Checking In w/ ...Checking In!

life anymore. Yeah. July seventeenth, sources told TMZ that Williams is receiving treatment at a facility near Los Angeles, So let me see if I can find the statement. I decided to go ahead and look. Let's see. Here we go July seventeenth, So this was yesterday. This would have

been yesterday, five years ago. For years, I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it's time to seek help, supporting guidance from those that love and care for your well being.

I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals today, proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for the betterment of those in need. If you change your mind, you can change your life. So and I abide by those words today. If you change your mind, you can change your life. What is your mind? Well, we know the mind and

brain to be two different things. I'm so glad that doctor Caroline Leaf is an amazing friend of mine and she helps us differ between the mind and the brain. So we know the mind the place where you think, feel, and choose. So when I say, if you change your mind, the place where you think, feel and choose. So, if you change how you think, you can change your life. If you change how you feel, you can change your life. If you think what you choose, you can change your life. Thinking,

feeling and choosing. We think feeling, choose from the mind. And so when I look back, you know, man, I remember, I just remember days leading up to me deciding to check into a treatment facility. I was on the set of Raven's Home. I knew I wasn't feeling well physically. I was just physically kind of sick, and I look back at some of those photos from the time from that time, and I had lost weight. I already don't need to miss a meal as it is, because it

shows immediately. And I remember that time just very very very low, very hopeless. I remember that time, but I did not want to mess up the opportunity of Raven's home, and so I went to work anyway, and maybe the second day of filming, because I remember I was scheduled to do a few souls and I remember on the second day of filming something I don't know, something like that.

I don't know, I can't remember. I was just sitting in the in the makeup artist's chair, just kind of crying and sobbing, and she had told me her story of dealing with depression and anxiety, and you know, I just I was just to the point where I didn't I didn't think that I could make it to work the next day. That's I remember. That's how weak I was,

and I just was not in a good place. I remember calling my therapist at the time, and I'm trying to discover, you know, where to go, what was where was going to be the best place that could take me immediately in the Los Angeles area, and so I found a place and you know, I thought, I'll say, you know, let's let's try it out. And I remember driving myself to the treatment facility and just I didn't take any clothes, no luggage, no baggage, because let me

see what this is about. And I ended up staying. I can't remember how many days I stayed, but I remember afterward got out it had leaked to TMZ that I was indeed at a treatment facility. That's when we put the statement out because I didn't want TMZ to put out what they heard or what they thought they knew. So that's why I'm big on if you want to hear something from me, come to me. I will tell

it with wisdom and discretion for sure. So I'm looking back at this Instagram post and at the time, how it has like fifty four thousand likes and four thousand comments, and it was comments from peers and people that I just I was like, wow, folks are really praying for me or just just you know, sometimes you don't know how much people care until you're going through something. And so the world let me know that I was seen.

I didn't feel judged. I just am thankful, and I just want to encourage somebody out there who's probably feeling depressed or very anxious that it is okay to go get help now. You do not have to scream it from the mountaintops like I did. I did it because I just didn't want a narrative circulating around there that was false. I didn't want to tell it immediately. I was eventually going to talk about it. I didn't want to have to do it, you know, in that manner.

But it's okay, God, it's good, and I'm here, through therapy, prayer, changing some things up in my life. You know, Like I said, how you think, feel and choose? Now? Do I feel regular emotions? Regular emotions you know, or your normal emotions I used to say, like sadness, happiness, disappointment, anger, I sure do. I sure do, But I work on how do I choose to respond to those moments? You know,

I'm not perfect, you know. There are moments where I'm like, oh, you should have prayed about that before you allowed feelings to overtake you, you know, And that's going to be that's an ongoing process. I'm so glad that it is few and far between, as the old folks say. So it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of vulnerability and humility to get out of yourself. It takes a lot, and sometimes you just have to. I don't care who you are, what you got going on.

If you're not resting and setting those boundaries and taking care of yourself, yeah, you will get overwhelmed. And I pray that, you know, I talk about safe people and safe spaces where people can go to get the help, and so what a blessing to be able to talk about this on season three of Checking In. It's amazing because I took the power back of those words checking In when the headlinest Michelle Williams has checked in to a treatment facility where she has sought treatment. You know.

So it is a blessing to be here. It is a blessing to be alive. And I know that I would not be here if it was not for you guys, as love and your support and your prayers. I am going to just I'm looking up depression symptoms. I didn't know that irritability at the time, because I was very irritable. I didn't know that irritability could be a sign of depression, and it is it is a sign of depression. What are the four major signs of depression depression? Feelings of

sadness People think that, oh, also about irritability. People think that it's only sadness that a person is depressed. But these are the four major signs of depression according to Male Clinic. Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness, angry outbursts, irritability or frustration even over small matters. Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities such as sex, hobbies, or sports. Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much.

Yeah I had that. Does that sound familiar to y'all? So, depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. This is, according to Male Clinic, also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression. It affects how you feel, think, and behave so it affects the mind, the place where you think, feel, and choose, and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.

You may have trouble doing normal day to day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. I feel that you have trouble doing normal day to day activities. You have trouble showering, just brushing your teeth, getting up to use the bathroom, or answering your phone, or getting up to go to work, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. I believe that some people that die by suicide again, I believe that some let's put that in big letters somes so

in me. I believe that some people who choose to die by suicide, I feel like, well for me, I don't feel like a person wants to die by suicide to just be gone forever. I think sometimes people just want and escape. They just want to be released from pain, They want to be released from the sadness from they want to be just released from the depression. And sometimes you just feel like, man, life isn't worth living. This

is keeping me from living. Also, more than just about of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply snap out of it. Depression may require long term treatment, but don't get discouraged. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy or both. Yes, honey, I am a living witness to both. Although depression may occur only once

during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day, and may include feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness, angry outbursts, irritability or frustration we've gone through that, oh, Tiredness, and lack of energy so even small tasks take extra effort. Reduced appetite, weight loss or increase cravings for food and weight gain, Anxiety, agitation or restlessness, slow thinking, speaking or

body movements. Feeling of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self blame, thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things, Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, or suicide. Unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headaches. For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day to day activities such

as work, school, social activities, and relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why. Now I'm want to go to Depression symptoms and children and teens again taken from the Male Clinic. Common signs and symptoms of depression and children and teenagers are similar to those of adults, but there can be some differences.

In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches and pains, refusing to go to school, or being underweight means symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self harm, loss of interest in normal activities,

and avoidance of social interaction. Okay, yeah, I know all of this. You know. I found out my depression. We traced it all the way back to around the age when I was in the seventh grade. I'm assuming that's like twelve ish, and so yes, I remember poor performance, creates dropping, I remember loss of interest in normal activities. You just don't want to do stuff anymore, y'all. I get it. I get it, man, I get it. So I just want to take a minute to sit with you today to let you know that I get it.

Please get into counseling. I heard someone say the other day, you know that they didn't want to sit and talk to somebody that they don't know. Well, I get it. I ran to a therapist. You know they are trained to do this. You know. I've had great therapists, maybe one that maybe they had their own way, but the very very very first therapist I ever had in Rockford, Illino, way amazing, and my current therapist today life changing, life changing. I don't know how else to say it. I really

really really really want y'all to get into some counseling. Please, will you all right? And if you're already in therapy or counseling, let me know how it's going. And if you're feeling, you know, really low, if you're feeling like life isn't worth living, I encourage you to get in touch with the crisis hotline. There's the Lifeline. Chat services are free and confidential. I promise you, I promise you it's all going to be okay. Reach out to a

close friend or loved one, somebody that you trust. Okay. Now, if you have a loved one who is in danger of suicide or has made a suicide, attempt to make sure that you stay with that person called nine one one or your local emergency number immediately, or if you think you can do so safely, take the person to the nearest hospital or emergency. Mom telling you when you can be with a friend or someone you love that's going through a mental health crisis without judgment. You just

want them to be okay. You're gonna do whatever it is you need to do, even if you don't understand. Even if you don't understand, maybe there's someone listening right now. You're like, I don't think I've ever dealt with depression. I think life has been okay. I want you to know that I salute you and I'm excited for you,

but thank you for listening anyway. And maybe there are some things that I've said that you can identify with and someone else or a loved one, you know, and just sit with them and let them know that you're there for them with no judgment. You know. I'm so thankful. I have friends and family that prayed that really really really really prayed for me, and just really really really thankful. I'm grateful five years ago this week, five years ago yesterday,

Mark's checking into a treatment facility, and I'm thankful. I think I'm gonna I'm gonna repost it. I'm gonna repost it. Piggy, where are you? Where's my dog? Oh? He's so sweet? And now I would have never thought five years later I have a dog. Dogs are amazing. Pets are amazing. Emotional support, even though Lord he does something every day that makes me reconsider but he ain't going nowhere. Oh mg,

So so much going on this week. We've got the Carly russell An abduction and the mixed emotions regarding it. I know I was absolutely afraid, you know, but people have their own thoughts of what is going on. It is not up for me to judge or speculate. Her parents were on the Today Show today and interesting events, interesting events, this strike, the SAG after a strike. You know, I'm like man, am I affected by this SAG after strike? And yes I am part of SAG after what a blessing?

So that is going on. I was told what we can work on, you know. It says many of our members can and should keep working under various other contracts. Here's a quick look at some of the contracts members can work under during the TV theatrical streaming strike. Let's see commercials television, radio, and digital media, includes the Influencer Agreement and the Cameo for Business Agreement television programs covered by the networks. Lord, it's a lot we can work on. Yeah,

so my podcast, I still can do my podcast. I'm excited. I still can do my podcast. Stuff you can't work on on camera work no acting, singing, dancing, stunts or puppeteering, no voice acting, narrating, singing, adr or looping. It also includes background acting, stand ins, auditions, including self tape rehearsals, publicity chow. It's off limits until we get a fair deal. I had to ask my management. I didn't want to get in trouble. You know of what is going on.

So that's what's going on, y'all. It's a strike. It is a sag. After TV, theatrical streaming strike, it was just writers strike. And then the actors jumped on in as well in support of the strike. Folks got to get their coins, they got to get they It's got to be fair and it's got to be right. It's got to be right. So that's going on. And then I saw something disturbing today that a young influencer was

murdered and the boyfriend has admitted to it. Nigerian influencer Augusta o'cidia, known online as Austa, passed away last week, and Lego's police have reportedly opened an investigation into her death. She was found dead after she allegedly had an argument with her boyfriend Benjamin Be affectionately known as kill a boy. Now why they put affectionately known? So he has made all of these posts about what happened, and I'm like, lord, what is going on today? What's going on? Is it

something spiritual? Take overtaking the land? What? What's going on? What's going on? It's a real question. Oh my gosh. Allegedly she was mutilated and mm hmmm mm hmm, what's going on? It's too much, as the folks are saying, it's too much. All right, all right, all right, back to the matter at hand. If you are finding yourself really down, unmotivated, anxious, Anxiety is a tricky thing. You know, anxiety can be triggered and brought on. You can I be watching a television show.

big on that. What we put in our bodies health wise is also important. I have to have my one cup of coffee every day, but y'all, it turns me up. It turned me up sometimes I could feel I could feel it. I could feel it. So it's turns me up. And coffee triggers anxiety. Did y'all know that caffeine can trigger anxiety. So that's why I try to limit it and keep it to one cup, one cup. I try to just do one cup. But yes, that thing can trigger anxiety. So I will speak briefly on anxiety at teach.

Feeling nervous, restless, or tense, having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom, having an increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, also known as hyperventilation, sweating, trembling, feeling weak or tired, trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present, worry again. According to Male Clinic, my therapist says that anxiety will always be a part of our lives, and as I'm reading this, experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal

part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involved repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes, also known as panic attacks.

anxiety of disorders. Agoraphobia, it's a type of anxiety disorder, which you fear and often avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed. You can have an anxiety order due to a medical condition. You can have generalized anxiety disorder GADS. The worry is out of proportion to the actual circumstance and it's difficult to control and affects how you feel physically. It often occurs along with other anxiety disorders or depression.

dot com and get my book checking In. Thank you for continuing to listening to my podcast checking In as well. This message will not stop, This movement of mind will not stop. For everybody to be well whole, happy, loving, full of joy and gratitude as many of days as possible. Okay, I love you, and again I'm thankful for y'all's love,

y'all's prayers and support. All Right, it's okay to check in. Hey, everybody, I really prayed that you leaned into this episode and that it gave you some awareness, some maybe ability to reflect and just know that I love you and again I'm thankful. And again, please love on yourself, take care of yourself, and if that means having to go get therapy, that means, you know, treating yourself medically as it relates to depression or anxiety, I'd say go for it. No

judgment from me. This is a safe space. Love you, Mike. Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows at