 It is that time again where I'm going to be answering your questions. What is up, everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul, where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution. And if you're new to my channel, my channel is all about mental health. So if you're into improving your mental and emotional well-being, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. And today I'm going to be answering Patreon questions. So for those of you who don't know, I have a Patreon and anybody who is signed up on the Patreon, you can do it for as little as a dollar a month, you get your name and the credits, and you get to ask me questions. I get so, so, so many questions and video topics from all of you in the comments. And a lot of them I've done some of them I pick, but I do want to make videos for the people who are, you know, supporting the channel and they get something in return. So if you want more of a guaranteed way to have your specific questions answered, make sure you go sign up for over on Patreon. And then at the $5 tier, I have exclusive videos up for anybody, $5 and up. Also, also real quick, follow me on Instagram. You know why? Because look at these two beautiful cats. All right. So yesterday, Tristan and I were like, okay, let's put these costumes on cats. So this is Wyatt rocking a beautiful dinosaur costume. And then here's Maya and an adorable little Christmas sweater. So follow me over on Instagram because I'm going to do something hilarious with Wyatt in a video today. So follow me on Instagram at the Rewired Soul. And I have the beautiful, amazing, camera shy Tristan right next to me to ask me the Patreon questions. So let's get started. OK, the first one is from Sherry. Hey, Sherry says, I'd love to see a video on chronic pain and people who use pain meds to control them. Aha. So Sherry, Sherry is an OG like Rewired Soldier. Like she's been around since like way back. I think like before I even had 500 subscribers. So also Sherry, I heard you're coming out to Vegas. Let's do lunch or something. You, me, Tristan, whoever else. Let's do it. Anyways, so yeah, so chronic pain patients who have to take pain meds. So those of you who don't know me, I'm a recovering drug addict. My drug of choice was prescription pain meds. I am somebody who didn't have chronic pain. Something that I always empathize with, like working in the addiction treatment field is like people who suffer from chronic pain and they got hooked on the pain meds. Like that's really, really rough. But here's the thing. So just a real quick story of mine is in my active addiction, I would do anything, anything to get high, right? So like I would take pills. Like I would, I would like snort an oxy just for a headache. All sorts of things. So I would go to any lengths to get high. So in my recovery, I go to any lengths to stay clean. So in my sobriety, I'm very fortunate. I haven't like broken any bones, any bones. But I've been in a head on collision car accident. I've been to the emergency room multiple times because I get tendonitis in my shoulders. I get excruciating pain. I even had Tristan come with me to the hospital. Like, so something I do is have people go with me to the hospital. So I don't take those pain meds. Like my last relapse started off with one Vicodin pill. Okay. Now, the question that Sherry asked though is here's the thing. Like here, especially in the United States, we're very quick to give people medications when there's so many other options. So, so, so many other options. Like if you are somebody, especially if you're struggling with addiction or if you're afraid you might get addicted, go through every other route first. Like for example, there's a great book called Full Catastrophe Living by John Kabat-Zinn. They called him like the father of Western mindfulness. He bought mindfulness over here. And one of his first tests with mindfulness was bringing it into a pain management clinic. So they with the way that the mind and the body interact, a lot of people were overcoming their pain just based on mindfulness practices. So what I would recommend is look through holistic routes like the problem is, is that usually even when I say this to people like anybody, not anybody, but a lot of people in like Western culture, the second I even mentioned that meditation might help with pain, they think I'm an idiot. But if you said that like almost anywhere else in the world, they'd be like, yeah, that sounds about right. You know, so just research holistic options. I would also say see if your insurance covers like a pain management specialist who specializes in like either addiction as well as like holistic treatments. The next one is from Richard said, something that's been on my mind a lot lately are the effects of workplace stress. I work as a case manager in a drug treatment court and the stress from the volume of clients and the lack of support from the state wears on both in wears on my both in and out of office. Yes. So Richard, Richard's also somebody who's been around forever. And yeah, so like first off, it's awesome that you're working in the field. And here's the thing, like when I first started working in addiction treatment, I needed so much support, like coming from a 12 step program and everything. Like I was calling my sponsor every day. I was calling, you know, other people in my recovery support group. My friend, Jeremiah, who passed away recently. He's somebody that I used to call because the stress is there. Like there's a lot of stress in different fields, whether it's social work or being a nurse or, you know, me. I was just, you know, a facilitator and I would help people after they left treatment. There's a lot of stress that comes along with that, right? But then like something that Richard's talking about is then you have like the workplace stress. Like you might work at like, you know, this is not to knock any other position, but I'm just saying, like you might be working at like a department store or, you know, fast food joint, like every job has their stresses. But when you compound the fact that, you know, you're dealing with like life and death situations, you're dealing with people trying to get their lives back on track. It can weigh heavily on you. So something that I personally do, and this is for anybody, anybody who has a problem bringing work home with them is mindfulness, right? Like, so something I have to think about is Tristan or my son. Like it is not fair to Tristan or my son or any of you for me to bring work here with me, right? And for me to be moody or angry or depressed or sad. Like, like it's OK for me to experience these emotions, but I can't take that out on you, if that makes sense. So one thing that really helps me out in my field, and this is for Richard or anybody else who might work in a similar field, I try to focus on the successes, OK? So whether it's, you know, I'm hearing about a bunch of clients who are like relapsing or passing away or just my bosses being whatever, like I just remember how I'm helping people. So like there were times when I would get into like, you know, an argument or, you know, something like that with like a boss or a co-worker or whatever. But then I had to go do a group and I would just I would just channel my energy like it's not about me anymore. I need to help people. So my main suggestion is focus on the positive, not the negative. Next suggestion is here's the thing. I worked at a place similar, Richard, and always remember that you're in control. I used to complain to Tristan all the time about a place I used to work and like I would just reminder like I would remind her to remind myself and be like, I'm in control. I can leave this place if I'm not happy with how it's being run. I can leave this place when I want to. Yeah, I might take a pay cut, but I am in control. OK, nobody is holding me hostage at that job. And that's for all of you out there. The last thing I will say for, you know, whether you're in social work, nursing, EMTs, first responders, whatever it is, I don't have the resources off the top of my head. If anybody finds them, like say it in the comments, but they're all like support lines and things like that for people who work in this industry and you're getting like really stressed out. So I actually did some research. Tristan and I did some research before this video and we didn't come up with anything. So like, but I know they exist. My mom's given them to people. You know, we've come across them before. So if anybody has those, link them down in the comments and then I'll update the description. OK, so this one's from Domina. It's similar to Richards, but in a different setting. OK, so could you give me some strategies to support people who are caring for someone with a mental health issue? For example, what to do if you're worried to leave your partner by themselves, how to deal with self injury with someone you love, how to take care of your mental health when you are taking care of your partner. That's an in depth question. I can make a whole video on that. I have some videos on this. It's tough. It's tough. I made a video a while back about Shane Dawson being a fixer. So one of the things that we have to look at first is codependency, right? We have to see, like, you know, are we reliant on trying to fix these people? And, you know, is it something that's unhealthy? But I definitely understand. So a great example is like my mom, right? My mom watched me killing myself with my drug addiction. And it came to a point where, like, she couldn't help me unless I was willing to help myself. And she was about to let me be homeless on the street. Like, she was at a point where she knew it was possible that I was going to die, you know, but she gave me an ultimatum to get help. But my mom knew that she couldn't fix me, right? So that's my suggestion to you is to realize that you do not have the power to fix anybody. I don't have the power to fix anybody. No matter how big this YouTube channel gets, I never ever had the power to fix anybody. And that is kind of similar to, like, Richard's question. Like, that's something that helps keep me keeps my sanity in the mental health field. Like it's a balance between doing the best I can every single day while also realizing that I can't fix anybody. All right. So I do have a book and shameless plug, but it's like $3. It's called Caught in the Crossfire, and it's it answers a lot of your questions about how to maintain your mental health when somebody else is struggling with addiction. Or you can also use it for mental health. I put intervention strategies in there. I put motivational interviewing, which is something that all of you need to learn. Like, after this video, go Google motivational interviewing questions. Like, it will help you a lot. I need to do an entire video on this. But when it comes to like, she mentioned self-harm, right? Yeah. So self-harming, that's something I don't have enough videos on. Like self-harm does not always mean a person is suicidal, but it is very dangerous and it is possible to hurt yourself really bad. And in cases like that, you have to set boundaries with the person and be like, listen, like, this isn't OK. We're going to call like here in the States, we have 5150, right? So like you call people, get put on a 72 hour hold and all of that. So like my mom and I did a video a while back about like helping suicidal clients and like, I highly recommend a lot of you watch that. Like at the end of the day, like whether this person gets mad or angry or whatever, like we have to call people who are more skilled and qualified than we are. OK? OK, I want to lighten it up. Let's lighten it up. Well, lighten it up for me. I guess that's for everyone. Erin's question is you mentioned a fascination with cults and serial killers. Which one of which one of each do you find the most interesting? That is interesting. That is interesting. And that's one of the reasons my Tristan and I made a beautiful couple. They're both interested in that stuff, like cults and serial killers. It's something that I've been fascinated with just since I was a kid. It's the same reason why I'm fascinated with mental health. Like I'm always just trying to understand why people think the way they think, right? Like why do people do? Why do we do? Like that's why I love like behavioral therapy and like behavioral sciences. Like what drives us to do these things, right? So when you see somebody like a serial killer, I remember one of my favorite movies. I don't know if any of you saw this. If any of you saw this, let me know down in the comments below. Let me know if you saw Tristan. There was a movie with Sigourney Weaver back in the 90s called Copy Cat. Did you see it? And she was like an author or something, right? And then I think it was Louis Gossop. No, not Louis Gossop, Jr. Oh, it was the other guy, the country singer's son. And he's like in movies and stuff. Henry Connick Jr. He was like a serial killer and he was copying like people like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahle were like, I remember watching that when I was a kid and it was just like fascinating to me and it's really creepy. Like I would always ask myself, I'm like, man, is this like creepy of me to be fascinated? Do you ever wonder that? No, I'm creepy. OK, am I like in a weird way, like fascinated with serial killers? Like is it weird? But no, it's just because I really get intrigued by the way people think. I'm like, why is that, you know? But then you get the cult aspect. I talked a lot about this in my video the other day about the film theorists and confirmation bias. Like when I see how we blindly follow people and how we have this, like, like it makes sense. Like cults work. Like it makes sense even on YouTube. I will never forget whenever cults come to mind, I think of Logan Paul. Like this is terrible, but Logangers, you're a cult. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Calm down. But I'll never forget when Logan Paul did his stuff in the suicide forest, right? And then he came out with his apology video. He told the Logang, don't defend me. I like I screwed up. Do not defend me. And the Logang was on the Internet in his comments and on Twitter. And they're like, they're basically like, screw you, Logan. Logang for life. We're going to defend you anyways. Like that is insanity. Like think about that. Like I never want to get to a place where I had that much power control, like that is madness. But yeah, cults are very interesting because they take a lot of advantage of people who are in vulnerable situations, people looking for a way out, you know, and all sorts of stuff. Now here's the thing. I've mentioned this in another video. But one of my favorite TV shows that blended these two things together, serial killers and cults was the following. The following was by jam because it was a cult of serial killers. What? All right, this is from Dollface. She asks, could you touch on how best is actually seek help slash treatment that she's been waiting for an appointment for months for a psychiatric nurse and practitioner? So she wants to know. Yeah. So that's a great question. And yeah, I could do an entire video on this, but I'll touch on a few points here. So the first one is the first one is find support groups. OK, like one of the best things that any of you can do with your mental health issues is find somebody who's been through it before. Like that is just the number one thing that you have to do. Find somebody who's been through trauma. Find somebody who's overcome addiction. Find somebody who's survived like suicidal thoughts. Find somebody who's in recovery from self-harm. Find people who have overcome the thing that you're struggling with and talk to them. All right. Like one of the reasons people connect with me is because I've been through a lot of stuff. Like that's one of the reasons some of you like connect with Tristan. Tristan has been through stuff. Like that is some of the best therapy you will ever get. But then there's also like medication. So you do need to seek psychiatric help. Now, as far as waiting list, I don't know where Dolphins is from in the United States. OK, I'm going to link this website down in the description below and this is for a plethora of stuff. OK, it's called SAMHSA. Forgot what it's like substance abuse, mental health, something association. But anyways, that is the United States website is government funded. And it is basically addiction and mental health treatment locator. But this is why you all need to know about this website, because even if you don't have insurance, OK, it will help you find treatment. It will help you find addiction, treatment, mental health treatment. They even have state funded like detox centers. Like so this website is amazing. So you go in there, you type out your zip code, like they even have like mental health facilities or therapists or people who can prescribe like mental health medications just all through that website. So you've got to check that out. But as far as like waiting list is that like that's just one of the things about, I don't know, health care in general, so like take the baby steps, but also realize, realize to like if you're having having like severe anxiety or depression, see a doctor, try not to get like Xanax or volume or like hard narcotics, but also remember like like my antidepressants. I'm on Prozac. It's prescribed by my regular doctor. And always, I just wanted to add, if it's like a severe like your suicidal right this minute, you can look up a psychiatric hospital in your area and go to the hospital, knock on their door and tell them I'm suicidal and they have to take you. You'll be put on a hold for a 72 hour hold and you might be put on another hold after that, depending on how bad it is. But if it's that bad, you should go and see. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And Tristan knows because she used to work at a psych hospital. Let's just think about that. But yeah, absolutely. If it's anything severe, if it's anything severe, do not wait. And I can do a whole nother video on this too, where people like, well, I don't want to be a bother, like go be a bother, like go, knock on their door. But yeah, they have to help you. That's another tip. I made a video a long time ago about three ways to get treatment without insurance. One of them is that SAMHSA website. But also, like, if you're if you're trying to quit drugs, like, and you're worried about detox and withdrawal, go to an emergency room. They have to take you. Like, they're not going to turn you away. Like, go in there and say, I need to get stable. Boom, get started. All right. But anyways, thank you for all those amazing, amazing questions. Let's all give a round of applause for Tristan for asking the questions. But anyways, again, if you want me to ask your question, answer your questions, not ask your questions. I'm going to answer your questions. Go ahead, sign up on Patreon. There'll be down in the description and in the pinned comment. And what it does is it helps me do something I love. I get to spend a little bit more personal time with you. And like I said, at the $5 tier and up, I just started putting exclusive content up there very, very soon. I have some other exciting announcements for Patreon. One of them is at the $20 tier. I give everybody who's at the $20 tier and up. All you get all my books now and in the future for free. Pretty sweet deal. So that's how we roll. But anyways, that's all I got for this video. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you're new, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. And by the way, follow me on Instagram so you can see amazing cat pictures and videos. All right, but thanks again to everybody signed up on Patreon and I'll see you next time.