Permission to Be Human Navigating Sight Loss & Mental Health

Episode title and number: Permission to Be Human Navigating Sight Loss & Mental Health 6-#4

Summary of the show: This episode dives into the emotional landscapes faced by those experiencing sight loss, emphasizing the importance of mental health, self-awareness, and supportive therapy. Join us as we discuss practical strategies, cultural barriers, and how to find a therapeutic fit for your journey.

Key topics & timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
02:14  - Meet Janelle Landgraf: Trauma-informed therapy and EMDR explained
05:09 - Navigating how you perceive yourself and the world
06:41 - The Ongoing Grief Cycle
10:53 - Knowing When to Seek Help
15:02 - Cultural influences and access to mental health resources
22:53 - A discussion on medication and collaborative goals
24:25 - How to establish a high-trust therapeutic relationship
44:21 - Nutrition, movement, and the HALT method
51:26 - Closing Thoughts: Redefining yourself and finding your worth.

Jenelle's Bio:  
Jenelle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington. She is LGBTQ+ affirming and committed to social justice. 

Resources & Links:

• 988 Crisis Line (U.S.)
• Canadian Support: Dial 211

Connect with Janelle: 

• Double Vision Blog
• Double Vision Podcast 

Special Mention:

 Remember: Seeking help is a sign of strength. Your journey with sight loss is unique, but supported mental health is foundational in moving forward. 

Connect with Bold Blind Beauty to learn more about our advocacy:

• Join our Instagram community @BoldBlindBeauty
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel @BoldBlindBeauty
• Check out our website www.boldblindbeauty.com

Music Credit: "Ambient Uplifting Harmonic Happy" By Panda-x-music  https://audiojungle.net/item/ambient-uplifting-harmonic-happy/46309958

Thanks for listening!❤️

Transcript

Welcome to Bold Blind Beauty On A.I.R., where we elevate voices, share lived experiences, and celebrate resilience in all its forms. Today's conversation centers on something deeply human: our mental health. Losing sight, whether gradually or suddenly, is not just a physical experience. It's emotional, psychological, and deeply personal. Many people navigating sight loss experience waves of grief, sadness, anxiety, and changes in self-esteem.

And yet these feelings are often misunderstood, minimized, or carried silently. As Helen Keller once said, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." Today we are breaking the silence around mental health and sight loss. What's normal, when to seek help, and how to build a path forward with support.

Today we're joined by Jenelle Landgraf, a licensed clinical social worker who provides therapy for preteens, adolescents, and adults navigating a wide range of life experiences including anxiety, grief, trauma, chronic illness, disability, and major life transitions. Janelle's work is grounded in the belief that healing is not linear and that each person brings a unique history, perspective, and nervous system into the therapeutic space.

Her approach is trauma-informed and rooted in compassion, collaboration, and choice, drawing from evidence-based practices such as mindfulness-based CBT, DBT, EMDR, somatic approaches, and shame resiliency, Janelle supports individuals in developing greater self-awareness, restoring a sense of safety, and cultivating a more supportive relationship with their thoughts and emotions. Janelle is LGBTQ+ affirming and committed to social justice, including supporting individuals navigating identity-based trauma such as ableism, racism, homophobia, and ageism.

Her work centers the importance of feeling seen, respected, and supported at your own pace. Janelle, we are so happy to have you join us for this very important discussion.

Thank you, Steph. I'm so glad to be here. So excited to meet all of you.

And we're equally excited. So now what I'm going to do is turn the microphone over to Sylvia for our first question.

Sylvia?

Hi, Jenelle. It's so good to hear your voice again.

Nice to connect with you.

And I'm just very excited to be talking about this topic because as a social worker who's long been working in the blindness field, it's such an important topic. So share with us some of the most common emotional and mental health challenges that you've seen and experienced with the people you've been working with who have vision loss.

When I work with someone who is adjusting to vision loss, I notice that there can be a variety of reactions. One of the biggest shifts is in identity. So oftentimes people who have been living their lives able-bodied and see themselves as sighted, and then they are— whether they're dealing with progressive vision loss or some type of acute sudden vision loss, it is a shift in how they perceive themselves, how others perceive them, and what that looks like to their sense of self and identity.

So that's one of the biggest shifts. And also I see just grief, really, because any type of— type with any type of loss comes change, and with change comes grief.

And there are so many losses, and we don't always acknowledge them. And, and sometimes we don't realize what those losses are until we all of a sudden have one. And so that grief for that loss can occur over and over and over when you experience that new loss, that realization.

Exactly. Yeah, I mean, I, I do an exercise with clients called inventory of losses where I— and this is with any type of grief counseling— if a client is open to this and drawn to, to this type of exercise, I'll have them identify what their primary loss is. So let's say vision loss, for example, and then we'll start to work through all the secondary losses.

So the actual loss is the vision, But the secondary losses can be a sense of belonging, changes to identity, the ability to feel independent in certain circumstances. Sometimes depending on what they had been doing for a vocation, it can be shifts to work, work-related, or what they're able to do for work, shifts to relationship.

There can be just a lot of those secondary things in addition to the vision that are related to that loss. And yet each loss deserves to be witnessed in itself and needs attention and care.

I also love that you talk about the identity thing because I think we hear so often from people that they don't feel like a whole person anymore and that they're broken or they think the world perceives them that way. And I know that I've experienced that in the past.

And, and so helping people to understand that you're still a whole person, that you Yeah, you might have an identity shift, but, um, you're still a whole person and a worthy person.

Exactly, Sylvia. Yeah, there's still value, and I think people will often struggle with some limiting beliefs around, uh, feeling valued, around worthiness, around feeling that maybe they would be a burden. And unfortunately, we have As you all know, women with vision loss yourselves know that there are a lot of examples in society that actually reinforce these limiting beliefs or these fears.

And I think what's important is you're saying that these are normal feelings. Like, people are not alone in those feelings. Those are common feelings that I started with the common as that really important word in that question, because these are feelings that so many many people who experience these challenges face.

And so you're not alone in that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, very common.

I—part of what I do for my work with clients is just normalizing and validating their emotions and their thoughts related to something. I was almost kind of laughing as Steph was reading my— all those psychological terms of, you know, the EMDR and the CBT and the DBT and all the things that are just such clinical terms, but at the end of the day, my job is really giving people permission to be human.

And we in our society so often don't allow people to be human, or we alienate them or judge them for being human. And so that's really what I see my job is, is just supporting people in their humanness.

That's beautiful.

It really is. It really is, you know, and I just think that that's— I know someone who does EMDR for herself, not just from, you know, but for vision loss, but through other traumas and pains that she has experienced in her life. And I know how much of an effect that can have on people.

So I guess my question for you would be, I know it's natural, you know, it's natural for everyone to feel sadness after a major life change, but sometimes it becomes something more. How can someone tell the difference between emotional struggles that are part of adjustment and depression, that struggles, uh, versus struggles that are part of adjustment and depression that may require professional intervention?

That's a great question. And, and before I answer that question, I want to make sure I also provide a little context on EMDR in case people are like, what are they even talking about? But it's, it's an acronym. It's a modality, a treatment modality that was developed for trauma but can be used for grief and a number of other challenges.

But it stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. It's basically a fancy way of saying that it's based on the theory that humans have the ability to come to more adaptive understandings within themselves and oftentimes can get stuck for a variety of reasons, mainly trauma. And so it's a type of therapy that helps you move from a place of limiting beliefs, whether it be thoughts or sensations in the body that leave you feeling stuck into really reprocessing them to come to more adaptive understandings of yourself.

So I hope that's helpful. So I wanted to give that little clarification, and then the answer to your question on how do people know whether they need additional help or they're having a normal reaction, and I often base that based on functioning. So If you're having these feelings that are intermittent, you notice that sadness arises and you reach out to support, for support, you have some tears, you process it through certain ways, that sounds like a pretty normal grief reaction.

If you are keeping it all inside and hiding that from people because you don't want them to see that version of you or you don't like you have a support system that will listen with care and compassion, that may be a time to reach out for additional support. I, I think as humans, none of us are meant to do this alone.

We are literally wired for connection. So if you are feeling this sense of isolation or having difficulty getting out of bed or functioning, those are signs that some additional support may be needed.

Definitely. I, I definitely, um, I love that because I think so many times, you know, I'm sure you've heard it and I'm, I'm sure all of us have heard it, like therapy is one of those things where oftentimes people will say, no, you know, it's okay, I don't, I don't really think I need therapy, because they may view it as such a negative experience and maybe they've had negative experiences, but It also can happen when maybe they just are thinking like, I can figure this out by myself.

Right. And so I think the work that you're doing is great. And I think in those moments, knowing this might be something I need some extra help with, I think that's even a great realization. I know they always say realizing what it is, it's always the first step and knowing that you want to have extra help in navigating a difficult experience or situation is always like a great first step to take because then you're like, okay, now I'm going to take that leap and actually start looking for that person to help me get through this, this situation, you know.

Exactly. And as a therapist, I don't think therapy is the only way. Like, I'm not like everyone should be in therapy. I think therapy could be beneficial for a lot of people, but some people, nature is their therapy. Other people have a really strong support system in place already.

And so if you have something that's working for you, go with that. And if you don't, then therapy could be something that, that feels like a good fit. But I think it kind of depends on, on what you're looking for and, and actually on finding the right fit as as well.

I can say that I don't think I've ever met anyone who said they hated it though, because you're right, it's someone who listens and cares and helps.

Yeah, that's good to hear.

Yeah. And I just want to say too, I mean, I agree, Sylvia, but I know that like for me, I come from a culture where therapy was never something that was openly discussed And it wasn't something that, you know, you can just say, hey, this is what I feel I need.

And so it wasn't until like many years later where I've started noticing people in my family, like my own, my brother or like my cousins who really started having that discussion around therapy. And that was when I was like 17, 16. So it took a little while for me to really see like that representation of like people in this culture, and also people who are, you know, come from other, uh, people with color who experience those, those situations.

And so that can also be really hard to navigate when you maybe don't have that access and have seen it as, you know, represented or come up much throughout just conversations.

It's almost permission, permission to seek help.

Yeah.

I was just going to say that's a really good point that you're making, Gabby, that in different cultures we can see some support and then also some resistance to therapy. And we have to also acknowledge that like there's a history to that. There's a history of pathologizing and not giving people the help they need or presenting barriers or making people feel like there's something that's all in their head or that you're just going to medicate them without actually listening to what they've experienced and just giving them a diagnosis without really hearing or seeing them as a whole person.

So I think there's a reason that there are certain demographics that are more resistant to, to therapy and that we are working in in the mental health field to shift that. But it's, it's something that still needs to be addressed.

Yeah, absolutely. I would agree with that, Janelle and Gabby, as well, when it comes to cultures. And I'm from one of those cultures that mental health is not talked about. And it's not treated, it's taboo, all of those great things. But you know, when you try to point it out to those people, they resist, which is huge.

But I think the biggest thing is where the tide needs to shift is when you realize yourself that you do need the help.

The girls here know that I am a caregiver to some senior parents, and it's been a rough, rocky road for a couple of years now, and it's not getting any simpler. And it's actually sometimes getting tougher. And so to be frank and honest with you guys, like, I've actually reached out to a low-health, mental health clinic, just for some support.

And for— because I recognized that I can do this alone. And I think that's one of the key things that you guys are talking about, Janelle, when you're talking about connection and human connection and, and, and kind of understanding when it's time to say, hey, I can't do it alone anymore.

I can't do this. I need some support. And so it's been a great ride for me, but I had to actually figure out, you know, what were some of the key indicators for me to kind of take that leap, that step, and, you know, do this for myself. So my question is, what do you, uh, Janelle, say would be some of the key indicators that it's time to seek support from a mental health professional?

Well, first of all, good for you that you recognize that within yourself, and that's actually right where my answer is going. Like, it's really up to each individual to decide for themselves if it's a step that they're wanting to take at this time, if there's some change that they're wanting to make, if they're needing that additional support, and if friends or family or support system is either lacking or they just don't feel comfortable.

Like you mentioned that in your family there's a lot of taboo around these subjects, so if you're within a a culture or a family system where that's taboo to even mention that you're feeling sad or to even talk about emotions, that may be an indicator of the need to go to a place where that can be welcomed.

And we know that what we resist persists, and so if we can start to embrace some more of our emotions and our difficult thoughts and our fears, then we actually can address them in ways that can be really healing and really transformative.

Absolutely. What I love about it mostly is because the person is, it's just so unbiased. They don't know you from, you know, anything, you know, they don't know your past or anything. And you get a chance to really unload, really talk about things that have been bothering you, concerning you.

And you can go down really to the root cause of things and get really down in there and know that it's a safe place. And you know, when you're done your sessions and all that, it gives you validation that somebody sees or hears you. And I think in our mental health, with our mental health capacity, sometimes in our families, that doesn't happen.

We're not seen or heard. We're dismissed.

you know. And then the other part of the coin, Jenelle, that you mentioned is medication. Because with mental health, you always think it's medication. But honestly, it doesn't have to be. Just unloading and speaking and getting it off your chest and having someone just listen who doesn't know you but is a professional and can guide you and see and hear what you're talking about, that's reassuring, that's uplifting, that's motivating.

And so, I've never done it before, I'll be honest.

when you are stressed and you can, like as you mentioned, Jenelle, kind of figure out your indicators, maybe it's time to seek help and find the right help that you need. You know, not all of it's free, unfortunately. A lot of it's paid. But you'll find that it does work.

It does help. Um, and, um, I think the best kind of, um, help is without medication.

When it comes to medication, it really depends on the person, and I'm not a prescriber, but I will often encourage clients if they feel like they're needing a higher level of support in addition to therapeutic tools, to work with a qualified prescriber, ideally a psychiatrist or like a psychiatric ARNP, someone who has actual training with mental health.

I think some of the concerns sometimes is a lot of primary care providers are qualified to do the prescriptions, but don't actually have a lot of training when it comes to mental health. And so it's just like, oh, here's some fluoxetine, which is, you know, the name for Prozac, but there's not a lot of like support or additional tools that go along with that.

So I encourage more of like a holistic approach.

So, Jenelle, you mentioned earlier that you look at the function of a person and how they're functioning and how that's an indicator for when someone might really want to reach out for help or for therapy. Do you want to say a little bit more about that so people can really understand?

Like, if your life is impacted on a day-to-day basis—

I'll just say, Sylvia, that it really depends on each individual. I am a proponent of person-centered therapy, so looking at what the baseline is for each individual. For you, for example, if your baseline is that you don't really see a lot of friends and you tend to sleep in a lot and you notice that, you know, you do frequently skip meals, and that's just how, how you function on a regular basis, then that's going to look really different from maybe typically you wake up at 7 AM and you have a thriving social life, and all of a sudden you notice you're sleeping in later than you normally would, or you're skipping meals, or you're not wanting to go out in public, or you're noticing some avoidance of social situations.

Some shifts that just don't really feel like you. So I would really just question for yourself what that looks like, because again, we're all different in the ways we function on a daily basis.

Right, and it is, it's so different that when things are just not feeling right, I guess is what you're saying. So now that we have convinced people that therapy is a good thing, because it is, but equally important is the person you seek that help from. And so finding a counselor who really gets it, who can get what you're going through, can be challenging.

So what advice would you give someone who's looking for a counselor who's empathetic and, you know, in our regard, understands the unique challenges of vision loss?

Yeah, it's such a great question. Finding a good fit for therapy is critical. When they have looked at studies of all the different types of modalities and treatments they use, like cognitive behavioral therapy versus dialectical behavioral therapy, and all the different therapies— there are over like 100 different modalities used that are evidence-based— the one key factor that they always see as the most consistent for whether someone has improvements or not is if they trust their provider.

So the trust in your provider is key to whether you will see growth or not. And so really tuning into your own knowing and not just thinking, oh, there's a professional, they must know what's best for me. No, the professional should be able to draw out within you what feels best for you.

So what I really encourage people to do is to find a provider that you trust and to listen to your intuition. So most providers will offer a 10 to 15-minute free consultation where they're seeing if they're a good fit for you and you're seeing if they're a good fit for you.

So, if you're going to start looking for a therapist, I would encourage you to have a few questions ready for them that prioritize what you're looking for in a therapist. So I'll sometimes have people call me, and they'll be like, "Are you someone who really likes to push someone out of their comfort zone?

I need someone to push me out of my comfort zone." Other people will be like, "I just want someone who's going to listen to me without judging me." So start to figure out for yourself first what is most important for you, and also just listen to your intuition. If you have a consultation or even a first session with a therapist and there's little red flags going off in your heart or your stomach, they're like, gosh, I just don't feel heard by this person, or I just don't feel like they're understanding me, they don't have good reflective listening skills, or whatever it is that you're seeking in a therapist, then listen to that and be willing to try someone else.

It's completely fine. We are all professionals, and I understand for myself as a therapist, I am not for everyone, and that's okay.

are going to want to find a therapist who fits your needs and your style.

I love that. I really do love that because I think when it comes to, you know, when it comes to looking for a therapist, like you said,

you want someone that you feel like, okay, I, I can— I'm comfortable with this person. And I feel like once those red flags go off, you know, oftentimes people might say like, okay, I'm just gonna go with this person because I, I need the help, you know. But like, you also deserve to find that person that you're like, okay, I can sit here and they understand me, even if, you know, maybe they've never had this experience, but obviously them helping me is what I need.

And I will say, I recently just got back into going to therapy again because I was not in therapy for a while, and I just personally felt like I was like, oh, you know, I'm really— I need— I want to go back, I really do. And the, the person that I, I have now as my therapist, she's amazing.

And I, I noticed that just from our first consultation and the first conversation. And so I I think it really helps me to have her as such a really supportive person in my life. And so I just, I think looking for a therapist, you know, it might take a couple tries, but eventually, or maybe you'll be like me and you have the person that you meet the first time and you're like, okay, this is the person and I feel comfortable with this person, which leads me to, you know, I know for many people therapy sometimes feels unknown, or even intimidating.

But what can someone expect when they begin counseling? And what role does the individual play? And what kinds of outcomes are realistic?

Gabby, and I appreciate you just noticing how comfortable you feel with your therapist, and that you get to decide that you are the expert on yourself. And so you know best what is best for you. Yes, your therapist has gone to graduate school and taken a lot of training, but at the end of the day, each person is the best expert on their self.

And so trust your own knowing, your own intuition, your own wisdom. And when you begin therapy, you— it's going to look really different, probably depending on which therapist you have. But if you have found someone that's the right fit, they are going to be encouraging you to tap into your own inner knowing and your own strengths that you already have, and then they'll likely also teach you some additional new tools depending on what interests you, what you're drawn towards.

The thing that I often will encourage people when it comes to therapy, it doesn't have to be something where you show up and tell every single detail of your whole life all at once. It can come in pieces. You get to choose what you share and what you don't share, what you focus on.

They will ask the prompting questions, but you get to choose whether you even want to answer a question. I always tell people, if there's any of these questions you don't want to answer right now, we can skip it. Or if there's a certain area where you want to go more in depth, it's up to you.

So Ideally, therapy involves a lot of choice on the client's part and a lot of collaboration back and forth, giving feedback, telling your therapist, "Ooh, this was really helpful," or, "Ugh, that really doesn't resonate with me." It's a lot of collaboration and working together in partnership to see what feels like the most supportive and helpful in your individual healing journey.

I think that's, you know, you said a lot of like really great points because I think for me, um, personally, like when I started back up, I was just like, I really was trying to find someone who would just kind of help me challenge myself more. And she definitely helped me to do that because it's not like, hey, I'm suggesting you do, you go do this thing.

It's more like, okay, let's talk about how you feel around this experience. Let's talk about what tools we can use to kind of maybe help you navigate that. And I think those conversations, especially when it's less of the, less of the, I'm forcing you to do this type of thing, because sometimes that can happen, and it's more of let's just have a conversation around it.

I think that really helps the person who's going to therapy to really feel more comfortable opening up and saying, okay, you know, this is how I've been feeling, and, you know, let's— I really want to adjust these things. And every time I meet with her, it's always like, okay, I have this thing I want to talk about.

And it's never— it's never— it never feels forceful, you know. And I've had situations before where it has felt forceful, and for me, it's just like, I'm excited, you know. It's like talking to a best friend. That's how I feel when I speak to her. Um, yes, yeah, so I, I love it, and I think it can be helpful for a lot of people.

But, you know, going back to what Nasreen even said, like, in cultures where it is just kind of like brushed off, you don't really have the— you don't really see it as, as often. And, um, just finding someone who's really great at what they do and really great at just being there for you, I think, can be really, really beneficial.

Absolutely. And what you were speaking to, Gabby, of like being in your stretch zone, right? Like I, I like to use comfort, stretch, or panic zone. So a good therapist will work with you in your stretch zone, and each of us are going to have different stretch zones. So your comfort zone is like you're just sitting on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and you're really cozy.

There's nothing bad about it, but not a lot of growth happens there. And then on the other end is your panic zone, where it's like you are just so inundated with thoughts and emotions that you just are either frozen or super activated. Not a lot of growth happens there either.

And so we want to find that like middle ground, that stretch zone where the most amount of growth happens. And again, that will look different depending on the person, and that will take a little bit of getting to know yourself and your therapist getting to know you and helping you to stay in that stretch zone where the most amount of growth happens and you feel challenged yet not pushed or forced.

So this is Sylvia, and I have a question about that. So someone who has vision loss, and maybe it's been going on a long time, but maybe it's brand new, and so they could be in that panic zone. So I'm guessing you have strategies to help them get back to that stretch zone and maybe even to that comfort zone sometimes.

Yeah, I do. I, and I love that you're bringing that back around to the vision loss because I think one of my biggest frustrations when I've provided training for other therapists, like I was just asked to go and speak at a school in Seattle where with graduate students are in school to become counselors.

And I found that their questioning was right around like, well, how do you get people to acceptance and that was their whole focus. And I'm like, that's not really where I start with vision loss. I mean, ideally, that's what comes, but I really feel like for each individual, we have to look and see what they're ready for.

So I'm not gonna be like, put this cane in your hand and go. Like I'm not their O&M instructor. Like that's not my area of scope. That's not my scope. That's somebody else's role. I'm still going to encourage and ask questions, but if someone is really resistant to using their cane, we're going to explore that slowly, and we're not going to force anything.

We're going to try to keep it in the stretch zone by asking a lot of questions and giving them a chance to explain why they don't want to use their cane and what all it— that means to them, and then we're going to work incrementally towards whatever their goals are.

So I'm not going to create goals for my clients. I'm going to collaborate with them on goals, but really, I should not be creating someone else's goals. That is up to each individual. I— my goal, or my goal, my role is really to support what their goals for therapy are, and that can be an area where I think a lot of therapists, myself included at times if I'm not keeping myself in check, can really go wrong is where they start to have goals and dreams and ideas for a client that are different from what the client actually has.

So even within adjustment to vision loss counseling, my therapeutic approaches look really different because it depends on the individual, what they say they are ready for, and what they are wanting to focus on.

And a lot of it is starting with that whole grief That is a, that's a lifelong process. Even if you get to acceptance, you still are going to, most often, you're still going to have some grief. There are going to be moments. Yeah. And getting people to understand that that's normal.

And I, can you just say that thing about the human, you know, acknowledging the human person again? I just thought that was so beautiful.

Yeah. I mean, part of my role as a therapist is giving people permission to be human and just be. So often in our culture, we just don't allow people to be human. Oh, they're crying too much. They're not crying enough. They're too joyful. They're not joyful enough. Like, we have all these ideas on how people should be showing up, and it's really pretty limiting.

And so if we can find these spaces that are nonjudgmental, where we allow people to show up exactly where they are, then they feel this openness where they can begin to grieve and have their grief witnessed. And witnessing grief is just so incredibly important. And I think that's what we all do for each other as women, right?

As women experiencing vision loss, I think that's the power in a podcast like Bold Blind Beauty, is bringing women together, hearing each other's stories, bearing witness to that in really compassionate and caring ways. It feels supportive and healing to my soul, so I would imagine it does to a lot of yours as well.

And I want to loop back to that acceptance piece that you touched on, Sylvia, because I really view acceptance as more of a practice than a destination. So it's not like a light switch that you're like, I'm flipping it on, I have now accepted, right? Like there are, for me and my journey anyways, there are days where I'm like, wow, like I'm just, yeah, this is how I see, and that's just what, and there are other days where I'm like, I just wish I could see.

I say that a lot.

I always say I'm never going to get to the day where I'm going to go, Man, I am so excited to be blind. That's not going to happen.

Yeah, I think deep down inside we all have, we carry that grief. And when it comes to sight loss and coping our vision on a daily with basis, and there are some days where, you know, you could be blinder than the most days or, you know, and you're I'm still kind of stumbling in the dark finding things, but, you know, and then you couple that in with mental health, the challenges of that, and accepting where you are with your vision loss.

I think that can be a very daunting journey for every one of us. And even though we may not want to talk about it or admit it, I think deep down inside, we all do touch upon it on a daily. So mental health isn't just for crisis work.

It's hard work on the daily. So what are some practical things that individuals can do to maintain and support their mental health, especially during difficult life experiences?

I love that because you're also speaking to the preventative aspects of mental health. It's not just acute crisis intervention.

Exactly.

There's also

I really like to speak to the pillars of mental health. So the 6 main pillars that I try to revisit for myself and with my clients are sleep. That's very critical. Actually, when I did my initial training in mental health at the community mental health center near where I live, we spent 6 months of my training just focusing on sleep stabilization and sleep hygiene techniques with clients because it's that critical.

If someone's not sleeping, it's really difficult to go on to the other aspects of mental health. So the other 5 pillars are nutrition, so having nourishing food and hydration, and physical movement. It doesn't have to be heavy exercise, but some type of movement within your body throughout the day.

Stress management, finding different ways to lower cortisol levels, and addressing stress that is part of being human. Emotional expression, so acknowledging that we all have emotions, that they are part of being human, and finding ways to move with and through emotions, not resist them or try to avoid. And then finally, and this is the piece I think we'll all really be able to connect with on this podcast in particular, is social connection.

Social connection is a critical pillar of mental health, and that's why I love groups like Daring Sisters and Bold Blind Beauty because studies show that if we can find connection within a group that shares our same disability, we actually can decrease levels of depression and anxiety. So, it's just critical.

That makes a lot of sense to have those 6 pillars because they all kind of intertwine together, especially the sleep component. I'm actually surprised that you guys spent 6 months on that, but I can see the value in a good, you know, having a good abundance of sleep and definitely letting your body sort of, you know, heal during that time.

And then how it kind of triggers and trickles into the other 5 pillars that you're mentioning, from nutrition down, and so forth. So I think those are really great tips and sort of, sort of a checklist, I would say, for people out there listening to maybe sort of, you know, work towards making sure that they have this checklist to kind of make sure that they're ticking all the boxes off and making sure they're trying to stay within those parameters for good mental health and keeping themselves sort of focused and doing the work on the daily, which is really, really important.

I know when I don't get enough sleep, I can feel it. And, you know, as we age, as we get older, and then, you know, with vision loss, it becomes sort of a dual-edged sword. So I can definitely appreciate the sleep component.

Yeah, it's also critical. I also have an acronym that I use with clients, especially those who might struggle with any type of suicidal ideation: I say HALT. So I ask people to pause and say, "Am I hungry? Am I angry? Am I lonely? Am I tired? Ask those 4 questions, address those 4, and then notice any shifts in thoughts or any type of fears that are arising around current thoughts.

Well, that's excellent. That's another great tip for maintaining your mental health in the daily that anybody and everybody can kind of do on an individual level. And I think that's really helpful, how you broke that down, and it can be very useful. So thank you for sharing that.

Definitely. I've got lots of more tips up my sleeve, so I'll have to come back at some point.

Absolutely.

That'd be awesome.

Yeah, definitely. Thank you so much, Janelle.

How can listeners reach you? Website, your email, social media? Also, do you have any recommended resources, organizations, hotlines, directories that people might be able to use outside of just therapy or searching for the help they might need?

Well, in case folks in the US aren't aware, we have 988, so just like 911 is physical emergencies, we have 988, which is the national crisis line that you can call for mental health support. So I do like people to know that, and then to look online for health, mental health resources in your area.

I know all the ones for Washington State, so I would just say nationwide to look into what community mental health resources that you have. If you want to reach me, I am part of— I'm trying to decide what to share you guys because I don't— I'm only licensed in Washington State, although there, there's going to be some changes with the law later this year.

Yeah, you could just share what you, what you think.

Okay. I don't really actually want people emailing me or anything. I have a long waitlist. You do not. I'm not going to be able to support you. So I guess I'll just say that those national numbers and then I'll list I'll also add that my twin sister and I have a podcast and a blog.

We've been blogging for over 15 years. doublevisionblog.com is where my sister and I have been blogging for over 15 years. And then we most recently launched a podcast similar to you ladies in the fall, and that's called Double Vision Podcast.

And I'm just going to add for any of our Canadian listeners out there to Bold Blind Beauty's podcast, if you need to reach out to your local area, it's 211. They'll help you to reach any mental health counselor or regional health support practitioner. So you can check that out

As we close today's conversation, let's remember this: experiencing vision loss does not mean losing yourself, but it does mean redefining, rebuilding, and sometimes relearning how to move through the world.

Mental health is not a sign of weakness. It is a reflection of our humanity. If you're struggling, know this: you are not alone, and you do not have to carry it by yourself.

To borrow from Fred Rogers,

"Anything that's human is mentionable." And anything that is mentionable can be more manageable."

Let's continue to create spaces where people feel safe to share, supported to heal, and empowered to thrive. Thank you for joining us on Bold Blind Beauty On A.I.R.

Until next time, stay bold, stay beautiful, and take care of your mind as much as your body.