WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:02.320 Informed dissent. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:05.760 The intersection of health care and politics with Dr. 00:00:05.920 --> 00:00:09.360 Jeff Barkey, board certified primary care physician. 00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:10.240 And Dr. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:11.360 Mark McDonald. 00:00:11.600 --> 00:00:15.440 Board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist. 00:00:15.760 --> 00:00:16.960 All right, we're rolling. 00:00:17.040 --> 00:00:20.080 Mark, welcome to another episode of Informed Descent. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:23.440 So, Jeff, we're here together in real space and time. 00:00:23.840 --> 00:00:25.440 Yeah, here in Corona Del Mar. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:27.520 You came down. 00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:34.080 You are uh far, far away from home and contemplating making a move down to the OC. 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:41.120 In a land far, far away where people are generally polite, friendly, and the streets don't smell of urine. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:45.440 Well, it's kind of like you're going out of the country from where you live coming down to Orange County. 00:00:45.760 --> 00:00:47.200 Much more civilized down here. 00:00:47.360 --> 00:00:48.000 Yeah. 00:00:48.400 --> 00:00:55.920 What do you think you're looking for most coming down to Orange County that you don't have in Los Angeles where you live? 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:57.920 Peace and mental stability. 00:00:58.720 --> 00:01:05.520 I think people in non-LA non-urban areas are much more calm. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:07.680 They're generally more contented. 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:11.840 They're less aggravated by their self-victimization. 00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:15.280 And I think they lead more peaceful lives. 00:01:15.360 --> 00:01:19.680 And people who lead peaceful lives tend to be more pleasant to be around. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:21.040 They create less drama. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:22.640 They're also less defended. 00:01:22.720 --> 00:01:23.840 So they're more sociable. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:25.280 They'll say hello to you on the street. 00:01:25.360 --> 00:01:26.720 They'll carry conversations. 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:33.120 And I think most importantly, they are interested in meeting new people and developing social connections. 00:01:33.360 --> 00:01:36.640 Now, of course, we're in Corona del Mar, which is coastal Orange County. 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:40.560 It's a very red area of Orange County. 00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:44.640 Orange County is no longer a red uh county, unfortunately. 00:01:44.720 --> 00:01:45.680 It's more purple. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:54.240 And there are areas within Orange County that are very, very different than it is here coastally that probably mimic LA a bit more. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.960 Have you have you explored other areas of Orange County? 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:57.440 I have. 00:01:57.520 --> 00:02:04.160 I've actually been to every formal community in Orange County outside of Anaheim. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:06.160 You haven't been to Disneyland. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:17.440 I am going to go to Anaheim this weekend because a friend is staying there for five days from out of town to watch some kind of car race. 00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:20.720 And I told him that I would hang out with him. 00:02:20.880 --> 00:02:23.440 It's been over 20 years since I've been to Disneyland. 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.360 I don't think I could afford it anymore. 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.560 It is it's expensive, it's crowded, it's filled with tourists, long lines. 00:02:30.720 --> 00:02:33.200 I, you know, I don't, I don't get the appeal. 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.840 I know that people that are huge Disney fans. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:39.840 I took my kids there, oh, maybe about a year ago. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:41.760 Uh, because they asked. 00:02:41.920 --> 00:02:44.400 I don't know that I have any desire to go back. 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:46.880 The food was overpriced, the lines were long. 00:02:47.200 --> 00:02:53.440 Um, people watching is kind of fun because there's people from all over the world that come to Disneyland, but I have no desire to go back. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:54.640 You can go to the mall for that. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:55.280 Yes, you can. 00:02:55.440 --> 00:02:56.400 And you don't have to pay. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:00.960 No, you just go to the mall, bring a beach chair, and just sit there and watch the people walk by. 00:03:01.040 --> 00:03:03.680 And there's some crazy people at the mall for sure. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:05.360 That's what I would do. 00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:07.440 I I don't want to go to Disneyland and deal with it. 00:03:07.600 --> 00:03:08.720 Yeah, I don't blame you. 00:03:08.880 --> 00:03:11.840 So all the places in Orange County, what do you like the best? 00:03:12.880 --> 00:03:15.760 I definitely prefer the coast in general. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:16.240 Yeah. 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:25.520 And I think the views from Cronadel Mar are probably the most beautiful of all of the beach areas that I've seen. 00:03:25.920 --> 00:03:32.400 And the fact that it's at elevation, there's a lot of greenery, there's cliffs, so it's not flat. 00:03:32.720 --> 00:03:39.760 I really like hills, and I like green, and I like water. 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:43.360 And a lot of places only have one of those things and not all three. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.360 Well, what do you got in Los Angeles? 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:48.720 Well, you do have a beach, but it's pretty flat. 00:03:48.880 --> 00:03:51.680 So you kind of have to leave the beach to find hills. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.360 You don't really have a lot of green in Los Angeles. 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.280 Even the beaches are basically sand. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:58.320 There's not a lot of trees. 00:03:58.480 --> 00:04:01.840 You have to leave LA to get a lot of trees. 00:04:01.920 --> 00:04:03.520 And most of them are now burned down. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.080 Yeah, there's a lot of fire damage there in LA now. 00:04:06.320 --> 00:04:10.480 There's almost no large areas where the are the forests are still present. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:13.840 I think it's been a year since that big Malibu fire. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:14.400 Almost. 00:04:14.720 --> 00:04:17.440 And I understand not a single home has been rebuilt yet. 00:04:17.760 --> 00:04:22.480 I believe that over 2,000 permits have been requested, seven have been issued. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:44.480 And just today, the LA City Council, in conjunction with the LA mayor, announced that they are not planning to forgive the costs of repermitting for all the people that lost their homes in the fire, that they're going to still going to charge them for the permits because they don't have any money left to not charge them because they wasted it all on homeless programs that didn't work. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.480 Well, I suspect most people that lost their homes can't afford to rebuild anyways. 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.320 The insurance isn't going to cover it. 00:04:50.400 --> 00:05:00.640 The cost of coastal commission permitting the new upgraded uh structures that they need to build, put putting pylons in the ground, earthquake code, etc. 00:05:00.960 --> 00:05:02.640 Most people can't afford to do that. 00:05:02.880 --> 00:05:06.480 And they don't want to waste four to seven years to wait. 00:05:06.640 --> 00:05:08.640 Because what are you going to do after four or five years? 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.840 Your kids are already established in a new neighborhood. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.440 Or let's say your other end of the spectrum, you're retired, you're old. 00:05:15.520 --> 00:05:16.080 What are you going to do? 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:20.480 Sit around for four or five years and then what rebuild your your four or five bedroom house. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:22.560 Your kids are gone for what? 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:27.040 To to just sit there for the next 10 or 12 years till you die. 00:05:27.200 --> 00:05:34.720 I mean, you'd rather just live your life in a place that works better for your current stage of time. 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:37.440 Well, do they still have mortgage payments? 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:39.680 I can't imagine the banks are forgiving that. 00:05:39.840 --> 00:05:40.800 Oh, that's a good question. 00:05:40.960 --> 00:05:44.240 Nobody's going to buy a piece of burnt out property and then try to rebuild. 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:45.360 I don't know what they're doing. 00:05:45.520 --> 00:05:48.880 Declare bankruptcy, run, move to Mexico. 00:05:48.960 --> 00:05:50.240 I don't know what they're doing. 00:05:50.400 --> 00:05:55.040 But I know rental prices here in Orange County because of the fires have skyrocketed. 00:05:55.280 --> 00:05:59.520 Many people move down here, and there's a shortage of available rentals. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:01.920 Um, so I don't I don't know what's going on. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:03.360 It's a complete disaster. 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:17.360 Well, John Phillips, who has been following this on the local LA radio every day since it happened and is a very knowledgeable pundit on local politics, said today. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:29.760 I hate to say this because I want to give people hope and optimism, but if you lost your home in the fire in early 2026, I think it was in January or end of December. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:30.640 You're screwed. 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:31.440 You're screwed. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:32.960 He said it will never end. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.200 You will never ever be made whole. 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:36.080 So don't even try. 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:36.400 Yeah. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.880 I mean, maybe if you're a billionaire, it doesn't matter. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:45.360 And you can buy elsewhere or go through the process and rebuild at eight times the cost of the original cost of the home. 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.320 But for most people, I imagine that's not the case. 00:06:48.400 --> 00:06:51.040 There are some people that have lived there for 30, 40 years. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:53.520 They can't afford to buy a house where they live now. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:54.800 They can't afford to rebuild. 00:06:54.880 --> 00:06:56.880 I don't, I don't actually know what they're going to do. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:12.480 I'm surprised there isn't more stories being written and broadcast about the individuals that have suffered so as a result, by the way, of the complete mismanagement of the water system and the fire authority and so forth in the LA area. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:18.960 Well, particularly given that a lot of the people that live there are part of the entertainment industry and have media connections. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.920 You would think that that would be an easy access avenue to getting your story out. 00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:25.680 Doesn't Barbara Streisand live in Malibu. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:26.800 What happened to her house? 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.320 She has multiple houses. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:28.800 Yeah. 00:07:28.960 --> 00:07:30.000 So she doesn't care. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:30.800 Probably not. 00:07:30.960 --> 00:07:32.400 Yeah, for sure. 00:07:33.520 --> 00:07:35.120 Well, welcome to the OC. 00:07:35.200 --> 00:07:36.080 It's great to have you here. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.080 Yeah, it's nice, beautiful weather. 00:07:38.320 --> 00:07:44.640 It's uh really comfortable down here, and uh I enjoy leaving every now and then. 00:07:44.880 --> 00:07:47.120 And nice people that don't try to kill you or rob you. 00:07:47.280 --> 00:07:47.600 That's right. 00:07:47.840 --> 00:07:49.280 You can actually walk around at night. 00:07:49.520 --> 00:07:49.840 Yeah. 00:07:50.080 --> 00:07:50.960 Yeah, it's kind of nice. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.360 It's a nice uh escapade. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:54.960 For sure. 00:07:55.520 --> 00:07:57.760 So I wrote this article recently. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:01.680 Um, and I remember I've been thinking about this for a while. 00:08:01.760 --> 00:08:04.080 It's the holiday season, we're into December. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:18.000 We just celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas is coming up, non-stop advertisements on TV about how happy we're supposed to be, Christmas tree lightings, presents under the tree, old movies running on TV. 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:23.600 Yet in my clinical practice here, there's also a lot of despair. 00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:24.960 Not everybody is happy. 00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:28.320 It's probably because of the Mariah Carey songs that keep playing endlessly. 00:08:28.640 --> 00:08:29.120 Exactly. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:31.360 They're gonna shoot themselves. 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:32.320 Exactly. 00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:33.920 I actually like Christmas music. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:35.920 I don't know about her Christmas music. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:48.480 But actually, it's it's often there's so much societal pressure and media pressure and advertising pressure that this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. 00:08:48.640 --> 00:08:57.760 We're all supposed to be joyous and happy, and I hope most of us are, but there's a lot of people also that the holiday season brings in depression. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.680 So I wrote this article, and it's titled, Of course I'm depressed. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:04.080 Tis the season to be jolly. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.720 10 ways to survive the holiday season. 00:09:06.880 --> 00:09:32.880 I mean, I know people who have lost loved ones right around Christmas, and now as a result of that, Christmas is a time to remember them, to be sad, um, and not necessarily to be happy, or people that are estranged from their family, for example, somebody that's gone through a divorce, somebody that's estranged from their kids, uh, where they're no no longer talking because of politics or whatever reason, this is a very difficult time of year. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.800 You must see this as a psychiatrist. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:37.600 It's happened every year since I've been in training. 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:38.240 Yeah. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.080 What so what do you do about it? 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:41.760 What do you tell people? 00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:59.840 I think the source of the problem is the disconnect between the same way that you see on social media, the idealized life that's probably not even real to begin with, that you start to feel, if not envious of, perhaps depressed about because your life doesn't look like that. 00:10:00.160 --> 00:10:01.040 Because you compare yourself. 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:01.840 Exactly. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:08.320 And I think that's one of the problems because you see and hear so much cheer and so much joy. 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:13.920 And you ask yourself, well, if I'm not feeling as much cheer and joy, then there must be something terribly wrong. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:21.200 And that leads you through the comparison, as you said, to a stage of depression, even though nothing's really different than it was a month ago in your life. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:21.520 No. 00:10:21.680 --> 00:10:22.320 So what's different? 00:10:22.400 --> 00:10:24.480 It's not your life, it's the environment that's changed. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:34.560 Well, what's different is now when you watch TV, anything, sports or whatever, there's advertisements about Christmas, newspapers if you read them, there's advertisements about Christmas, social media. 00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:41.120 If you're scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or X or whatever you're scrolling through, there's advertisements about Christmas. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.080 People are posting their happy family pictures. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:54.400 We get a bunch of Christmas cards, and it's the best of picture of everybody's smiling and happy and mom and dad and the kids and the grandkids and the dogs and so forth. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:00.800 And it's an unrealistic picture of reality of what's going on. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.120 And we we do this to ourselves all the time. 00:11:03.280 --> 00:11:05.280 It's not unique to Christmas season. 00:11:05.520 --> 00:11:19.680 It's what happens on the internet and social media in general and why social media for many people can be a very destructive, uh despairing uh event and it causes more grief than it than an uplifts. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.240 Well, I think there's two prevailing themes that lead to the loneliness. 00:11:24.400 --> 00:11:30.800 One is the comparison through social media through all the information you get from television, shows, radio. 00:11:31.040 --> 00:11:45.200 And then the other is just the reality that a lot of people do not have a full life, they don't have a full social life, and Christmas exacerbates that hole for them. 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.440 And so those two pieces combined together can lead to depression. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:12:05.280 Now you can't, of course, fill your social hole quickly over a holiday season, and you can't avoid a lot of the Christmas cheer, even if you wanted to, that would lead you to perhaps not comparing yourself as much. 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:20.640 But I do think that what you what you are able to do, what anyone is able to do is to become more involved in the life of Christmas during that month through, for example, going to church, volunteering. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.680 There's a lot of people who are less well off than you. 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:26.800 There always is. 00:12:27.040 --> 00:12:35.440 And so if you're going to suffer from the comparison of people who are better than off than you, why not take advantage of the comparison of people who aren't as well off than you? 00:12:35.520 --> 00:12:36.720 And it's very easy to find. 00:12:36.800 --> 00:12:41.200 Oh, at Christmas, you there people are begging for help everywhere, volunteers. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:44.400 You know, my local church, I go to Mariner's church, which is in Irvine. 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:49.520 They've got a bunch of sessions on Sunday and Saturday, and I think Wednesdays and so forth. 00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:59.920 And this last Saturday, the last Sunday, rather, the pastor made note that they have something like eight or 10 Christmas services coming up. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:07.440 And he specifically said, you know, of course, we want you to come to the service, but more importantly, we want you to volunteer at one of the services. 00:13:07.760 --> 00:13:10.240 Come volunteer and be part of what we're doing. 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.160 And there's opportunities everywhere. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:21.440 And I tell this to patients that are feeling despondent, depressed, anxious, is one of the strategies is find somebody else that you can help. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:26.000 Find somebody else whose life sucks more than yours suck and lift them up. 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:29.120 And when you help other people, you help yourself. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:33.280 That's just the nature of being a helpful person. 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:35.200 So that's one way for sure. 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.920 I wrote the article specifically. 00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:41.760 It's sort of tongue tongue in cheek, but it's not because this is real. 00:13:42.160 --> 00:13:45.920 There are people where this is the most difficult season of the year. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:51.040 They go into the Christmas season, they immediately get depressed because of memories, because of comparison. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:57.360 It's like a giant, you know, yellow highlight pen on why your life sucks. 00:13:57.680 --> 00:13:58.640 And it doesn't. 00:13:58.800 --> 00:14:06.160 It's that you believe that because you're comparing yourself to people whose life you don't actually know. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:07.200 You know what's funny? 00:14:07.280 --> 00:14:10.400 Uh, somebody's asking me about Dennis Prager today, who we both know. 00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:14.720 We were blessed a year or so ago to go on his show. 00:14:14.880 --> 00:14:17.760 Uh, we went to a studio, we spent an hour with him. 00:14:17.920 --> 00:14:25.440 Um, and I remember he has this expression, and it comes from his friend Joseph Toluskin, who is his co-author on some of his books. 00:14:25.520 --> 00:14:34.240 And his mother had an expression, something like, and I'm paraphrasing the only people I know that are truly happy are people that I don't know very well. 00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:43.440 And so when you get to know somebody on a deep level, you realize they have drama and pain and struggles because it's the human condition. 00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:50.480 And when you don't know people well, they often put up a front where you think they are something that they aren't actually. 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:54.160 You think they are happy, you think they are all put together. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:59.440 You think they don't have drama and pain and difficulties in their life, but they do. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.440 And showing that vulnerability, I think is very healthy. 00:15:03.920 --> 00:15:26.640 And reaching out and helping other people that are vulnerable that are in pain is a great way to lift yourself up and to put things in an actual realistic perspective, as opposed to sitting and scrolling on social media, seeing all the wonderful pictures and Christmas stories and trips to the snow and meetings with parents and grandparents and kids. 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:27.840 That's not reality. 00:15:27.920 --> 00:15:31.760 They don't show you the pain and the drama of what's going on in their family. 00:15:31.920 --> 00:15:38.640 Maybe maybe there should be a we can start one, a social media site for pain and drama. 00:15:39.280 --> 00:15:40.800 Call it life sucks. 00:15:41.040 --> 00:15:41.840 Life sucks. 00:15:42.160 --> 00:15:42.880 Post here. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.000 That's right. 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:46.160 It's actually a good idea. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:47.600 We should we should start that. 00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:48.720 So here are the ways. 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:50.800 Number one, top 10. 00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:53.200 Number one, honor your feelings. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:54.560 Don't fake it. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:56.400 It's okay to not feel good. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:57.760 It's okay to be sad. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:59.600 It's okay to be anxious. 00:15:59.760 --> 00:16:01.280 It's okay to feel depressed. 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.240 It's really okay. 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:04.400 It doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. 00:16:04.640 --> 00:16:06.800 In fact, it means that you're normal. 00:16:07.040 --> 00:16:13.760 However, you need to have somebody that you can express that to, not just sit at home watching TV feeling depressed. 00:16:13.920 --> 00:16:18.240 Call your mom, call your dad, call your boyfriend, call your girlfriend, call your best friend. 00:16:18.400 --> 00:16:20.320 If you don't have one, go to church. 00:16:20.560 --> 00:16:25.440 Look for opportunities to help people that are struggling themselves. 00:16:25.920 --> 00:16:28.480 And uh, I think that will help you as well. 00:16:28.880 --> 00:16:31.280 Number two, get sunlight. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:32.880 Too often it's winter time. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.960 We're indoors more because it's cold out. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.680 We spend less time in nature and less time in the sun. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:58.080 Supplement with vitamin D if you need to, but get your ass outside, get sunshine, get in nature, go ground, go to a park, shoes and socks off, go to the beach, walk in the water, do something to get in nature uh because it's very, very helpful for depression, for lifting your spirit, and certainly make you healthy. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:16:59.360 You do that a lot, right? 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:00.080 You're outside. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.800 Every single day that I can, I go outside. 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:11.840 In fact, the first thing I do in the morning is I walk out to my deck with my tea mug, and I stand outside for 10 minutes in the sun. 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:16.640 The very first thing I do, even if I can't go out for a walk, which I generally try to do before 10 a.m. 00:17:16.800 --> 00:17:17.040 every day. 00:17:17.280 --> 00:17:18.080 Yeah, I do the same. 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.520 I get my morning coffee, I go out, I have a little deck where I live. 00:17:21.760 --> 00:17:32.320 Whether the sun is out or not, I try to go outside for 10 minutes, sip my coffee, open up my eyes, no sunglasses, let the sun hit the back of my eyes and my skin. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:34.080 Uh, I think it's very, very healthy. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:39.840 And then I am very blessed as we're sitting here in my office, my studio in my office in Corona Del Mar. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:46.480 I'm literally an eight-minute walk down the street, and you've got a beautiful overview of Newport Harbor. 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.160 So I try to do that every day as well, uh, rain or shine. 00:17:50.320 --> 00:18:00.880 Uh, next on the list, number three, and this is hard to do this time of year because there's so many parties is limit the amount of sugar, junk, and in particular, alcohol that you drink. 00:18:01.040 --> 00:18:04.560 I wrote an article all about how to do this, by the way, as well. 00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:06.560 But sugar is toxic. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:13.920 Uh, I know it's it makes us temporarily feel good, the same thing with alcohol, but ultimately it's very destructive. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:19.440 And so, what I try to do if I know I'm going to a party is either pre-eat. 00:18:19.840 --> 00:18:21.680 So, I'll I won't go to the party hungry. 00:18:21.760 --> 00:18:24.960 I'm I'm gonna eat all the shit that people are serving. 00:18:25.360 --> 00:18:37.680 And then I make a decision either I'm gonna have one drink or no drinks at all, I'll go immediately to the bar, get like a glass of club soda with a lime, walk around with that, nobody knows it's not vodka, and make a decision. 00:18:37.840 --> 00:18:44.640 I'm not gonna drink alcohol or I'm gonna limit it, and then I'm not gonna eat crap, or I'll very strictly limit it. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:52.560 Right now, in my office, in my kitchen, there's a whole bunch of boxes of chocolate and cookies and garbage in there. 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:53.280 It's hard. 00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:58.880 I love cookies, and I love that crap, but I try to do the best I can not to eat that junk. 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:08.560 Tastes good immediately, uh, but then later it you get a sugar crash, uh, and it's certainly not healthy, especially if this time of year is difficult for you. 00:19:08.800 --> 00:19:17.040 And in the holiday season of Christmas, a lot of the alcoholic drinks are also spiked with sugar more than the rest of the year. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:17.680 For sure. 00:19:17.840 --> 00:19:23.200 There's lots of mold drinks, there's lots of cocktails, cocktails are by definition full of sugar. 00:19:23.360 --> 00:19:25.680 Yeah, even cocktails with no alcohol have sugar in them. 00:19:25.840 --> 00:19:26.000 Sure. 00:19:26.080 --> 00:19:30.240 There's no such thing as a cocktail without alcohol or a uh cocktail without sugar. 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:33.360 So the sugar is is present in everything. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:39.120 And if you don't consciously choose not to eat it or drink it, you're gonna be over-sugared. 00:19:39.360 --> 00:19:40.240 Yeah, for sure. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:47.360 What's your strategies to um not eat terribly and drink too much during the holidays? 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:49.680 I also eat before I go to parties. 00:19:49.760 --> 00:19:51.200 I find that's very helpful. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:57.840 When I was a student, I always use the parties as a way to avoid purchasing food because I had no money. 00:19:58.800 --> 00:19:59.440 It was free. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:06.320 And now, unless I'm going to a really, really high-end event where I know that the food quality is going to be phenomenal. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:06.640 Yeah. 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:14.560 We're going to have sliced, cured, healthy, grass-fed meats and cheeses and amazing fruit flown in from the parties. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:15.840 I want to go to one of those. 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:16.880 They're in Newport. 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:19.840 They're in San Clemente, they're in Tuston. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:23.520 I actually invited you to one uh a couple of weeks ago, but you declined. 00:20:23.600 --> 00:20:24.240 So that's on you. 00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:24.720 Yeah, yeah. 00:20:24.800 --> 00:20:24.960 Okay. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:32.000 So I find those events and uh often am able to eat well. 00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:43.920 But the generic party that's just put on by like a bunch of guys with a guitar, they're probably they're probably gonna have Cheetos, chips and dip, crackers, a bunch of Mrs. 00:20:44.080 --> 00:20:52.640 Fields cookies, and uh a few bottles of uh sparkling, yeah, cheap seltzer wine with a lot of uh artificial sweetener. 00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:56.000 So I just eat before I go and I hydrate really well. 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.000 Yes, and then when I get there, I might have one beer, one glass of wine. 00:21:00.080 --> 00:21:05.440 Uh and if there's anything that I can eat that's like fruit or something that's uh clearly fresh, I'll do that. 00:21:05.520 --> 00:21:15.040 But I'm not gonna go and stuff my face with all these casseroles and heavy sandwiches and tons of sugared cake particles sitting on the table. 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:17.520 And then I don't have to end up feeling like I'm hungry. 00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:17.840 Yeah. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.640 So I think the best the best uh way to deal with it is to just to eat and hydrate in advance. 00:21:22.800 --> 00:21:23.840 Yeah, totally. 00:21:24.080 --> 00:21:45.920 Uh number number four, we talked a little bit about this is and and again, this is how do you how do you struggle through the holidays when the holidays are a very difficult season for you and you tend towards depression because of either past experiences or you're just not as happy as everybody tells you you're supposed to be when you're looking at social media. 00:21:46.080 --> 00:21:48.080 So the other way is daily exercise. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.720 I exercise almost every day, anyways. 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:55.920 Um, but I recommend that people start the day every day with some sort of movement. 00:21:56.080 --> 00:21:58.960 It could be just a walk and walking is great exercise. 00:21:59.120 --> 00:22:00.960 If you want to go to the gym, go to the gym. 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:09.600 But even walking is great exercise, and you can up your game with walking by getting some hand weights, or now everybody's using these weighted vests. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:11.920 You can buy them on Amazon or sporting goods store. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:12.720 They're not bad. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:20.640 Don't go too heavy, you can hurt yourself, but walk, move every single day as a mechanism to help you with your mental health. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:23.600 I think they also stop low caliber bullets as well. 00:22:23.840 --> 00:22:25.760 So you can use them in urban environments. 00:22:25.840 --> 00:22:30.960 If you're getting up before it's light and there's a lot of gunfire, uh, you might be protected. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.720 Plus, it just makes you run faster. 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:39.840 Just or just carry heavy guns with you just in case, and that'll add extra extra weight and a little bit of resistance. 00:22:40.080 --> 00:22:41.040 Yeah, for sure. 00:22:41.280 --> 00:22:48.400 We're gonna take a quick break, and when we come back, we're gonna finish the list of ways to get through the holiday season. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:50.480 Uh, if this is a difficult time for you. 00:22:50.560 --> 00:22:52.160 So we'll be back in just a minute. 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:54.320 And if it's not a difficult time, screw you. 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:54.640 Yeah. 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:59.840 Looking for a fluoride-free peptide-based toothpaste, try smile from the wellness company. 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:11.440 This doctor formulated formula combines powerful peptides, remineralizers, and probiotics to rebuild gum tissue, strengthen teeth, and fight harmful bacteria, all with refreshing mint flavor. 00:23:11.520 --> 00:23:18.160 Visit TWC dot health forward slash out loud and use code out loud for 20% off your first order. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:26.720 Struggling with your health, energy, and constantly feeling 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online at clear.com. 00:24:07.600 --> 00:24:10.400 That is XLEAR.com. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:21.840 Well, did you see Google quietly updated its AI principles removing its pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance? 00:24:22.080 --> 00:24:24.720 A promise they agree to in 2018. 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:33.600 Well, the American people have seen Google's track where I could prompt in the question is Google, an untrustworthy player in the AI race. 00:24:37.760 --> 00:24:46.000 Now is our time, my fellow America outloud news, liberty, and justice for all. 00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:52.800 Okay, we're back. 00:24:53.040 --> 00:25:01.360 Mark and I were here solo in Corona Del Mar in my office, and we're talking about an article that I wrote recently called Of course I'm depressed. 00:25:01.520 --> 00:25:03.440 Tis the season to be jolly. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:13.040 And the top 10 ways to get through this holiday season, this Christmas season, or if you celebrate Kwanzaa, you might want to turn turn the podcast off right now. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:17.440 Uh, but to get through this holiday season and survive. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:22.800 Uh, and so number one was honor your feelings, number two, get sunlight. 00:25:23.040 --> 00:25:30.400 Number three, limit your sugar and alcohol, number four, move daily, and number five is protect your sleep, like it's a gift. 00:25:30.560 --> 00:25:31.760 Sleep is so important. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:34.080 If you get shitty sleep, it's hard to feel good. 00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:39.840 And especially when there's a lot of parties and things going on, tend to get home late at night, wake up early in the morning. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:41.600 I think sleep is really important. 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:43.920 If you can get seven or eight, you're doing awesome. 00:25:44.080 --> 00:25:45.920 If you can get six, that's great. 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:49.920 There are some mechanisms for sleep hygiene that I think are really important. 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:59.760 Go to bed the same time, wake up the same time every single day, make your room dark and cool, get rid of the electronics in your bed. 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:01.920 Don't sit lay in bed and watch TV. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:04.160 That's a terrible thing to do with the blue light. 00:26:04.320 --> 00:26:06.240 Then you end up staying up really late. 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:10.560 So there's there's two things I think that are acceptable to do in bed. 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:14.000 You can read and you can breed. 00:26:14.320 --> 00:26:16.720 Other than that, go to sleep. 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:22.720 Um, so I think proper sleep is another way to survive the holiday season. 00:26:22.800 --> 00:26:27.840 If you need some supplements before you go to sleep, magnesium, ashwaganda, melatonin. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:30.160 We've uh talked a lot about this before. 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:36.800 Alcohol interrupts good sleep as well, may help you fall asleep, but then you wake up uh and very disruptive. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:41.440 Try to go to bed at least a couple, three hours after you eat last. 00:26:41.520 --> 00:26:44.400 Don't go to bed with a full stomach, not good for you as well. 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:46.080 What do you what do you do for sleep, Mark? 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:47.280 What's your strategy? 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:50.080 I hit myself in the head until I pass out. 00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:54.240 Just keep tequila shots until until you pass out. 00:26:55.040 --> 00:27:16.320 It's very difficult to do, but I know that if I don't use a computer or a phone screen for at least an hour, preferably two hours before I sleep, and I turn the lights down and I do something having to do with writing on paper or reading, yeah, that really slows me down in a good way. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:25.120 And if I combine that with some mint or chamomile tea, yeah, I generally get really, really tired very quickly. 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:31.040 I what puts me to sleep is I just read your Substack articles and I'm I'm asleep instantly. 00:27:31.760 --> 00:27:42.800 I should uh I should get a an application ready for an FDA indication for insomnia and just use my articles exactly as a way to put people to sleep. 00:27:43.040 --> 00:27:47.200 By the way, you are a brilliant writer and you do have a substack site. 00:27:47.280 --> 00:27:52.800 It's actually not Substack, it's like Substack, but it's your own called dissident MD. 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:54.560 Encourage you to go there. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:56.480 Uh the articles are fantastic. 00:27:56.560 --> 00:27:57.680 I love reading them. 00:27:57.920 --> 00:27:59.920 They're often controversial. 00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:02.400 They're they're often inflammatory. 00:28:02.560 --> 00:28:05.280 Uh, but if you you know send hate mail to Dr. 00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:08.320 Mark McDonald, but they're very very much worth reading. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:11.280 Okay, next, set boundaries. 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:21.600 We were talking earlier today uh with a nurse who does some work for me, and she was telling us about how she has to set boundaries with her family because her family is crazy. 00:28:21.760 --> 00:28:26.480 And if she doesn't set boundaries, she's she just gets sucked into childhood trauma. 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:31.040 So she has to say no and set boundaries to her mom and dad and her family. 00:28:31.120 --> 00:28:34.320 And I think that's important, especially this time of year. 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:41.840 If you differ in politics with your siblings, it may not be a pleasant experience going to family dinners and family parties. 00:28:42.080 --> 00:28:45.520 So protect your peace and set boundaries. 00:28:45.920 --> 00:29:00.800 That's really important when there is already an amplification of emotional energy for the reasons we talked about earlier over Christmas, certainly between Thanksgiving and New Year. 00:29:01.120 --> 00:29:18.720 And people that don't normally come together in groups in the family, but maybe see each other just one offs, all come at the same time, and they all bring in whatever their amplified feelings are, and it's like a tinder box. 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:21.280 Yes, and it's just it's just waiting to explode. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:27.120 And also grievances come up, uh, memories and regrets from previous years. 00:29:27.360 --> 00:29:31.440 So it can be very difficult to have a good experience when you're in a large group. 00:29:31.600 --> 00:29:40.320 Something that I've often recommended that people do, particularly if they have some challenging relationships, is to try to set aside time to meet with one person. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:48.560 So it's a private meeting outside of the purview of the actual holiday, like you're in town for a few weeks, you're not just sitting around everybody talking at the same time. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:54.400 You say, Hey, uh, you know, cousin, mother, father, uh, why don't we go out and have coffee alone? 00:29:54.560 --> 00:29:55.680 Just the two of us. 00:29:55.840 --> 00:29:59.840 And sometimes that can really help uh defuse tension. 00:30:00.320 --> 00:30:02.240 And then you bring better energy back with you. 00:30:02.320 --> 00:30:04.080 And then sometimes that can help the household. 00:30:04.320 --> 00:30:05.520 Before the big Christmas movement. 00:30:05.760 --> 00:30:06.080 Exactly. 00:30:06.320 --> 00:30:07.120 That's a great idea. 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:09.200 Unless it's festivous, of course. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:13.600 And festivists, the point of festivist is the airing of grievances. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:15.920 Around the pole of shame, I believe. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:17.040 That's right. 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.400 And then physical feet. 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:21.520 So you have to throw food and plates at each other. 00:30:21.760 --> 00:30:24.320 And uh, and I think wasn't there combat involved. 00:30:24.800 --> 00:30:26.400 I think there was actual physical fighting. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:27.520 Yeah, I think so. 00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:28.000 Yeah. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:29.600 So yeah, good luck with that. 00:30:29.760 --> 00:30:32.480 So this is not boundaries about festivists. 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:35.440 This is uh the other normal holidays. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:39.200 Number seven, uh, I think this is important, especially for me. 00:30:39.520 --> 00:30:41.360 Stay spiritually anchored. 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:45.840 So for me, going to church is important, especially around the holiday season. 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:50.880 I don't know if I'm going to volunteer, but I might volunteer at one of the Christmas services at my local church. 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:51.920 I've never done that before. 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:53.360 I think that would be fine. 00:30:53.600 --> 00:31:02.240 Um, but staying true to whatever your spiritual beliefs are, and especially if this is a difficult time, it's a good time to ramp that up. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:11.760 Read the Bible, pray, meditate, go to church, go to Bible study, at least for me, those are some things that have been very helpful. 00:31:13.600 --> 00:31:16.240 Christmas is a religious holiday. 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:17.440 Yes, it is. 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:20.400 Believe it or not, it actually is a religious holiday. 00:31:20.560 --> 00:31:28.000 And the fact that the religion has been so removed, not only just through commercialization, but also due to anti-religious. 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:36.160 As an example, there was a city, I think it might have been Portland that just put up their Christmas tree a few days ago. 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:41.760 And there was no mention of the word Christmas in the ceremony of raising and lighting the tree. 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:42.560 Holiday tree. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.080 They called it a holiday tree. 00:31:44.320 --> 00:31:45.040 Exactly. 00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:56.480 And putting aside the politics and the idiocy of that, I think it also does a disservice to people who find some form of solace in the religious aspects of Christmas. 00:31:56.560 --> 00:32:02.880 You're not forced to be observant or to pray or to have a faith to celebrate Christmas. 00:32:03.040 --> 00:32:21.280 But for those who do feel part of that, to not have that religious aspect up front and center, I think does create a loss of meaning and focus and purpose for those people. 00:32:21.360 --> 00:32:43.360 So I do think that to the extent that if you if you are interested in the religious aspect that you try to go somewhere and participate in services that still highlight that, that can really be very comforting and can help build that community, which, as you were saying earlier, is one of the antidotes to feeling depressed and isolated over Christmas. 00:32:43.600 --> 00:32:44.080 I agree. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:47.120 And I can't stand it when people wish me happy holidays. 00:32:52.160 --> 00:32:55.600 I don't know any Jew that's offended if you wish them a Merry Christmas. 00:32:55.840 --> 00:32:57.760 No, that's a that's a straw man argument. 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.880 If I know somebody's Jewish, I will say happy Hanukkah. 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:03.600 But for everybody else, I say Merry Christmas. 00:33:03.760 --> 00:33:08.000 When somebody wishes me a happy holiday, I say, what holiday are you referring to? 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:08.960 Festivus. 00:33:09.360 --> 00:33:14.640 I can't remember when the made up holiday Kwanza is celebrated, but it might be about the same time. 00:33:14.800 --> 00:33:16.240 It's like, what what holiday? 00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:18.160 What do you what are you talking about now? 00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:21.680 Well, you know, I don't want to offend, I don't know what you celebrate. 00:33:21.840 --> 00:33:23.360 No, it's Christmas. 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:25.600 This is the Christmas season. 00:33:25.840 --> 00:33:43.200 The reason why Hanukkah is a big deal to Jews, is because uh it's a it's a holiday that occurs during the same window of time as Christmas, but from a biblical and religious standpoint, Hanukkah is a minor player. 00:33:43.280 --> 00:33:49.920 Now Jews build it up in eight days and you get presents and Hanukkah Bush and whatever, and some blue lights on your house. 00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:51.920 Perfectly acceptable. 00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:56.080 But the Christmas season is important to Christians, right? 00:33:56.160 --> 00:34:01.680 It's the celebration of Jesus' birth, not even in comparison to Hanukkah. 00:34:01.760 --> 00:34:03.680 I don't know what the hell Kwanzaa is. 00:34:03.760 --> 00:34:08.800 And festivist is just a fun Seinfeld made up holiday, and by all means celebrate it. 00:34:09.120 --> 00:34:12.160 This is the Christmas season and the Christmas holiday. 00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:16.080 Please, if you're listening, wish people a Merry Christmas. 00:34:16.240 --> 00:34:19.200 And if you live in LA, then watch them get offended. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:23.280 Especially if they have a mask on, then definitely wish them a Merry Christmas. 00:34:24.560 --> 00:34:29.600 I have yet to meet a single Jew that took offense at being wished a Merry Christmas. 00:34:29.920 --> 00:34:32.080 I remember Dennis wrote an article years ago. 00:34:32.240 --> 00:34:34.640 It's okay to wish a Jew Merry Christmas. 00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:36.160 And I think that's true. 00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:37.200 I do too. 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:39.280 So try it out, see what happens. 00:34:39.520 --> 00:34:47.840 If people are offended, anyone that is offended by being wished a Merry Christmas is not someone that you want to associate with. 00:34:48.080 --> 00:34:48.480 100%. 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:51.280 Just like somebody that's wearing a mask. 00:34:51.600 --> 00:34:53.120 I see someone wearing a mask. 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:57.920 I think now, thank goodness this is someone that I don't want to be associated with because they're probably crazy. 00:34:58.080 --> 00:34:59.520 And you can immediately see that. 00:34:59.680 --> 00:34:59.920 Yeah. 00:35:00.080 --> 00:35:02.480 I think I think more people should wear masks. 00:35:02.560 --> 00:35:03.200 Yeah. 00:35:03.600 --> 00:35:06.320 I want to know who I should talk to and who I should not talk to. 00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:07.440 It's like the uniform. 00:35:07.600 --> 00:35:12.560 It's like a war, and we and you you're wearing the uniform of the combatant side. 00:35:12.720 --> 00:35:15.120 I don't want anything to do with you if you're wearing a mask. 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:15.760 Yes. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:18.320 Okay, number eight, give generously. 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:25.280 I think charity and giving both of your money and your time is really important, even if it's not the Christmas season. 00:35:25.520 --> 00:35:27.680 But helping other people helps yourself. 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:34.560 One of the quickest ways to relieve depression is by finding people that are more depressed than you and helping them. 00:35:34.720 --> 00:35:36.960 I say that tongue in cheek, but it's true. 00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:40.720 Look for people to help that you can make a difference in their life. 00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:44.720 And it can't help but help you in return. 00:35:45.040 --> 00:35:49.920 If you have the wherewithal, write a check to your local church or your favorite charity. 00:35:50.080 --> 00:35:52.480 It makes a difference, especially this time of year. 00:35:52.640 --> 00:35:57.840 And by all means, find somebody that you can physically help and make a difference. 00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:01.440 Friend, family, church, soup kitchen, goodwill. 00:36:01.600 --> 00:36:03.520 I don't care, but find somebody to help. 00:36:03.600 --> 00:36:04.800 And I think it's important. 00:36:05.680 --> 00:36:07.840 What's your favorite charity, Mark? 00:36:09.120 --> 00:36:10.400 The cat club. 00:36:11.040 --> 00:36:12.640 No, I'm just kidding. 00:36:15.520 --> 00:36:19.200 I think that's a uh a strip bar in San Francisco, actually. 00:36:19.520 --> 00:36:23.440 That could be the kitty, the kitty cat ranch or something. 00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:25.120 Exactly. 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:26.800 I think you're thinking about the bunny ranch. 00:36:27.520 --> 00:36:28.080 The bunny ranch. 00:36:28.240 --> 00:36:29.360 Yeah, that's in Par up, Nevada. 00:36:29.600 --> 00:36:29.760 Okay. 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:30.800 I wouldn't know. 00:36:31.680 --> 00:36:46.880 I often will donate a lot of belongings to local uh church charities around Christmas because there's a lot of um need for toys, clothing, furniture. 00:36:47.120 --> 00:36:52.880 Yeah, and that I have a lot of things every year that accumulate that are still in excellent condition, but I just don't need them anymore. 00:36:53.040 --> 00:36:53.280 Yeah. 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:55.200 And I don't want to throw them away. 00:36:55.440 --> 00:36:59.440 And I know someone can use them, and I can get a tax deduction through the donation. 00:36:59.520 --> 00:37:02.800 So I organize and collect all of that. 00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:08.640 And then I make my donations often with with uh extra personal possessions that I don't really need. 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:11.840 It's too bad you can't get a tax donation for donating your time. 00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:15.440 I think a lot more people would step up and uh and do that. 00:37:15.600 --> 00:37:19.360 Um, I think they should try to add something like that into the tax code. 00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:20.800 But yeah, donating clothes. 00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:29.840 If you haven't worn something in over a year, you probably aren't gonna wear it, put it in a bag, go over to goodwill or whatever your favorite donation place is uh and donate it. 00:37:30.080 --> 00:37:33.520 Or, you know, especially up in LA, less so in Orange County. 00:37:33.600 --> 00:37:36.880 You got guys on the street with their little signs, homeless help me. 00:37:36.960 --> 00:37:47.760 So instead of giving them money, uh hand them a jacket, hand them some clothes, hand them a uh a new shirt that they can wear if they make sure you wear goggles when you do that because they'll probably spit in your face. 00:37:49.040 --> 00:37:54.160 That might be all right, number nine, supplement smartly. 00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:58.400 There are supplements that can help you with stress and anxiety and so forth. 00:37:58.480 --> 00:38:00.560 And I'm a huge fan of supplements. 00:38:00.720 --> 00:38:08.480 There are a few that I think are important, one of which is omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil, powerfully anti-inflammatory. 00:38:08.640 --> 00:38:11.840 The DHA and fish oil is really good for brain health. 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:19.360 Many of us are deficient in magnesium, so I think supplementing with magnesium is also a good idea. 00:38:19.680 --> 00:38:29.600 B vitamins as well, be complex, and especially if you have the MTHFR mutation, then a methylated B vitamin is important. 00:38:29.920 --> 00:38:44.800 And then what's known as adaptogens, things that really help your hormonal balance, like certain types of mushrooms like lion's mane, for example, and ashwaganda can be very helpful to help kind of quiet your nerves and help you get through the season. 00:38:45.040 --> 00:38:47.440 Is caviar a good substitute for fish oil? 00:38:47.600 --> 00:38:51.440 Uh if you get enough of it, I guess, yeah, you can, or sardines. 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:53.520 Sure, that's right, or krill. 00:38:53.680 --> 00:38:55.280 Some people like to eat krill. 00:38:55.520 --> 00:38:57.760 Krill are these little shrimpy things. 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:00.800 I'm not sure that's a good idea because it's very expensive. 00:39:00.880 --> 00:39:06.000 And some people argue that you're eating whale food, so you're the poor whales aren't getting enough food. 00:39:06.240 --> 00:39:12.720 So taking good supplements, and you know, earlier on, we talked about clean eating, avoiding alcohol, avoiding sugar. 00:39:12.800 --> 00:39:14.720 I think that's really important as well. 00:39:15.280 --> 00:39:27.440 Uh, number 10, maybe the single most important uh mechanism to get through the holiday season if you're struggling, and that is practice gratitude. 00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:32.800 Gratitude is one of the most important and often overlooked qualities. 00:39:33.040 --> 00:39:34.800 Anyone can practice it. 00:39:35.040 --> 00:39:43.600 It's as simple as a notepad next to your bed, writing down one or two or three things when you go to bed or when you wake up that you're grateful for. 00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:58.400 Looking for others that have made a difference in your life and saying thank you, especially in the work environment, your boss, your colleague, or whatever, if they've done something nice, walk up to them and say, Hey, by the way, I just wanted to say thank you for all the help that you've given me. 00:39:58.720 --> 00:39:59.760 Gratitude and practice. 00:40:00.080 --> 00:40:04.240 Practicing gratitude is really good for your own mental health. 00:40:04.720 --> 00:40:10.320 It can and even if it's just little small things, I think it's important. 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:11.520 I try to do that. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:13.680 Try to do that with my medical staff. 00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:16.080 I try to do that with people in my life. 00:40:16.720 --> 00:40:21.200 My loved ones, my mom who turns 91 in a couple weeks. 00:40:21.600 --> 00:40:27.200 I try to spend as much time with her as possible because I know she's not going to be around for a long time. 00:40:27.280 --> 00:40:29.360 So I want to spend as much time with her. 00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:37.040 And then just say thank you to people that are in my life and let them know how important it is to me to have them in my life. 00:40:37.200 --> 00:40:41.440 It's so nice when you tell somebody that what do you think about that, Mark? 00:40:41.680 --> 00:40:44.560 Well, I think gratitude is the foundation for happiness. 00:40:44.800 --> 00:40:56.800 And you can prove this quite easily by asking yourself, how many envious people have you met that are actually happy? 00:40:57.040 --> 00:40:57.840 Not many. 00:40:58.160 --> 00:40:59.200 Just don't see it. 00:40:59.360 --> 00:40:59.840 Yeah. 00:41:00.160 --> 00:41:19.360 And most philosophies or ideologies that are grounded in envy, which are basically all communal philosophies, starting with Marxism, lead to unhappiness because they are grounded in envy, which is the desire to spoil something good that you don't have. 00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:27.040 And that's the antithesis of gratitude, uh, which is to feel a sense of um indebtedness for what you do have. 00:41:27.360 --> 00:41:32.720 So the antidote to unhappiness to a large degree is actually gratitude. 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:34.640 It's certainly the foundation for it. 00:41:34.800 --> 00:41:37.360 And without it, I don't believe that you can be happy. 00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:43.120 It doesn't matter what you have, because having something and not being grateful for it does not lead you to feeling happy. 00:41:43.360 --> 00:41:43.840 No question. 00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:45.840 And social media leads to envy. 00:41:45.920 --> 00:41:47.200 It's hard not to. 00:41:47.440 --> 00:41:52.800 You see people living the perfect uh, you know, textbook, storybook life. 00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:59.120 You don't see pain and drama and difficulties on social media very, very rarely. 00:41:59.280 --> 00:42:00.480 And it's so hard. 00:42:00.560 --> 00:42:03.520 It's like human nature to compare yourself to other people. 00:42:03.680 --> 00:42:05.680 And social media lends itself to that. 00:42:05.760 --> 00:42:10.320 And I think it's very destructive, uh, especially for children. 00:42:10.560 --> 00:42:14.560 There's nothing worse than going out to dinner, and you see kids sitting around the table. 00:42:14.720 --> 00:42:20.000 They're not talking to each other, they're all on their phone, scrolling through whatever social media. 00:42:20.160 --> 00:42:22.880 I think it's a terrible way to raise kids. 00:42:23.120 --> 00:42:30.800 You know, my daughter, my daughter and son-in-law were just out here, and I have a granddaughter who is now 16, 17 months old. 00:42:31.040 --> 00:42:32.720 They flew out on Southwest. 00:42:32.800 --> 00:42:35.600 They were very lucky to get a middle seat free. 00:42:35.840 --> 00:42:40.720 Uh, and my daughter took some pictures, videos of their adventure. 00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:44.400 And on the on the video was uh was Claire. 00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:50.400 It's my granddaughter, and she's standing up and she's looking through the seats and playing peekaboo with the people behind. 00:42:50.800 --> 00:42:57.440 And her caption was the challenges of raising a screen free child. 00:42:57.760 --> 00:43:04.480 So they don't have an iPad, they don't watch videos on their phone, they're not watching Sesame Street at home on TV. 00:43:04.640 --> 00:43:15.600 She doesn't watch TV, there'll be a football game on or something in the background, but they don't watch children's shows, and she's trying to raise her child without screens. 00:43:15.680 --> 00:43:18.160 And it's so easy to do the opposite. 00:43:18.320 --> 00:43:22.800 You get on an airplane, you put on some stupid Sesame Street show, some child show. 00:43:22.960 --> 00:43:30.960 Of course, the kids are immediately enamored and focused on the screen, which in and of itself is really interesting and unhealthy. 00:43:31.120 --> 00:43:33.280 Um, so it's a challenge. 00:43:33.600 --> 00:43:42.640 And screen time, especially on social media, lends itself to envy, comparison shopping, and depression. 00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:46.080 So take some time off of social media during the holidays. 00:43:46.320 --> 00:43:49.040 I know, listen, I've got an addiction to social media. 00:43:49.280 --> 00:43:50.960 I spend a lot of time doing it. 00:43:51.040 --> 00:43:53.760 I post on Instagram, Rx for Liberty. 00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:59.280 Um, and it's part of my persona in influencing people towards holistic health. 00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:10.960 I remember I was out visiting my brother who lives in Dallas, and we were driving somewhere and I was doing something on my phone, and he looked over, he goes, dude, you are so addicted to your phone. 00:44:11.200 --> 00:44:13.360 I'm like, shit, he's right. 00:44:13.920 --> 00:44:23.120 And ever since then, I've tried to, if I go out to, if I go out to dinner with a friend or whatever, I tried to, yeah, there's a siren going by right now, and this is an emergency. 00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:28.720 And I think uh I think this is an emergency for all of us that we need to be careful of social media. 00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:32.880 So when I go out to dinner with a friend, I don't I leave my phone. 00:44:33.040 --> 00:44:35.680 I don't take my phone, I'll leave it in my car, I leave it at home. 00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:38.800 I don't need my phone for a couple hours when I'm out to dinner. 00:44:39.040 --> 00:44:42.320 And I think taking time off social media is a healthy thing. 00:44:42.480 --> 00:44:45.920 I'm not on social media on Sundays, so I've taken Sundays off. 00:44:46.000 --> 00:44:47.840 I don't post, I don't scroll. 00:44:48.000 --> 00:44:50.640 I try to stay off social media on Sundays. 00:44:50.720 --> 00:44:54.160 And I think it's uh an important lesson to all of us. 00:44:54.400 --> 00:45:04.800 Develop the gratitude, get rid of the envy, uh, and spend some time actually talking to people, reading a book, and not just scrolling on Instagram or Facebook. 00:45:05.440 --> 00:45:08.560 I have been traveling overseas a lot. 00:45:09.200 --> 00:45:18.080 And there have been times when I have been in foreign countries where there is no realistic possibility of cell phone access. 00:45:18.320 --> 00:45:19.360 Oh, interesting. 00:45:19.680 --> 00:45:32.640 And so the only time that I have connectivity with the internet or with cell service, I mean, whatever information comes with a phone, is when I'm in my hotel room on my computer. 00:45:32.880 --> 00:45:34.400 Or with Wi-Fi or something. 00:45:35.120 --> 00:45:38.960 Or with Wi-Fi if I connect to it if I'm out and about, correct. 00:45:39.600 --> 00:45:50.960 And I find that doing that completely changes not only my habits of where my attention goes, but it also changes the way I make my plans. 00:45:51.200 --> 00:46:00.640 I actually start to plan things out in advance, and I create more structure, and I make sure that I know where I'm gonna be or who I'm gonna be with at a certain time. 00:46:00.720 --> 00:46:07.040 And it creates more accountability for me and accountability for others because I tell them, look, I'm gonna show up at three o'clock. 00:46:07.280 --> 00:46:09.360 You will not be able to reach me all day. 00:46:09.440 --> 00:46:09.680 Yeah. 00:46:09.840 --> 00:46:10.880 And they know that. 00:46:11.120 --> 00:46:16.960 So they can't tell me at two, you know what, we're we're gonna come by about 345 because we want to finish hosing down our lawn. 00:46:17.120 --> 00:46:17.440 Yeah. 00:46:17.680 --> 00:46:22.320 Now they could show up at 345, but it would look really bad. 00:46:22.720 --> 00:46:23.120 Right. 00:46:23.360 --> 00:46:26.000 And this is the way that life used to be before cell phones. 00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:29.600 We would make plans, and if people were late, they looked bad. 00:46:29.760 --> 00:46:29.920 Yeah. 00:46:30.080 --> 00:46:31.280 Unless it was an emergency. 00:46:31.440 --> 00:46:31.600 Yeah. 00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:38.240 And now you can just decide at any point up to a minute before the appointment, you know, I'm just gonna text them and say I'll be 30 minutes late. 00:46:38.400 --> 00:46:39.440 I don't even have to give a reason. 00:46:39.600 --> 00:46:39.760 Right. 00:46:39.920 --> 00:46:40.800 I think this is horrible. 00:46:40.960 --> 00:46:47.040 You know, we're the last generation that will know what it was like to grow up without cell phones. 00:46:47.280 --> 00:46:52.720 I remember when I was a kid, my dad, who is also a doctor, had one of the first car phones in his car. 00:46:52.880 --> 00:46:58.720 The brick is a big Motorola thing that was in the car, big box in the trunk that connected it. 00:46:58.880 --> 00:47:00.160 It was all analog. 00:47:00.240 --> 00:47:12.000 And what you had to do is you picked up your mobile phone, you had to call a mobile operator, and you'd give the mobile operator your number, and then the mobile operator would make the call for you and connect you to whoever you needed to call. 00:47:12.240 --> 00:47:13.040 Sound like a radio. 00:47:13.280 --> 00:47:14.240 It was kind of like that. 00:47:14.400 --> 00:47:23.520 Yeah, or like the old-fashioned phones, you know, from I Love Lucy, where you'd have to plug in your phone and then you talk to an operator, and the operator makes a makes a call for you. 00:47:23.600 --> 00:47:25.200 That's what that's what it was. 00:47:25.760 --> 00:47:36.960 And I think it was, you know, in, you know, of course, connectivity is good and you can communicate and all this and and information, but in many ways, I don't know that we're living in a better society. 00:47:37.200 --> 00:47:39.120 I never had a cell phone growing up. 00:47:39.200 --> 00:47:40.720 I had no way to communicate. 00:47:40.880 --> 00:47:44.080 There were pay phones, you'd put a quarter in to make a phone call. 00:47:44.240 --> 00:47:45.360 I'd go out of the house. 00:47:45.440 --> 00:47:47.040 My parents didn't know where I was. 00:47:47.200 --> 00:47:51.040 They knew who my friends were, and we'd be out until dark, and then we'd come home. 00:47:51.280 --> 00:47:55.520 We didn't have that instant connectivity like kids do now. 00:47:55.680 --> 00:48:01.520 And I'm not sure it's any better, and I'm not even sure it's any safer than it was when we were kids. 00:48:01.680 --> 00:48:09.200 But the reality is kids today will never know what it's like to live and to grow up without that type of connectivity. 00:48:09.360 --> 00:48:11.200 And I'm not sure that's a healthy thing. 00:48:11.520 --> 00:48:12.400 I don't think it is. 00:48:12.560 --> 00:48:22.320 I think having time in your life where people don't know where you are is very good. 00:48:22.640 --> 00:48:23.200 Yeah. 00:48:23.520 --> 00:48:26.560 And not being able to reach people is good. 00:48:26.960 --> 00:48:30.800 It's similar to being out in the forest and going hiking and camping. 00:48:31.040 --> 00:48:37.920 One of the advantages and the benefits of doing that is that there is a disconnection from everything that's not immediately around you in your environment. 00:48:38.080 --> 00:48:38.320 Right. 00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:47.600 So you get hyper-focused and connected with the only thing that matters, which is where you are, who you're with, and what you're touching. 00:48:47.760 --> 00:48:47.920 Yeah. 00:48:48.080 --> 00:48:48.480 That's it. 00:48:48.640 --> 00:48:49.280 Isn't that nice? 00:48:49.520 --> 00:48:50.000 It's amazing. 00:48:50.080 --> 00:48:52.160 And it's in a completely different experience. 00:48:52.240 --> 00:49:03.360 And it's it's so much more rich and meaningful than wandering around a city with this thing beeping and honking and uh blipping and vibrating in your pocket, and you're constantly looking to see. 00:49:03.440 --> 00:49:04.400 Is it something I need to attend to? 00:49:04.560 --> 00:49:08.240 Oh no, it's not something this happens everywhere we go now. 00:49:08.320 --> 00:49:11.200 And it's it's it breaks your attention. 00:49:11.360 --> 00:49:17.760 And I also I also think it creates a kind of chronic low-level anxiety. 00:49:18.080 --> 00:49:19.040 I think you're right. 00:49:19.200 --> 00:49:21.280 You always need to know what's going on. 00:49:21.520 --> 00:49:23.520 You need to uh, you know, what's it? 00:49:23.680 --> 00:49:26.880 FOMO, fear of missing out on something that's going on. 00:49:27.360 --> 00:49:35.280 Um, I you know, as a matter of fact, as I'm sitting here thinking about it, I might even not just be not not just not be on social media on Sundays. 00:49:35.360 --> 00:49:37.120 I may just turn my phone off completely. 00:49:37.360 --> 00:49:41.280 Just not even have a cell phone on Sundays, just turn it off, put it in the charger. 00:49:41.440 --> 00:49:50.320 You know, if I'm if I I'll make plans ahead of time, if I'm gonna do something with friends, uh, show up where I want to show up and not be available at all. 00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:55.520 Although I can't really do that because I have a concierge practice and patients expect to be able to reach me. 00:49:55.680 --> 00:49:58.720 Oh, it was a good idea for about 30 seconds. 00:49:59.440 --> 00:49:59.680 Well, 00:50:00.160 --> 00:50:01.440 That's what the Orthodox Jews do. 00:50:01.520 --> 00:50:05.840 They just shut everything off on Friday sunset and then they finish keep the Sabbath. 00:50:06.480 --> 00:50:07.200 They do. 00:50:07.520 --> 00:50:15.600 And I believe that when they're physicians, they have some roundabout way of being reached because it's a medical emergency. 00:50:15.760 --> 00:50:20.800 So there's an exception for using devices and communication for that purpose. 00:50:21.040 --> 00:50:27.760 Well, I mean, from a religious standpoint, it's allowed if you're uh if you're treating, if you're a physician or whatever, it's allowed. 00:50:27.840 --> 00:50:33.120 You know, it's like on Yom Kippur, you're not supposed to do any kind of work, uh, et cetera, and you're fasting. 00:50:33.200 --> 00:50:38.320 But if you're a physician and you're responsible for patients, then you're allowed to do that. 00:50:38.560 --> 00:50:39.280 I don't I don't know. 00:50:39.360 --> 00:50:43.760 I'll I'll figure something out, but or go on vacation where there is no cell phone access. 00:50:43.840 --> 00:50:44.800 That'd be nice too. 00:50:44.960 --> 00:50:47.360 I mean, think about it if you're listening to this. 00:50:47.600 --> 00:50:50.640 When's the last time you win a week without a cell phone? 00:50:50.880 --> 00:50:52.400 A day, let alone a week. 00:50:52.480 --> 00:50:59.280 When's the last time you went a day without immediate instant cell phone access to anybody and everybody? 00:50:59.440 --> 00:51:05.760 A text away or a phone call away, or scroll on Instagram to see what your friends are doing, or what's going on in the news. 00:51:05.920 --> 00:51:07.680 It's it's not good. 00:51:07.840 --> 00:51:08.640 I don't think it's good. 00:51:08.800 --> 00:51:11.040 It's not good for our brain, it's not good for our psyche. 00:51:11.120 --> 00:51:13.040 It's like information overload. 00:51:13.120 --> 00:51:19.120 It's like a computer that's just going to, you know, you know, overheat and die. 00:51:19.280 --> 00:51:20.240 I don't think it's a good thing. 00:51:20.480 --> 00:51:39.360 You know what I'm wondering is if AI comes in to take over the management of our devices as an intermediary, like a butler. 00:51:39.520 --> 00:51:40.720 Maybe I should do that. 00:51:40.880 --> 00:51:49.200 Then you can use an AI program to block everything except for this one thing that you actually need. 00:51:49.440 --> 00:51:53.440 Like emergency calls from the following four people should go through. 00:51:53.520 --> 00:51:56.800 Yeah, and everything else should just go into a silent zone. 00:51:56.960 --> 00:51:57.120 Yeah. 00:51:57.280 --> 00:51:58.640 That's one example. 00:51:58.880 --> 00:52:04.080 And in fact, you could even say that because we have become slaves to the devices. 00:52:04.240 --> 00:52:11.200 Every single device we have, we spend more time on managing it than actually using it for its its intended purpose, right? 00:52:11.360 --> 00:52:27.120 Like imagine if you had a hammer, and instead of using the hammer an hour a day to hammer nails, you spent four hours a day polishing it, shaving it down, sanding it, putting it in and out of its case, checking on it to make sure the humidity was proper, and then an hour using the hammer. 00:52:27.200 --> 00:52:30.160 You would say, why the hell am I spending four hours a day managing my hammer? 00:52:30.320 --> 00:52:31.840 That's what we're doing with the stupid phone. 00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:32.320 You're right. 00:52:32.480 --> 00:52:38.080 And the computer and the tablet and the cable TV, all of that stuff, but it's a really nice hammer. 00:52:38.560 --> 00:52:41.360 I suppose it was a really nice hammer you can get away with it. 00:52:42.240 --> 00:52:45.600 So here's the last bonus tip of the article. 00:52:45.920 --> 00:52:47.920 Seek support early. 00:52:48.640 --> 00:52:51.120 Listen, depression, anxiety, it's real. 00:52:51.280 --> 00:52:53.920 Suicide over the holidays is a real thing. 00:52:54.080 --> 00:52:58.400 Uh, there's nothing to be ashamed of if you are depressed and you need help. 00:52:58.640 --> 00:53:00.480 Reach out and get help. 00:53:00.960 --> 00:53:03.600 The avenues to get help are almost endless. 00:53:03.760 --> 00:53:09.520 You can call your local doctor if you have a primary care doctor, if you have a psychiatrist, there are suicide hotlines. 00:53:09.760 --> 00:53:15.600 Uh, most churches have pastors and elders that can counsel you. 00:53:15.760 --> 00:53:22.400 It's really important to not be embarrassed and not be ashamed if you're struggling uh to reach out and get help. 00:53:22.640 --> 00:53:29.440 There are holistic therapists, there's nutritional support, there's hormone balancing, there's all kinds of things you can do. 00:53:29.680 --> 00:53:42.880 But if you're struggling, and it's not just something that you can holistically address with some of the ways that we've talked about, go find yourself a good therapist and uh make sure you reach out and get the help you need. 00:53:43.040 --> 00:53:46.720 You don't want a permanent solution to a temporary problem. 00:53:46.960 --> 00:53:52.480 And sometimes that is exactly what's going on over this Christmas holiday season. 00:53:53.520 --> 00:53:55.280 I think that's pretty comprehensive. 00:53:55.520 --> 00:53:56.560 Yeah, it is. 00:53:56.800 --> 00:53:58.080 I think we're out of time. 00:53:58.400 --> 00:54:00.000 Any last thoughts. 00:54:00.880 --> 00:54:04.240 Sounds like you asked me if I had any last words before the execution. 00:54:04.720 --> 00:54:06.560 Before before we kill ourselves. 00:54:06.800 --> 00:54:10.240 Jeff's holding a gun to my head and his. 00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:13.200 It's a double-barreled gun. 00:54:13.360 --> 00:54:14.720 Yeah, for sure. 00:54:15.840 --> 00:54:20.400 I think Christmas uh is a challenge inherently. 00:54:20.640 --> 00:54:22.480 It shouldn't be, but it is. 00:54:22.720 --> 00:54:30.320 I think you can still pull something good out of it by focusing on religious aspects, on community, on giving, on generosity. 00:54:30.480 --> 00:54:38.080 Think of Christmas not as a time for effortless comfort and fun, but as an opportunity to grow and to challenge yourself. 00:54:38.560 --> 00:54:55.440 I try to do that with Christmas because it seems like whenever I just let it happen and I don't make an effort to organize and plan what I need to do to overcome some of my own limitations in my relationship with Christmas. 00:54:55.520 --> 00:55:01.440 I wind up feeling sad, resentful, frustrated, and disappointed. 00:55:01.680 --> 00:55:18.560 And so I set my expectations very concretely and very reasonably to have, let's say, a good conversation with someone that I don't normally see over Christmas or I have a bad time with to make sure that I uh buy a thoughtful gift for one or two people before it becomes too late. 00:55:18.640 --> 00:55:24.080 So let's say an experiential gift, or I call the pickup to have my things donated. 00:55:24.240 --> 00:55:28.000 So I feel like I'm doing a good deed, and I get my garage cleaned out for new year. 00:55:28.160 --> 00:55:33.520 And if you do just a few of those things and you organize them and plan them, it does make a huge difference. 00:55:33.600 --> 00:55:36.480 And you wind up feeling like, okay, Christmas is over. 00:55:36.720 --> 00:55:40.800 It's the beginning of the year, and it actually was reasonably pleasant. 00:55:40.960 --> 00:55:42.080 Yeah, it improves your mood. 00:55:42.160 --> 00:55:42.320 Yeah. 00:55:42.400 --> 00:55:49.840 So set your sights and your bar at a reasonably low level and don't expect the stars because that's not what Christmas is about, actually. 00:55:50.080 --> 00:55:50.400 For sure. 00:55:50.560 --> 00:55:52.000 It's not the point of the holiday anyway. 00:55:52.320 --> 00:55:56.080 No, it's not about shopping and gift giving, it's really about the religious part of it. 00:55:56.320 --> 00:55:58.800 So learn about that, embrace that. 00:55:58.960 --> 00:55:59.920 And uh, we hope. 00:56:00.080 --> 00:56:02.400 I don't know if this is the last episode before Christmas. 00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:11.760 I think we will probably have another one before that, but just in case we don't wish you all a merry Christmas and uh appreciate you listening to Informed Descent. 00:56:11.920 --> 00:56:15.520 Send us your comments, your feedback, other topics you want us to talk about. 00:56:15.680 --> 00:56:20.320 If you're interested in sponsoring, we're always looking for new sponsors and would love to have you. 00:56:20.560 --> 00:56:28.240 We take Bitcoin, Bitcoin, gold, chocolate, uh, whatever whatever you want to donate, we're happy to take. 00:56:28.560 --> 00:56:30.880 Extra shares in your Gulf Stream jet. 00:56:31.040 --> 00:56:31.600 Yes. 00:56:31.920 --> 00:56:32.880 Experiences. 00:56:33.280 --> 00:56:35.760 You've got a home in Aspen that you want to donate. 00:56:35.840 --> 00:56:38.240 Uh, we will record a podcast from there. 00:56:39.200 --> 00:56:40.800 All right, Mark, until next time. 00:56:40.880 --> 00:56:41.760 Thanks for coming down. 00:56:42.000 --> 00:56:43.120 Merry Christmas. 00:56:43.360 --> 00:56:46.080 You've been listening to informed dissent with Dr. 00:56:46.160 --> 00:56:50.640 Jeff Barkey, board certified primary care physician, and Dr. 00:56:50.800 --> 00:56:56.000 Mark McDonald, board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist. 00:56:56.320 --> 00:57:01.040 Informed dissent, the intersection of health care and politics.