- Hey, everybody, happy Tuesday.
I'm holding my iPad right now, I'm multitasking.
I'm meeting some friends and I have to video really quickly
and I know I'm not in my normal situation.
But I am here, and I am at my office
and I'm sitting in my chair.
If you're new to my channel, welcome, welcome.
It's good to be back, I was in Seattle for a week
and sorry if this is wobbly,
I'm gonna do my best to hold it straight.
I was in Seattle at VloggerFair, hey,
and thank you all who came out.
It was wonderful to meet you and talk to you
and put faces to names.
Many of you, I was like what's your name
on Twitter or Tumblr or YouTube?
Because the funny thing is that
because I look through so many comments
and I read so many and I comment back,
I know you very well, based on your name
or your avatar, your little square thing,
so it was exciting, so thank you so much
for coming out, and it was really cool.
I was really excited, and I love that kind of stuff.
If you're new to my channel --
this is my phone, I've got my notes on here from Tumblr.
On Tuesdays, I'm on Tumblr, hey,
so if you ask your questions, use the hastag KatieFAQ.
I have three of them and I have a journal topic at the end
so you want to stay tuned from that.
And I also got FAQ on my PO box,
so I'm going to answer that one as well.
Okay, without further adieu, here we go.
Hey, Katie, I have horrible anxiety and panic attacks.
I'm a junior in a very large school,
but could easily switch to a school a quarter the size.
I'd know no one there.
Would you suggest a client to move schools
if it could possibly help?
I've actually had a couple clients talk about
moving schools, especially ones that have been bullied
and had really icky situations
at the school that they're in.
I always encourage my clients to really think through it.
For the same reasons that you're thinking through it,
like hey, I'd know no one, it's really overwhelming,
and that can prove to be very anxiety-provoking as well.
So I would encourage you to be a little bit careful
about that, to think about it a lot
because my main concern for my clients is,
I don't want it to get worse,
I don't want them to go to a whole other situation
just to recreate the same struggles and the same issues.
Oftentimes, I find we're better off trying to work through
our struggles in the situation that we're in
because we know more about it, we can actually prepare more,
we have more data on it so to speak,
kind of like we've been doing our own little study.
I would take your time, and I would think about it.
I would talk with my therapist about it.
If we believe that it's the fact that your school
is so large that is making you so overwhelmed,
then it might be a really viable option to switch.
But, I would encourage you to see if there's anything else
you can do in the moment to work on it
while at the school that you're at
because where ever we go, there we are,
and I find usually our anxiety, our depression,
our struggles tend to follow us,
but that doesn't mean that we can't overcome them and,
if we don't get the proper support, we can't kick it's ass.
So, I think yeah, I think think about it,
spend some time meditating about it, think about what
you think the real cause of your anxiety is,
If you believe it's the size and the people
at that particular school, then let's try another one.
Okay? I hope that helps, if any of you have switched
schools or have any experience with this,
please let me know below
because this is something that is different for everyone,
like all the stuff I talk about.
Everybody's experience is different,
and if you have something that you think could
benefit this person, let me know.
Okay, nope, I dropped my phone.
Question number two, hey, Katie, I haven't seen my therapist
in a year or so, but I left very abruptly
because my parents couldn't pay for it, oh, bummer.
I've gotten a lot better since then,
but I still want to talk through some things with her.
How would I go about the first appointment
after not seeing her for a year?
I'm scared wouldn't have the same connection as we did?
You will have the same connection.
Do not fret, my dear.
I've had this happen with quite a few clients, and
it's just unfortunate, it really bums me out,
and I'm sure your therapist felt the same because
something that is so, so, so, so, important to me,
I guess, I shouldn't say for a therapist, cause I just know
myself and my supervisor and stuff.
Proper process and therapy, having the time to warm up
and decide if that therapist is the right fit for you,
and then having the time to process through
the potential grief of losing therapy
and titrating down on therapy
and having like a time to say goodbye,
it's really, really important, so
I'm really sorry that that happened to you,
but I have no doubt that this therapist will
A, remember you;
B, you'll have the same connection that you used to have;
and C, you can almost pick up where you left off.
It's almost like your best friend from kindergarten,
you run into them and you're like oh my gosh,
and you have the same connection because
the thing about therapy that's so great is that
we know you because we've taken the time to understand you,
to hear all your worries and concerns and hold them and
listen, and that relationship is something
that just doesn't go away, so don't worry
about the relationship changing or being weird.
It may take you a session or two to feel back into it,
but I would call and leave a message or email
if that's the way she or he goes about it.
I would just say your name and when you saw them,
when you stopped, and that you'd like to start again, okay?
Now, let's see, last question.
Okay, I got this one in my PO box,
this is my PO box one, two weeks ago.
Hey, Katie, are you religious?
Even if you're not, why or how do you think
going to church or praying seems to help a lot of people
struggling with depression?
Like is there a scientific reason why it helps some people?
Thanks.
I thought this was a really interesting question
because of the fact that religion plays a big role --
sorry this is really shaky, guys, I'm doing my best.
I like to talk with my hands and to have to hold the iPad
is like making my -- I can't do my hand gestures.
So, am I religious, no.
I was actually born and raised very religious,
hence why I went to Pepperdine.
I was very, very involved with my youth group as a child,
all the way through I guess 18 maybe 20-ish.
Then I made my own choice that that
wasn't the thing that I wanted to do.
But I understand religion,
I support people who believe that it's something
that they want to participate in fully.
I think the reason -- I remember being asked,
I had a really cynical boyfriend
at one point in high school.
I remember him asking me at one point, why the --
this is why it didn't work out --
Why the hell would you go to church so much,
and why do you like doing that, and why do you pray?
And I remember saying to him,
with such conviction at the time and I still believe it
whole-heartedly, life is shitty,
and it can be really shitty,
and if there's something I could do
to make myself feel better about it and be more prepared
and feel like there's some higher power who's protecting me,
looking out for me, and that gives me some sense of relief
and safe haven, then why the hell wouldn't I?
That's why I think it helps people.
If you're feeling lost, if you feel like
things are just turning out terribly,
or even if things are good, it just helps for us,
as humans, to feel connected, to feel part of a community.
Part of the reason why I created this whole thing
is because of that very belief.
I think it's really important for us to know
that people are looking out for us, people care about us,
people are there, and churches are a great place
to find a community.
So that's why, and that's why I think it helps so much.
If you're feeling depressed,
if you're feeling down on your luck,
if things are just hard for you and you're struggling,
finding people in a community of love and support
and that whole like agape love, no matter what,
forgiveness can feel really, really good.
And, if it's something that you like,
I encourage you to keep doing it
because, if it's working, let's keep doing it.
And that's a great liaison into my journal topic
which is because I went to VloggerFair
and I got to hug some people and meet some people
and talk with other vloggers, just be in the YouTube space,
which made me feel like not such a weirdo
that I talk to my camera like five days a week,
is how important
physical, together,
eye-to-eye, not through a screen,
how important that is.
I want all of you to take some time this week,
I challenge you to get out and meet with someone.
I know I talk about this a lot,
and I know some of you are like, Katie,
this is just the same journal topic over again,
but it's because it's so important to me
because there's nothing like a hug, like a pat on the back,
like I'm here, I hear you,
I'm looking at you, I understand you.
There's nothing like it, and it's so powerful to me
because I talk to so many of you online.
There's nothing more powerful than me to say
oh my gosh, you're so and so on YouTube?
I remember, I remember you've been around for a long time,
I know this comment, I remember when you commented on this,
like I have that memory for all of you,
and it's great for me to put a face to an avatar, to a name.
For me, it like recharged my batteries,
and it's so powerful, the internet is so powerful,
but nothing is as powerful as a hug from a person
and for me to put a face to a name,
and I think for many of you, we're missing that human touch,
so I would encourage all of you to get out
and have some of that human touch, okay?
I love you all, it's good to be back.
I missed you so very much.
Tomorrow, I'll be on YouTube and the website,
so ask your questions there using the hashtag KatieFAQ,
and I'll see you then, bye.