- 6 hours ago
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Right now, I'm going to bring my colleagues out, Dr. Cleopatra Lightfoot Booker, she's
00:10a psychologist, and Dr. Yusra Ben-Haleen.
00:13Both of them work in mental health.
00:15Can we have an applause for them?
00:17Please have a seat there.
00:20And what we're talking about is mental health.
00:23Welcome, ladies.
00:24Hello.
00:25Hello.
00:26Hello.
00:26I'd say that Cleo is an Issa Rae lookalike.
00:31So what we're talking about is mental health.
00:34And coming out of the pandemic in the last 30 months or so, we saw black folks really
00:39being affected by the isolation, by demands for work, work from home, caring for children,
00:48balancing it all.
00:49And it really fell on our community really hard.
00:52And so we want to talk about how to find the joy in mental health.
00:58That's what we're going to spend about 20 minutes talking about.
01:00And then at the end of our talk, we're actually going to take you through a lovely meditation
01:04to help you feel relaxed and to help bring some black joy into your life.
01:09So Cleo, I'll start.
01:10Yusra, actually.
01:11I'll start with you.
01:12When we talk about mental health, and both of you obviously will have an opportunity
01:16to answer this, what's the impact as clinicians, as doctors who are on the front line, what
01:22are you seeing with respect to behavioral health and communities of color?
01:28Sure.
01:28So thank you so much, Roxanne.
01:30It's a pleasure to be here joining you all.
01:32I'm so grateful that we're continuing to have the conversation about mental health and
01:36mental well-being.
01:37And so I think it's no surprise to anyone that even before the pandemic, communities
01:43of color were really facing health inequities, accessing the health care system, and especially
01:49the mental health care system.
01:51And everything that we've been through during the pandemic, as much as we want it to be over,
01:57the truth is that we're still seeing more and more people who are struggling, struggling
02:03with depression and suicide and substance use and misuse.
02:10And again, thinking about communities of color in particular, and why they continue to be more
02:15vulnerable, is that although we're moving mountains and having more of these conversations,
02:20I think that stigma is still very much an ongoing challenge.
02:24So we've reduced stigma, but we haven't reduced it enough, especially in communities of color.
02:31So thinking about shame, thinking about mental health symptoms as a weakness, and then thinking
02:39about all the challenges that are still in the system that keep people from being able to get the
02:45support and the care that they need.
02:48And then I think another big thing, Roxanne, is that we talk a lot about diversity, right?
02:54The importance of being able to look at our health care system and see people who look
02:58like us, or people who have shared experiences.
03:02But it's even more than that.
03:03It's important for us to think about how we're going to shift things transformationally, so
03:09that we're talking about cultural competency, cultural sensitivity.
03:13So we don't have to look like each other.
03:16We don't have to have the same experiences all the time in order to be able to connect and
03:22say, I want to understand your experience.
03:25I want to be able to help you understand your health, your mental health on your terms.
03:30You're really speaking about making the effort to understand.
03:34Yes.
03:34And I think what we've seen in the past several years is more people are speaking up, but
03:40I still believe that there are many people who are not raising their hands because of stigma
03:45and because we don't feel like there's people out there who really understand us.
03:50Talk about the stigma, Cleo.
03:52Yeah.
03:52Particularly in black communities.
03:55There's this thought that if I reach out for mental health, I'm weak.
03:59Right.
03:59Or that I don't believe in my God.
04:02Yeah.
04:02And that's an insult to my faith system.
04:06Yeah.
04:07Talk about faith.
04:08So we know that as a black community, our faith is at the core of a lot of us.
04:14It gives us our strength.
04:15We often rely upon the spirit.
04:17We say, you know, God help me and he will heal me.
04:22He will take everything away.
04:24For a long time, because our faith is so strong, we thought that it was our faith that could heal
04:30us completely.
04:31And I think what is happening now in our community is that people are recognizing that God put
04:38people here on earth to help us.
04:41It is not about going at it by yourself.
04:45God put therapists here, psychiatrists here, doctors here, so that you don't have to be alone.
04:52And that's what we're seeing now is more people actually recognizing it's okay for me to reach
04:58out for help and it's not about just praying it away.
05:01Girl, go pray it away.
05:02You'll be fine.
05:03No, no, no.
05:04Sometimes you actually do need to reach out for help and then just recognize that God did put
05:10us here for a reason.
05:12The other thing is telling your story is really helpful as well.
05:16So instead of trying to keep it in, instead of just praying away, talking to God is important,
05:21right?
05:21Like he heals us, he wants us to talk to him, but at the same time, talking to people
05:26that you can relate to is also important and being able to tell the story that you're going
05:32through.
05:32Once you start talking to other people, you realize that you're not alone, right?
05:37Particularly, no, talking to people that you can relate to, Yusha, you brought up a really
05:42good point that you don't, we all don't have to look the same and have the same experiences
05:46to understand one another, but we do have to make that effort to be culturally sensitive.
05:51And so I know that Optum, as I mentioned in the introduction, is making a huge effort to
05:56increase the pipeline of clinicians and doctors and psychiatrists and doctors, people who can
06:02really sort of close that gap.
06:05So can you, both of you, talk a little bit more about what's being done systematically
06:09and, for example, inside Optum to really help our people get the help they need?
06:16Yeah, we're really proud of the work that we're doing.
06:18Do you want to start at all?
06:19Sure, I'll take part of that.
06:20So this is what gets me excited and this is why I get up every day.
06:24As much as I know I can make an impact with the little things that I do, it's important
06:29that I recognize that, you know, Optum and United are really putting their money where
06:34their mouth is.
06:35If we're really going to make a change, it has to be big and it has to be something that
06:41we're intentional about.
06:42So I'm happy to share that the United Health Foundation has made a commitment for 10 years
06:48and 100 million dollars to really intentionally invest in the healthcare system, to increase
06:56the diversity, to have programs that can really train the clinicians of the future to be culturally
07:03sensitive, culturally aware, so that we can build that inclusive healthcare system that
07:09we are trying to have today, but we know that it's going to take this huge shift in order
07:14for us to have it, not just for ourselves in the future, but for the next generations
07:18as well.
07:19People will more likely feel comfortable in therapy when they're working with somebody
07:23that looks like them and they feel that somebody understands them.
07:27And we as an organization, Optum and United Health Group recognize that.
07:32And that's one of the reasons why we know that in order to actually change the system,
07:37we have to infuse the system, the healthcare system, with more people that look like us,
07:44that look like those that are using the healthcare system.
07:47And so that's where that 100 million dollars is really going to help kind of build up the
07:51diversity of the clinical workforce, because that's the only way that we're really going
07:56to change it, right?
07:58So let's talk about the connection between mental health and physical health.
08:02We have to get to the point where we de-stigmatize and we normalize a conversation about, you
08:07know, I'm not at my best self today.
08:10Just the same way you talk about if I broke my wrist or sprained my ankle, we would talk
08:15about I'm having some issues that I need to talk about.
08:19We normalize that conversation.
08:20And one of the things as black women that we often face is the superwoman trope, right?
08:24That we have to carry it all.
08:25We got to be the mom.
08:26We got to work the job.
08:27We got to take care of everybody else.
08:29Too much.
08:29And then we put ourselves, you know, low on the list.
08:31You know, you and I talked about this during the pandemic.
08:34I mean, it was hard on us.
08:35We're in the field of mental health.
08:36Yeah.
08:36And it was hard for us.
08:38Yeah, definitely.
08:41When I think back to the pandemic and COVID, when you talk about mental and physical health,
08:46I'll tell you all a story.
08:48So there was a point where I'm a mom of three boys, three African-American boys.
08:53And it was a time where COVID was high.
08:56We had George Floyd.
08:58I was trying to protest.
08:59I was trying to teach my kids what it meant, what was happening in the world.
09:02And I felt like I was trying to be that superwoman.
09:06I was trying to be there for my husband, who is here, the love of my life, black love.
09:10Hello.
09:12But I was trying to be that superwoman.
09:14I was trying to be that wife, that mom.
09:16I was trying to be, you know, a social advocate.
09:19And I felt like I couldn't breathe.
09:21And I didn't even recognize what was happening at the time, is that I was going through anxiety myself as a mental health professional.
09:29I didn't feel like exercising.
09:31I slept in.
09:33Like, I was clearly going through something, and I didn't recognize it.
09:38Well, talk about black love.
09:39My husband said, what is it that you want to do?
09:41Like, how can you get your joy back?
09:44And I tell you all what I started doing.
09:47So, here's the physical health connection.
09:49I love to dance.
09:51So, I started twerking.
09:53I started taking twerk dance classes.
09:57Twerk is an art form of movement, where you learn how to utilize your body in different ways.
10:04Most people, when you say twerk, you think of other, you know, celebrities like Cardi B, but it is actually an art form.
10:10But it helped me release all of that physical stress that I was going through, and I've kept it up ever since.
10:17And so, that is my way of connecting my physical health as well as my emotional well-being, is to make sure that I'm doing something that gives me joy.
10:26And twerking is what gives me joy every Thursday.
10:31You may have to perform for us.
10:33I don't know.
10:34So, and then you were talking about, you know, just the stress of getting ready to go on a trip, a business trip, you know, coming down here and making sure we're on point for everything we have to do.
10:45And we were teasing you yesterday because you were very methodical about addressing your mental health.
10:51You want to share a little bit about what you shared with us the other day?
10:53Sure.
10:54So, my story is a little different, but I think we ended up in sort of a similar place.
10:58It will not end in twerking.
10:59And so, you know, before COVID, I have always been an athlete.
11:04I've been a roadrunner.
11:05Whenever I travel, I hit the roads of any city I go in.
11:09So, I always used to just pack my shoes, basically, right?
11:12And then I ended up getting COVID before we really knew what COVID was, and then long COVID.
11:19And so, what I realized was how important my physical movement throughout my life as a roadrunner, as someone who did high-intensity training, I didn't realize that that was my coping skill until it was taken away.
11:35And so, I ended up, I'm a psychiatrist, right?
11:38I was in the pandemic.
11:39I was physically unhealthy.
11:41And I found myself now also kind of thinking, why am I not happy right now?
11:47Why am I not able, as a superwoman, to kind of keep pushing through?
11:52And so, what I realized was I had been doing it all wrong and not even knowing it.
11:59And so, what I've learned is that we can't just have the one thing.
12:03So, we're going to add something to your twerking list by the time you leave New Orleans.
12:07We can't just sort of say, I'm going to go big or go home.
12:10There's this one thing that I always do, that I have to do, and that is what I do for my emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
12:19And so, what I've had to learn, because I really had no choice, right?
12:25I still can't kind of hit the road running, is that I decided to not take that go big or go home superwoman approach.
12:32I started to look at things kind of that were small.
12:35And I started to say, how can I have a lot of little, small things that I can take with me anywhere?
12:44And those little things can really add up to a big impact.
12:50And so, when I was packing to come, you know, I'm starting to travel now for work.
12:54So, I got my dresses, I got my shoes, most of which I'm not wearing, because it's like you can't wear the heels out here.
13:00And so, I said, what am I doing, though?
13:03What am I taking for, like, up here?
13:05What am I taking for my mental health as I'm about to go on this adventure?
13:10And what am I packing for what's in here?
13:12For my spiritual health, for my emotional health.
13:16And it's the smallest things.
13:17It's taking my music.
13:19It's taking my deep breathing, which is really helpful in the airport.
13:23You're going to have to share your playlist with me.
13:25And then, you know what it is?
13:28It's doing things outside of the box.
13:29So, what I love about your example is that it doesn't have to be what everybody thinks it is.
13:35It doesn't have to be formal therapy.
13:37It doesn't have to be seeing someone like me, a psychiatrist.
13:41It's not just about medications and treatment.
13:44So, everyone deserves good mental health and mental and emotional well-being.
13:50And now, after COVID, I think, we're seeing that the way we can do that doesn't fit in boxes.
13:58It doesn't have to be where I check the box of therapy.
14:01It can be that I've learned how to move my body in a new way.
14:05It can be combining the little things that I do, but doing it intentionally.
14:10So, this is what I love about the moment that we're in right now.
14:13The more we're talking about mental and emotional health,
14:16the more we're thinking creatively and designing it in a way that really works for us.
14:22There's no one-size-fits-all.
14:23No.
14:23And speaking of being in the moment, I mean, the way that you pack,
14:27we probably all could use some tips.
14:29I'm going to rewind just a little bit.
14:30I'm going to go off script and be in the moment because that was pretty good.
14:34Repeat, how do you think about packing again?
14:36Because I literally throw everything in a suitcase.
14:38So, I know it's a little bit off topic, but sometimes packing can be anxiety-provoking.
14:43So, go through that one more time.
14:44Yeah, so, you know, when I pack, I think about all the different types of weather,
14:49which is in New Orleans, it's every type of weather.
14:51But I also think about, okay, what am I going to do, though, to stay grounded?
14:55What am I going to do to keep me still and at peace when I'm going out into the whirlwind
15:02that we know we're going to keep facing, right?
15:05The world is going to keep changing.
15:06The stressors are going to keep coming.
15:09But if I can, like, literally pull out my deep breathing and be intentional and say,
15:14you know what, I remember I packed my deep breathing.
15:16And I know this sounds really cheesy, but I believe it because this is what is getting
15:20me through my moments and my days.
15:24We have a great example.
15:25I'm going to flip the script just a little bit, too.
15:27We have a great example of trying to get yourself to a place of calm when you're stressed out.
15:32And it's not off topic, Cleo, because traveling and packing is extremely stressful.
15:37It taxes the mental health system, you know.
15:40And so, yeah, breathing is good.
15:42Taking a pause, stopping when you're in a moment, when you're tied up in knots, and just
15:46giving yourself a moment just to think really does go a long way towards bringing you back
15:53to that calm and that peace.
15:55And we have an example of that.
15:57You know, I'm VP over at San Velo, and you can see me in the app.
16:01It's called Checking with Roxanne Battle.
16:02And I go on camera, and I tell people how to breathe.
16:04I tell people how to break up with your phone.
16:06You know, I tell these stories of if you're stressed out at the airport or whatever it
16:10is that you're doing, here are some steps you can take.
16:12And we also have influencers on the app that will walk you through breathing and meditation
16:17and help you fall asleep at night.
16:19And we have an example that we brought with us today, and I'm hoping our friends over on
16:24the soundboard are able to unlock my phone and be able to play it.
16:27Just close your eyes and listen to this one-minute meditation by one of our influencers, gold
16:35medalist Allie Raisman, and then we'll come back on the other side of that and wrap things
16:39up.
16:43Can I pay attention to any sensation?
16:47Is there any difference in how your body feels after saying three things that you like
16:52about yourself?
16:53And I invite you to try to talk to yourself the way that you would talk to a loved one
17:10or a friend.
17:11And the next time you're stressed or nervous about something which is totally normal, I
17:19want you to try to remember to be kind to yourself and talk to yourself the way that you would
17:25talk to somebody else.
17:27You are deserving of your own kindness and your own love.
17:34And I want to remind you again to cut yourself some slack and give yourself a break.
17:39You're not here to be perfect.
17:41Give yourself permission to relax and do something kind for yourself today.
18:00Okay.
18:01That's just a small little sample of what you can find on the Sanvelo app.
18:05We also have that exact same meditation that's extended.
18:09It's a four-minute meditation inside the UHGC booth on the convention floor.
18:14So if you want to pop back over there and step into one of our medication modules, you can
18:19actually hear that again.
18:21Cleo and Yusra, I want to wrap this up.
18:23We talked a lot about self-care.
18:25We talked about your trunking.
18:27We talked about your packing.
18:29So those are all, and we gave an example of self-care.
18:32However, sometimes, though, you need to talk to somebody.
18:35And there's a hotline, and there's ways to get help.
18:37Can you talk a little bit about where to go and what to do when you think you may need
18:42just a little bit more help?
18:43Yeah.
18:43So we threw out some words today, depression, anxiety, right?
18:46And a lot of the discussions today have talked about diagnosis.
18:50What I want to assure you is that everybody feels sad.
18:54Everybody goes through grief.
18:56Everybody gets angry.
18:58Everybody feels stress.
19:00But when it gets to the point where you feel like you cannot move forward in your life,
19:05you're stuck, it's impacting your personal relationships, you start to have heart palpitations
19:11and you don't know where it's coming from, your palms are sweaty, and it constantly happens
19:15to you over and over again.
19:17That's when I encourage you to reach out and get some help.
19:21Don't spend time trying to self-diagnose.
19:24Yes, you can talk to yourself.
19:26You can use the apps.
19:27But if it gets to a point where you feel like you are stuck and there is no way out,
19:33I'm speaking from experience.
19:35You should reach out and start to talk to somebody so you can have a place to share that story.
19:41Certain things you can do is call your insurance company.
19:44So if you look on the back of your insurance card, you can easily call a member line and
19:48say, I'm looking for a mental health professional.
19:50I need behavioral health services.
19:52And they'll connect you with somebody.
19:53If you want to make sure that you are connecting to someone that looks like you or understands
19:58your particular problem, psychologytoday.com is one where you can actually see the profile
20:04pictures of the therapist and you can see if it's somebody that you think will be a good
20:09fit for you.
20:10Oftentimes, you may try a therapist and figure out, that's not the one for me and it is okay.
20:16Try a different one until you find somebody that you can talk to.
20:20There's a couple of other ways that you can get connected to someone if you don't have
20:24insurance.
20:25Most recently, the federal government announced for the first ever in the U.S.
20:30we are going to have a crisis line that is 988.
20:33That is effective July 16th.
20:36If you dial 988, you will get connected to a mental health clinician if you are in a crisis
20:42as you don't need any insurance for that.
20:44Call, text 24-7 and I would actually even encourage you all to go a little bit earlier.
20:50There does not have to be a crisis.
20:53There does not have to be a condition or a diagnosis.
20:56You know yourself.
20:58If you just don't feel like yourself, listen to your gut.
21:02Oftentimes, we push that voice away and we say, we're going to push through.
21:06It will go away.
21:07So, again, thinking outside the box about mental health, there doesn't have to be a mental health
21:12problem to be able to reach out and say, I just want to feel better today.
21:19So, reaching out to all those resources, doing it for yourself and also doing it for your
21:24loved ones, your children.
21:25Our children are facing a national mental health crisis right now.
21:29It's a hard time to be a parent, a caregiver, or a child.
21:33So, 24-7, 9-8-8, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the resources that Cleo said, listen
21:40to your gut.
21:41It's never too early to reach out and I would encourage you all to do it on your terms.
21:46If what we just practiced didn't jive with you, that's okay.
21:51Keep trying things out and if it doesn't fit, you can move on and try something else.
21:55Or I even ask my friends what's on their list and I give the things that they're doing a
22:01try as well.
22:02So, just keep kind of trying different things until you find what works for you in the way
22:06that you think is going to help you.
22:08Cleo, last word when we're talking about black joy.
22:11Yeah.
22:11So, that is black joy.
22:13Working, doing what works for you brings you joy.
22:16Think about what brings me joy.
22:18What did I do when I was younger?
22:20What can I do now that brings me joy?
22:22And you focus on doing that and don't worry about nobody judging you.
22:25So, go and be fabulous, everybody.
22:27Thank you for this opportunity.
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