November 18, 2024 • 29 mins
Unlock the secrets to maintaining mental wellness during the holiday season with insights from Dr. Keisha Davis, Montgomery County's health officer. We tackle the challenges posed by shorter days and colder weather. Dr. Davis shares practical strategies like keeping a routine, soaking up sunlight, and considering vitamin D supplements to keep your spirits high. Learn how to spot when a low mood might evolve into more severe depression and the importance of reaching out for professional support when needed.
We also delve into the art of mindful eating, encouraging you to savor each bite of holiday meals and suggest simple yet effective ways to stay physically active despite the chilly weather.
Embrace this festive season with a balance of health, wealth, and joy, supported by our insights and advice. Stay informed, cherish your loved ones, and come away with practical strategies to enjoy a healthy and joyful holiday period.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo, an
authentic unscripted podcastfrom your Montgomery County
government.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco.
It's that time of year againthe sun sets earlier, the air
gets colder, we're putting theleaves out in the street to be
collected.
It's time to be thankful.
It's time to give.
It's time to receive gifts.
It's time to give gifts.
It's that somewhat joyous timeof year for many, many of us.
(00:35):
This is a happy, happy time, atime that we're focused on
enjoying the fullness of allthat life can give.
But for some of us, there's astruggle.
There's a struggle withmaintaining our diet,
maintaining our health,maintaining the struggle that we
have with loneliness,depression, anxiety.
Well, all of us are in lucktoday because we have the
(00:57):
county's physician, dr KeishaDavis, the county's health
officer.
How are you today, dr Keisha?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I'm doing well, Derek .
Thanks for having me back.
It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Great.
Well, thank you for being here.
We have a full year ofhealthiness that we've been
working on.
You've been coming back andgiving us tips on how to eat
better, be more active, how tobe more mindful, and now we need
your help yet again.
We start off the year withkeeping our resolutions, but now
(01:28):
it's talking about keeping ushealthy through the time of year
where a lot of us arestruggling with anxiety,
depression, loneliness,excessive eating and sedentary.
Because it's time of year itgets a little colder, it gets a
little darker early so you gethome from work it's dark, so you
may not be able to take thatwalk.
(01:49):
But let's sit back and beforewe talk about the physical
health, let's talk about mentalhealth.
During this time of year,there's something called
seasonal affective disorder.
I don't know all about it.
I'm sure you know a lot moreabout it than me, and there was
this article in Newsweekentitled Seasonal Affective
(02:09):
Disorder how to Prep your Bodyand Mind for Darker Days and for
individuals with seasonalaffective disorder.
It's a type of depressionlinked to reduced seasonal light
.
These effects can beparticularly severe.
Sad, appropriately named SAD,impacts about 5% of the adults
in the United States, and thesymptoms typically emerge in the
(02:29):
fall or winter and can lastuntil spring, according to the
American Psychiatric Association.
In addition to that, there'sevidence to show as well that
many people feel a bit saddenedand depressed because of the
holiday season, which lasts fromThanksgiving all the way
through the New Year's.
What are some of the thingsthat you are aware of that
(02:54):
people are dealing with thistime of year when it comes to
mental challenges, and what aresome of the symptoms that we
might identify?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I'm so glad you're bringing this up.
This can be a really difficulttime of year for many people.
It is, you know, the media andthe images that are shown to us
on TV and in commercial oftenvery happy and celebrating the
holidays, but we know that thistime of year can be really
stressful for folks.
Celebrating the holidays, butwe know that this time of year
(03:27):
can be really stressful forfolks.
The financial stress of feelinglike they may need to buy gifts
for people on top of thealready expenses that they might
have, the expenses of traveling, the stress that might come
with being with family, theanxiety that I will recognize
that I know some folks arefeeling over the election
results.
And when you add on top of thatthe change in season, it's
(03:50):
colder, we're less able to beoutside, it's darker, and
seasonal affective disorder is areal thing.
People with that lack of accessto sunlight can really impact
people's mood.
People can feel depressed, sad,more lethargic and tired, not
having the interest in wantingto do things, not wanting to go
(04:14):
out and be with people that theytypically would want to be with
, and so part of that comes fromthat lack of sunlight.
So there are some things thatwe can do about it.
So one is trying to maintainthat regular routine.
Getting up, bright sunlight orbright light in the morning
(04:35):
helps to reset those rhythms, sowe want to still try and get
that sun exposure turn on thelights in the house in the
morning.
We know that vitamin D can behelpful.
Sometimes folks have a vitaminD deficiency.
Now we get your.
The sun helps to convertvitamin D in your body and so
when we have less sunlight thenwe're not getting as much
(05:00):
vitamin D and so vitamin Dsupplements.
Vitamin D is supplemented inmilk, but there's also pills.
It may be a conversation tohave with your doctor if they
feel like you should be testedfor a vitamin D deficiency.
So we want to maintain thatregular routine.
We want to make sure that we'regetting enough sunlight when we
can try to step outside in themiddle of the day when you, if
(05:21):
you can, we want to be sure thatwe're getting some of that
vitamin D.
And we also want to recognizewhen something is going from
just low mood to making atransition over to potential
depression.
So it's not uncommon to feel alittle bit down, a little
depressed, but if it's gettingharder and harder to get out of
(05:44):
bed.
If it's getting harder andharder to get out of bed, if
it's getting harder and harderto get through your daily
activities, if it's gettingharder and harder to meet the
demands of the things that youneed to be doing every day, if
you're starting to feel guiltyabout things, if you're starting
to have, maybe, thoughts ofsuicide or hurting yourself,
these are all things that makeus think that this is a little
(06:05):
bit more serious.
You need to be talking tosomebody.
You should consider talking toyour primary care physician or a
mental health professional,getting an extra level of
support so that you get throughthis time of year, through this
phase.
And I would say look out foryour friends and family.
If there's somebody in yourlife that you care about and
(06:28):
their mood seems to have shiftedin a way that doesn't seem good
, don't be afraid to be the onethat says, hey, are things going
okay, are things going allright?
Be the person that reaches outto them to encourage them to get
help.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Be the person that reaches out to them to encourage
them to get help to recognizethose changes that we see in our
friends and family Incredible,incredible.
And what do you think aboutwhen you're this time of year
and you have lost loved ones or,as you mentioned, the election
has just passed and you're kindof down and disappointed.
Maybe there's a bit of a lackof faith in things and the way
(07:12):
things work, and maybe you havechallenges with finances, things
of that nature?
What do you have to say topeople that are just kind of
just disappointed, um, likethey're, they're, they're
uninspired, um, they're, they'relethargic?
Some of the things that youmentioned are the things that
you can say to help people pickthemselves back up, if, if,
(07:35):
possible, or are there thingsthat they should do, um, to get
them out of the doldrums?
I know you mentioned the vitaminD, you mentioned some of the
other things, but just for thosefolks, especially for people
that, when it comes to giving,when we get to the giving part,
where you have to make thatdinner, and especially when you
(07:55):
make that huge dinner,especially when you need to
visit your relatives or maybeyou're missing a loved one, you
know, and then, as you get tothe Christmas season, we all
want to give all the gifts wewant to give the PlayStation 5s,
the Tiffany bags, you know, thecoach purses and all those
things to our loved ones, butwe're not always able to do as
(08:16):
much as we like to do, and thatcan somewhat bring a person down
.
And for many of us, beyond that, there are the basic needs that
may not be met as well.
What can you say to those folksand where can they look for
help?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So the first thing I want to do is validate that it's
okay to feel the way you feel.
It's okay to feel sad aroundthe holidays.
It's okay to miss a loved onethat may not be there with you
anymore.
It's okay to feel upset ordisappointed or excited or happy
about election results.
It's okay to feel the way youfeel.
(08:57):
And so I think I've spent a lotof time we spend a lot of time
trying to suppress our feelingsand put them to the side, like
it's not okay to feel whateverwe feel.
It's okay to feel what you feel.
It becomes a problem whenfeeling what you feel is keeping
you from being able to getthrough your day-to-day
activities.
So I can feel mad, I can feelangry, I can feel happy, I can
(09:20):
feel elated, I can feel all ofthose things, but still should
be able to get through thethings that I need to get
through in the day, and when youcan't get through those, that's
when we're starting to saythere's a problem.
We need to be reaching out forhelp.
Now you've felt those feelingsright.
Use that to drive what the nextthing is.
(09:40):
Use that to drive yourmotivation thing is Use that to
drive your motivation.
And so I'm feeling sad thatmaybe there's a loved one who's
not around the table this year.
That was there last year.
Okay, sit with that.
What am I going to do to honorthat person that's not here?
What am I going to do to notjust push it to the side like
(10:03):
that didn't happen?
How am I going to honor themand recognize that they're not
here?
Maybe it's?
You know, financial stress isreal, inflation is real, not
able to afford the things thatyou want to afford for the
holidays, and that can bringstress and tension.
Well, how can you stillcelebrate the holidays without
as much of a financial factor?
(10:24):
Celebrate the holidays withoutas much of a financial factor,
and really getting back to thetrue spirit of things is really
important.
So, feel what you feel.
It's okay to feel that and thenuse that to drive you forward.
Don't let it stand you in yourtracks.
Stop you in your tracks.
I think the other thing you know, derek, you touched on it a
little bit is around the foodpiece, right?
(10:47):
So much of our about.
Well, how am I going toapproach this day that has a
whole focus around food?
And so one recognize thatthere's anxiety about food and
(11:21):
so planning ahead for it, aboutfood, and so planning ahead for
it If you're somebody who maybeyou've got a lot of food
allergies or food sensitivities,and going to a dinner with
people who have brought all thefood from all the different
places is really challengingbecause you don't know what you
can eat yeah, plan ahead forthat.
Bring your food.
What are you going to eat sothat you are still able to the
(11:47):
other folks you know?
People talk about oh, I gainedall of this weight over the
holidays.
Thanksgiving's one day.
People didn't become obesebecause they overate on
Thanksgiving or Christmas or onHanukkah or New Year's.
People didn't.
You didn't become obese becauseyou overate one day, right.
And so if you need to giveyourself the day, give yourself
(12:08):
the day.
We've talked before aboutenjoying our food, tasting what
you eat.
Don't inhale, slow down andactually enjoy every bite.
Enjoy the pumpkin pie, sweetpotato pie, the macaroni and
cheese.
Take time to actually enjoy itand remember what it tasted like
, and so, in doing that,recognize that every day is not
(12:31):
Thanksgiving.
And so, if you're going to takethe time to pause, enjoy the
food, enjoy the meal, enjoy thepeople that you are sharing it
with.
That's what we're reallystriving for and really thinking
about that's.
One day, when you slow down,you might find that you can't
eat as much.
(12:51):
So get a small, get a smallpiece, get a smaller plate.
Those are all tips that you canhelp to to kind of get through
that day and get through dealingwith the increased food that
might be there and around us.
I think the last thing andwe've talked about this before
and it helps a lot of things,it's going to help the seasonal
affective disorder, it's goingto help the low mood, it's going
(13:12):
to help with diet is moving.
Get out and move.
And it's really hard, you know,as the days get shorter, as it
gets colder, we tend to stayinside.
We all do a little bit ofhibernating and long ago, when
we didn't have jackets and coats, we probably needed an extra
(13:33):
layer of fat to get us throughthe winter, and we'll need them
now We've got all these fancycoats and jackets and all those
things.
Get out and get moving.
Um, if you can do it in themiddle of the day, do it earlier
in the day.
It's hard to do it at night,but maybe you get a uh, a
headlight and a reflectivejacket so that you can get out
and get moving.
It makes a big difference.
(13:55):
We know that.
It helps with endorphins.
The endorphins are thatpositive hormone that gives you
positive feeling, good vibes inyour body.
So that's your natural highfrom doing that activity and
exercise.
It helps you sleep better atnight.
It helps your mind be sharperexcuse me, helps your mind be
(14:15):
sharper and, of course, it helpsto burn some of those calories.
So get moving.
That's always going to be goodadvice, even if it's just
sitting in your house doing achair video, chair yoga video do
something that's going to getyou, get you moving.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Get moving.
I like that.
I've got the chair video.
I'm here in my chair and I cando it a little bit.
Stand up every once in a while,listen to my Apple Watch and my
smart device and every so oftenget up, take a walk, get
outside during daytime, which isimportant to get the vitamin D,
because you can't get thevitamin D at night and so with
(14:52):
the day-out savings we don'thave the after five o'clock PM
to get the sunshine.
So maybe it's a walk throughlunchtime after you had a
healthy-ish meal, or maybe it'sa walk before the evening
football game on Thanksgivingafter you had your meal, in
which you planned your plateaccordingly.
And speaking of planning yourplate, so you said, maybe use a
(15:13):
smaller dish, of course, andbeing mindful, kind of eating
slowly and savoring things.
How do you portion your dish?
Because sometimes portioningI've heard I don't believe you
mentioned before portioning yourdish or planning your dish, the
way you populate your platefull of all that goodness the
mac and cheese and the cranberrysauce and the gibbets and the
(15:35):
dressing and the honey baked ham.
How can we plan our plate sothat the impact of what we're
eating is not quite as bad as itwould normally be?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So I go back to the my plate method.
Make half your plates fruitsand vegetables, a quarter grains
, a quarter protein, and so Istrategically, when I host at my
house, put the vegetables firstin line.
Everybody's very ambitious, youknow.
You fill up your place withvegetables and so those higher
(16:09):
density calorie things are atthe end of the line and there is
less room on your plate forthem.
So if you might be the onewho's hosting for the holidays,
consider strategically placingwhere the healthier foods are so
that they make it on the plate.
If you put the salad at the end, nobody's going to have room
left on their plate for thesalad.
So put the salad first so thatpeople make sure to get it.
(16:31):
Same thing with the beans andcarrots and all and the greens
that we want people to eat.
Put those up front.
So that's one thing, and youknow, thinking about the fiber
that comes in fruits andvegetables.
I think another thing thatpeople often do in preparing for
(16:52):
the holidays is they will startto fast or reduce their meal
size leading up to the holidaysbecause they're trying to save
room.
That actually ends up peopleend up eating more when they do
that, because what happens isyou've put so much emphasis on
that day of eating that peoplefeel like they're trying to make
(17:14):
up for the morning the daybefore and all of that, and end
up eating more calories thanthey would have had they just
had regular meals along the way.
So don't change your eatingpatterns.
Make half your plate fruits andvegetables.
Don't overdo it.
So eat your first plate.
Don't have everything fallingoff the plate.
(17:37):
You can get back in line, right.
You can get more stuff after.
So don't feel like you have toeat everything on the first
round.
Try, but the basis is get thosefruits and veggies.
Make sure that you're gettingthat base, that good bit of
fiber.
Secret trick is it's also goingto fill you up more.
It's going to fill you up alittle bit faster.
(17:57):
So there's a trick.
And you know turkey in and ofitself is pretty healthy.
Turkey is the star of the show.
Turkey is not going to make youoverweight either.
So don't be afraid to get thatgood protein.
All right, protein.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
All right Turkey.
All right, turkey is yourfriend.
Now, what about the friedturkey?
What about the honey baked ham?
How good, like if you had torank things on the dinner.
That's also a little bit of fun.
A little bit of fun.
This is not a doctor talkinghere.
How do you prioritize what areyour favorite foods for
Thanksgiving here?
How do you prioritize what areyour favorite foods for
(18:32):
Thanksgiving?
Take out the doctor hat.
I'm going to enjoy myself fordinner on Thanksgiving hat.
There's a plate full of food.
There's honey baked ham,there's mac and cheese, there's
stuffing, there's all theaccoutrements associated with
Thanksgiving and sometimesthere's flounder and crab meat.
What do you rank as your topthree Thanksgiving dishes?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Oh, that's a good one .
What are my, what are my top?
So I love some good greens.
So give me some kale andcollards.
I like them mixed.
You got to have some goodmacaroni and cheese.
Got to have a nice moist turkey.
I like sweet potatoes, but Idon't I like my sweet potatoes
(19:19):
roasted.
I don't like them with all ofthe marshmallows and glazed and
candied and all of that.
I know that's what everybodylikes.
And give me a good one.
And you know I, I have to haveit.
So I have to, you know,strategically place the things
on my plate so that the gravygets to the right.
So you know, the mashedpotatoes next needs to be next
(19:40):
to the stuffing, which is nextto the Turkey, so that the gravy
hits just right.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yes, all right.
And then the other half is mykale, my collards, my sweet
potatoes, all of the advice thatyou've given us to help us
shape our activity and help toshape activity for our families,
(20:15):
whether it's taking a walk,eating some vitamin D, whether
it's placing, being verythoughtful about how we organize
our dinner tables or how weformulate our plates.
Where we have fiber and fruitsand veggies taking up half our
plates, at least half our plates.
Where we have fiber and fruitsand veggies taking up half our
plates, at least half our plates, and then protein and other
(20:35):
things, uh, like the sugarysweet potatoes with the
marshmallows that I love.
So you see me coming to thetable.
Guys, be ready.
Be ready, because I'm going toenjoy thanksgiving this year.
Um, but I will be taking a walk.
Now.
There is a couple of concernsthat, of course, folks like
myself have.
This is the end of the year andpart of me is thinking in the
(20:58):
new year, I'm going to.
You know, we started off thisyear talking about the.
I'm going tos, I'm going to dobetter, I'm going to eat better,
I'm going to be healthier.
What do you say leading up Like, this is the end of the year
and we're no longer in the partof, we're not in the beginning
of the year, where people aregoing to have their resolutions
(21:19):
and stuff, but we're at the partof the year where people have
let loose or let go of many oftheir resolutions.
Is this a time that we can letgo of the old resolutions and
just have fun and let loose, ordo we double down on our
resolutions?
Do we think about those thingsthis early?
We're two months away fromJanuary.
(21:40):
We're a month and some change.
What do you think?
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You know, every day is a new day.
Right Midnight comes everysingle day and that's an
opportunity for a reset everysingle day.
You've got January 1st,february 1st, march 1st.
Every month has a first of themonth, every week has a first of
the week, and so you know in alot of ways that January 1 reset
(22:04):
is an artificial reset.
There's nothing to say thatNovember 28th can't be your
reset.
That day is somebody's birthdayand so make that day the day
that you reset.
You know, whatever is thatmotivator for you to say I need
to make a change and don't waitfor some external artificial day
(22:29):
to be the day that you make thechange.
When you're ready to make thechange, you make the change.
And if that's Tuesday at 2 pm,that's Tuesday at 2 pm.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
All right, all right, so you're saying we have no
bounds or limitations when itcomes to starting our fitness
journey, or reinvesting in ourfitness journey, or
re-re-re-investing in ourfitness journeys, or maintaining
our health?
We don't have to wait untiljanuary.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
we can start tomorrow , we can start friday, we start
the day after thanksgiving, aswe we walk through all the malls
and and buy all the things thatwe need and don't need and if
you know, I'll say hey, you know, maybe you started the year on
track and then fell off track,and should I get back on track
or just wait till the next thing?
I heard this quote once and Ican't take credit for it, but
(23:17):
I'll share it.
If one day you get up andyou're driving to work and you
run through a stoplight, youdon't say well, I ran through
one stoplight today, so I guessI'm going to run through every
other stoplight today.
No, you see, I messed up thenext one.
I'm going to pay betterattention.
And so I think, it's like thatwith diet.
(23:38):
It's like that with exercise.
It's like that with all ourgoals.
You start on the past, you dothe best you can, you mess up,
you get back on track and youkeep going.
And it doesn't matter that youmessed up yesterday or last
month or last week.
If it's still a goal that youwant to achieve, then you get
back on and you keep trying.
And if you find that you'remessing up again and again and
not staying on this track, it'stime to take a really hard look
(24:01):
and say what's getting in theway of my success and let's
start to work on moving some ofthose barriers, because trying
to do something but out withoutsetting up your life to actually
do it is just lying to yourselfand it's going to create
frustration and you know all ofthe things.
Looking at the scale, that'snot going to make a change.
(24:22):
So sometimes it takes saying Iam recommitting to goal.
This is still something that Iwant to do and if it is, then
what are the things that I'mgoing to do, that I'm going to
put in place to make it happen?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
All right, all right.
And when it comes to gettinghelp, there's a website.
The county has Health and HumanServices website where they can
find some assistance and almostimmediately on the HHS website
there's assistance that'sreadily available that people
can look to Everything.
Sometimes you can't find allthe support that you need
(24:55):
internally.
Sometimes you need a little bitof help, right yeah.
And when it comes to thatlittle bit of help, the county
does have this website available, which is MontgomeryCountyMDgov
.
Forward slash, hhs, or as abackslash, depending on how you
look at it.
Just look at it there.
(25:16):
There's numbers right thereavailable for the crisis center.
If you find yourself or yourfamily in a crisis, you can dial
240-777-4000.
You don't always need to call911.
If there's a family mentalhealth emergency, I think that's
maybe one of the first placesyou start.
(25:36):
There's also items or numbersin there to get assistance for
people that are facing abuse orneglect.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
I'll also highlight the number 988 um, which is
mental health emergencies.
So if you are um, you can callor text 988 uh suicide
prevention hotline.
If you are feeling like thingsare getting to be too much, you
can call that number.
They will help and reach out.
Um, the crisis center, also asuh as was is a great resource.
(26:09):
So feel your feelings.
It's okay to not be okay, butif not being okay is getting in
the way, then it might be timeto reach out for some help.
Don't be afraid to phone afriend and don't be afraid to be
the friend who recognizes thatyour friend needs help.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's right, and don't be afraid to ask the
question.
What's happening, MoCo?
And that's what.
That's what's happening rightTaking care of yourself, getting
help as needed, being a being,a help and being a resource to
loved ones as well.
Helping to identify that.
You know, sometimes we can't seeourselves, Sometimes we don't
know that we're exhibitingcharacteristics of depression or
(26:50):
other things where we might beseeking help or we might need
help.
We don't know how to get help.
Sometimes that help comes fromsomeone else.
Now, that's a hard thing totalk about, because in our
community because, well, I'mgoing to say in my community,
African-American communitythere's this thing called
snitching and you don't want tocall someone on someone else
(27:10):
because you think they are goingto hurt themselves, but you
don't want to wait until aftersomeone has hurt themselves or
taken themselves out of the gameto make that phone call.
So what do you say to peoplethat are hesitant to make the
call themselves to helpthemselves, to get maybe therapy
or counseling or some help,even during a crisis or during
(27:35):
an ongoing season of challenges,or that needs to call for
someone else?
It's a hard call to make.
What do you say to encouragethose folks?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
You know all the folks that I know that have
wrestled with that.
Should I call?
Should I get help?
Just when they finally make thecall, nine times out of 10,
what they say is I wish I'dcalled sooner.
There is support out there foryou and the.
You know all of the otherthings, the stigma that comes,
(28:11):
the wanting to be strong.
The.
You know not wanting to get inother people's business.
When a loved one is in crisis,you wish that you had called,
and when you yourself are incrisis, the folks.
The regret that people have isthat they let themselves sit in
it longer than they should haveor could have.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Wow, well, thank you.
Thank you, dr Keisha, for those, those wise words and all the
great advice that you providedus today.
Really, really appreciate it.
And that's what's happening inOCO Take care of yourselves this
holiday, enjoy yourselves.
This holiday.
You can enjoy yourself andstill be healthy, wealthy or
wise, healthy mentally andphysically.
Get out there, hug your lovedones, eat the food, be
(28:57):
thoughtful as you eat the foodand, as always, ask the question
what's happening, moco?
Be sure to subscribe and shareand have a happy, happy holiday
season.
More to come soon.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, MoCo.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram or YouTube
(29:32):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo, an
authentic unscripted podcastfrom your Montgomery County
government.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco.
It's that time of year againthe sun sets earlier, the air
gets colder, we're putting theleaves out in the street to be
collected.
It's time to be thankful.
It's time to give.
It's time to receive gifts.
It's time to give gifts.
It's that somewhat joyous timeof year for many, many of us.
(00:35):
This is a happy, happy time, atime that we're focused on
enjoying the fullness of allthat life can give.
But for some of us, there's astruggle.
There's a struggle withmaintaining our diet,
maintaining our health,maintaining the struggle that we
have with loneliness,depression, anxiety.
Well, all of us are in lucktoday because we have the
(00:57):
county's physician, dr KeishaDavis, the county's health
officer.
How are you today, dr Keisha?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I'm doing well, Derek .
Thanks for having me back.
It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Great.
Well, thank you for being here.
We have a full year ofhealthiness that we've been
working on.
You've been coming back andgiving us tips on how to eat
better, be more active, how tobe more mindful, and now we need
your help yet again.
We start off the year withkeeping our resolutions, but now
(01:28):
it's talking about keeping ushealthy through the time of year
where a lot of us arestruggling with anxiety,
depression, loneliness,excessive eating and sedentary.
Because it's time of year itgets a little colder, it gets a
little darker early so you gethome from work it's dark, so you
may not be able to take thatwalk.
(01:49):
But let's sit back and beforewe talk about the physical
health, let's talk about mentalhealth.
During this time of year,there's something called
seasonal affective disorder.
I don't know all about it.
I'm sure you know a lot moreabout it than me, and there was
this article in Newsweekentitled Seasonal Affective
(02:09):
Disorder how to Prep your Bodyand Mind for Darker Days and for
individuals with seasonalaffective disorder.
It's a type of depressionlinked to reduced seasonal light
.
These effects can beparticularly severe.
Sad, appropriately named SAD,impacts about 5% of the adults
in the United States, and thesymptoms typically emerge in the
(02:29):
fall or winter and can lastuntil spring, according to the
American Psychiatric Association.
In addition to that, there'sevidence to show as well that
many people feel a bit saddenedand depressed because of the
holiday season, which lasts fromThanksgiving all the way
through the New Year's.
What are some of the thingsthat you are aware of that
(02:54):
people are dealing with thistime of year when it comes to
mental challenges, and what aresome of the symptoms that we
might identify?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I'm so glad you're bringing this up.
This can be a really difficulttime of year for many people.
It is, you know, the media andthe images that are shown to us
on TV and in commercial oftenvery happy and celebrating the
holidays, but we know that thistime of year can be really
stressful for folks.
Celebrating the holidays, butwe know that this time of year
(03:27):
can be really stressful forfolks.
The financial stress of feelinglike they may need to buy gifts
for people on top of thealready expenses that they might
have, the expenses of traveling, the stress that might come
with being with family, theanxiety that I will recognize
that I know some folks arefeeling over the election
results.
And when you add on top of thatthe change in season, it's
(03:50):
colder, we're less able to beoutside, it's darker, and
seasonal affective disorder is areal thing.
People with that lack of accessto sunlight can really impact
people's mood.
People can feel depressed, sad,more lethargic and tired, not
having the interest in wantingto do things, not wanting to go
(04:14):
out and be with people that theytypically would want to be with
, and so part of that comes fromthat lack of sunlight.
So there are some things thatwe can do about it.
So one is trying to maintainthat regular routine.
Getting up, bright sunlight orbright light in the morning
(04:35):
helps to reset those rhythms, sowe want to still try and get
that sun exposure turn on thelights in the house in the
morning.
We know that vitamin D can behelpful.
Sometimes folks have a vitaminD deficiency.
Now we get your.
The sun helps to convertvitamin D in your body and so
when we have less sunlight thenwe're not getting as much
(05:00):
vitamin D and so vitamin Dsupplements.
Vitamin D is supplemented inmilk, but there's also pills.
It may be a conversation tohave with your doctor if they
feel like you should be testedfor a vitamin D deficiency.
So we want to maintain thatregular routine.
We want to make sure that we'regetting enough sunlight when we
can try to step outside in themiddle of the day when you, if
(05:21):
you can, we want to be sure thatwe're getting some of that
vitamin D.
And we also want to recognizewhen something is going from
just low mood to making atransition over to potential
depression.
So it's not uncommon to feel alittle bit down, a little
depressed, but if it's gettingharder and harder to get out of
(05:44):
bed.
If it's getting harder andharder to get out of bed, if
it's getting harder and harderto get through your daily
activities, if it's gettingharder and harder to meet the
demands of the things that youneed to be doing every day, if
you're starting to feel guiltyabout things, if you're starting
to have, maybe, thoughts ofsuicide or hurting yourself,
these are all things that makeus think that this is a little
(06:05):
bit more serious.
You need to be talking tosomebody.
You should consider talking toyour primary care physician or a
mental health professional,getting an extra level of
support so that you get throughthis time of year, through this
phase.
And I would say look out foryour friends and family.
If there's somebody in yourlife that you care about and
(06:28):
their mood seems to have shiftedin a way that doesn't seem good
, don't be afraid to be the onethat says, hey, are things going
okay, are things going allright?
Be the person that reaches outto them to encourage them to get
help.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Be the person that reaches out to them to encourage
them to get help to recognizethose changes that we see in our
friends and family Incredible,incredible.
And what do you think aboutwhen you're this time of year
and you have lost loved ones or,as you mentioned, the election
has just passed and you're kindof down and disappointed.
Maybe there's a bit of a lackof faith in things and the way
(07:12):
things work, and maybe you havechallenges with finances, things
of that nature?
What do you have to say topeople that are just kind of
just disappointed, um, likethey're, they're, they're
uninspired, um, they're, they'relethargic?
Some of the things that youmentioned are the things that
you can say to help people pickthemselves back up, if, if,
(07:35):
possible, or are there thingsthat they should do, um, to get
them out of the doldrums?
I know you mentioned the vitaminD, you mentioned some of the
other things, but just for thosefolks, especially for people
that, when it comes to giving,when we get to the giving part,
where you have to make thatdinner, and especially when you
(07:55):
make that huge dinner,especially when you need to
visit your relatives or maybeyou're missing a loved one, you
know, and then, as you get tothe Christmas season, we all
want to give all the gifts wewant to give the PlayStation 5s,
the Tiffany bags, you know, thecoach purses and all those
things to our loved ones, butwe're not always able to do as
(08:16):
much as we like to do, and thatcan somewhat bring a person down
.
And for many of us, beyond that, there are the basic needs that
may not be met as well.
What can you say to those folksand where can they look for
help?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So the first thing I want to do is validate that it's
okay to feel the way you feel.
It's okay to feel sad aroundthe holidays.
It's okay to miss a loved onethat may not be there with you
anymore.
It's okay to feel upset ordisappointed or excited or happy
about election results.
It's okay to feel the way youfeel.
(08:57):
And so I think I've spent a lotof time we spend a lot of time
trying to suppress our feelingsand put them to the side, like
it's not okay to feel whateverwe feel.
It's okay to feel what you feel.
It becomes a problem whenfeeling what you feel is keeping
you from being able to getthrough your day-to-day
activities.
So I can feel mad, I can feelangry, I can feel happy, I can
(09:20):
feel elated, I can feel all ofthose things, but still should
be able to get through thethings that I need to get
through in the day, and when youcan't get through those, that's
when we're starting to saythere's a problem.
We need to be reaching out forhelp.
Now you've felt those feelingsright.
Use that to drive what the nextthing is.
(09:40):
Use that to drive yourmotivation thing is Use that to
drive your motivation.
And so I'm feeling sad thatmaybe there's a loved one who's
not around the table this year.
That was there last year.
Okay, sit with that.
What am I going to do to honorthat person that's not here?
What am I going to do to notjust push it to the side like
(10:03):
that didn't happen?
How am I going to honor themand recognize that they're not
here?
Maybe it's?
You know, financial stress isreal, inflation is real, not
able to afford the things thatyou want to afford for the
holidays, and that can bringstress and tension.
Well, how can you stillcelebrate the holidays without
as much of a financial factor?
(10:24):
Celebrate the holidays withoutas much of a financial factor,
and really getting back to thetrue spirit of things is really
important.
So, feel what you feel.
It's okay to feel that and thenuse that to drive you forward.
Don't let it stand you in yourtracks.
Stop you in your tracks.
I think the other thing you know, derek, you touched on it a
little bit is around the foodpiece, right?
(10:47):
So much of our about.
Well, how am I going toapproach this day that has a
whole focus around food?
And so one recognize thatthere's anxiety about food and
(11:21):
so planning ahead for it, aboutfood, and so planning ahead for
it If you're somebody who maybeyou've got a lot of food
allergies or food sensitivities,and going to a dinner with
people who have brought all thefood from all the different
places is really challengingbecause you don't know what you
can eat yeah, plan ahead forthat.
Bring your food.
What are you going to eat sothat you are still able to the
(11:47):
other folks you know?
People talk about oh, I gainedall of this weight over the
holidays.
Thanksgiving's one day.
People didn't become obesebecause they overate on
Thanksgiving or Christmas or onHanukkah or New Year's.
People didn't.
You didn't become obese becauseyou overate one day, right.
And so if you need to giveyourself the day, give yourself
(12:08):
the day.
We've talked before aboutenjoying our food, tasting what
you eat.
Don't inhale, slow down andactually enjoy every bite.
Enjoy the pumpkin pie, sweetpotato pie, the macaroni and
cheese.
Take time to actually enjoy itand remember what it tasted like
, and so, in doing that,recognize that every day is not
(12:31):
Thanksgiving.
And so, if you're going to takethe time to pause, enjoy the
food, enjoy the meal, enjoy thepeople that you are sharing it
with.
That's what we're reallystriving for and really thinking
about that's.
One day, when you slow down,you might find that you can't
eat as much.
(12:51):
So get a small, get a smallpiece, get a smaller plate.
Those are all tips that you canhelp to to kind of get through
that day and get through dealingwith the increased food that
might be there and around us.
I think the last thing andwe've talked about this before
and it helps a lot of things,it's going to help the seasonal
affective disorder, it's goingto help the low mood, it's going
(13:12):
to help with diet is moving.
Get out and move.
And it's really hard, you know,as the days get shorter, as it
gets colder, we tend to stayinside.
We all do a little bit ofhibernating and long ago, when
we didn't have jackets and coats, we probably needed an extra
(13:33):
layer of fat to get us throughthe winter, and we'll need them
now We've got all these fancycoats and jackets and all those
things.
Get out and get moving.
Um, if you can do it in themiddle of the day, do it earlier
in the day.
It's hard to do it at night,but maybe you get a uh, a
headlight and a reflectivejacket so that you can get out
and get moving.
It makes a big difference.
(13:55):
We know that.
It helps with endorphins.
The endorphins are thatpositive hormone that gives you
positive feeling, good vibes inyour body.
So that's your natural highfrom doing that activity and
exercise.
It helps you sleep better atnight.
It helps your mind be sharperexcuse me, helps your mind be
(14:15):
sharper and, of course, it helpsto burn some of those calories.
So get moving.
That's always going to be goodadvice, even if it's just
sitting in your house doing achair video, chair yoga video do
something that's going to getyou, get you moving.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Get moving.
I like that.
I've got the chair video.
I'm here in my chair and I cando it a little bit.
Stand up every once in a while,listen to my Apple Watch and my
smart device and every so oftenget up, take a walk, get
outside during daytime, which isimportant to get the vitamin D,
because you can't get thevitamin D at night and so with
(14:52):
the day-out savings we don'thave the after five o'clock PM
to get the sunshine.
So maybe it's a walk throughlunchtime after you had a
healthy-ish meal, or maybe it'sa walk before the evening
football game on Thanksgivingafter you had your meal, in
which you planned your plateaccordingly.
And speaking of planning yourplate, so you said, maybe use a
(15:13):
smaller dish, of course, andbeing mindful, kind of eating
slowly and savoring things.
How do you portion your dish?
Because sometimes portioningI've heard I don't believe you
mentioned before portioning yourdish or planning your dish, the
way you populate your platefull of all that goodness the
mac and cheese and the cranberrysauce and the gibbets and the
(15:35):
dressing and the honey baked ham.
How can we plan our plate sothat the impact of what we're
eating is not quite as bad as itwould normally be?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So I go back to the my plate method.
Make half your plates fruitsand vegetables, a quarter grains
, a quarter protein, and so Istrategically, when I host at my
house, put the vegetables firstin line.
Everybody's very ambitious, youknow.
You fill up your place withvegetables and so those higher
(16:09):
density calorie things are atthe end of the line and there is
less room on your plate forthem.
So if you might be the onewho's hosting for the holidays,
consider strategically placingwhere the healthier foods are so
that they make it on the plate.
If you put the salad at the end, nobody's going to have room
left on their plate for thesalad.
So put the salad first so thatpeople make sure to get it.
(16:31):
Same thing with the beans andcarrots and all and the greens
that we want people to eat.
Put those up front.
So that's one thing, and youknow, thinking about the fiber
that comes in fruits andvegetables.
I think another thing thatpeople often do in preparing for
(16:52):
the holidays is they will startto fast or reduce their meal
size leading up to the holidaysbecause they're trying to save
room.
That actually ends up peopleend up eating more when they do
that, because what happens isyou've put so much emphasis on
that day of eating that peoplefeel like they're trying to make
(17:14):
up for the morning the daybefore and all of that, and end
up eating more calories thanthey would have had they just
had regular meals along the way.
So don't change your eatingpatterns.
Make half your plate fruits andvegetables.
Don't overdo it.
So eat your first plate.
Don't have everything fallingoff the plate.
(17:37):
You can get back in line, right.
You can get more stuff after.
So don't feel like you have toeat everything on the first
round.
Try, but the basis is get thosefruits and veggies.
Make sure that you're gettingthat base, that good bit of
fiber.
Secret trick is it's also goingto fill you up more.
It's going to fill you up alittle bit faster.
(17:57):
So there's a trick.
And you know turkey in and ofitself is pretty healthy.
Turkey is the star of the show.
Turkey is not going to make youoverweight either.
So don't be afraid to get thatgood protein.
All right, protein.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
All right Turkey.
All right, turkey is yourfriend.
Now, what about the friedturkey?
What about the honey baked ham?
How good, like if you had torank things on the dinner.
That's also a little bit of fun.
A little bit of fun.
This is not a doctor talkinghere.
How do you prioritize what areyour favorite foods for
Thanksgiving here?
How do you prioritize what areyour favorite foods for
(18:32):
Thanksgiving?
Take out the doctor hat.
I'm going to enjoy myself fordinner on Thanksgiving hat.
There's a plate full of food.
There's honey baked ham,there's mac and cheese, there's
stuffing, there's all theaccoutrements associated with
Thanksgiving and sometimesthere's flounder and crab meat.
What do you rank as your topthree Thanksgiving dishes?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Oh, that's a good one .
What are my, what are my top?
So I love some good greens.
So give me some kale andcollards.
I like them mixed.
You got to have some goodmacaroni and cheese.
Got to have a nice moist turkey.
I like sweet potatoes, but Idon't I like my sweet potatoes
(19:19):
roasted.
I don't like them with all ofthe marshmallows and glazed and
candied and all of that.
I know that's what everybodylikes.
And give me a good one.
And you know I, I have to haveit.
So I have to, you know,strategically place the things
on my plate so that the gravygets to the right.
So you know, the mashedpotatoes next needs to be next
(19:40):
to the stuffing, which is nextto the Turkey, so that the gravy
hits just right.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yes, all right.
And then the other half is mykale, my collards, my sweet
potatoes, all of the advice thatyou've given us to help us
shape our activity and help toshape activity for our families,
(20:15):
whether it's taking a walk,eating some vitamin D, whether
it's placing, being verythoughtful about how we organize
our dinner tables or how weformulate our plates.
Where we have fiber and fruitsand veggies taking up half our
plates, at least half our plates.
Where we have fiber and fruitsand veggies taking up half our
plates, at least half our plates, and then protein and other
(20:35):
things, uh, like the sugarysweet potatoes with the
marshmallows that I love.
So you see me coming to thetable.
Guys, be ready.
Be ready, because I'm going toenjoy thanksgiving this year.
Um, but I will be taking a walk.
Now.
There is a couple of concernsthat, of course, folks like
myself have.
This is the end of the year andpart of me is thinking in the
(20:58):
new year, I'm going to.
You know, we started off thisyear talking about the.
I'm going tos, I'm going to dobetter, I'm going to eat better,
I'm going to be healthier.
What do you say leading up Like, this is the end of the year
and we're no longer in the partof, we're not in the beginning
of the year, where people aregoing to have their resolutions
(21:19):
and stuff, but we're at the partof the year where people have
let loose or let go of many oftheir resolutions.
Is this a time that we can letgo of the old resolutions and
just have fun and let loose, ordo we double down on our
resolutions?
Do we think about those thingsthis early?
We're two months away fromJanuary.
(21:40):
We're a month and some change.
What do you think?
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You know, every day is a new day.
Right Midnight comes everysingle day and that's an
opportunity for a reset everysingle day.
You've got January 1st,february 1st, march 1st.
Every month has a first of themonth, every week has a first of
the week, and so you know in alot of ways that January 1 reset
(22:04):
is an artificial reset.
There's nothing to say thatNovember 28th can't be your
reset.
That day is somebody's birthdayand so make that day the day
that you reset.
You know, whatever is thatmotivator for you to say I need
to make a change and don't waitfor some external artificial day
(22:29):
to be the day that you make thechange.
When you're ready to make thechange, you make the change.
And if that's Tuesday at 2 pm,that's Tuesday at 2 pm.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
All right, all right, so you're saying we have no
bounds or limitations when itcomes to starting our fitness
journey, or reinvesting in ourfitness journey, or
re-re-re-investing in ourfitness journeys, or maintaining
our health?
We don't have to wait untiljanuary.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
we can start tomorrow , we can start friday, we start
the day after thanksgiving, aswe we walk through all the malls
and and buy all the things thatwe need and don't need and if
you know, I'll say hey, you know, maybe you started the year on
track and then fell off track,and should I get back on track
or just wait till the next thing?
I heard this quote once and Ican't take credit for it, but
(23:17):
I'll share it.
If one day you get up andyou're driving to work and you
run through a stoplight, youdon't say well, I ran through
one stoplight today, so I guessI'm going to run through every
other stoplight today.
No, you see, I messed up thenext one.
I'm going to pay betterattention.
And so I think, it's like thatwith diet.
(23:38):
It's like that with exercise.
It's like that with all ourgoals.
You start on the past, you dothe best you can, you mess up,
you get back on track and youkeep going.
And it doesn't matter that youmessed up yesterday or last
month or last week.
If it's still a goal that youwant to achieve, then you get
back on and you keep trying.
And if you find that you'remessing up again and again and
not staying on this track, it'stime to take a really hard look
(24:01):
and say what's getting in theway of my success and let's
start to work on moving some ofthose barriers, because trying
to do something but out withoutsetting up your life to actually
do it is just lying to yourselfand it's going to create
frustration and you know all ofthe things.
Looking at the scale, that'snot going to make a change.
(24:22):
So sometimes it takes saying Iam recommitting to goal.
This is still something that Iwant to do and if it is, then
what are the things that I'mgoing to do, that I'm going to
put in place to make it happen?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
All right, all right.
And when it comes to gettinghelp, there's a website.
The county has Health and HumanServices website where they can
find some assistance and almostimmediately on the HHS website
there's assistance that'sreadily available that people
can look to Everything.
Sometimes you can't find allthe support that you need
(24:55):
internally.
Sometimes you need a little bitof help, right yeah.
And when it comes to thatlittle bit of help, the county
does have this website available, which is MontgomeryCountyMDgov
.
Forward slash, hhs, or as abackslash, depending on how you
look at it.
Just look at it there.
(25:16):
There's numbers right thereavailable for the crisis center.
If you find yourself or yourfamily in a crisis, you can dial
240-777-4000.
You don't always need to call911.
If there's a family mentalhealth emergency, I think that's
maybe one of the first placesyou start.
(25:36):
There's also items or numbersin there to get assistance for
people that are facing abuse orneglect.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
I'll also highlight the number 988 um, which is
mental health emergencies.
So if you are um, you can callor text 988 uh suicide
prevention hotline.
If you are feeling like thingsare getting to be too much, you
can call that number.
They will help and reach out.
Um, the crisis center, also asuh as was is a great resource.
(26:09):
So feel your feelings.
It's okay to not be okay, butif not being okay is getting in
the way, then it might be timeto reach out for some help.
Don't be afraid to phone afriend and don't be afraid to be
the friend who recognizes thatyour friend needs help.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's right, and don't be afraid to ask the
question.
What's happening, MoCo?
And that's what.
That's what's happening rightTaking care of yourself, getting
help as needed, being a being,a help and being a resource to
loved ones as well.
Helping to identify that.
You know, sometimes we can't seeourselves, Sometimes we don't
know that we're exhibitingcharacteristics of depression or
(26:50):
other things where we might beseeking help or we might need
help.
We don't know how to get help.
Sometimes that help comes fromsomeone else.
Now, that's a hard thing totalk about, because in our
community because, well, I'mgoing to say in my community,
African-American communitythere's this thing called
snitching and you don't want tocall someone on someone else
(27:10):
because you think they are goingto hurt themselves, but you
don't want to wait until aftersomeone has hurt themselves or
taken themselves out of the gameto make that phone call.
So what do you say to peoplethat are hesitant to make the
call themselves to helpthemselves, to get maybe therapy
or counseling or some help,even during a crisis or during
(27:35):
an ongoing season of challenges,or that needs to call for
someone else?
It's a hard call to make.
What do you say to encouragethose folks?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
You know all the folks that I know that have
wrestled with that.
Should I call?
Should I get help?
Just when they finally make thecall, nine times out of 10,
what they say is I wish I'dcalled sooner.
There is support out there foryou and the.
You know all of the otherthings, the stigma that comes,
(28:11):
the wanting to be strong.
The.
You know not wanting to get inother people's business.
When a loved one is in crisis,you wish that you had called,
and when you yourself are incrisis, the folks.
The regret that people have isthat they let themselves sit in
it longer than they should haveor could have.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Wow, well, thank you.
Thank you, dr Keisha, for those, those wise words and all the
great advice that you providedus today.
Really, really appreciate it.
And that's what's happening inOCO Take care of yourselves this
holiday, enjoy yourselves.
This holiday.
You can enjoy yourself andstill be healthy, wealthy or
wise, healthy mentally andphysically.
Get out there, hug your lovedones, eat the food, be
(28:57):
thoughtful as you eat the foodand, as always, ask the question
what's happening, moco?
Be sure to subscribe and shareand have a happy, happy holiday
season.
More to come soon.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, MoCo.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram or YouTube
(29:32):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
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