The Five Keys to Dealing with Depression

SPEAKER 02 : 0:00

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SPEAKER 06 : 0:30

Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now with The Good News.

SPEAKER 03 : 0:39

Hello, it’s the Good News with Angie Austin. And the good news today is that LaFawn Jantz is back. And we are talking about her husband’s book, Dr. Gregory Jantz, Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. So, you know, in our talks, LaFawn, I love that you are continuing your husband’s work. And I know you worked with him prior to his passing last summer, but it feels like you have even a renewed sense of purpose now to continue, you know, with his mission.

SPEAKER 05 : 1:05

I do. He was such an incredible clinician, just serving so many people from all around the country, well-known folks, as well as, you know, just any individual that was suffering in the need of hope and help. And so he would just serve everyone. And he did that for 42 years. He was really good at it. So it’s an honor and a joy to keep that spirit of service going and continue to hold the scepter of hope out for others to see and to have that shine forth. And how many books does he have out? He has over 46 books out with two more coming out in the next year.

SPEAKER 03 : 1:42

Two more coming out. Oh, my goodness. It’ll be 48.

SPEAKER 05 : 1:45

Yeah, my goodness, sister.

SPEAKER 03 : 1:47

And today we’re discussing five keys to dealing with depression. So this is a very common thing I think that plagues our society, depression, and is so often overlooked and not dealt with or dealt with in a final way. So let’s get started. Where should we start with this?

SPEAKER 05 : 2:05

Well, you know, he has written a wonderful handy book called Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. And in it, he talks about, you know, what those key components are, including emotional balance. intellectual integrity. That’s going to be an interesting topic to explore. Relational support, physical healing and spiritual support. And so those are all the things that he knew needed to be addressed to really deal with depression. Depression is, you know, one of the number one struggles for Americans is depression, anxiety. And now we’re also working a lot with trauma.

SPEAKER 03 : 2:45

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. All right. Let’s start with emotional balance. The example that he uses in this in this book talks about marketing a promotion and that all of he didn’t even apply for it. And everybody’s slapping him on the back and shaking his hand, giving him high fives and congratulating him. And he said he didn’t know what was wrong with him because he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t feel happy.

SPEAKER 05 : 3:05

Right, and that is so true for so many high-level performance individuals who are in jobs, in situations where they just are feeling devoid of the joy and happiness that they maybe used to feel or think they should be feeling. And so those can be some indicators of depression. And so we look at, is there irritability or impatience? Is it breaking out a sense of martyrdom or feeling unappreciated by others or impulsive thinking or rash judgments? It also shows itself through pessimistic or critical comments, behaviors, negative sarcasm. You wouldn’t think… I don’t think that getting a promotion would necessarily elicit those kinds of emotions, but some of it is just the negative self-talk that is ruling the neighborhood of the brain. One of the questions we ask is, is your mind a safe neighborhood for you and for others? What are you saying to yourself? What ways are you talking to yourself and what words are you using to speak to yourself and to others?

SPEAKER 03 : 4:17

So all of those things you said, the negative self-talk, the sarcasm, the kind of gloomy outlook, the quick temper, all of those things could be related to depression.

SPEAKER 05 : 4:29

Absolutely. And, you know, often we also have come up comes along with just this overall heavy heaviness, heavy feeling, a heavy feeling on the body. It’s just hard to get excited about anything. And so to celebrate other people’s, you know, promotions as well can be, you know, can be hard to genuinely really feel happy for another person when you don’t genuinely have the ability to feel happy for yourself.

SPEAKER 03 : 4:52

Okay, and I like that there are actually tips in the book about some things that you can do. Engage in some exercise. Read an uplifting book. Think about someone you really enjoy talking to and maybe give them a call. And then maybe nourish your spirit and do some things you really like doing, like cooking or taking a bath or listening to a certain kind of music. So I like that there’s action steps there.

SPEAKER 05 : 5:17

Absolutely. And being intentional when you’re when you’re depressed, it’s hard to do anything right. So part of it is just, you know, you’re going to have to sit down and decide, make a decision. I’m going to do this. I don’t feel like doing it. But intentionally, I’m going to go ahead and engage in something that I know is going to replenish me. And so just. Moving, getting going can definitely be an antidote to depression. And more recent research is showing that exercise can elicit some of the same benefits as antidepressants. And so movement is good.

SPEAKER 03 : 5:51

is, is, is key. All right. And key number two in five keys to dealing with depression is intellectual integrity. You talk in the book, the book talks about all these decisions we have to make every day, you know, which line to choose at the grocery store. Do we put the groceries in the trunk or do we put them in the back seat? You know, do we let our kids go to the sleepover or do we not? Do we choose this outfit to wear today? Like just the abundance of decisions. So what is key number two intellectual integrity about? Yeah.

SPEAKER 05 : 6:19

You know, and just to bring some scripture into that, one of the scriptures that my husband chose to talk about is that God cautions us about what we think we know. So intellectual integrity isn’t just what we think we know, but what is what is the truth? And so in Isaiah 55, 8, it says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the Lord. So we think we know, but we might not know. We may need to take another look at where is this, where is this thinking coming from? Is it coming from my past? Is it coming from what other people have, you know? spoken to me about or said to me or told me was true about me, but what is it really true? And what are the things that I actually can do to change those patterns that may be contributing to the downward spiral where depression just keeps you stuck? And so those are things that we want to look at is what is the pattern of tying your self-worth? You know, if you’ve tied your self-worth to an activity, you might find it difficult to let go of some of the things you are doing and the patterns of believing and behaving.

SPEAKER 03 : 7:28

And I think a lot of that goes back to breaking those cycles of negative self-talk about thinking, you know, you don’t deserve to be happy or that life treats you unfairly. And then your mind kind of filters everything. So everything kind of comes out that way. So that one is important to change, you know, your way of thinking. All right. Number three, key number three, relational support. What’s this about?

SPEAKER 05 : 7:51

Absolutely. When we isolate, we get into trouble. And so when you’re depressed, you want to isolate. So you may have to make a decision that you’re going to make a list of the folks that, you know, that maybe you don’t want to talk to them, but, you know, pick up the phone and call them anyway, text them anyway. Yeah. arrange to meet with them anyway go for a walk with someone anyway and it could be a family member it could be a friend it could be a pastor you know it could be someone that you could be going to the cafe and sitting there and doing your journaling and being willing to talk even to a stranger not necessarily unloading your burden but being around people and just not being stuck in an old pattern that just keeps you

SPEAKER 03 : 8:38

isolated and away from people so relationships are key i like at the end too it says take steps to forgive so you could mend existing relationships and maybe you know um heal some of those relationships that have been important to you that maybe you’re just too proud to take a step to mend again we’re talking about five keys to dealing with depression and i’m just trying to get through the last two uh key number four physical healing feeling depressed is not just a mental state

SPEAKER 05 : 9:04

uh depression is a debilitating whole body condition that can be addressed physically as well as mentally all right let’s go there absolutely uh we see depression um just puts a lot of pressure on the body there can be a lot of causes to it he writes about medical and health conditions could be including hypoglycemia maybe you’ve been tested for that heart disease anemia sleep apnea diabetes i mean there could really actually be something physically wrong so it’s very important to not Stay stuck at home again and inactive, but to assert yourself and to take steps to measures to find out what’s really going on and to press in and press on in discovering what those things are. So could be allergies, could be sensitivities. A lot of chemical sensitivities are impacting many of the clients we see, and so we have doctors and naturopaths on staff who do blood tests and look at every detail of a person’s life, including their diet and their lifestyle. physiology so that we can treat the whole person and come at the depression cycle from that holistic perspective. There’s just so many different contributing factors to it. You really can’t leave anything out. And of course, when you’re depressed, you’re not feeling like you can necessarily pull it together. So it’s definitely helpful to bring in a team of professionals who can surround you in this moment.

SPEAKER 03 : 10:35

Yes, and I love the idea that replacing some of those unhealthy things you may be putting in your body with healthy eating, proper hydration, good sleep, and physical movement and exercise. All right, we’re going to make it to number five. Key number five in five keys to dealing with depression is spiritual support.

SPEAKER 05 : 10:53

Absolutely. Depression is a deceiver. It lies to us. It tricks us. It makes us feel like there’s no hope and it’s always going to be this way. And in reality, you know, we do need to come to a place very often where we call out to God himself. And don’t we know he never drives anyone away. He always answers when we call out to him. And the scriptures are full of so many wonderful psalms. Sometimes we just need to hope against hope, like Abraham hoped against hope when he lost hope, you know, as far as having a child. And God came through for him. He hoped against hope. He believed. Sometimes we just have to lift our hands up and praise God when we don’t feel like it. And we praise him when the scripture talks about praising God, even though there are no sheep in the pens or cattle in the field. Of course, we don’t necessarily raise sheep and cows now, but it’s a sense that, you know, I got nothing. I got nothing. So I’m just going to lift my hands and praise you anyway, God, because you are the king of the universe and you see me and you do know me. And so when we lift our hands up, when we look up, physically look up, we can begin to feel a physical shift in our body, in our mind and in our spirit. And so there’s, you know, there’s physical reasons why. why we do those things um but mostly it’s just because god you know he made us he formed us he knows how perfectly we are put together and we were made to worship him we were made to bring him glory and give him praise and we can do that no matter what we’re going through And you and and do it out of obedience. Do it because, you know, you got nothing else that you can do that seems to be working. So I would just challenge you to just go ahead and lift your hands up, lift up your eyes. Look to the hills from where your help comes from. Looking up, when we look up, you can even change your physiology by forcing a smile on your face. I’m not saying, you know, to smile at everyone. But if you just put a smile on your face, you will feel different. So sometimes we do the physical out of obedience to elicit the right response from our bodies. And so just give it a try. It certainly can’t hurt.

SPEAKER 03 : 13:21

Yeah, intentionally focusing on God and maybe even make an appointment, you know, with a spiritual advisor or, you know, Christian counselor. And I love the idea of, you know, getting to know someone at church and inviting someone out maybe for lunch after church or something to, you know, further. You’re trying to socialize. So why not find, you know, another Christian to fellowship with? All right, LaVon, give us your website. Awesome.

SPEAKER 05 : 13:44

The website is aplaceofhope.com. I want to recommend also journaling and gratitude journaling. And that’s something that I did when I was in a rough spot with chemotherapy. So journaling your gratitudes and counting your blessings is another great way to give praise to God and to thank him for the goodness that is in your life, even when you’re not feeling it. We leak. We have to be reminded. We have to remind ourselves of these things. And that’s a great way to do it. So check out our resources. We have a depression test that you can take, just an inventory. It doesn’t cost anything. And that is at www.aplaceofhope.com.

SPEAKER 03 : 14:24

Excellent. Thank you, LaFawn.

SPEAKER 05 : 14:25

Yes. Thank you, Angie.

SPEAKER 01 : 14:32

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SPEAKER 05 : 15:25

Flagler is tuned to the mighty 670 KLT Denver.

SPEAKER 03 : 15:34

Hello there, friend. Angie Austin here with the good news. The good news is we are talking to an author today, Anita Swan, and her book is Alligator in the Ocean, One Family’s Fight to Stop a Serial Predator and Their Determination to Heal. Welcome to the program, Anita.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:48

Hi, Angie. Thank you for inviting me today.

SPEAKER 03 : 15:50

You are welcome. So give us an overview of the book. This is a pretty deep topic.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:55

Yes. Okay. Well, briefly, my parents raised me and my three sisters in Idaho, and from the age of four to eight, I was abused by a man that lived in that community that my family trusted and my community trusted. He held a job where he worked with families. And there were occasions that he had access to me. We would go on outings sometimes without my mom. And he also babysat. So it was those times that he abused me. And a couple of those ways was at one time he sold me to a child pornographer. And that today is an avenue of abuse. human trafficking basically or sexual traffic trafficking of children and the second way was he forced me to watch acts of violence crimes of violence and so those are basically just briefly out of the many ways that a person can be abused those are the things that i experienced

SPEAKER 03 : 17:02

Oh, my goodness. So that’s from four to eight. You talked a little bit about sex abuse and trafficking jumping to today. I know it’s a big problem. Every time I fly quite often and I see a lot of notifications in the restrooms where obviously the girls, boys for that matter, would be able to use a restroom possibly on their own. And there’s a number on the wall where they could maybe make a call or notify someone of what’s going on. How big a problem is the sex trafficking today?

SPEAKER 04 : 17:31

I think it’s enormous because of the technology we have. It just seems to be that. And children and teenagers, children are frightened to turn these people in because of either shame if you’re older and a boyfriend tricks you or a neighbor tricks you or a teacher tricks you into doing these things and you’re being victimized. videoed or you’re being sold. There’s this shame that keeps us from moving forward and getting the help we need. Then sometimes with little children, in my case, the perpetrator will threaten you with either harming your parents or harming your, your siblings, your friends, or even your pets. And so I feel like there’s this imprisonment of fear and, that is happening for these people to be successful in trafficking children.

SPEAKER 03 : 18:26

You know, in terms of your case, I know that you went through therapy and you had an issue with memories, you know, being, you know, from nine until 27 memories being gone. So it’s after the abuse. Did you still remember the abuse and then talk about the healing through, you know, therapy, etc.? ?

SPEAKER 04 : 18:42

Yeah, that’s a great question because it’s called repressed memory, disassociative memory or amnesia, and there’s different levels of it. So what happened was when I was eight, my family moved away and the abuse stopped. And so the place we moved to was just a wonderful place. And I was involved in all kinds of athletic clubs and we stayed busy as children. We lived in a safe town. I was never abused again. And it wasn’t until I remembered fragments of scary things, I guess I can call it, during my childhood, just bits and pieces, but I never had the full picture. I carried that with me through my adulthood. Then after I was married and had three children, I started having this reoccurring dream. The dream ended up being those fragments of abuse. And along with it, came physical symptoms like extreme fear and terror and then abdominal pain and difficulty breathing. And when I couldn’t shake that, I asked a friend just to help me. What do I do about this? She suggested I find a good counselor, which I did. And when I started going to counseling, my counselor, Dr. Barone, He realized there was a section of time in my past that I refused to talk about. And when he brought that up, I was defensive. And then I realized, okay, wait a minute. Why don’t I remember these things in this span of my childhood? And he invited me to go back and he helped me with the safer places of that time span. And I finally admitted to him that this dream comes with it, those physical symptoms that aren’t normal. And I can’t explain it. And throughout a three-year time span with Dr. Barone, little by little, I was able to piece together the facts of those fragments as that amnesia broke through to what is called like conscious thought. Or I was aware I was able to talk about it and communicate it. And from there, I recognized the man and the people who had abused me. And he was still working with children and families. And my husband and I decided we’ve got to do something about this. And we, with Dr. Barone, called to the state and the city he lived in, and we turned him in to the police and the social services. And, indeed, he was still abusing children. Three came forward, and he was arrested immediately.

SPEAKER 03 : 21:26

Oh, my goodness. I can’t believe that after all those years, you were able to.

SPEAKER 04 : 21:30

After all those years.

SPEAKER 03 : 21:31

Yes, and that you helped more. You were able to put a stop to it, and he was still doing it. Did you end up telling your family at any point in time? Obviously, you didn’t when you were a kid because you didn’t really remember this until you were older.

SPEAKER 04 : 21:43

Yeah, there was one attempt when I was a child to tell somebody, and I wasn’t believed. And so, you know, really, it was so frightening because this man did attempt to kill me and that there’s details about that in the book, how it happened and how I survived. So when I realized, okay. I know this man, this man is dangerous. My families could be in danger once I turn him in. So there’s incredible fear. So it was really more about just my husband and I staying safe, protecting my children. and just being involved in every part of the investigation that we could, along with the help of Dr. Barone. So I did talk with some people from my past that helped me stay in contact with the information that was becoming public. And so I did have help where this man lived. I called him Ivan the Alligator. And I was kept apprised of where he was and when he was put in jail and things like that. So my family, they had a little bit of information, but it was mostly about protecting myself and my own family.

SPEAKER 03 : 23:03

And he ended up dying in prison, I understand.

SPEAKER 04 : 23:05

He ended up dying in prison. First, he was put into jail. He was given outpatient therapy. He broke parole during outpatient therapy and other things happened and transpired. Where I was given a phone call, he was put into the state hospital, taken out of that outpatient therapy and county jail. And then from there, it progressed where whatever program he He had to participate in. That is where, in the state hospital, he admitted to having over 200 victims. And from there, they determined, the doctors and psychologists there determined he was a dangerous criminal. They moved him into state prison. And a few years later, he died there.

SPEAKER 03 : 23:52

You know, you talk about his position, you know, dealing, working with children and obviously predators gravitate to jobs where they’re like, you know, working with kids, whether it be a coach or a teacher or like a family member or a family friend that really is always there to babysit or to befriend the family. What advice would you give parents to protect their kids from predators?

SPEAKER 04 : 24:15

Absolutely. Understand that it can be anybody. And read Psalm 10. It talks about the wicked man who hunts down the weak, and he’s got these schemes that he’s devising. That’s called grooming today. And parents just need to be vigilant about their child’s behavior. We can’t be with our children all the time. And so I have like four red flag suspicions that I kind of just help parents with. First of all, is your child coming home upset? They can’t just explain why they’re upset. Some children can. I would say most children cannot describe or communicate if somebody is harming them in a sexual way or just power-based violence in any way. Are they bringing home gifts? You know, are these predators giving them gifts to keep them quiet? Is there obvious markings on their body, around their genitals, their mouth, swelling, rashes? They can bruise. They can have small cuts or puncture wounds. And the other thing is, are they fearful or apprehensive? about going to the place that they are not comfortable going to or apprehensive to be with the person that you’re seeing that there’s a behavior change or they’re coming home with these marks. And then the Lord gives us this amazing discernment by the Holy Spirit. Listen to the discernment. Is there a sinking feeling inside of you? Do you have this gut feeling? Something’s wrong. What is wrong? And ask God for wisdom. Ask him to help you to know the truth, help you to take the steps to finding out the truth. Is your child being abused? Those are the things that I followed when I was trying to remember my own abuse growing up.

SPEAKER 03 : 26:09

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Now, I’m wondering, obviously you have strong faith and that your faith, I’m sure, was part of your healing. Were there times when you were upset or blamed God for not protecting you as a child?

SPEAKER 04 : 26:21

I definitely did. And that was the turning point in my faith. I hit this wall just immersed with shock and fear and disbelief and what is wrong with me? How could I not remember these things? And they were so serious. And I think because my life was almost taken, that amnesia really stayed tucked down in there. And I just said, I believe in a living God. And I did. Now show me. Show me who you are and why it is. Well, my answer was we live in an imperfect world. We live in a fallen world where we are blessed people. with just with the ability to make our own decisions, a free will. And some people in this world, this imperfect world, they decide they want to harm. They act on anger. They act on resentment and vengeance. And then if you are in their path, Sometimes, like me, you are the victim, and God promises to heal. He will heal the brokenhearted. I believed all that, and I had to take one step at a time, testing my faith and believing in this invisible living God who left me with His Holy Spirit that gave me the strength and the courage to heal and face my past again. That’s really the simple foundation of my faith.

SPEAKER 03 : 27:51

Yeah, and it’s neat, too, I think, that you’re helping other people now and you have talks and discussions and you host them in discussions such as crimes against children, etc. So I really like the work you’re doing. All right, we have about a minute left. What do you want people to take away from the book after they read it? What would you want them to take away?

SPEAKER 04 : 28:07

Never give up hope. Our God is not measured by suffering and the pain and the shocking things in this world that happen that frighten us or cause us to doubt or cause us to be enraged. Never give up hope. God is greater and more mighty, and He will mend our every level of pain and injury that we experience. And from there, we become steadfast and wise and stronger, and we can live a great life of adventure, and then we can turn around and help others. That is what I experienced, and that is what I hope for for your listeners.

SPEAKER 03 : 28:48

And could you give us a website for us to find the book?

SPEAKER 04 : 28:53

Absolutely. So my website is alligatorintheocean.com. That’s one word. And if you go on the resource page, you can get all kinds of information. If you’re afraid to call for help, there’s hotlines, there’s websites, there’s even a place you can find a counselor, a good counselor, and a free e-book. So alligatorintheocean.com.

SPEAKER 03 : 29:16

Excellent. Anina Swan, thank you so much. Thank you, Angie. You’re welcome.

SPEAKER 06 : 29:21

Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.

SPEAKER 07 : 29:30

If you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about the UACR test. Detect the SOS. Visit detectthesos.com to learn more.