Now this is the FCB Podcast Network, This is the Jeff Glory and Nick Show. Welcome to the Jeff Glori and Nick Show. And we are going to continue with our guest, one of our former guests, mister Bill Hebbell, who is the Client Rights Officer for the Adams Board of Cuyahoga County. And we've been talking about mental health and of course that's a subject that's on everyone's mind and everyone has someone in their circle who is dealing with issues of mental health, could even be in their own household. So we're going to continue with our guest, Bill, how are you today? Excellent, good morning, How are you doing great? Doing great? Yeah, you know, the holidays and the winter months seeing to bring a lot of issues with focusing the struggle with all different mental health and issues of life. What about children, we'd like to just talk about some of the things that affect children. Let's talk about children and the holidays, you know, and after holidays and COVID we're dealing with all of this. Can you tell us a little bit about that speak on that Yeah, absolutely absolutely, Well, just like us, you know, children, youth, teenagers, they experience stress just the way we do. You know, sometimes it can manifest differently, but you know, we need to be mindful that, you know, our our children and our youth, you know, can experience stress just the same way we do. Some of the best things that we can do, you know, as as guardians or parents or caregivers or family members or friends or you know. However, the children and youth, you know, manifest in our lives is to be just you know, mindful of any of the stress or discomfort they may be experiencing. And you know, particularly around the holiday time, particularly particularly around the winter time. You know, we want to be mindful of that. You know, there's different things that we can look for. You know, one of the biggest ones when it comes to our children and our youth is is to be mindful of any behavior changes or you know, any change in you know, attitude or you know, feelings and emotions and things like that, particularly in our younger children. We want to look for, you know, things that may involve excessive crying or you know, excessive tantrums or you know, excessive sadness or depression. That latter part also can certainly apply to teenagers. You know, any kind of reverting back to you know, older behaviors, you know, things such as you know, ped wetting or toileting accidents, you know, things like that, things that would be out of character. You know, for our children, you know, these are kind of signs, you know that they may be experiencing some additional stress. And these are signs, you know, are ways that we can be helpful and perhaps inter being when we see these things in our children, what kind of action should we take? So, I mean, really the absolutely one of the best things that we can do, of course, you know, being mindful, you know, making sure that we're paying attention, you know, to any of these behavior changes, and sometimes they may be kind of minimal, they may be kind of small. So the best thing we can do is making sure we're touching base with our youth and our children, you know, making sure we're talking to them on their level, you know, making sure that there's a safe place where they can express their feelings and emotions. You know, children and youth, they have feelings and emotions just the same the same as we do, and their feelings and emotions are just as valid as ours. So we're wanting to give them that safe space where they can you know, express those feelings, express those thoughts, let you know, let the adults and caregivers in their lives know how they're feeling, and that way we can get a better understanding of where they're coming from and then offer them some tips and suggestions on how to deal with stress. So do you think it's good to ask our children? How are you feeling today? How did things go for you today? I think that's a daily question that we should be asking our children and our youth. I mean, we really should be taking the time every day, how was your day today? You know, what are some good things that happened for you today? You know, what were some negative things that happened to you today? You know, if there were negative things, well, you know, how did you respond to that? How did you react to that? You know, what would you like to do to prevent that negative thing from happening in the future. I really think we should be taking that time every day to sit down with our youth and our children to have a discussion about their day. I think that's a great thing to do. Now, how about other children in groups? Sometimes we adults are in group settings where children where there may be not necessarily a school, but maybe some type of class or some type of recreational facility that we encounter a lot of other children. Are there things that we should look for in group settings like that? Absolutely? And in group settings for our youth today. Maybe it's me, but they look very different than they did in in years past. I have a teenager at home and some of those group settings are much different than the group settings when I was a youth. But I mean certain things that we want to look for, you know, any kind of like secrecy or you know, kind of that sneaky behavior. You know, we want to try to be mindful of that, you know, making sure that we're you know, encouraging our youth to make wise choices, you know, making sure that they're you know, considering things before actions are taking place. And I think you know, as you know, as guardians, as caregivers, you know, whatever our role in AGST life, you know, be aware of the of the circles in which our youth are are are in. You know that they're surrounding themselves with you know, who are their friends. You know, what are the type of things that they like to do? You know, what are some of the activities in which they partake? You know, these are things that we can be mindful of so that we know, you know, to the best of our ability. You know, I know with teenagers it's a little bit different. They like their independence, they like to kind of go off and do their own things. But you know, we would still like to know, you know, who are you with, what time are you going to be home, you know where you will be going. You know, these things are all kind of important, you know, questions to ask, and then of course arming them with the tools and techniques that are necessary so when they do encounter, you know, challenges or if there's you know, peer pressure to encourage them to engage in behaviors that may not you know, be the best thing for them, they have tools and strategies for how to remove themselves from that situation or you know, to interpret whether or not a decision or an activity is going to be good for them. I may ask you this and I kind of talk about this a little bit. It seems like a lot of folks believe that Christmas time is the worst time for the US, and that's not necessarily true. Could you kind of speak to that absolutely, certainly not necessarily true. I mean the holidays certainly I mean there's a lot of stress that surrounds it. You know, it's a very busy time of year. You know, we're all trying to you know, get to our locations and visits and you know, for those of us that may participate shopping or cooking, and you know, certainly a lot of stress, but it's also you know, it also is a joyful time of year, you know, for for many people. And really what we recommend is if you if you feel yourself kind of feeling down or you know, becoming overwhelmed with the stress of the of the holiday season, you know, take some time for yourself and reflect. You know, this is a joyful time of year as well. If we need to take a step back and say, hey, I need a minute to decompress, I need a minute to enjoy myself, absolutely appropriate. You know, we never want to go so hard and so busy that we're you know, completely missing you know, the joyful times of year, and you know, please but during the new year kind of speak to that. It seems like after the holidays and into the new year, that's another time where depression and is a high time. Are you absolutely one of the biggest you know, particularly for this time of year. We call it SAD or seasonal effective disorder. It's a challenge that many people experience. I'll be honest, I myself have a little bit of sad this time of year. The holidays are over, the new year has come and gone, and now we have nothing to look forward to but that long dark winter. That's you know, one of those where you know, it can be a little doubting, you know, for us, but it's something that many people struggle with. You know, we're not getting the vitamin D you know, from the sunshine that you know that we get during the warmer months. We're not getting an opportunity to spend as much time outside or participating in activities as the warmer months. So one of the things that we we you know, really can do to combat that. I mean, there's like special that you can buy for your home, little light bulbs that you can just screw into your lamps that kind of increase that feeling of the vitamin D that you would get from the from the sunlight. Artificial of course, but one of the things that I like to do, I go around, I turn on every light in my house. You know, we'll get a little bit of brightness in there, you know, open the shades, open the curtains and the blinds, and you know, let even the gloomy light that is so prevalent this time of year come in. But the seasonal effective disorder, it doesn't affect many people, but it's also very manageable. And please know, you know, for those of us that you know that are challenged with this, ye're not alone many people out there this time of year. I'm the one. I Am going to gripe and complain until May, until the hours bloom and the sunshine comes back. So we're not alone. You know, there are others out there that are experiencing the same thing. And then also spending time with people, you know, even if it's a phone call, even if it's a text message or an email or a FaceTime call or something that puts us in contact with people, so that we're not you know, experiencing all this challenge by ourselves, right, and this it's called said seasonal effective disorder, And there's so many people that are dealing with it. They're saying, Hey, the days are short, and I myself, when I get home, first thing I do is turn on lights. I need light I mean, it's dark so early, but I need more lights, So I turn lights on everywhere just to kind of combat that feeling of darkness and the end of the day. So and again we get more energy from the sun and we get and from light, so that is important to kind of have that feeling of daylight. And like you said, get out or talk to folks. And there are a lot of folks that live alone that are that really struggle, and my heart goes out to them. And then what about the individuals that are dealing with recovery. We can you speak to how what can you say to them? That's a big one, particularly around the holiday times. You know, it's it seems, you know, we folks spend a little bit more time maybe imbibing, you know, during this time of year. You know, it's more common in our culture, I think sometimes for you know, certain items to be available for you know, to aid in our celebration for those that are in recovery. I'm in recovery myself, So one of the things that we encourage, and you know, one of the most important aspects is you you know, make sure you're putting your recovery first, you know, making sure that you understand what your limitations are, what you're comfortable with, and making sure that you're paying attention when we are going to gatherings or when we are socializing, understanding in advance, will there be opportunities there for me to be tempted? You know, would there perhaps be activities there that would make me uncomfortable. So we want to make sure that we're mindful of that. And then of course, you know, and we talked about this last time, we don't have to accept every invitation. Just because an invitation is given doesn't mean that we have to participate in it. There's nothing wrong with saying, you know, I would you love to see you, but unfortunately I'm gonna have to miss the gathering this time. M h. Yeah. And the activities always continue their birthday celebrations and there are all kinds of holiday celebrations through throughout the winter months. And what about kids activities? What what what kind of things can they do? Or would you suggest absolutely? I mean certainly, you know, we want to make sure that we're you know, staying within our support system as best as we possibly can, and that includes our children and our youth. You know, they have a support system as well, whether it's through family or caregivers and after school club. You know, however, you know, they they involve themselves. You know, it's important to keep in contact with them as well. But as far as activities for children and youth, even in the wintertime, just you know, for shoveling snow, I mean, that's that's a big one. That's a you know, an activity we may not enjoy, but it can be a family activity. You know, something we can all go out and do together. Sledding is a big one, you know, during the holiday times. You know, we can you know, bake cookies together, cook a meal together. You know. One that's a favorite around our household is helping youth make homemade gifts for family members. You know, we don't have to spend a ton of money. You know, we can allow them to make things at home or you know, to engage in some kind of craft activity where they get to be creative and you know, use their you know, use their brilliant minds to create you know, these beautiful things for our family members. You know that they can give out during the holiday season, and it doesn't have to just be holidays. You know, we can have craft time and you know, make gifts for our family members any time of year, and it's a great way to stay busy during the winter months. Absolutely, there's so much to do. We want to be concerned and involved in the health of our the mental health of our young children. Also on your website, I know that you produced the Adams Board the booklet called Coping with the Holidays. Is there something in there for children, like a coloring page or something like that. There is, yes, indeed, and that's one of the things we love about the Coping with the Holidays. We do include a coloring page. We also have a word search, and the word search it's not just at that by itself. If you're going to look at the words, you're going to find that they're encouraging that these are suggestions that we can use to help ourselves navigate through tough times or you know, coping with the Holidays. How can we find that booklet? How can we get there? So if you go to the Adams Board website that's www dot ADAMSCC dot org, and if you search for Coping with the Holidays in our address bar, you will find that booklet readily available around the holiday times. Actually going to be front and center on the front page of the website, so after the holidays you can certainly find it by typing it in the search bar. Okay, thank you. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back. Okay, we're back with our guests. Mister Bill hebbl from the Adams Board. He is the client Rights Officer, and he has been so helpful and helping individuals cope with just life and the struggles of life and mental health and substance abuse and all of that. Bill, can you continue to tell us how we can be there for individuals, for older adults during the holidays and after the holidays. Absolutely, absolutely. You know, we talked a lot about our youth, our our children, you know, making sure that we're you know, taking time for ourselves, the individuals and recovery, my goodness. Just as importantly we need to make sure that we're available and taking care of the older adults in our lives as well. You know, a lot of you know, particularly around the holiday times, a lot of the traditions and things that we have in our in our families, in our in our social circles, a lot of those are as are of the result of traditions that we're put in place by the older adults in our lives. So you know, we want to make sure that we're honoring them and you know, including them and all all of the celebrations. Certainly during the holidays, but this is true, you know, certainly any time of year. Is making sure that we're spending time with that older adult in our lives, making sure that they're included in the festivities, making sure that we're checking in with them regularly. Particularly so important you know during the winter months. You know, might if you know, say, if we have you know, a winter storm or you know, something that may you know, create a dangerous situation for for our older adults. We want to be making sure that we're checking in with them, you know, at regular intervals. You know, are you able to leave the home if necessary? You know, do you have access to food? You know, everything okay with you know the utilities in the home, no pipes, you know, frozen or burst, and you know, things like that. We want to be doing that for our neighbors. We want to be doing that for for our family members, making sure that the older adults in our lives are cared for. Particularly important, the holidays and the winter months, and yeah, you know that's so important, and that what came to my mind was a scripture that says, whatsoever a man soweth, that silly also reaped. So I think that we also have to and also love your neighbor as yourself, and we should remember that one day we may be in that we may be that older adult that needs someone to check on them, or someone to uh uh, someone that just needs just a little extra hand. So we have to be kind and take and consider it and take time out just to check on that older person during this time, Bill, Can you go ahead and continue with that? Absolutely absolutely, you know, and you know we're talking about the winter months. You know, here we are in you know winter months, so you know, our older adults may need help, you know, clearing snowfall, you know, from their driveways and their sidewalks so that they can safely navigate, you know, to get their mail. They may need assistance getting to the store, to the pharmacy, you know, to pick up food, medications, you know, things like that along with medications. You know, as we were talking about seasonal effective disorder, you know, seasonal effective disorder does not discriminate based on age. You know, anybody you know can can be impacted. So you know, some of our old the older adults in our lives may be taking more medication you know, than you know, maybe others. So what we want to do is be careful and cognizance you know, you know, if necessary, and you know, if possible, helping that older adult monitoring their medications. Are they taking them as prescribed? You know? Do they have access us too? You know, if we're running low on a medication, can we help them you know, get to uh, you know, the pharmacy to have those refilled. We want to make sure that we're paying attention to that to make sure that that older adult is safe, you know, and an inclement, whether you know, a medical emergency you know, unfortunately, can create a challenge for our ems or for our workers to get help to that older adult. So we want to make sure that we can you know, prevent that whenever possible. Bill. After we've done those things, is there how do we get help for an individual like that? Is there a number that we can call? Absolutely absolutely, you know it's this is a nationwide number you can call nine to eight eight. It's as simple as that nine to eight eight. That's going to put you in touch with a licensed clinician that's going to be able to help you navigate whatever challenge that you're experiencing. They can connect you with with local authorities, with people locally to help you immediately. They can provide excellent re sources and guidance for you. So nine to eight eight is the number to contact if you need and if you're in a crisis situation, uh, you know, some type of emergency. If you just need some help during regular business hours, people can call me at the out of the board. I'm available to provide resources. You know, we're we don't provide the emergency services. But if somebody says, hey, you know I you know, I am struggling a little bit this time of year, I could benefit from talking to somebody, you know, you could point them right, You could point them in that direction to get all the help that they need. What's your number? Absolutely, our number is two one six two four one three four zero zero, and you can access my office by dialing eight two five or just say my name Bill Heble, It'll transfer you right over to me. I just spend most of my day on the phone, so if you get my voicemail, leave me a message, but I almost always get my calls returned the same day. Oh Bill, we just thank you for again being with us and providing more information on how to cope with the with the stresses of life and holidays and after the holidays and beyond. Uh So, into our audience, we just thank you, Bill. We're gonna stay in touch with you. We want to continue to have this dialogue to help people that struggle with life. So and to our audience, let's remember to keep doing good, keep fighting the good fight, and let's remember that we can all do better to make our country and our communities a better place to live. Keep fighting, keep doing good, keep encouraging one another, and let's remember God bless you all and keep doing what you're doing. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast Network, where Real Talk lives Visitors online at fcbpodcasts dot com.
