Ever feel like your body’s at the Zoom meeting… but your mind is hiding under a weighted blanket? In this heartfeltvepisode, Andi & Mich speak directly to the collective overwhelm so many of us are carrying—especially in this current time. From anxiety, caretaker burnout, and endless news cycles, to grounding rituals passed down through generations: this episode is your pep talk, love letter, and emotional first aid kit. We unpack:
- Why it’s OK to not be “fine”
- The power of daily self check-ins
- Real-world nervous system reset tools (cold water on wrists, mood lighting, somatic techniques & more)
- How community, culture, and even cooking were ancestral anchors in hard times
- And engaging listener prompts: “Physically I’m here, but mentally I’m…”
If you’ve ever experienced fleeting spirals or spiritual disconnection—this one’s for you. You’re not alone. 💛
#PhysicallyHereMentallyElsewhere
#EmotionalFirstAid
#DailyCheckIn
#AnxietyRelief
#BurnoutPrevention
#SelfCareTools
#LatinaPodcast
#GroundingTechniques
#YouAreNotAlone
#PodcastClip
If you liked this episode please like and follow our podcast, leave us a comment, and share it with a friend. Visit us on Youtube for extra content and full episodes https://www.youtube.com/@AndiandMich
Your support helps us to keep the conversations going. <3
-Andi and Mich
The Andi and Mich Podcast: Two Sisters, Two Generations, Unique Perspectives, Lots of Laughs
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back to Andy and Mitch,the podcast where we get real
laugh, hard and sometimes spiralbut like with flare.
We are definitely mentallyfloating somewhere between a
Pinterest board and our lastcrying session.
And while we are physically hereemotionally, we are under our
weighted blankets.
Rewatching Emily in Paris.
Because, let's be honest,sometimes our bodies show up,
(00:21):
but our minds and souls are onsabbatical.
This is our little pep talk,love note to ourselves and each
other that we wanna share withyou.
So if you are feeling theoverwhelm, don't worry, you are
not alone.
Grab your cafecito.
Let's dive in.
So we got into this wholeconversation about this that
kind of led up to this themebased on what We're just gonna
(00:46):
call out the elephant in theroom.
The state of our localcommunities in Los Angeles, in
California, Southern California,specifically.
As Latinas, from varying Latinobackgrounds, we are Americans,
we are citizens of this country.
And everything that we're seeingunfold in the news.
(01:08):
It's hard and it can take atoll.
We are very much directly andindirectly feeling the effects
of what is happening.
For different reasons that we'renot gonna get into here but
because we've layered what'shappening now in California with
what's happening in the world.
What's happening in the nation?
(01:30):
Not only have we beenexperiencing the overwhelm and
the disconnect and feeling likewe're just zoning out.
All the questions, all thethings that you're feeling, and
recognizing that we're talkingabout this, not only how we're
experiencing it, but all thepeople in our different circles
that are also experiencing it,and how it's really become this
(01:51):
bigger collective And so wedecided that we wanted to bring
it to the podcast and talk alittle bit about it.
If it's just one person thathears this and it makes a
difference for you, then we'vedone our job because we know how
it feels when you feel likeyou're the only person feeling
this way or the only person thatcan voice or express that.
(02:12):
Yeah.
And maybe not have the tools orthe space, to be seen and heard
in all of this in the ways inwhich we have, and we're very
grateful for.
We see you, we hear you.
We wanna make our grandma andour father proud because they
are rolling over in their graveswhen they see these headlines
and everything that they foughtagainst, happening.
(02:34):
In real time.
Yeah.
So having an opportunity topause and just remember the
tools that we have in our backpockets to help support us
through this.
They're essential to alsoremember that no matter how
heavy this is our ancestorstaught us during their most
(02:56):
critical moments in the historyof the stories that they told
us, or the things that we saw orwe experienced.
Whatever kind of oppression oradversity that they faced.
You know, our tias were alwaysin those kitchens, cooking,
laughing loud, dancing, singing,despite it all.
You know what I mean?
Finding a way to be anchoredback into community and family
(03:18):
and moments of joy.
And using tools that we knowinnately.
Even if it was just as simple asthem making a big feast for
everyone from what they wereable to get for the week, food
wise and then inviting everyoneto come and eat, no matter what
your background is.
Mm-hmm.
No matter what your designationis.
(03:40):
The way Mitch was justdescribing, right, the way we
grew up community was ourfamily, our neighbors, our close
friends, friends that becamefamily friends you just met that
you liked and invited over fordinner and it was like we're one
eats many eat, like there'salways enough to go around even
when there isn't a whole lot.
(04:01):
Mm-hmm.
This is our little pep talk,love note to ourselves and each
other that we wanna share withyou.
So if you are feeling theoverwhelm, don't worry, you are
not alone.
If your emotional state had anout of office reply, what would
it say?
Hi, I've received your message,but I'm currently dissociating,
(04:23):
please try again next week, nextmonth or maybe next year.
Or maybe never.
I might not float right backdown.
I think emotionally we are allon a wild ride, it's like a
roller coaster.
I mean, if you're living onplanet Earth, you're no stranger
to what's going on in the worldright now.
And if you're not living onPlanet Earth, welcome.
(04:44):
There's so many different layersthat we need to check in on.
So on a scale of one to 10, oneis like the lowest, 10 is like
functioning at your max optimallevel.
Okay.
Emotionally grounded.
I do feel emotionally grounded,kind of, oh well hang on, if I'm
(05:04):
in the presence of bad thingshappening like zero, but when
I'm not, when I'm in the safetyof my own home, I'm like at a
7.5.
I oscillate between like a threeand four to, yeah, maybe like an
eight if I feel like I'msurrounded by good people and
warmth and safety and love.
(05:26):
Yeah.
Then I feel okay, but somemoments it's questionable.
It's like every day somethingwill send you on a mini spiral.
Yeah, it's like you let off somesteam.
You kind of just let theemotions pass through you, and I
think that's the healthiestthing you can do right now, even
though it feels complete batshitcrazy.
Emotionally, sometimes, i'm likean instant pot that's been left
(05:46):
on too long, I'm about to blow,you know?
How about spiritually connected?
I think I've been veryintentional with tapping into
that part.
Okay.
Cool.
But spiritual, it doesn't meanreligious.
I'm like fist bump right there.
We just fist bumped.
Like spiritual is likeconnecting yourself to a belief
or a purpose or something thatfeels bigger than you.
(06:08):
I definitely don't feel that atall, right now, but I think it's
because my inner skeptic is likegetting the fuel it needs to
really take the reins and I'mtrying to rein it back in.
Watching things play out, it'seasy to get lost in the sauce of
it and then to feel like.
Hopeless.
Not really hopeless, but just tofeel that spiritual disconnect.
(06:31):
I might argue that becauseyou're so aware of what's
happening and how it's impactingearth and nature and humanity.
In a sense you actually are moreconnected because you're in that
level of awareness.
You know, something to explore.
Physically rested.
I'm like at a negative three Iread somewhere, and I don't know
(06:54):
where this was, but it was alegitimate source for sure cause
I read it online, obviously.
If you are consistently wakingup, I think it was after 2:00 AM
so like between three and 4:00AM on average, that, that's
directly related to anxiety.
Yes.
So, I think there's a lot of usout there that are feeling that
right now, that our sleep isbeing disrupted by all of the
(07:17):
turmoil that we're consuming.
Mm-hmm.
And just engaged in, in one way,shape, or form.
But sleep, I would love a justperfect night's sleep where I
wake up actually rested.
That would be beautiful.
Do you know where I can buy oneof those sleep pods where they
like seal you in, actually, no,I'm claustrophobic.
(07:38):
I would die in that, I would tryto use it to make it better and
then I would just die out offear being locked in.
Oh no.
Like a vampire.
It's not.
Even if you're just feeling likethe emotions, it manifests
physically, right?
So like we feel it physically,and so that physical exhaustion
is just there.
Yeah and let's talk about thatreally quickly cause how
exhausted are you on a level ofone to 10 throughout the day?
(08:00):
Physical exhaustion and mentalexhaustion combined can really
take you out.
Let's talk about this first,generally, right?
Generally.
What has been pulling us awayfrom being present?
I think the uncertainty of thefuture because if we look at the
bigger scope of everythingthat's going on The bigger
picture, it's bringing intoquestion our humanity, our
(08:22):
morals but most importantly,it's starting to create this
underlying fear that we're notsure what the future holds.
What do you think?
For me, it's a lot more of theweight of the world.
That keeps pulling me back awayfrom being present, not just
everything that's been unfoldingin the recent weeks and months.
(08:43):
As a whole but just in the waythat society has been growing
and moving at such a fast pacewith technology and
expectations, and it's justlike, it's too much, you know,
it's been burning us out andthen now we're in 2025 where we
have all these additional thingsthat are in our face all day,
(09:05):
every day and some of us areright in the middle of what's
happening across the country.
Yes.
Across the globe.
I mean, we're in California andthere's so much happening in
California right now that it'svery heavy and it's very hard.
So the weight of all of that,right?
It's like I feel like I have tolook out for everybody and I
(09:26):
have to be so vigilant and payattention to what's happening.
Trying to balance like my ownwellbeing while having to care
about everything.
It's like you become anemotional thermostat, and
sometimes it's like buffering,buffering, too many tabs are
open, too many searches arehappening at the same time.
(09:46):
And I'm like at max capacity andthen it's like you kind of go
into this freeze state for awhile.
Yeah and honestly, my brain,similar to what you're
describing is the nonstop groupchat of overthinking, wondering
if I left the oven on or ifdemocracy will ever come back.
Trying to be on all the time itfeels like we're auditioning for
(10:07):
America's Next Top Burnout.
You and I talk about this a lot,we talk about our experiences
and how we're processing thingsand we think differently about
some things, but we have spaceswhere we can go in and like just
talk about it.
This is what I'm seeing, this iswhat I'm hearing, this is what
I'm feeling, this is what I'mthinking.
Yeah.
In us creating that space, wealso create a space to normalize
(10:28):
the fact that things are notnormal.
But we also don't wanna be in aspace where we normalize the
numbing and the burning outpiece of it.
We have to like keep coming backand checking in with each other
and the people in our closecircles.
And we can also fall into thistrap of feeling guilty.
Am I doing enough?
Should I be doing more?
Should I feel guilty if I'mfeeling happy?
(10:49):
Am I'm feeling joyful?
You can get stuck in this trapof bouncing yourself back and
forth.
A lot of us, at some pointyou're walking around in just a
brain fog.
And most of us are probably nottaking care of ourselves as well
as we should be.
I'm trying, but also I'm notgonna not eat that Chinese food
plate, i'm not gonna not drinkthat coffee, you're telling me
(11:11):
that the world might end and I'mgonna not eat a brownie.
Please.
I don't think so.
Because sometimes you're justsurviving on cafecito and memes.
100%.
So what do we actually do whenwe feel like we are just
drifting?
One thing that helps me isfocusing on tiny moments.
Like micro goals and doing onesmall thing at a time, making my
(11:33):
coffee in the morning orcleaning up my office space, not
even the whole office but justmy desktop, like picking one
thing just focusing your mind ona task that's in front of you
that you can accomplish in themoment.
That gives you a little sense ofreward.
It probably does give you also alittle sense of control of
what's happening in your life,which can, have an effect on
(11:55):
your nervous system, kind ofcalms you.
Things that bring you back tothe present moment quickly, and
they're really easy to do.
I agree.
I like to put on some moodlighting, put on a nice
playlist.
It doesn't fix everything, butit does remind me that I'm a
human.
I exist and I still love thearts.
Yeah, I'm diving heavily intothe arts.
(12:17):
So it's good to sometimes diveinto the arts and remind
ourselves that one of thebiggest tools that art is used
for is often times to speak upand to express things like
frustration and grief and angerand all of the things that were
kind of being bombarded withright now.
(12:37):
Creativity is so important.
It's so essential.
And I feel like we need to do awhole episode on the power of
creativity.
To be creative in some smallway, to feed your soul something
creative, just doodle or do acrossword or coloring book or
something simple.
I mean, there's different waysto engage with it.
It doesn't have to all beserious either you can also like
(12:59):
incorporate the joy and thebeauty of the art.
And that's kind of thefundamental beauty of art.
I guess that's kind of tappinginto spirituality too, right?
I mean, tapping into any form ofspirituality is also an anchor.
An SOS tool, can be part of youremotional first aid kit.
More than anything, if you don'thave one, you should think about
creating your own mini emotionalfirst aid kit.
(13:20):
When I start to feeloverwhelmed, I start feeling
burnout or I'm checking out toomuch.
Then what are the things that Ican turn to, to help anchor me
back to myself?
What are your emotional firstaid kit things.
I have a lot, my emo it's realbig.
I need luggage for my emotionalfirst aid kit.
Definitely music, music is verycalming to me.
It's very healing and it's beena huge part of my life as a
(13:43):
healer.
Getting out in the sun, likesunlight on my face, so
important.
My dog does this, every morningpart of his routine is he goes
outside and he finds a spotwhere the sun is, and he just
stands there and he closes hiseyes and he just has the sun on
him.
So he's doing a little recharge,solar recharge.
So I learned from him many yearsago, like, oh, this is really
(14:07):
important.
I'm gonna go solar recharge fora minute.
Water has been a reallyimportant element for me in my
emotional first aid.
So, taking a shower, puttingcold water on my face or getting
a damp towel.
A cool damp towel and putting iton your forehead, that's very
calming.
One that I've been doing more oflately is putting my phone away.
(14:27):
And just getting off socials andnot watching the news, like just
turning that off for periods oftime'cause I wanna stay
informed, I wanna know what'sgoing on, and I need to
recognize when it becomes toomuch and I gotta step away.
So Mitch, what are the thingsthat are in your emotional first
aid kit?
Tacos.
(14:49):
Good food it just grounds you,it gives you that feeling of
safety and home and like I thinkit's even more beautiful when
you expand it to culturesoutside of your own too'cause
you're like appreciating othercultures.
Yeah, food making dishes,'causeI've been making a lot of food
has helped ground me.
So it kind of takes you back tochildhood sometimes.
(15:11):
100%.
Like some of my favoritememories are like at some of the
local diverse restaurants thatsurrounded where we lived, in
the greater Los Angeles area.
And that's one of the best partsof Los Angeles.
It's a melting pot of cultureand food and art and all the
wondrous stuff.
Art is another big one that Ihave on my list.
From the creation of things,working on music, enjoying
(15:36):
different shows, differentmovies.
Cinema has been a really bigthing.
I like watching movies, some ofthe movies are informative and
some of them are historicalpieces.
Playing really good recordssimilar to you, Andy.
I love listening to records allthe way through a good playlist
is always fun too.
Mood lighting, i've been reallyinto that.
Oh and you know, when you're akid and you put your legs up on
(15:58):
the wall and you sit like thatfor a while.
Mm-hmm.
I don't know if that regulatesyour nervous system.
Mm-hmm.
But I've been doing that a lot.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, cool.
Good to know.
Your body has a biologicalresponse to that, that's
calming.
It also helps with like,inflammation in the body.
I need that.
Get those cortisol levels niceand low.
Oh, and I've also been doingthis where it's like I just
(16:19):
randomly do squats.
Apparently it's really good foryour body.
They say you should move.
You know, the best form of thatis dancing.
I think you may have saidearlier is like, feelings and
emotions need to move.
We hold them and that's whatcreates the tension, discomfort,
and then the illness in ourbodies.
If you move your body, you movethose feelings through much more
(16:40):
quickly, and you can processthem easier.
And they said the best way, andour mother will probably agree
1000%, is to dance it out, shakeit out.
That's why like, there's a lotof somatic stuff where they, you
see the people just kind ofshaking their bodies.
I would prefer to do that tomusic, do a little interpretive
dance or something.
Celia Cruz.
(17:00):
Yeah, like just put on yourfavorite jam and just dance it
out.
Or like, did you ever watchGrey's Anatomy?
No.
They used have dance parties.
Just have yourself a littledance party.
Little dance break.
You can squat, you can dance itout, squat it out, crunch it
out.
Cry it out while you dance itout.
You can just shake, just shakeyour arms like you're shaking
water off of you.
There's a cool technique that Ilearned.
That is so simple.
(17:22):
And I, when I first heard it, Iwas like, this is ridiculous.
I'm not doing this.
But I did it and I was like,this is amazing.
I'm doing this all the time.
In my true nature, I'm always askeptic until I'm not.
So, you look forward, find anobject to look at in the room,
okay?
And notice your peripherals butdon't move your eyes.
Just try to expand yourperipherals and see what you can
(17:45):
see in your peripheral vision.
Like what are the things thatyou notice and how far back can
you go without moving your eyes?
Keeping them forward.
Okay.
No, you're moving your eyes Justnotice what do you see on your
peripherals and then like howfar back?
I like to put my hand out at onepoint too, to see how far back I
can see my hand before it goes.
(18:05):
Yeah, I can only see you to thebookshelf.
I can't even see my phonewindow, to the wall, to the
walls.
That tiny little exercise is oneof the fastest ways to engage
your brain in an activity thatbrings you to the present
moment.
It did.
And it stops.
It's like a stopper of that likefeeling of overwhelming stress.
(18:26):
'Cause you're really focused nowon a task, that you've given
your brain to do.
Yeah, I did feel very grounded.
It's amazing.
Here's the existential dread,it's back, i'm just kidding.
It gives you a pause but Ilearned this from, a person who
is a, like hypnotherapist.
And they were showing different,quick somatic techniques.
(18:48):
Some of them were not so quick,so I did not adopt them.
But that one I was like, oh,damn.
I really felt in the moment,like it really stopped those
feelings and allowed me a breathto focus on something else and
then came back.
It did work.
It does work.
So if you follow it along, tryit on a daily basis, it works
great, takes five seconds.
(19:08):
But don't move your eyes like Idid for a quick comment.
Do not scan the room, you justgotta stay focused Back to my
wellness list.
Wait, one last thing.
Your emotional first aid kit.
My last emotional first aid itemis snuggles of my doggy because
he's my, guardian angel.
Fur babies are the best.
So going back and thinking abouta simple daily check-in can make
(19:29):
all the difference in how you'renavigating the world right now.
And how you're getting throughyour days and doing it in a way
that's present and balancedversus overwhelmed and checked
out.
Something I practice on aregular basis, is a daily
check-in.
I like to put my hand on myheart or my belly just so like I
connect with my body'cause senseof touch kind of brings you back
to but to just take a moment andactually ask yourself how you're
(19:54):
doing.
How am I feeling emotionallyright now in this moment?
What am I actually feeling?
Am I feeling overwhelmed?
Am I feeling tired?
Am I feeling sad?
Am I feeling angry?
What am I thinking about rightnow?
Am I even paying attention toanything that I'm doing in the
moment?
And once you get that responsein a non-judging, very loving
way.
Ask yourself, what do I needright now?
(20:15):
Truly.
It could change from day to day,it could change from hour to
hour.
Like sometimes I've had peopleshare with me like, oh, what I
really need right now is just tofocus on work.
'Cause that helps me.
Or what I really right needright now is a walk, I need a
break.
Or what I really need right nowis to send memes to my sister
'cause she sends funny ones backand then we laugh.
(20:37):
What I really need right now isa chocolate chip cookie that's
warm right outta the oven.
To be able to ask yourself andanswer that to check in, it's so
critical.
Like it is such an easy toolthat I don't think we use
enough, and I really wannaencourage people to do that,
especially in today's climate.
(20:59):
Sometimes we don't realize howdisconnected we are until we
take those very necessarypauses.
Make sure that you identify whatyou need to be able to continue
on and do what you gotta do, andto feel okay.
The more you do it on a regularbasis, it helps you to notice,
before you spiral.
(21:20):
Like don't wait until you'reburnt out to do something about
it.
Don't wait until you're numb todo something about it.
This is really important that,rest and care for ourselves and
our families, and ourcommunities is essential to all
of the work and the good thatwe're trying to do in the world,
and the change that you may betrying to be a part of.
(21:41):
We gotta take care of ourselvesin each other in the process
too.
So if you do little things likethis, then you start to notice
before you spiral.
Last night I was online and Iwas deleting people from social
media.
I was in a total social spiral.
And I was like deleting allkinds of stuff and being all
kinds of mad about everything.
I finally like had to checkmyself and get off social media,
(22:04):
and stop doing that.
But it helps you recognize yourown signs for when like, okay,
now I need a break.
It's truly emotional hygiene,doing daily check-ins.
It's just like brushing yourteeth.
But instead of minty freshbreath, you get inner peace.
Maybe.
Which honestly, we all need alittle bit more of right now.
(22:27):
We do.
So let's, let's play a littlegame, shall we?
Finish this sentence.
Physically, I'm here, butmentally I am.
Narrating a dramatic monologuein my head, like I'm some kind
of cool indie film.
I'm here for that.
Mentally I'm organizing mytrauma into a color coded
(22:50):
spreadsheet or organizing mytrauma like I organized my
closet.
Mentally, I'm spiraling oversomething I said in 2008.
That's hilarious.
Which we talked about this inour introvert, episode, which if
(23:13):
you haven't listened to, you,listened to that one.
I think it's episode 11, but,the mental spiral is real.
And especially as women, we holdonto shit from like way back
when.
Yeah.
And it, all of a sudden it'lljust pop up.
And you're like, all right.
That's right.
I'm mad at that bitch for that.
Right.
Or like, I really didn't likethe way that conversation went.
Let me replay it in my head 10times right now for no fucking
(23:35):
reason.
Yeah, there's a comedian PeteHolmes and he has this bit where
he says,"You ever go to a partyand you come home and you're
like, i'm a lot, i'm not foreveryone." I'm like, yeah.
I have those moments and in myown solitude I'll be reflecting
on something that I've said andthen you just replay it, replay
it, replay it.
And I'm a classic, dissociator.
(23:57):
I'm an expert.
You're an expert.
I really am.
I'm just gonna own that as askill.
Andy is an expert.
Hashtag resume.
Yeah, i'm gonna add it to myresume.
Master dissociator.
And where I go sometimes I don'tknow.
It's like some made up shit inmy head.
Well, it's the mind mansion thatwe talked about.
(24:19):
I go to my mind mansion andstart playing around tinkering
and then it's like, oh wait, I'min a conversation, three people
right now.
I've gotten to the point in lifewhere I'll be like a little more
honest than in the past and I'llsay, I'm really sorry I just
wasn't listening.
I think I'm gonna start usingthat philosophy when people ask
me how I'm doing and when peopleare like, how are you.
(24:40):
I'm gonna say overwhelmed andfalling apart.
How are you?
That's what our cousin did to meyesterday and it really threw me
off.
I was like, Hey, how have youbeen?
I'm not doing too good.
I was like, oh.
Because you weren't prepared.
I wasn't prepared.
I didn't see that coming fromsomeone who looks so bubbly and
happy.
And honestly that's kind of why,me and Andy were talking about
(25:01):
doing this episode, it was oneof the factors is like we're
realizing how many people arejust trying to keep it together
right now.
Yeah.
We're just trying to keep, keepour head above water.
And to normalize that we're allin this together, whether we
like it or not, it's happening,but we can do maintenance as
Andy's mentioning, instead ofwaiting till the wheels fall
(25:24):
off.
And also just to know thatyou're not alone.
You and I have people.
Including each other that we cantalk to on a weekly basis and
have check-ins and just kind ofshare our ideas, our thoughts,
our feelings.
Yeah.
We have a space where we canjust word vomit all the things,
to help us process them forourselves but not everybody has
(25:47):
that.
So sometimes if you don't havethat space or you don't have
that opportunity regularly.
It can feel like you're alone.
You can feel like, man, I feellike I'm in a fog all the time,
or I'm overwhelmed all the time.
Something must be wrong with me.
And we're here to say, no, girl.
It's the state of the world.
So many of us can relate tothat.
(26:09):
There's a collective experiencethat's happening, that so many
people are experiencing, but notnecessarily talking about.
Not to bring it back to cinema,but I'm gonna do it really
quickly.
Okay.
There's a movie called Life isBeautiful and it's a really
heavy movie, but the father, inorder to protect the son is
(26:34):
always doing these really silly,frivolous things.
But it's so important.
Right?
And Andy had mentioned duringour conversations how important
joy is in the face of hardshipand adversity and sometimes even
oppression.
And sometimes being able to livein the moments of joy and
(26:55):
practice joy and trying to dofun, silly things, or dance, or
sing your heart out.
Whatever it might be to helpmove those emotions through you
to help people feel a littlesafer, to help people feel like
it's not completely out of ourcontrol.
We have to remember to try toinstill hope in the ways that we
(27:18):
can, despite being faced with alot of adversity.
And not suppress our joy.
We as a collective, we can be ina place of questioning, am I
doing enough?
Am I doing too much?
Does it matter?
Is it making a difference?
And then in doing that, we'realso then suppressing joy'cause
we might feel guilty, like wemight feel bad that we're doing
(27:40):
something joyful during a timewhen there's things that we're
witnessing that aren't joyful.
Yeah, and I would also like toadd too, like we gotta come
together and support each otherdespite what the differences of
people's capabilities are,right?
Mm-hmm.
Like some people can afford tobe in spaces that are very risky
(28:03):
and some people can't.
And I think despite that, theycan still show up and support
their communities and do whatthey can, whether it's prepping
meals or buying meals or postingresources or fact checking or
storytelling, reach differentpeople in their algorithms,
different mindsets orperspectives.
(28:25):
I mean, there's just so muchthat goes into change.
Calling your elected officials.
Yes.
Holding the legislatorsaccountable, that's a big one,
right?
And it's like we all have toremember that at the end of the
day.
People want people to have basiccivil rights and humanity and
(28:46):
dignity more so than they don't.
Mm-hmm.
And there are more people inthis world that actually want
good things for one another thanthose who are loud and currently
telling us that that's not true.
So just remember that in theface of some of these really
tense moments that we have tocome together, to try to make
(29:08):
the best possible outcome forone another.
Well said.
With that, the world's heavyright now.
Now what?
Like, you know, we didn't wannamake this episode about the
details of what's happeningbecause either, you know, or
you're gonna go online andfigure it out.
Political chaos, climatedisasters, that's another one.
(29:30):
Right?
Like what's happening in ourenvironment and earth?
Inflation.
I mean, we all broke out here.
I went to the market.
I literally was like, what am Ibuying that it costs this much
money.
It's crazy expensive.
I had one bag of things, and itwas over a hundred dollars,
that's wild.
So it's still going up andthings are getting more and more
(29:51):
expensive by the day, and theneverything that's happening in
our home state of California,it's just really hard to stay
grounded.
I don't know that it's possibleto do that all the time.
I don't think it's possibleright now to hold that standard
for yourself to consistently bethis grounded, very like put
together person.
Mm-hmm.
And I feel like if you are inthat place, then you are clearly
(30:14):
disconnected from your humanitybecause humanity is feeling the
emotions, it is feeling somesort of like stress and sadness
over some of the ugliest things.
But you can do both.
You can fill it and then dothese check-ins and take care of
yourself and take care of yourfamily and take care of your
mental health.
(30:35):
And be okay and dance and sing.
You can do it all, even thoughit feels like you can't.
Yeah.
You can care deeply and stilltake a break.
You can stay informed withoutdrowning yourself into a space
of overwhelm and disconnect.
I mean, we were looking at thestatistics and it's pretty wild
actually.
43% of adults say they're moreanxious this year than last
(30:58):
year.
And 67%, 67%, report beingsomewhat or very anxious about
current events in 2025.
I would bet that number's evenhigher.
I think that's way higher.
Yeah.
Because I think the anxiousnessis not coming from one political
spectrum.
I think it's coming fromeverywhere.
Yeah.
(31:19):
One in six U.S.
adults feel stressed everysingle day, and I would argue
it's probably four to four insix.
I would say 5.5 out of six.
It depends on where you are.
And it depends on how privilegedyou are.
Yeah.
'Cause let's be real.
If you're higher in the ranks interms of privilege, you're not
feeling a lot of the things uppeople who have to worry about
(31:42):
whether or not they're gonna beable to pay their rent or buy
food or if they have to use, anapp to pay a bill.
Yeah, I can call six adultsright now and I guarantee you
ever single one, one will saythat they're stressed.
So 25% of young adultsexperienced burnout before age
30 and I am gearing to assumethat this is gonna be much
(32:03):
higher by the end of this year.
That's wild, like our youngpeople, are really being
impacted in ways that we won'tknow the repercussions of.
90% of parents are losing sleepover caregiving stress.
And it's not just parents, it'sjust any kind of caregiver.
If you're caring for anybody.
You're not only carrying yourstuff, but you're also now
(32:24):
having to support and be thereto care for somebody else.
That's like another level ofstress.
And we were talking about thattoday too.
Yeah but to know that theseyoung people that we're caring
for as parents are also burningout at such a rapid rate before
they even reach the very startof their true adulthood.
(32:45):
Yeah, that's wild and it'sscary.
It's very sad and it just, itgoes to paint a very clear
understanding that we are at theprecipice of significant change.
There are ways that we can takecare of ourselves and our
community members and make surethat our nervous systems aren't
(33:06):
totally fritzed.
Like literally just tellingyourself that you are safe right
now because our brains don'tknow.
They don't know the differencebetween us experiencing
something in real time orwatching it on tv, or reading it
on social media.
Our reptilian brain, where ourfight or flight systems live,
(33:27):
don't know the difference.
So they're gonna kick onconstantly and that's what we're
feeling right now with ouroverwhelm.
And we don't even have to doanything physical to feel
exhausted because we're justmentally exhausted.
And for people who are findingthemselves in differing
positions, it's okay to stillremember that you have to
support your nervous system andtry to stay as grounded as
possible so that you can do thebest in those scenarios.
(33:50):
Some great tips on supporting mynervous system.
You guys ready?
There are a lot of ways you cansupport your nervous system,
which is your body's response,right?
To what's happening.
Hugging a pillow.
I do that a lot.
It does help.
Yeah.
If you have a pillow, hug them.
I mean, hug the pillow.
If you don't have a pillow, huga friend.
(34:11):
If you don't have a friend hug astranger, just make sure you ask
them first.
What is it like hugging somebodyfor 30 seconds or longer?
You, release the good hormones,the calming hormones in your
brain.
Yeah, this is true.
Slow your breathing, that'sanother one.
Obviously for all of our anxiousfriendly folks, which I know
(34:33):
that Andy has lived with this,her whole life.
And I have dabbled in the funbattle of anxiety.
Mm-hmm.
Slowing your breathing is superessential or doing those, back
to center things.
Where you tap yourself and thenyou call out something in the
space and then you tap yourself,you call something out the
space.
Where you're at so that itbrings you back to the present
(34:53):
moment and it calms you.
But also paying attention whenyou hold your breath.
We tend to not only breatheshallow, but we also will hold
our breath.
And we don't notice that, so ifyou're feeling a lot of tension
notice, pay attention.
Playing my comfort playlist, aswe've said, big fan of music and
gaming.
They use gaming, for seniorcitizens,'cause it's good for
(35:13):
your cognitive processing.
Yeah.
Keeps you sharp.
Gamers, show improved problemsolving and multitasking and
decision making skills.
Mental health benefits, 89% ofgamers, in a PlayStation survey
said gaming helps them relievestress and feel happier.
Educational games, simulations,and even Minecraft mods are used
in US classrooms to teach STEMhistory and creativity.
(35:36):
Gamers are not just playingtheir designing modding, writing
lore, and creating art, so it'sanother form of creative
expression.
Thank you for that PSA ongaming.
I just wanna advocate for all mylittle gamers out there.
Holy cow.
What about you, Andy?
I'm always trying to calm mynervous system because I'm
(35:57):
pretty sure it's just broken.
At this point.
You know what I realize readingcalms me so much and so deeply.
But it's also really hard for meto get into the groove of
reading, so focus can be reallychallenging for me, but once I
get there, it's so peaceful andI feel so calm.
(36:18):
And so that's a newer thing thatI've been incorporating a lot
more.
Even just to read for like fiveminutes.
It works Fantastic.
I love a good dramatic moment,so laying on the floor, all of a
sudden I'll just like spread outon the floor.
I won't do it at work'causethat's weird.
I mean, I would if I had to, Idon't doubt it, I would.
(36:39):
Imagine being the boss.
I was gonna yell out Starfish.
Just lay on the floor.
Everyone's starfish together inunison, as a collective.
As a collective.
I do a lot of mindful exerciseslike the one I shared with the,
like peripheral vision piece.
And other somatic things, butalso putting my phone away from
(37:00):
me.
Trying to put it in another roomand not be so dependent on it is
really helpful for regulating mynervous system.
And then reminding myself inmoments where it's appropriate
that I'm safe.
Especially if I'm like feelingreally overwhelmed.
I catch myself holding my breathand I'm just really noticing it,
the spiral happening, then it'slike, okay, let me ground myself
(37:22):
and remind, like in this momentI'm okay.
And sometimes you just have tocry it out, eat a cookie, and
then keep going.
Or scream into a pillow.
One or the other and both arefine.
Both are fine.
You can do them together.
So wherever you are physically,emotionally, spiritually, we
just wanna say thank you forshowing up even halfway, even
(37:45):
tired, even if your 100% todayis really only 35%, we see you
and we're glad you're here.
And if your nervous system isscreaming, you're not alone.
If your brain left the chat,you're not alone.
If your soul is in another timezone, you're not alone.
(38:06):
Follow us on YouTube, Spotify,or wherever you spiral
responsibly.
Leave us a review and let usknow where you are really today.
Community is how we will getthrough this, very hot,
staggering, horrible, silly,ridiculous, sometimes stupid
mess.
Catch you next time.
Bye bye.
Welcome back to Andy and Mitch,the podcast where we get real
laugh, hard and sometimes spiralbut like with flare.
We are definitely mentallyfloating somewhere between a
Pinterest board and our lastcrying session.
And while we are physically hereemotionally, we are under our
weighted blankets.
Rewatching Emily in Paris.
Because, let's be honest,sometimes our bodies show up,
(00:21):
but our minds and souls are onsabbatical.
This is our little pep talk,love note to ourselves and each
other that we wanna share withyou.
So if you are feeling theoverwhelm, don't worry, you are
not alone.
Grab your cafecito.
Let's dive in.
So we got into this wholeconversation about this that
kind of led up to this themebased on what We're just gonna
(00:46):
call out the elephant in theroom.
The state of our localcommunities in Los Angeles, in
California, Southern California,specifically.
As Latinas, from varying Latinobackgrounds, we are Americans,
we are citizens of this country.
And everything that we're seeingunfold in the news.
(01:08):
It's hard and it can take atoll.
We are very much directly andindirectly feeling the effects
of what is happening.
For different reasons that we'renot gonna get into here but
because we've layered what'shappening now in California with
what's happening in the world.
What's happening in the nation?
(01:30):
Not only have we beenexperiencing the overwhelm and
the disconnect and feeling likewe're just zoning out.
All the questions, all thethings that you're feeling, and
recognizing that we're talkingabout this, not only how we're
experiencing it, but all thepeople in our different circles
that are also experiencing it,and how it's really become this
(01:51):
bigger collective And so wedecided that we wanted to bring
it to the podcast and talk alittle bit about it.
If it's just one person thathears this and it makes a
difference for you, then we'vedone our job because we know how
it feels when you feel likeyou're the only person feeling
this way or the only person thatcan voice or express that.
(02:12):
Yeah.
And maybe not have the tools orthe space, to be seen and heard
in all of this in the ways inwhich we have, and we're very
grateful for.
We see you, we hear you.
We wanna make our grandma andour father proud because they
are rolling over in their graveswhen they see these headlines
and everything that they foughtagainst, happening.
(02:34):
In real time.
Yeah.
So having an opportunity topause and just remember the
tools that we have in our backpockets to help support us
through this.
They're essential to alsoremember that no matter how
heavy this is our ancestorstaught us during their most
(02:56):
critical moments in the historyof the stories that they told
us, or the things that we saw orwe experienced.
Whatever kind of oppression oradversity that they faced.
You know, our tias were alwaysin those kitchens, cooking,
laughing loud, dancing, singing,despite it all.
You know what I mean?
Finding a way to be anchoredback into community and family
(03:18):
and moments of joy.
And using tools that we knowinnately.
Even if it was just as simple asthem making a big feast for
everyone from what they wereable to get for the week, food
wise and then inviting everyoneto come and eat, no matter what
your background is.
Mm-hmm.
No matter what your designationis.
(03:40):
The way Mitch was justdescribing, right, the way we
grew up community was ourfamily, our neighbors, our close
friends, friends that becamefamily friends you just met that
you liked and invited over fordinner and it was like we're one
eats many eat, like there'salways enough to go around even
when there isn't a whole lot.
(04:01):
Mm-hmm.
This is our little pep talk,love note to ourselves and each
other that we wanna share withyou.
So if you are feeling theoverwhelm, don't worry, you are
not alone.
If your emotional state had anout of office reply, what would
it say?
Hi, I've received your message,but I'm currently dissociating,
(04:23):
please try again next week, nextmonth or maybe next year.
Or maybe never.
I might not float right backdown.
I think emotionally we are allon a wild ride, it's like a
roller coaster.
I mean, if you're living onplanet Earth, you're no stranger
to what's going on in the worldright now.
And if you're not living onPlanet Earth, welcome.
(04:44):
There's so many different layersthat we need to check in on.
So on a scale of one to 10, oneis like the lowest, 10 is like
functioning at your max optimallevel.
Okay.
Emotionally grounded.
I do feel emotionally grounded,kind of, oh well hang on, if I'm
(05:04):
in the presence of bad thingshappening like zero, but when
I'm not, when I'm in the safetyof my own home, I'm like at a
7.5.
I oscillate between like a threeand four to, yeah, maybe like an
eight if I feel like I'msurrounded by good people and
warmth and safety and love.
(05:26):
Yeah.
Then I feel okay, but somemoments it's questionable.
It's like every day somethingwill send you on a mini spiral.
Yeah, it's like you let off somesteam.
You kind of just let theemotions pass through you, and I
think that's the healthiestthing you can do right now, even
though it feels complete batshitcrazy.
Emotionally, sometimes, i'm likean instant pot that's been left
(05:46):
on too long, I'm about to blow,you know?
How about spiritually connected?
I think I've been veryintentional with tapping into
that part.
Okay.
Cool.
But spiritual, it doesn't meanreligious.
I'm like fist bump right there.
We just fist bumped.
Like spiritual is likeconnecting yourself to a belief
or a purpose or something thatfeels bigger than you.
(06:08):
I definitely don't feel that atall, right now, but I think it's
because my inner skeptic is likegetting the fuel it needs to
really take the reins and I'mtrying to rein it back in.
Watching things play out, it'seasy to get lost in the sauce of
it and then to feel like.
Hopeless.
Not really hopeless, but just tofeel that spiritual disconnect.
(06:31):
I might argue that becauseyou're so aware of what's
happening and how it's impactingearth and nature and humanity.
In a sense you actually are moreconnected because you're in that
level of awareness.
You know, something to explore.
Physically rested.
I'm like at a negative three Iread somewhere, and I don't know
(06:54):
where this was, but it was alegitimate source for sure cause
I read it online, obviously.
If you are consistently wakingup, I think it was after 2:00 AM
so like between three and 4:00AM on average, that, that's
directly related to anxiety.
Yes.
So, I think there's a lot of usout there that are feeling that
right now, that our sleep isbeing disrupted by all of the
(07:17):
turmoil that we're consuming.
Mm-hmm.
And just engaged in, in one way,shape, or form.
But sleep, I would love a justperfect night's sleep where I
wake up actually rested.
That would be beautiful.
Do you know where I can buy oneof those sleep pods where they
like seal you in, actually, no,I'm claustrophobic.
(07:38):
I would die in that, I would tryto use it to make it better and
then I would just die out offear being locked in.
Oh no.
Like a vampire.
It's not.
Even if you're just feeling likethe emotions, it manifests
physically, right?
So like we feel it physically,and so that physical exhaustion
is just there.
Yeah and let's talk about thatreally quickly cause how
exhausted are you on a level ofone to 10 throughout the day?
(08:00):
Physical exhaustion and mentalexhaustion combined can really
take you out.
Let's talk about this first,generally, right?
Generally.
What has been pulling us awayfrom being present?
I think the uncertainty of thefuture because if we look at the
bigger scope of everythingthat's going on The bigger
picture, it's bringing intoquestion our humanity, our
(08:22):
morals but most importantly,it's starting to create this
underlying fear that we're notsure what the future holds.
What do you think?
For me, it's a lot more of theweight of the world.
That keeps pulling me back awayfrom being present, not just
everything that's been unfoldingin the recent weeks and months.
(08:43):
As a whole but just in the waythat society has been growing
and moving at such a fast pacewith technology and
expectations, and it's justlike, it's too much, you know,
it's been burning us out andthen now we're in 2025 where we
have all these additional thingsthat are in our face all day,
(09:05):
every day and some of us areright in the middle of what's
happening across the country.
Yes.
Across the globe.
I mean, we're in California andthere's so much happening in
California right now that it'svery heavy and it's very hard.
So the weight of all of that,right?
It's like I feel like I have tolook out for everybody and I
(09:26):
have to be so vigilant and payattention to what's happening.
Trying to balance like my ownwellbeing while having to care
about everything.
It's like you become anemotional thermostat, and
sometimes it's like buffering,buffering, too many tabs are
open, too many searches arehappening at the same time.
(09:46):
And I'm like at max capacity andthen it's like you kind of go
into this freeze state for awhile.
Yeah and honestly, my brain,similar to what you're
describing is the nonstop groupchat of overthinking, wondering
if I left the oven on or ifdemocracy will ever come back.
Trying to be on all the time itfeels like we're auditioning for
(10:07):
America's Next Top Burnout.
You and I talk about this a lot,we talk about our experiences
and how we're processing thingsand we think differently about
some things, but we have spaceswhere we can go in and like just
talk about it.
This is what I'm seeing, this iswhat I'm hearing, this is what
I'm feeling, this is what I'mthinking.
Yeah.
In us creating that space, wealso create a space to normalize
(10:28):
the fact that things are notnormal.
But we also don't wanna be in aspace where we normalize the
numbing and the burning outpiece of it.
We have to like keep coming backand checking in with each other
and the people in our closecircles.
And we can also fall into thistrap of feeling guilty.
Am I doing enough?
Should I be doing more?
Should I feel guilty if I'mfeeling happy?
(10:49):
Am I'm feeling joyful?
You can get stuck in this trapof bouncing yourself back and
forth.
A lot of us, at some pointyou're walking around in just a
brain fog.
And most of us are probably nottaking care of ourselves as well
as we should be.
I'm trying, but also I'm notgonna not eat that Chinese food
plate, i'm not gonna not drinkthat coffee, you're telling me
(11:11):
that the world might end and I'mgonna not eat a brownie.
Please.
I don't think so.
Because sometimes you're justsurviving on cafecito and memes.
100%.
So what do we actually do whenwe feel like we are just
drifting?
One thing that helps me isfocusing on tiny moments.
Like micro goals and doing onesmall thing at a time, making my
(11:33):
coffee in the morning orcleaning up my office space, not
even the whole office but justmy desktop, like picking one
thing just focusing your mind ona task that's in front of you
that you can accomplish in themoment.
That gives you a little sense ofreward.
It probably does give you also alittle sense of control of
what's happening in your life,which can, have an effect on
(11:55):
your nervous system, kind ofcalms you.
Things that bring you back tothe present moment quickly, and
they're really easy to do.
I agree.
I like to put on some moodlighting, put on a nice
playlist.
It doesn't fix everything, butit does remind me that I'm a
human.
I exist and I still love thearts.
Yeah, I'm diving heavily intothe arts.
(12:17):
So it's good to sometimes diveinto the arts and remind
ourselves that one of thebiggest tools that art is used
for is often times to speak upand to express things like
frustration and grief and angerand all of the things that were
kind of being bombarded withright now.
(12:37):
Creativity is so important.
It's so essential.
And I feel like we need to do awhole episode on the power of
creativity.
To be creative in some smallway, to feed your soul something
creative, just doodle or do acrossword or coloring book or
something simple.
I mean, there's different waysto engage with it.
It doesn't have to all beserious either you can also like
(12:59):
incorporate the joy and thebeauty of the art.
And that's kind of thefundamental beauty of art.
I guess that's kind of tappinginto spirituality too, right?
I mean, tapping into any form ofspirituality is also an anchor.
An SOS tool, can be part of youremotional first aid kit.
More than anything, if you don'thave one, you should think about
creating your own mini emotionalfirst aid kit.
(13:20):
When I start to feeloverwhelmed, I start feeling
burnout or I'm checking out toomuch.
Then what are the things that Ican turn to, to help anchor me
back to myself?
What are your emotional firstaid kit things.
I have a lot, my emo it's realbig.
I need luggage for my emotionalfirst aid kit.
Definitely music, music is verycalming to me.
It's very healing and it's beena huge part of my life as a
(13:43):
healer.
Getting out in the sun, likesunlight on my face, so
important.
My dog does this, every morningpart of his routine is he goes
outside and he finds a spotwhere the sun is, and he just
stands there and he closes hiseyes and he just has the sun on
him.
So he's doing a little recharge,solar recharge.
So I learned from him many yearsago, like, oh, this is really
(14:07):
important.
I'm gonna go solar recharge fora minute.
Water has been a reallyimportant element for me in my
emotional first aid.
So, taking a shower, puttingcold water on my face or getting
a damp towel.
A cool damp towel and putting iton your forehead, that's very
calming.
One that I've been doing more oflately is putting my phone away.
(14:27):
And just getting off socials andnot watching the news, like just
turning that off for periods oftime'cause I wanna stay
informed, I wanna know what'sgoing on, and I need to
recognize when it becomes toomuch and I gotta step away.
So Mitch, what are the thingsthat are in your emotional first
aid kit?
Tacos.
(14:49):
Good food it just grounds you,it gives you that feeling of
safety and home and like I thinkit's even more beautiful when
you expand it to culturesoutside of your own too'cause
you're like appreciating othercultures.
Yeah, food making dishes,'causeI've been making a lot of food
has helped ground me.
So it kind of takes you back tochildhood sometimes.
(15:11):
100%.
Like some of my favoritememories are like at some of the
local diverse restaurants thatsurrounded where we lived, in
the greater Los Angeles area.
And that's one of the best partsof Los Angeles.
It's a melting pot of cultureand food and art and all the
wondrous stuff.
Art is another big one that Ihave on my list.
From the creation of things,working on music, enjoying
(15:36):
different shows, differentmovies.
Cinema has been a really bigthing.
I like watching movies, some ofthe movies are informative and
some of them are historicalpieces.
Playing really good recordssimilar to you, Andy.
I love listening to records allthe way through a good playlist
is always fun too.
Mood lighting, i've been reallyinto that.
Oh and you know, when you're akid and you put your legs up on
(15:58):
the wall and you sit like thatfor a while.
Mm-hmm.
I don't know if that regulatesyour nervous system.
Mm-hmm.
But I've been doing that a lot.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, cool.
Good to know.
Your body has a biologicalresponse to that, that's
calming.
It also helps with like,inflammation in the body.
I need that.
Get those cortisol levels niceand low.
Oh, and I've also been doingthis where it's like I just
(16:19):
randomly do squats.
Apparently it's really good foryour body.
They say you should move.
You know, the best form of thatis dancing.
I think you may have saidearlier is like, feelings and
emotions need to move.
We hold them and that's whatcreates the tension, discomfort,
and then the illness in ourbodies.
If you move your body, you movethose feelings through much more
(16:40):
quickly, and you can processthem easier.
And they said the best way, andour mother will probably agree
1000%, is to dance it out, shakeit out.
That's why like, there's a lotof somatic stuff where they, you
see the people just kind ofshaking their bodies.
I would prefer to do that tomusic, do a little interpretive
dance or something.
Celia Cruz.
(17:00):
Yeah, like just put on yourfavorite jam and just dance it
out.
Or like, did you ever watchGrey's Anatomy?
No.
They used have dance parties.
Just have yourself a littledance party.
Little dance break.
You can squat, you can dance itout, squat it out, crunch it
out.
Cry it out while you dance itout.
You can just shake, just shakeyour arms like you're shaking
water off of you.
There's a cool technique that Ilearned.
That is so simple.
(17:22):
And I, when I first heard it, Iwas like, this is ridiculous.
I'm not doing this.
But I did it and I was like,this is amazing.
I'm doing this all the time.
In my true nature, I'm always askeptic until I'm not.
So, you look forward, find anobject to look at in the room,
okay?
And notice your peripherals butdon't move your eyes.
Just try to expand yourperipherals and see what you can
(17:45):
see in your peripheral vision.
Like what are the things thatyou notice and how far back can
you go without moving your eyes?
Keeping them forward.
Okay.
No, you're moving your eyes Justnotice what do you see on your
peripherals and then like howfar back?
I like to put my hand out at onepoint too, to see how far back I
can see my hand before it goes.
(18:05):
Yeah, I can only see you to thebookshelf.
I can't even see my phonewindow, to the wall, to the
walls.
That tiny little exercise is oneof the fastest ways to engage
your brain in an activity thatbrings you to the present
moment.
It did.
And it stops.
It's like a stopper of that likefeeling of overwhelming stress.
(18:26):
'Cause you're really focused nowon a task, that you've given
your brain to do.
Yeah, I did feel very grounded.
It's amazing.
Here's the existential dread,it's back, i'm just kidding.
It gives you a pause but Ilearned this from, a person who
is a, like hypnotherapist.
And they were showing different,quick somatic techniques.
(18:48):
Some of them were not so quick,so I did not adopt them.
But that one I was like, oh,damn.
I really felt in the moment,like it really stopped those
feelings and allowed me a breathto focus on something else and
then came back.
It did work.
It does work.
So if you follow it along, tryit on a daily basis, it works
great, takes five seconds.
(19:08):
But don't move your eyes like Idid for a quick comment.
Do not scan the room, you justgotta stay focused Back to my
wellness list.
Wait, one last thing.
Your emotional first aid kit.
My last emotional first aid itemis snuggles of my doggy because
he's my, guardian angel.
Fur babies are the best.
So going back and thinking abouta simple daily check-in can make
(19:29):
all the difference in how you'renavigating the world right now.
And how you're getting throughyour days and doing it in a way
that's present and balancedversus overwhelmed and checked
out.
Something I practice on aregular basis, is a daily
check-in.
I like to put my hand on myheart or my belly just so like I
connect with my body'cause senseof touch kind of brings you back
to but to just take a moment andactually ask yourself how you're
(19:54):
doing.
How am I feeling emotionallyright now in this moment?
What am I actually feeling?
Am I feeling overwhelmed?
Am I feeling tired?
Am I feeling sad?
Am I feeling angry?
What am I thinking about rightnow?
Am I even paying attention toanything that I'm doing in the
moment?
And once you get that responsein a non-judging, very loving
way.
Ask yourself, what do I needright now?
(20:15):
Truly.
It could change from day to day,it could change from hour to
hour.
Like sometimes I've had peopleshare with me like, oh, what I
really need right now is just tofocus on work.
'Cause that helps me.
Or what I really right needright now is a walk, I need a
break.
Or what I really need right nowis to send memes to my sister
'cause she sends funny ones backand then we laugh.
(20:37):
What I really need right now isa chocolate chip cookie that's
warm right outta the oven.
To be able to ask yourself andanswer that to check in, it's so
critical.
Like it is such an easy toolthat I don't think we use
enough, and I really wannaencourage people to do that,
especially in today's climate.
(20:59):
Sometimes we don't realize howdisconnected we are until we
take those very necessarypauses.
Make sure that you identify whatyou need to be able to continue
on and do what you gotta do, andto feel okay.
The more you do it on a regularbasis, it helps you to notice,
before you spiral.
(21:20):
Like don't wait until you'reburnt out to do something about
it.
Don't wait until you're numb todo something about it.
This is really important that,rest and care for ourselves and
our families, and ourcommunities is essential to all
of the work and the good thatwe're trying to do in the world,
and the change that you may betrying to be a part of.
(21:41):
We gotta take care of ourselvesin each other in the process
too.
So if you do little things likethis, then you start to notice
before you spiral.
Last night I was online and Iwas deleting people from social
media.
I was in a total social spiral.
And I was like deleting allkinds of stuff and being all
kinds of mad about everything.
I finally like had to checkmyself and get off social media,
(22:04):
and stop doing that.
But it helps you recognize yourown signs for when like, okay,
now I need a break.
It's truly emotional hygiene,doing daily check-ins.
It's just like brushing yourteeth.
But instead of minty freshbreath, you get inner peace.
Maybe.
Which honestly, we all need alittle bit more of right now.
(22:27):
We do.
So let's, let's play a littlegame, shall we?
Finish this sentence.
Physically, I'm here, butmentally I am.
Narrating a dramatic monologuein my head, like I'm some kind
of cool indie film.
I'm here for that.
Mentally I'm organizing mytrauma into a color coded
(22:50):
spreadsheet or organizing mytrauma like I organized my
closet.
Mentally, I'm spiraling oversomething I said in 2008.
That's hilarious.
Which we talked about this inour introvert, episode, which if
(23:13):
you haven't listened to, you,listened to that one.
I think it's episode 11, but,the mental spiral is real.
And especially as women, we holdonto shit from like way back
when.
Yeah.
And it, all of a sudden it'lljust pop up.
And you're like, all right.
That's right.
I'm mad at that bitch for that.
Right.
Or like, I really didn't likethe way that conversation went.
Let me replay it in my head 10times right now for no fucking
(23:35):
reason.
Yeah, there's a comedian PeteHolmes and he has this bit where
he says,"You ever go to a partyand you come home and you're
like, i'm a lot, i'm not foreveryone." I'm like, yeah.
I have those moments and in myown solitude I'll be reflecting
on something that I've said andthen you just replay it, replay
it, replay it.
And I'm a classic, dissociator.
(23:57):
I'm an expert.
You're an expert.
I really am.
I'm just gonna own that as askill.
Andy is an expert.
Hashtag resume.
Yeah, i'm gonna add it to myresume.
Master dissociator.
And where I go sometimes I don'tknow.
It's like some made up shit inmy head.
Well, it's the mind mansion thatwe talked about.
(24:19):
I go to my mind mansion andstart playing around tinkering
and then it's like, oh wait, I'min a conversation, three people
right now.
I've gotten to the point in lifewhere I'll be like a little more
honest than in the past and I'llsay, I'm really sorry I just
wasn't listening.
I think I'm gonna start usingthat philosophy when people ask
me how I'm doing and when peopleare like, how are you.
(24:40):
I'm gonna say overwhelmed andfalling apart.
How are you?
That's what our cousin did to meyesterday and it really threw me
off.
I was like, Hey, how have youbeen?
I'm not doing too good.
I was like, oh.
Because you weren't prepared.
I wasn't prepared.
I didn't see that coming fromsomeone who looks so bubbly and
happy.
And honestly that's kind of why,me and Andy were talking about
(25:01):
doing this episode, it was oneof the factors is like we're
realizing how many people arejust trying to keep it together
right now.
Yeah.
We're just trying to keep, keepour head above water.
And to normalize that we're allin this together, whether we
like it or not, it's happening,but we can do maintenance as
Andy's mentioning, instead ofwaiting till the wheels fall
(25:24):
off.
And also just to know thatyou're not alone.
You and I have people.
Including each other that we cantalk to on a weekly basis and
have check-ins and just kind ofshare our ideas, our thoughts,
our feelings.
Yeah.
We have a space where we canjust word vomit all the things,
to help us process them forourselves but not everybody has
(25:47):
that.
So sometimes if you don't havethat space or you don't have
that opportunity regularly.
It can feel like you're alone.
You can feel like, man, I feellike I'm in a fog all the time,
or I'm overwhelmed all the time.
Something must be wrong with me.
And we're here to say, no, girl.
It's the state of the world.
So many of us can relate tothat.
(26:09):
There's a collective experiencethat's happening, that so many
people are experiencing, but notnecessarily talking about.
Not to bring it back to cinema,but I'm gonna do it really
quickly.
Okay.
There's a movie called Life isBeautiful and it's a really
heavy movie, but the father, inorder to protect the son is
(26:34):
always doing these really silly,frivolous things.
But it's so important.
Right?
And Andy had mentioned duringour conversations how important
joy is in the face of hardshipand adversity and sometimes even
oppression.
And sometimes being able to livein the moments of joy and
(26:55):
practice joy and trying to dofun, silly things, or dance, or
sing your heart out.
Whatever it might be to helpmove those emotions through you
to help people feel a littlesafer, to help people feel like
it's not completely out of ourcontrol.
We have to remember to try toinstill hope in the ways that we
(27:18):
can, despite being faced with alot of adversity.
And not suppress our joy.
We as a collective, we can be ina place of questioning, am I
doing enough?
Am I doing too much?
Does it matter?
Is it making a difference?
And then in doing that, we'realso then suppressing joy'cause
we might feel guilty, like wemight feel bad that we're doing
(27:40):
something joyful during a timewhen there's things that we're
witnessing that aren't joyful.
Yeah, and I would also like toadd too, like we gotta come
together and support each otherdespite what the differences of
people's capabilities are,right?
Mm-hmm.
Like some people can afford tobe in spaces that are very risky
(28:03):
and some people can't.
And I think despite that, theycan still show up and support
their communities and do whatthey can, whether it's prepping
meals or buying meals or postingresources or fact checking or
storytelling, reach differentpeople in their algorithms,
different mindsets orperspectives.
(28:25):
I mean, there's just so muchthat goes into change.
Calling your elected officials.
Yes.
Holding the legislatorsaccountable, that's a big one,
right?
And it's like we all have toremember that at the end of the
day.
People want people to have basiccivil rights and humanity and
(28:46):
dignity more so than they don't.
Mm-hmm.
And there are more people inthis world that actually want
good things for one another thanthose who are loud and currently
telling us that that's not true.
So just remember that in theface of some of these really
tense moments that we have tocome together, to try to make
(29:08):
the best possible outcome forone another.
Well said.
With that, the world's heavyright now.
Now what?
Like, you know, we didn't wannamake this episode about the
details of what's happeningbecause either, you know, or
you're gonna go online andfigure it out.
Political chaos, climatedisasters, that's another one.
(29:30):
Right?
Like what's happening in ourenvironment and earth?
Inflation.
I mean, we all broke out here.
I went to the market.
I literally was like, what am Ibuying that it costs this much
money.
It's crazy expensive.
I had one bag of things, and itwas over a hundred dollars,
that's wild.
So it's still going up andthings are getting more and more
(29:51):
expensive by the day, and theneverything that's happening in
our home state of California,it's just really hard to stay
grounded.
I don't know that it's possibleto do that all the time.
I don't think it's possibleright now to hold that standard
for yourself to consistently bethis grounded, very like put
together person.
Mm-hmm.
And I feel like if you are inthat place, then you are clearly
(30:14):
disconnected from your humanitybecause humanity is feeling the
emotions, it is feeling somesort of like stress and sadness
over some of the ugliest things.
But you can do both.
You can fill it and then dothese check-ins and take care of
yourself and take care of yourfamily and take care of your
mental health.
(30:35):
And be okay and dance and sing.
You can do it all, even thoughit feels like you can't.
Yeah.
You can care deeply and stilltake a break.
You can stay informed withoutdrowning yourself into a space
of overwhelm and disconnect.
I mean, we were looking at thestatistics and it's pretty wild
actually.
43% of adults say they're moreanxious this year than last
(30:58):
year.
And 67%, 67%, report beingsomewhat or very anxious about
current events in 2025.
I would bet that number's evenhigher.
I think that's way higher.
Yeah.
Because I think the anxiousnessis not coming from one political
spectrum.
I think it's coming fromeverywhere.
Yeah.
(31:19):
One in six U.S.
adults feel stressed everysingle day, and I would argue
it's probably four to four insix.
I would say 5.5 out of six.
It depends on where you are.
And it depends on how privilegedyou are.
Yeah.
'Cause let's be real.
If you're higher in the ranks interms of privilege, you're not
feeling a lot of the things uppeople who have to worry about
(31:42):
whether or not they're gonna beable to pay their rent or buy
food or if they have to use, anapp to pay a bill.
Yeah, I can call six adultsright now and I guarantee you
ever single one, one will saythat they're stressed.
So 25% of young adultsexperienced burnout before age
30 and I am gearing to assumethat this is gonna be much
(32:03):
higher by the end of this year.
That's wild, like our youngpeople, are really being
impacted in ways that we won'tknow the repercussions of.
90% of parents are losing sleepover caregiving stress.
And it's not just parents, it'sjust any kind of caregiver.
If you're caring for anybody.
You're not only carrying yourstuff, but you're also now
(32:24):
having to support and be thereto care for somebody else.
That's like another level ofstress.
And we were talking about thattoday too.
Yeah but to know that theseyoung people that we're caring
for as parents are also burningout at such a rapid rate before
they even reach the very startof their true adulthood.
(32:45):
Yeah, that's wild and it'sscary.
It's very sad and it just, itgoes to paint a very clear
understanding that we are at theprecipice of significant change.
There are ways that we can takecare of ourselves and our
community members and make surethat our nervous systems aren't
(33:06):
totally fritzed.
Like literally just tellingyourself that you are safe right
now because our brains don'tknow.
They don't know the differencebetween us experiencing
something in real time orwatching it on tv, or reading it
on social media.
Our reptilian brain, where ourfight or flight systems live,
(33:27):
don't know the difference.
So they're gonna kick onconstantly and that's what we're
feeling right now with ouroverwhelm.
And we don't even have to doanything physical to feel
exhausted because we're justmentally exhausted.
And for people who are findingthemselves in differing
positions, it's okay to stillremember that you have to
support your nervous system andtry to stay as grounded as
possible so that you can do thebest in those scenarios.
(33:50):
Some great tips on supporting mynervous system.
You guys ready?
There are a lot of ways you cansupport your nervous system,
which is your body's response,right?
To what's happening.
Hugging a pillow.
I do that a lot.
It does help.
Yeah.
If you have a pillow, hug them.
I mean, hug the pillow.
If you don't have a pillow, huga friend.
(34:11):
If you don't have a friend hug astranger, just make sure you ask
them first.
What is it like hugging somebodyfor 30 seconds or longer?
You, release the good hormones,the calming hormones in your
brain.
Yeah, this is true.
Slow your breathing, that'sanother one.
Obviously for all of our anxiousfriendly folks, which I know
(34:33):
that Andy has lived with this,her whole life.
And I have dabbled in the funbattle of anxiety.
Mm-hmm.
Slowing your breathing is superessential or doing those, back
to center things.
Where you tap yourself and thenyou call out something in the
space and then you tap yourself,you call something out the
space.
Where you're at so that itbrings you back to the present
(34:53):
moment and it calms you.
But also paying attention whenyou hold your breath.
We tend to not only breatheshallow, but we also will hold
our breath.
And we don't notice that, so ifyou're feeling a lot of tension
notice, pay attention.
Playing my comfort playlist, aswe've said, big fan of music and
gaming.
They use gaming, for seniorcitizens,'cause it's good for
(35:13):
your cognitive processing.
Yeah.
Keeps you sharp.
Gamers, show improved problemsolving and multitasking and
decision making skills.
Mental health benefits, 89% ofgamers, in a PlayStation survey
said gaming helps them relievestress and feel happier.
Educational games, simulations,and even Minecraft mods are used
in US classrooms to teach STEMhistory and creativity.
(35:36):
Gamers are not just playingtheir designing modding, writing
lore, and creating art, so it'sanother form of creative
expression.
Thank you for that PSA ongaming.
I just wanna advocate for all mylittle gamers out there.
Holy cow.
What about you, Andy?
I'm always trying to calm mynervous system because I'm
(35:57):
pretty sure it's just broken.
At this point.
You know what I realize readingcalms me so much and so deeply.
But it's also really hard for meto get into the groove of
reading, so focus can be reallychallenging for me, but once I
get there, it's so peaceful andI feel so calm.
(36:18):
And so that's a newer thing thatI've been incorporating a lot
more.
Even just to read for like fiveminutes.
It works Fantastic.
I love a good dramatic moment,so laying on the floor, all of a
sudden I'll just like spread outon the floor.
I won't do it at work'causethat's weird.
I mean, I would if I had to, Idon't doubt it, I would.
(36:39):
Imagine being the boss.
I was gonna yell out Starfish.
Just lay on the floor.
Everyone's starfish together inunison, as a collective.
As a collective.
I do a lot of mindful exerciseslike the one I shared with the,
like peripheral vision piece.
And other somatic things, butalso putting my phone away from
(37:00):
me.
Trying to put it in another roomand not be so dependent on it is
really helpful for regulating mynervous system.
And then reminding myself inmoments where it's appropriate
that I'm safe.
Especially if I'm like feelingreally overwhelmed.
I catch myself holding my breathand I'm just really noticing it,
the spiral happening, then it'slike, okay, let me ground myself
(37:22):
and remind, like in this momentI'm okay.
And sometimes you just have tocry it out, eat a cookie, and
then keep going.
Or scream into a pillow.
One or the other and both arefine.
Both are fine.
You can do them together.
So wherever you are physically,emotionally, spiritually, we
just wanna say thank you forshowing up even halfway, even
(37:45):
tired, even if your 100% todayis really only 35%, we see you
and we're glad you're here.
And if your nervous system isscreaming, you're not alone.
If your brain left the chat,you're not alone.
If your soul is in another timezone, you're not alone.
(38:06):
Follow us on YouTube, Spotify,or wherever you spiral
responsibly.
Leave us a review and let usknow where you are really today.
Community is how we will getthrough this, very hot,
staggering, horrible, silly,ridiculous, sometimes stupid
mess.
Catch you next time.
Bye bye.
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