Dr. Liz: Hey everyone. Dr. Liz: Dr Liz here. Dr. Liz: This is my last podcast recording from my Dr. Liz: home in South Florida, in Hollywood, Dr. Liz: florida. Dr. Liz: I actually forgot that I sold the chair Dr. Liz: upstairs I'm actually recording this Dr. Liz: standing up in the loft and I had an office Dr. Liz: chair and a desk up here in the loft. Dr. Liz: I have a desk downstairs and then I had Dr. Liz: like a dining room table and an art table Dr. Liz: downstairs.
Dr. Liz: Now, this is not a huge home that I live in. Dr. Liz: It's about 1600 square feet or so. Dr. Liz: And when the real estate agent came for the Dr. Liz: first time to look at the house and tell me Dr. Liz: what I could do to get ready to sell it, Dr. Liz: her son came with her because he's part of Dr. Liz: the business and he's like you really like Dr. Liz: desks, don't you? Dr. Liz: I was like what?
Dr. Liz: Because you get so used to what's around Dr. Liz: you you don't even really notice it anymore. Dr. Liz: I was like, yeah, I guess I do, because Dr. Liz: then I also have a desk in my office. Dr. Liz: So that's like one, two, three, four, five Dr. Liz: tables slash desk total. Dr. Liz: But there's not room for that at all in the Dr. Liz: new house I'm moving to Jacksonville, Dr. Liz: florida, which is in North Florida. Dr. Liz: Hollywood is in South Florida.
Dr. Liz: The expenses are very, very different. Dr. Liz: It should be much cheaper to live in Dr. Liz: Jacksonville, florida, and I was looking Dr. Liz: for some place less expensive to move to. Dr. Liz: The insurance rates have just gotten Dr. Liz: outrageous down here. Dr. Liz: I think they've doubled since I bought the Dr. Liz: house, and I bought the house in 2014 and Dr. Liz: I'm recording this in 2024. Dr. Liz: Oops, sorry, I'm actually recording it in Dr. Liz: January 2025.
Dr. Liz: So I think it's almost doubled from when I Dr. Liz: originally bought it. Dr. Liz: As a homeowner, you expect your insurance Dr. Liz: rates to go up some, but certainly not to Dr. Liz: double, and I've had friends get quotes of Dr. Liz: triple or quadruple what their rate was, Dr. Liz: even from like the previous year. Dr. Liz: We're all sort of stunned, honestly, and Dr. Liz: scrambling and figuring out ways how to Dr. Liz: just pay our insurance.
Dr. Liz: The point of this podcast is actually to Dr. Liz: talk about a depression prevention plan, Dr. Liz: because two weeks ago I also had to put my Dr. Liz: little dog, Zoe, down. Dr. Liz: She has been having all kinds of health Dr. Liz: problems and I think I got an extra like Dr. Liz: two years with her, definitely an extra Dr. Liz: year with her on medication, but it was Dr. Liz: just really getting bad and painful for her.
Dr. Liz: So I made the hard decision to go ahead and Dr. Liz: put her down and I miss her so much, so so Dr. Liz: much. Dr. Liz: I am honestly crying every day, honestly Dr. Liz: crying every day, missing her and saying Dr. Liz: goodbye to my home that I've had for 10 Dr. Liz: years. Dr. Liz: It is becoming a house. Dr. Liz: As I pack it up, I followed the minimalist Dr. Liz: movement forever. Dr. Liz: Honestly, I try to declutter along the way Dr. Liz: I think I'm pretty good at that.
Dr. Liz: But what I realized is I really love the Dr. Liz: pictures of my kids and family. Dr. Liz: I love having little tchotchkes or Dr. Liz: knickknacks or chicharilla around. Dr. Liz: That's sentimental, that little presents or Dr. Liz: my kids have given me. Dr. Liz: Often that's things that they found outside, Dr. Liz: because they know I love little rusty Dr. Liz: objects and like to collect them.
Dr. Liz: Or sometimes they would bring me something Dr. Liz: like a little flower on their walk home or Dr. Liz: a hornet's nest empty that they found and I Dr. Liz: like to save little things like that, and Dr. Liz: that is what makes a home to me. Dr. Liz: When I don't have that around me, it does Dr. Liz: start to feel empty and actually a little Dr. Liz: depressing. Dr. Liz: So I've had the dog death packing up my Dr. Liz: home that I've been in for 10 years.
Dr. Liz: I've been in South Florida for over 30 Dr. Liz: years, at the age of 22 for graduate school Dr. Liz: at Nova Southeastern University to earn my Dr. Liz: PhD in clinical psychology that was 1992, Dr. Liz: and I spent about four years away in Dr. Liz: between there.
Dr. Liz: So at one point I had to move over to Dr. Liz: Portland Oregon to do my internship and Dr. Liz: finish my PhD. Dr. Liz: Then we moved to the Orlando Florida area Dr. Liz: so my ex-husband could finish his degree in Dr. Liz: engineering and then we moved back to South Dr. Liz: Florida. Dr. Liz: But besides that, like four-year stretch, I Dr. Liz: have been in South Florida since 1992. Dr. Liz: Now I do want to leave.
Dr. Liz: The kids are graduated from high school, my Dr. Liz: older ones graduated from college. Dr. Liz: I no longer have a joint custody agreement Dr. Liz: that keeps me here In Florida. Dr. Liz: You cannot move more than 50 miles from the Dr. Liz: other parent unless they consent to that. Dr. Liz: But my ex-husband and I made the agreement Dr. Liz: when we got divorced that we would not move Dr. Liz: away from each other and we both kept that Dr. Liz: agreement.
Dr. Liz: At some point I tried to convince him to Dr. Liz: move to North Carolina. Dr. Liz: He didn't want to do that. Dr. Liz: We're up even like an hour north of Broward Dr. Liz: County. Dr. Liz: He didn't want to do that. Dr. Liz: So I had to stay put and I made a really Dr. Liz: wonderful home for my kids.
Dr. Liz: There were a couple years where we moved Dr. Liz: around, but then I really wanted to buy a Dr. Liz: place and when I bought this place I said Dr. Liz: I'm here for 10 years and I kept that Dr. Liz: commitment. Dr. Liz: So it has been A wonderful home, full of Dr. Liz: happiness and joy, absolutely some tears Dr. Liz: along the way, but in general it's been a Dr. Liz: wonderful home to have.
Dr. Liz: So I'm having that and the dog's death and Dr. Liz: my husband already moved to Jacksonville Dr. Liz: because his job transferred several months Dr. Liz: ago, so he's been there. Dr. Liz: I found I was doing okay until until the Dr. Liz: dog was gone and now I feel like depression Dr. Liz: is creeping up.
Dr. Liz: Most people have a default either anxiety Dr. Liz: or depression that they go to, and mine Dr. Liz: actually tends to be depression, which is Dr. Liz: funny for an anxiety specialist, like I'm Dr. Liz: actually not a depression specialist in my Dr. Liz: practice I am an anxiety specialist, I Dr. Liz: think, because I don't really get sucked Dr. Liz: into anxiety like someone does who. Dr. Liz: It's their default.
Dr. Liz: So I find it very enjoyable to work with Dr. Liz: and to help people move out of that, to Dr. Liz: help them with strategies, and when I work Dr. Liz: with someone, we actually make a relapse Dr. Liz: plan, typically Like okay, you have the Dr. Liz: tools, you know what to do If you feel it Dr. Liz: coming on. Dr. Liz: This is what we do. Dr. Liz: And when I work with someone with Dr. Liz: depression, in my practice we do a Dr. Liz: depression prevention plan.
Dr. Liz: This concept was originally presented to me Dr. Liz: by my own therapist many years ago, like if Dr. Liz: you feel it creeping up, this is what you Dr. Liz: do and that's individual to people. Dr. Liz: So I'm going to tell you mine, but you have Dr. Liz: to figure out your own. Dr. Liz: The last time I implemented it was during Dr. Liz: the pandemic. Dr. Liz: I had to do things to stop myself from Dr. Liz: spiraling down.
Dr. Liz: To do things to stop myself from spiraling Dr. Liz: down, from getting more depressed, because Dr. Liz: I don't want to go there, like no way. Dr. Liz: It's an awful place to be, and without Dr. Liz: treatment it usually takes a year to two Dr. Liz: years to pull out of that. Dr. Liz: I think with treatment that goes faster. Dr. Liz: But if you can prevent that, why not? Dr. Liz: So when I feel those feelings coming on, I Dr. Liz: know I have to exercise.
Dr. Liz: I mean, I love to exercise anyway Ever Dr. Liz: since I made the hypnosis love to exercise Dr. Liz: that I sell on my website. Dr. Liz: You can go buy it if you want. Dr. Liz: But ever since I made that one, I really do Dr. Liz: enjoy exercising. Dr. Liz: But when I know I'm starting to get Dr. Liz: depressed, I have to exercise. Dr. Liz: It becomes a daily thing, versus like oh Dr. Liz: okay, I can skip it today and I'll do it Dr. Liz: tomorrow.
Dr. Liz: Nope, not when these feelings are here. Dr. Liz: I have to take a brief walk outside every Dr. Liz: day. Dr. Liz: Now this used to be wonderful with the dog. Dr. Liz: I walked the dog twice a day. Dr. Liz: In her later years she couldn't go more Dr. Liz: than around a small block. Dr. Liz: Okay, so like down to the mailboxes and Dr. Liz: back.
Dr. Liz: My mailboxes are not in front of my house, Dr. Liz: since I live in a town house, but it was Dr. Liz: still twice a day that I like to walk her Dr. Liz: and she liked to sniff things and do her Dr. Liz: business. Dr. Liz: So now that I don't have her, I have to do Dr. Liz: that myself. Dr. Liz: I have to make sure I get outside of the Dr. Liz: house because I could easily stay in the Dr. Liz: house all day long, even though it's sunny Dr. Liz: outside.
Dr. Liz: I know some of you have a hard time Dr. Liz: believing that with the beautiful weather Dr. Liz: here in South Florida and it's winter, but Dr. Liz: it's the truth. Dr. Liz: So I have to make myself get outside of the Dr. Liz: house. Dr. Liz: I color so growing up, coloring books like Dr. Liz: mandalas and patterns and things like that. Dr. Liz: That helps me stay centered. Dr. Liz: I do a lot of drawing these days and that's Dr. Liz: a wonderful mind state to be in.
Dr. Liz: I'm not really a beginner anymore. Dr. Liz: My older daughter, who's a fantastic artist, Dr. Liz: made this point to me. Dr. Liz: We were talking about how to make friends Dr. Liz: in a new city and she said, mom, you should Dr. Liz: take a drawing class. Dr. Liz: And I was like, oh, actually, I hadn't Dr. Liz: thought of that. Dr. Liz: And she said, yeah, like, take a beginner Dr. Liz: one, even though you're far beyond a Dr. Liz: beginner. Dr. Liz: And I was like whoa really.
Dr. Liz: And she's said, yeah, like, take a beginner Dr. Liz: one, even though you're far beyond a Dr. Liz: beginner. Dr. Liz: And I was like whoa really, and she's like, Dr. Liz: yeah, come on, I still struggle with faces, Dr. Liz: but I love to draw animals that make me Dr. Liz: laugh and make her laugh. Dr. Liz: So I'll draw dogs and cats. Dr. Liz: And I drew her a little pig the other day. Dr. Liz: That totally made her laugh.
Dr. Liz: So she said, like they'll cover some basics Dr. Liz: and those will be fun for you, but you Dr. Liz: should totally do that. Dr. Liz: I said, okay, great, that probably is a Dr. Liz: wonderful way to make a friend with someone Dr. Liz: who's interested in art. Dr. Liz: So my point in saying that is I do quite a Dr. Liz: bit of drawing these days and that actually Dr. Liz: helps me feel good, but I have to make Dr. Liz: myself, make the time for it.
Dr. Liz: So that becomes essential instead of like, Dr. Liz: oh, once a week I draw or something. Dr. Liz: Last year I had the goal to draw once a Dr. Liz: month.
Dr. Liz: Once I had that goal, it really ended up Dr. Liz: being at least once a week, sometimes a Dr. Liz: couple more than that, because once I start Dr. Liz: working on a piece, I hardly ever finish it Dr. Liz: in one sitting, even though it's small, Dr. Liz: like I'm using a I don't know a small Dr. Liz: sketchbook about the size of a regular Dr. Liz: paperback book, but still I'm working on Dr. Liz: the piece of like highlights and adding Dr. Liz: this and background and things like that.
Dr. Liz: So I end up drawing more because the piece Dr. Liz: starts calling to me like, oh, I need to Dr. Liz: work on this or do that or try it again. Dr. Liz: Sometimes I'll try it again because I Dr. Liz: didn't feel like I got something right. Dr. Liz: I follow an artist called Effie Wilde, love Dr. Liz: her and she does. Dr. Liz: Lives on her YouTube where you can actually Dr. Liz: ask questions.
Dr. Liz: And I asked her do you still get the Dr. Liz: feeling of like, oh no, I messed up, like Dr. Liz: I've ruined this whole piece? Dr. Liz: Because sometimes I get that feeling. Dr. Liz: And she said I know exactly what you're Dr. Liz: talking about.
Dr. Liz: I used to get that feeling and I don't Dr. Liz: anymore, because to me, if I get that Dr. Liz: feeling, it just means it's not finished, Dr. Liz: like there's more work to do on it, and I Dr. Liz: just loved that answer because it's like oh Dr. Liz: yeah, I get that, okay.
Dr. Liz: But I will say occasionally I'm like okay, Dr. Liz: I'm abandoning this one, I'm trying again, Dr. Liz: like I didn't get the nose right on the dog Dr. Liz: or I'm trying to figure out how to do a Dr. Liz: little wiry fur versus soft fur or Dr. Liz: something like that. Dr. Liz: So drawing becomes a part of my depression Dr. Liz: prevention plan. Dr. Liz: I tend to isolate A lot of people do when Dr. Liz: they get depressed.
Dr. Liz: They don't feel like they have the energy Dr. Liz: to call friends to go hang out, anything Dr. Liz: like that. Dr. Liz: And I'm in the two week countdown here and Dr. Liz: I'm moving. Dr. Liz: So I have friends that are like I want to Dr. Liz: see you, let's hang out.
Dr. Liz: And so I know part of my plan is to say yes Dr. Liz: to that, like yes, even if that means like Dr. Liz: you come over to my house and help me pack, Dr. Liz: versus like I don't have the energy to go Dr. Liz: out to dinner. Dr. Liz: Taking a shower every single day that's Dr. Liz: another part of my depression prevention Dr. Liz: plan. Dr. Liz: If I have those feelings coming on, I know Dr. Liz: I cannot skip a shower.
Dr. Liz: I will actually feel worse, so I make Dr. Liz: myself take a shower, even it's a very Dr. Liz: short one. Dr. Liz: Ideas I've seen over the years are going to Dr. Liz: the beach or taking a hike or taking a walk. Dr. Liz: Depends where you live, right, I've seen Dr. Liz: doing a puzzle, doing crafts, working in a Dr. Liz: wood shop or tinkering with a car. Dr. Liz: Those are some good ones.
Dr. Liz: Some people make the plan that they have to Dr. Liz: get dressed for the day so they can't hang Dr. Liz: out in their PJs all day. Dr. Liz: When they get up out of bed they get Dr. Liz: dressed. Dr. Liz: Another thing I've seen is making sure that Dr. Liz: they don't watch too much TV or spend too Dr. Liz: much time in bed. Dr. Liz: So the tendency is to want to go back to Dr. Liz: bed Like I'm so tired. Dr. Liz: I just woke up, but I want to go back to Dr. Liz: bed like I'm so tired.
Dr. Liz: I just woke up but I want to go back to bed. Dr. Liz: Or I'm going to watch eight hours of tv Dr. Liz: today and the depression prevention plan is Dr. Liz: you may take a nap, but not in bed. Dr. Liz: You could only spend sleeping time in bed Dr. Liz: and limiting TV, which means you gotta Dr. Liz: figure out other stuff to do. Dr. Liz: At one point I made a whole list of things Dr. Liz: I could do other than watch TV, play a game, Dr. Liz: do a craft, draw, paint a room.
Dr. Liz: That's a great task, right, if you can do Dr. Liz: that. Dr. Liz: There's a guy I followed on TikTok who made Dr. Liz: ceramics. Dr. Liz: He made miniature ceramics that would take Dr. Liz: you away from TV. Dr. Liz: Another guy made little acorn people. Dr. Liz: I loved these little acorn people and then Dr. Liz: he would put them out in the woods and set Dr. Liz: up a motion sensitive camera and then get Dr. Liz: pictures of like animals interacting with Dr. Liz: the acorn people.
Dr. Liz: I love it. Dr. Liz: I am not anti-social media, by the way. Dr. Liz: I love TikTok. Dr. Liz: I always called it my fun account because I Dr. Liz: did not let anyone I know follow me and I Dr. Liz: didn't follow anyone that I actually know Dr. Liz: Okay, because I wanted to follow. Dr. Liz: Like little artsy, craftsy stuff we rate Dr. Liz: dogs. Dr. Liz: That's a fantastic account. Dr. Liz: I think he's on Instagram too.
Dr. Liz: I'd love seeing animals and cottages and Dr. Liz: artsy stuff like that we Rate Dogs was Dr. Liz: really about. Dr. Liz: I don't want you to think it was a bad Dr. Liz: account. Dr. Liz: It was like he picked five dogs of the week Dr. Liz: to show the funny stuff they did. Dr. Liz: That's actually a non-profit where they Dr. Liz: donate the money to support homeless dogs Dr. Liz: surgeries, shelter dogs and shelters that Dr. Liz: type of thing medical care for them.
Dr. Liz: He looked legit. Dr. Liz: So if you want to look him up, you just Dr. Liz: look up we Rate Dogs. Dr. Liz: You can buy their cute little merch which Dr. Liz: is say hi to your dog, which I think is so Dr. Liz: funny. Dr. Liz: Some of my neighbors I actually never knew Dr. Liz: their first names, but I knew their dog's Dr. Liz: names Because when we met it's like, oh, I Dr. Liz: don't know why you don't encode the owner's Dr. Liz: names.
Dr. Liz: I mean, some of them I knew over time, but Dr. Liz: some of them. Dr. Liz: I really didn't, I just knew their dog's Dr. Liz: names, like Mimi, who Zoe did not get along Dr. Liz: with, oddly enough. Dr. Liz: I don't know what happened there, but she Dr. Liz: did not like Mimi. Dr. Liz: She loved Carmela, but that was her bestie. Dr. Liz: Anyway, looking at social media, that makes Dr. Liz: your heart happy. Dr. Liz: That could be on your plan.
Dr. Liz: If you have professional accounts, you Dr. Liz: could always make another account that's Dr. Liz: just for fun, which I call the fun account. Dr. Liz: Quiet activities are on some people's list, Dr. Liz: like meditating. Dr. Liz: Meditating I do anyway, so it's not really Dr. Liz: on my depression prevention list. Dr. Liz: But meditating, yoga, stretching foam Dr. Liz: rolling, meditating I do anyway, so it's Dr. Liz: not really on my depression prevention list.
Dr. Liz: But meditating, yoga, stretching foam Dr. Liz: rolling. Dr. Liz: Eating well is on some people's list, Dr. Liz: because in depression, with anxiety too, if Dr. Liz: your tendency is to eat or you have an Dr. Liz: eating disorder, you've got to keep an eye Dr. Liz: on that if depressive feelings are creeping Dr. Liz: up. Dr. Liz: So it's like eating healthy foods could be Dr. Liz: on your plan, making sure you eat a variety Dr. Liz: of foods if that's possible for you.
Dr. Liz: I know some people are on pretty strict Dr. Liz: diets. Dr. Liz: So all of these are ideas for you. Dr. Liz: It's like things that you know are good for Dr. Liz: you and things that you feel like you can Dr. Liz: do to help prevent depression. Dr. Liz: Some of them are easier than others, but Dr. Liz: hopefully I've given you enough ideas that Dr. Liz: you can make your own list. Dr. Liz: If this happens for you, I will say this Dr. Liz: time it does feel a little bit different.
Dr. Liz: I attribute that to core healing hypnosis Dr. Liz: that I did in 2018 and got trained in how Dr. Liz: to do it, so I've been doing that type of Dr. Liz: hypnosis since then and I love that kind of Dr. Liz: work. Dr. Liz: It's transformational work because it does Dr. Liz: address deeper feelings. Dr. Liz: Depression is arising from a deeper feeling Dr. Liz: of hopelessness or I'm not good enough or I Dr. Liz: can't. Dr. Liz: I can't do this, I don't.
Dr. Liz: I don't have the energy, I don't have the Dr. Liz: skills, I don't have the capabilities. Dr. Liz: None of that is present this time. Dr. Liz: Actually, quite the opposite. Dr. Liz: Like of that is present this time Actually, Dr. Liz: quite the opposite. Dr. Liz: Like I can do this, I am making progress. Dr. Liz: I am capable of staying centered through Dr. Liz: big changes.
Dr. Liz: Everything I'm doing right now is in Dr. Liz: service of who I'm becoming and I am Dr. Liz: creating a more sustainable life for myself Dr. Liz: and my daughters creating a more Dr. Liz: sustainable life for myself and my Dr. Liz: daughters. Dr. Liz: When you free up money as a parent, in my Dr. Liz: mind, you're freeing up some of that to Dr. Liz: help your children when they need it. Dr. Liz: My kids do still need some help. Dr. Liz: You have one who's 23 and one who's 19.
Dr. Liz: The 19-year-old needs a lot of help Dr. Liz: actually because she's pretty ill right now Dr. Liz: with GI problems and what's looking like is Dr. Liz: POTS that her new GI doctor actually Dr. Liz: suggested. Dr. Liz: I think she has some POTS going on some Dr. Liz: mild POTS so I want more resources to help Dr. Liz: her, not less. Dr. Liz: So I want more resources to help her, not Dr. Liz: less.
Dr. Liz: She's about to do a new treatment called IB Dr. Liz: STEM S-T-I-M that hopefully is going to Dr. Liz: help her GI problems a lot. Dr. Liz: It's supposed to help POTS as well, so Dr. Liz: we're very excited about that. Dr. Liz: That's starting, hopefully in a couple of Dr. Liz: weeks. Dr. Liz: We're still trying to get insurance Dr. Liz: approval, but anyway, my point is that all Dr. Liz: of these good beliefs are underneath this Dr. Liz: time.
Dr. Liz: So it's like the feelings are there. Dr. Liz: I'm going through a big change. Dr. Liz: I don't have the dog anymore. Dr. Liz: I love the dog, so, so much. Dr. Liz: And I'm addressing the feelings like, okay, Dr. Liz: these feelings are here. Dr. Liz: Let me pull out my depression prevention Dr. Liz: plan. Dr. Liz: So I hope the same for you. Dr. Liz: Peace from South Florida.
Dr. Liz: So about 50% of it was online already, but Dr. Liz: I saw about 50% in my office in Hollywood Dr. Liz: Florida, south Florida. Dr. Liz: I won't immediately open an in-person Dr. Liz: office in Jacksonville, because I'm not Dr. Liz: sure I'm going to stay there. Dr. Liz: Honestly, we're trying it out and seeing Dr. Liz: what it's like, so everything will go Dr. Liz: online. Dr. Liz: I've done hypnosis online far before the Dr. Liz: pandemic. Dr. Liz: It's just as effective.
Dr. Liz: But there is something about being in Dr. Liz: person with therapy. Dr. Liz: That is a different experience. Dr. Liz: So I totally get when someone wants Dr. Liz: in-person therapy. Dr. Liz: When I saw a therapist earlier last year I Dr. Liz: wanted in-person. Dr. Liz: Actually, there's a feeling of privacy, of Dr. Liz: being in an office away from everything. Dr. Liz: That is really nice. Dr. Liz: So, anyway, just thought I'd let you know Dr. Liz: that that's the end of my PS.
Dr. Liz: And again from South Florida, peace out.