for example, if
you wanted to create a self care
routine, you would identify the
activities that help you meet
that goal, such as walking or
listening to music, journaling
or drinking water, and then you
(12:17):
create a routine that includes
those activities and how often
you will do them, how you're
going to accomplish them, if
you're going to use an app or a
planner or you want to adjust
your routine, if something isn't
working, it's important also to
celebrate the small goals along
the way. So if your goal is to
drink four glasses of water each
(12:38):
day and you complete that for
one week, you celebrate by
having your favorite coffee and
celebrating that small goal. So
then moving on and knowing you
can do that will give you
confidence to do to the next
goal that can help us become the
best version of ourselves.
CALLIE (12:56):
Some of the things I do
when I feel stressed are
journaling, listening to music,
taking breaks to be alone, going
outside to clear my head, and
also getting enough sleep. Why
do you think these things can
help someone feel better?
AMY (13:16):
Yeah, Callie, you know, all
the things you mentioned help to
calm our bodies and our and our
nervous systems, right? All of
those things that you that you
mentioned, help to, yeah, help
our parasympathetic nervous
system, our call our body's
natural calm down response, all
(13:38):
of those things help that part
of our nervous system to like,
to flip that switch, to get that
part wake waking up and turned
on. And so that's why all of
those activities help your body
to feel more calm and centered.
And so they definitely are going
(13:58):
to help you to feel better. So
that was a great list.
Kristen Dahl (14:02):
Yeah, that that
was a really great list of
things that that help you feel
better. We feel better when we
are intentionally caring for our
mind and for our body. It helps
us to handle our stress better.
When you feel stressed, like Amy
said, your brain alerts you to
kind of get ready to deal with
that threat and stress is
normal. We all have it, but when
(14:23):
we stay stressed for a long
time, then we might end up with
mental or physical symptoms, and
it can become hard to relax. So
you might end up with things
like headaches or stomach aches
or kind of just feeling
overwhelmed. And then that kind
of activity that we just
mentioned, like you mentioned
getting enough sleep and
listening to music that calms
(14:45):
your brain down, calms your
nervous system down, helps you
feel in control. And I think Amy
mentioned earlier, dopamine, so
your brain releases dopamine and
serotonin, which are your feel
good chemicals. So sleeping and
exercise give you energy to do
what you need to do and make
good decisions and just make you
feel better.
CALLIE (15:05):
I listen to certain
music playlists when I want to
change my mood. I make playlists
called "cheer me up" and
"uplifting" and "relaxing" with
songs that fit those moods. I
listen to those when I want to
feel that mood. I also have
playlists of worship songs,
(15:26):
which is important to me.
Sometimes I just listen to
country or pop or rock, just
songs I like. What are some
songs or types of music you
listen to when you want to
change your mood?
AMY (15:43):
Oh my gosh, best question
ever. I think your idea of
having playlists like the cheer
me up playlist or the uplifting
playlist or the relaxing
playlist, so great, kind of
figuring out what do you need
and what kind of music is going
to help you feel that way. So I
love kitchen dance parties,
(16:05):
especially if I'm having a rough
day. I have a 17 year old
daughter and two five year old
twins, preschoolers, and so we
do a lot of dance parties at our
house, especially when my little
guys are climbing the walls. So
I especially love dancing to
Prince and Janet Jackson. I am
(16:27):
showing my age here. And I love
musicals. So my favorite musical
in all the world is In the
Heights. So I can sing I can
sing that verbatim. I can sing
every word. And my little guys
love music from Moana and
Encanto, so we often have those
musicals playing on in our
(16:48):
house, and boy, can it take the
grumpiest of people myself
included, and turn things
around. So I think music is such
an important part to help us
manage our our difficult
feelings and to help us change
mood.
Kristen Dahl (17:05):
Oh, me too. And
Moana is like my go to to sing
along. So good, and I love it.
And Callie, I laughed when I
read this question, because I do
the exact same thing with
playlists. I have playlists that
are called like, focus, relax,
anxiety. And I have one called
sad, because sometimes I just
want to feel sad and listen sad
(17:27):
music. I do listen to folk music
when I want to relax, and then I
love to sing along to 80s rock
music, like Bon Jovi, showing my
age too, when I feel really.
Crowded Table by Highwomen and
Heavy by Birdtalker are two
songs that really encourage me
(17:48):
when I'm feeling kind of sad or
overwhelmed.
CALLIE (17:52):
What are some other
things people might do if they
feel stressed? Do you have any
other suggestions things people
can try out to feel better or
get to know themselves better?
AMY (18:04):
That question made me think
of one of my favorite books
about stress. It's a few years
old now. It's called burnout,
and it was written by two twin
sisters, doctors Emily and
Amelia Nagoski, and they talk
about this really cool concept
(18:25):
of the stress cycle. So like
when we feel stress and we have
stressor upon stressor upon
stressor, it kind of gets like
stuck in a stress tunnel, and
how it's so important to move
those different stresses
throughout the day out of the
tunnel, and how there are, like,
six research based ways to move
(18:47):
stress through our bodies and
out of our bodies. And so a lot
of times, I'll talk to my
coaching clients about this. A
lot of them we've already talked
about, in fact, most of them we
have. Movement, since you know,
stress gets stuck in our bodies,
physically moving, getting our
heart rate up, even if it's like
running up and down the stairs
(19:08):
or doing some jumping jacks for
a few minutes, can really help
burn off that stress hormone
that's like cortisol and that
adrenaline. Creativity is
another great thing we can do to
move stress out of our bodies.
So kind of thinking about, what
do you love to do? How do you
love to be creative? Maybe it's
doing a little art project, or
cooking something, or being out
(19:29):
in the garden, or playing music,
or listening to cool music, all
of that. Anything that like kind
of gets that creative juice
flowing. Is a great thing. We
don't have to be really good at
it. Just anything that feels
interesting and good to us
creatively can really help us
move through this stress cycle.
Laughter is a great way to kind
(19:51):
of burn up some stress hormone
and also include kind of what we
were talking about before, kind
of induce the. Some of that,
like oxytocin and dopamine, some
of those feel good hormones. So
what makes you laugh? Maybe it's
a really funny cat video or a
really hilarious Tiktok or
something on YouTube, or maybe a
(20:12):
show that always makes you
laugh. Think about, okay, how
can you have that really big,
deep belly laugh? And then the
opposite end of that is tears.
So we were talking about, like,
that sad playlist, right?
Sometimes we just need a really
good cry to help our body
release. And so what helps us do
that in a safe way? Maybe it's
listening to some sad music or
(20:33):
watching a sad show that can
really help us release. If, if
we feel like, like, we need a
good cry, and then physical
affection, physical touch, so
maybe that's a hug from somebody
we love and care about, or a
supportive friend, or maybe it's
just like hanging out with some
animals. You know, snuggling
(20:54):
with a dog or a cat can also
really help us decrease our
stress. And then lastly, what
we've talked about, too, what
Emily and Amelia Nagoski talk
about is like some of those
mindful practices, like
meditation, prayer, mindful,
breathing, journaling, all of
(21:16):
those things can really help us
process our stress and and move
the stress along so that they
don't get stuck in our bodies.
So those are some of my favorite
things from that book, Burnout.
Kristen Dahl (21:28):
I would say that
treating yourself as kindness
and care is a way of recognizing
that you matter. And I am also
going to reference a book, and
it's Fierce Self-Compassion by
Kristin Neff. If you feel
stressed, I recommend practicing
self compassion. Everyone
(21:48):
experiences bad feelings, and we
should treat ourselves the way
we would treat a close friend,
and that's by offering warmth
and support. And Kristin Neff
has lots of information and
examples and exercises on self
compassion. I also think it's
important to connect with
others. When you feel stress,
(22:08):
you are not alone. Everyone
experiences stress, and some of
the things that Amy has
mentioned and some of the things
that you've mentioned Callie
today are great ways to get to
know yourself better, journaling
and asking questions to help you
get to know your values, your
goals, your fears, your talents,
and it also gives you ideas for
(22:29):
what you might want to learn
more about and what you might
want to try.
CALLIE (22:35):
Is there anything else
you would like to talk about
that I have not asked yet?
AMY (22:42):
Boy, I think we covered a
lot of ground here. The only
other thing that kind of comes
to mind is that if you need
support, don't be afraid to ask
for it, whether it's a coach or
peer support or a therapist or a
trusted friend, being able to
share what is on your mind and
(23:02):
in your heart is a really
important way of getting the
support that you need or getting
the resources that can move you
closer to the support that you
Kristen Dahl (23:12):
I agree there's a
need.
lot out there that that can help
you. If you feel like it's a
crisis, you can dial 988, and
there's always someone there to
help you. And I would say, check
in, check in with your friends.
That helps you and that helps
them to send a text that says
good morning can really help
(23:33):
someone's day start off with
less stress and help yours as
well.
CALLIE (23:39):
Thank you both for
talking with me today.
AMY (23:42):
Thanks so much. It was such
a pleasure.
KRISTEN (23:44):
Thank you, Callie.
CALLIE (23:46):
This has been Community
Spotlight. Thanks for listening.
ERIN (23:53):
Thanks to the guests on
today's show, Amy and Kristen
for a great conversation about
mental health and wellness. Amy
Rodquist-Kodet is a holistic
health coach and wellness
specialist for UK health and
wellness. Kristen Dahl works at
the Human Development Institute
at UK on multiple initiatives
that center mental health,
(24:13):
wellness and mindfulness. And
thank you to Callie for bringing
this topic to the podcast. We
appreciate you. This has been
Community Spotlight. If you are
interested in being interviewed
for the show, please reach out
and let us know. And as always,
thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the
Community Spotlight podcast.
Each episode highlights
something interesting in the
community of Lexington or
surrounding areas of Kentucky.
The podcast was started by
students in the College and
Career Studies program at the
University of Kentucky, thanks
(00:24):
for listening.
On this edition of community
spotlight, we will hear a
conversation about the topic of
mental health and wellness.
Callie, a student in the College
and Career Studies program at
UK, is also doing a project
(00:44):
about mental health and
wellness. As part of her
research on the topic. Callie
interviewed two people at UK who
know a lot about this subject.
Amy Rodquist-Kodet, who works
with UK human resources, is a
holistic health coach and
wellness specialist for UK
health and wellness. Kristen
(01:06):
Dahl works at the Human
Development Institute at the
University of Kentucky on
multiple initiatives that center
mental health, wellness, and
mindfulness. Kristen is
passionate about advocating for
mental health and disability and
overcoming stigma and barriers
surrounding mental health
conditions. In this interview,
(01:27):
Callie asks about some of the
supports and resources people
might think about for mental
health and wellness, the
differences between them and
also ways we can work on our own
personal goals day to day.
Thanks for listening.
CALLIE (01:46):
Hello, Amy and Kristen,
how are you all doing today?
AMY (01:50):
Hi, Callie, so nice to be
here.
KRISTEN (01:54):
Great to be here today,
and I'm doing well, thanks.
CALLIE (01:56):
I would like to ask you
all a few questions about mental
health and wellness. First
question, there are a lot of
different types of supports and
terminology in the field of
mental health and wellness.
Coaching, counseling, therapy,
(02:18):
peer support, self help. Can you
explain some of the differences
between these terms?
AMY (02:27):
That's a great question,
Callie. This is Amy, and I think
a lot of times people can use
some of the terms
interchangeably. You kind of
hear people say, Oh, counseling
and therapy kind of as the same
thing. And I would say coaching
(02:50):
is, I frame it up as like a
conversation that helps guide
people towards their own inner
wisdom, their own clarity, their
values, a sense of possibility,
right? So as a coach, I offer my
clients encouragement and
accountability to help them make
(03:12):
sense of the things that are
really important to them, the
goals that they want to do, or
when they have mess ups, you
know how to offer them support
in the midst of like big
obstacles. I would say
counseling and therapy.
Sometimes the counseling part, I
(03:32):
would say, can be someone from a
faith tradition or a particular
field, like a like a financial
counselor, and a lot of times
they are like an expert, and
they're advising you to do
something, versus a therapist,
who tends to be somebody who is
(03:53):
a licensed and certified
practitioner. Maybe a licensed
psychologist or a Masters of
Social Work, or a licensed
family therapist, and they
really help folks deal from pain
and trauma, when folks are
dealing with grief and loss and
(04:14):
really difficult things that
have you know been challenging
in the past, that's where I
think a therapist can really
come in and self help, I think
is oftentimes can be, you know,
books and websites and podcasts
and things that people can
really find on their own to kind
(04:37):
of empower themselves, to to
learn and explore and and learn
about new topics, yeah, that
they're interested in and that
they can access that all on
their own.
Kristen Dahl (04:51):
Like Amy said,
counselor or a therapist is
often used to identify the same
role, and they are trained
professionals that might help
you work through difficult
things in your life. They might
diagnose or treat mental health
conditions. They might help you
deal with your emotions and
manage stress or anxiety or
(05:12):
other mental health concerns.
Therapists and counselors listen
to you and they help you to set
goals for yourself. And then if
we add peer support in there, so
peer support is when you receive
connection and encouragement
from peers or people who have
had similar challenges to what
(05:32):
you're having. So people who
provide peer support share what
they've experienced and how they
manage it, and then they can
help you with recovery and help
you figure out how to be
mentally healthy. And counseling
or peer support might be done
individually or might be done in
(05:53):
a group.
CALLIE (05:55):
Can you describe what
happens in a health coaching
session and how that is
different from counseling or
therapy?
AMY (06:05):
Yes, so this is a million
dollar question, Callie, because
a lot of times folks have no
idea the difference between
counseling and therapy, and so
it's my job as a coach to really
help them understand what we can
do in our coaching conversations
and what would be a better fit
(06:25):
to talk to their therapist
about. So therapy is a great fit
for somebody who wants support
dealing with things from their
past, right? Maybe it's trauma
and hurt and loss and grief,
toxic relationships, so much
healing can happen from good
therapy, and a lot of times,
(06:47):
I'll recommend that clients see
a therapist while we're also
doing our coaching
conversations, and in some
cases, from a person who was
really, really struggling with
grief and loss, I suggested that
they do their therapy first, and
then when they were feeling a
little bit more steady, that
they would then kind of reach
(07:08):
out, and then we could do some
coaching. The coaching, I would
say, really helps a person look
at their present and what they
want from their future, right?
So kind of helping folks figure
out, okay, where are they
getting stuck, what's a goal
they have? Where are they
feeling dissatisfied, and how do
they want it to be different in
(07:29):
the future? So I was thinking
about a client I had over the
holidays, and she was talking to
her therapist about really
difficult, like her family was
really, really challenging, and
were, you know, had a lot of
different difficult family
relationship stuff. And so she
(07:50):
talked to her therapist all
about that, the really tough
family stuff. And then with me,
she would talk about boundaries
she wanted to set with her
family. And so that was
something we talked about a lot
in our coaching session, of who
was she going to invite, what
was the expectation she was
going to set for the holidays,
(08:12):
and really helped her walk
through some of those difficult
things she was going to do in
the moment and how she was
feeling about it. So that was
kind of some of the different,
different roles that the
therapist played talking about
the really tricky, toxic family
stuff. And then as a coach, I
was able to help her make a plan
(08:33):
for how she wanted to, you know,
be with her family over the
holidays, and how she did not
want to be with her family in
other ways. So that's how we
talked about it.
KRISTEN (08:44):
That's such a really
great answer. I love how you
explained this, too. I would add
that in a therapy session, a
counselor or a therapist is
going to get to know you, ask
about your background, your life
and why you are. In therapy. You
might talk about what you want
to happen and set goals, whether
(09:04):
that's you know, having less
anxiety, getting along with some
of that toxic family
relationships that Amy
mentioned, or many other reasons
and in your set in your session,
you will share your thoughts and
feelings, Your therapist will
listen, ask questions and guide
that conversation. And then they
might use different types of
(09:26):
therapy, such as cognitive
behavioral therapy or other
treatments to help you that they
are trained in, and they will
probably give you homework to
practice skills and techniques
such as breathing exercises, to
take small steps to help your
mental well being. And as Amy
said, sometimes these things
overlap, right? So a person with
anxiety might have a coach who
(09:47):
helps them to set goals and and
be in the present moment. They
might see a therapist to explore
ways to deal with their anxiety.
They might be in a peer support
group with other people who have
anxiety, and they might use some
of. Those self help tools, such
as a journaling app that helps
them cope and take good care of
their mind and body.
CALLIE (10:06):
Thank you. It helped me
to have goals for myself,
because I could learn more about
myself and how to meet those
goals. Why do you think it's
important for people to have
personal goals in their life?
AMY (10:24):
Good question. I think that
our goals and our aspirations
really point us towards things
that matter to us, right? They
point us towards our values. And
so if we want to, you know,
(10:44):
journal or listen to
meditations, maybe that's our
goal. It's because maybe we want
to feel more calm, or we want to
know ourselves better, or we
want to decrease our anxiety.
And so I think our brains love
goals because our brains love to
(11:05):
feel a sense of achievement and
accomplishment. It gives us a
sense a shot of dopamine, and it
helps our brains to feel good
when we do what we say we're
going to do. So I think making
goals that matter to us.
Sometimes. I'll call it with my
(11:26):
clients, I'll say making goals
with soul, like having a soulful
goal, not just a goal that you
know doesn't really feel
important to us, but really
drilling down and making goals
that feel important and that get
us closer to who we are and who
we really want to be, are my
(11:48):
favorite type of goals to set
for myself and to help my
clients set for themselves as
well.
Kristen Dahl (11:55):
Yes, I totally
agree with that answer. So a
goal is kind of like a map that
we follow to reach something
that we want. So for example, if
you wanted to create a self care
routine, you would identify the
activities that help you meet
that goal, such as walking or
listening to music, journaling
or drinking water, and then you
(12:17):
create a routine that includes
those activities and how often
you will do them, how you're
going to accomplish them, if
you're going to use an app or a
planner or you want to adjust
your routine, if something isn't
working, it's important also to
celebrate the small goals along
the way. So if your goal is to
drink four glasses of water each
(12:38):
day and you complete that for
one week, you celebrate by
having your favorite coffee and
celebrating that small goal. So
then moving on and knowing you
can do that will give you
confidence to do to the next
goal that can help us become the
best version of ourselves.
CALLIE (12:56):
Some of the things I do
when I feel stressed are
journaling, listening to music,
taking breaks to be alone, going
outside to clear my head, and
also getting enough sleep. Why
do you think these things can
help someone feel better?
AMY (13:16):
Yeah, Callie, you know, all
the things you mentioned help to
calm our bodies and our and our
nervous systems, right? All of
those things that you that you
mentioned, help to, yeah, help
our parasympathetic nervous
system, our call our body's
natural calm down response, all
(13:38):
of those things help that part
of our nervous system to like,
to flip that switch, to get that
part wake waking up and turned
on. And so that's why all of
those activities help your body
to feel more calm and centered.
And so they definitely are going
(13:58):
to help you to feel better. So
that was a great list.
Kristen Dahl (14:02):
Yeah, that that
was a really great list of
things that that help you feel
better. We feel better when we
are intentionally caring for our
mind and for our body. It helps
us to handle our stress better.
When you feel stressed, like Amy
said, your brain alerts you to
kind of get ready to deal with
that threat and stress is
normal. We all have it, but when
(14:23):
we stay stressed for a long
time, then we might end up with
mental or physical symptoms, and
it can become hard to relax. So
you might end up with things
like headaches or stomach aches
or kind of just feeling
overwhelmed. And then that kind
of activity that we just
mentioned, like you mentioned
getting enough sleep and
listening to music that calms
(14:45):
your brain down, calms your
nervous system down, helps you
feel in control. And I think Amy
mentioned earlier, dopamine, so
your brain releases dopamine and
serotonin, which are your feel
good chemicals. So sleeping and
exercise give you energy to do
what you need to do and make
good decisions and just make you
feel better.
CALLIE (15:05):
I listen to certain
music playlists when I want to
change my mood. I make playlists
called "cheer me up" and
"uplifting" and "relaxing" with
songs that fit those moods. I
listen to those when I want to
feel that mood. I also have
playlists of worship songs,
(15:26):
which is important to me.
Sometimes I just listen to
country or pop or rock, just
songs I like. What are some
songs or types of music you
listen to when you want to
change your mood?
AMY (15:43):
Oh my gosh, best question
ever. I think your idea of
having playlists like the cheer
me up playlist or the uplifting
playlist or the relaxing
playlist, so great, kind of
figuring out what do you need
and what kind of music is going
to help you feel that way. So I
love kitchen dance parties,
(16:05):
especially if I'm having a rough
day. I have a 17 year old
daughter and two five year old
twins, preschoolers, and so we
do a lot of dance parties at our
house, especially when my little
guys are climbing the walls. So
I especially love dancing to
Prince and Janet Jackson. I am
(16:27):
showing my age here. And I love
musicals. So my favorite musical
in all the world is In the
Heights. So I can sing I can
sing that verbatim. I can sing
every word. And my little guys
love music from Moana and
Encanto, so we often have those
musicals playing on in our
(16:48):
house, and boy, can it take the
grumpiest of people myself
included, and turn things
around. So I think music is such
an important part to help us
manage our our difficult
feelings and to help us change
mood.
Kristen Dahl (17:05):
Oh, me too. And
Moana is like my go to to sing
along. So good, and I love it.
And Callie, I laughed when I
read this question, because I do
the exact same thing with
playlists. I have playlists that
are called like, focus, relax,
anxiety. And I have one called
sad, because sometimes I just
want to feel sad and listen sad
(17:27):
music. I do listen to folk music
when I want to relax, and then I
love to sing along to 80s rock
music, like Bon Jovi, showing my
age too, when I feel really.
Crowded Table by Highwomen and
Heavy by Birdtalker are two
songs that really encourage me
(17:48):
when I'm feeling kind of sad or
overwhelmed.
CALLIE (17:52):
What are some other
things people might do if they
feel stressed? Do you have any
other suggestions things people
can try out to feel better or
get to know themselves better?
AMY (18:04):
That question made me think
of one of my favorite books
about stress. It's a few years
old now. It's called burnout,
and it was written by two twin
sisters, doctors Emily and
Amelia Nagoski, and they talk
about this really cool concept
(18:25):
of the stress cycle. So like
when we feel stress and we have
stressor upon stressor upon
stressor, it kind of gets like
stuck in a stress tunnel, and
how it's so important to move
those different stresses
throughout the day out of the
tunnel, and how there are, like,
six research based ways to move
(18:47):
stress through our bodies and
out of our bodies. And so a lot
of times, I'll talk to my
coaching clients about this. A
lot of them we've already talked
about, in fact, most of them we
have. Movement, since you know,
stress gets stuck in our bodies,
physically moving, getting our
heart rate up, even if it's like
running up and down the stairs
(19:08):
or doing some jumping jacks for
a few minutes, can really help
burn off that stress hormone
that's like cortisol and that
adrenaline. Creativity is
another great thing we can do to
move stress out of our bodies.
So kind of thinking about, what
do you love to do? How do you
love to be creative? Maybe it's
doing a little art project, or
cooking something, or being out
(19:29):
in the garden, or playing music,
or listening to cool music, all
of that. Anything that like kind
of gets that creative juice
flowing. Is a great thing. We
don't have to be really good at
it. Just anything that feels
interesting and good to us
creatively can really help us
move through this stress cycle.
Laughter is a great way to kind
(19:51):
of burn up some stress hormone
and also include kind of what we
were talking about before, kind
of induce the. Some of that,
like oxytocin and dopamine, some
of those feel good hormones. So
what makes you laugh? Maybe it's
a really funny cat video or a
really hilarious Tiktok or
something on YouTube, or maybe a
(20:12):
show that always makes you
laugh. Think about, okay, how
can you have that really big,
deep belly laugh? And then the
opposite end of that is tears.
So we were talking about, like,
that sad playlist, right?
Sometimes we just need a really
good cry to help our body
release. And so what helps us do
that in a safe way? Maybe it's
listening to some sad music or
(20:33):
watching a sad show that can
really help us release. If, if
we feel like, like, we need a
good cry, and then physical
affection, physical touch, so
maybe that's a hug from somebody
we love and care about, or a
supportive friend, or maybe it's
just like hanging out with some
animals. You know, snuggling
(20:54):
with a dog or a cat can also
really help us decrease our
stress. And then lastly, what
we've talked about, too, what
Emily and Amelia Nagoski talk
about is like some of those
mindful practices, like
meditation, prayer, mindful,
breathing, journaling, all of
(21:16):
those things can really help us
process our stress and and move
the stress along so that they
don't get stuck in our bodies.
So those are some of my favorite
things from that book, Burnout.
Kristen Dahl (21:28):
I would say that
treating yourself as kindness
and care is a way of recognizing
that you matter. And I am also
going to reference a book, and
it's Fierce Self-Compassion by
Kristin Neff. If you feel
stressed, I recommend practicing
self compassion. Everyone
(21:48):
experiences bad feelings, and we
should treat ourselves the way
we would treat a close friend,
and that's by offering warmth
and support. And Kristin Neff
has lots of information and
examples and exercises on self
compassion. I also think it's
important to connect with
others. When you feel stress,
(22:08):
you are not alone. Everyone
experiences stress, and some of
the things that Amy has
mentioned and some of the things
that you've mentioned Callie
today are great ways to get to
know yourself better, journaling
and asking questions to help you
get to know your values, your
goals, your fears, your talents,
and it also gives you ideas for
(22:29):
what you might want to learn
more about and what you might
want to try.
CALLIE (22:35):
Is there anything else
you would like to talk about
that I have not asked yet?
AMY (22:42):
Boy, I think we covered a
lot of ground here. The only
other thing that kind of comes
to mind is that if you need
support, don't be afraid to ask
for it, whether it's a coach or
peer support or a therapist or a
trusted friend, being able to
share what is on your mind and
(23:02):
in your heart is a really
important way of getting the
support that you need or getting
the resources that can move you
closer to the support that you
Kristen Dahl (23:12):
I agree there's a
need.
lot out there that that can help
you. If you feel like it's a
crisis, you can dial 988, and
there's always someone there to
help you. And I would say, check
in, check in with your friends.
That helps you and that helps
them to send a text that says
good morning can really help
(23:33):
someone's day start off with
less stress and help yours as
well.
CALLIE (23:39):
Thank you both for
talking with me today.
AMY (23:42):
Thanks so much. It was such
a pleasure.
KRISTEN (23:44):
Thank you, Callie.
CALLIE (23:46):
This has been Community
Spotlight. Thanks for listening.
ERIN (23:53):
Thanks to the guests on
today's show, Amy and Kristen
for a great conversation about
mental health and wellness. Amy
Rodquist-Kodet is a holistic
health coach and wellness
specialist for UK health and
wellness. Kristen Dahl works at
the Human Development Institute
at UK on multiple initiatives
that center mental health,
(24:13):
wellness and mindfulness. And
thank you to Callie for bringing
this topic to the podcast. We
appreciate you. This has been
Community Spotlight. If you are
interested in being interviewed
for the show, please reach out
and let us know. And as always,
thanks for listening.
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