001: Tiffany & Gina
In this episode, we're chatting with psychotherapist Gina Moffa on all things mental health during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
We discussed:
COVID-19 and the pendulum swing of anxiety
Why COVID-19 may be triggering for those who have experienced grief and trauma
Being mindful of your exposure to the news and what/who is triggering anxiety
Social distance and the grief of human affection Mindfulness exercise to soothe & nurture yourself
Why it's "survival care" instead of "self-care"
Taking care of our physical and mental health
Staying connected during a time of social distance
Being gentle with yourself
Routines, having that one thing you do every day, and the power of singing
Show Notes
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 in the US
#everylittlecell song: https://www.instagram.com/allisondavies.com.au/
About Gina Moffa, LCSW, MA
A psychotherapist for over 15 years, Gina Moffa, LCSW, MA, has an active private practice on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she specializes in the many faces of grief and loss, disordered eating, addictions, as well as anxiety and depression that accompanies change.
Gina also focuses on helping people to navigate life transitions, (and yes, even welcome changes come with their fair share of challenges!). One of Gina's clinical passions is helping young adults to find their unique voice and navigate the pathway to achieving their goals and dreams.
In her free time, Gina loves to create, produce and perform in one-woman cabaret shows surrounding topics of courage, connectedness and empowerment. Gina can be followed on Instagram at: @ginamoffalcsw, where she frequently posts about the importance of self-care in our lives. Gina is working on a book about grief at this time.
Follow Gina Moffa, LCSW, MA:
Website: https://www.ginamoffa.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ginamoffalcsw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ginamoffalcsw
Transcript
[intro] Tiffany Yu: Hi, I’m Tiffany Yu and welcome to the Pioneers podcast! I'm a social entrepreneur and disability advocate who spends my work and life destigmatizing disability, trauma, and grief. You can often find me sharing stories on disability and identity, side hustles and entrepreneurship, leading with vulnerability, and more. Along the way, I've met some incredible people--people who have created space for me and for us to explore what it means to be human. And I want to share those conversations with you. You can find me across social media at @imtiffanyyu. That's the letter “I”, the letter “M”, followed by my first and last name. Now let's get today’s show started.
Tiffany Yu: Hi everyone, it's Tiffany and I wanted to say thank you for joining me in my first foray into podcasting. You're about to listen to my first episode, which is a conversation with Gina Moffa, who is a psychotherapist in New York City. One of the great things about learning something new is that you learn lessons--hard lessons--after the fact and then change and pivot course as needed. So the audio quality on our conversation is not where I would like it to be, but given the timeliness of our conversation and my desire to share her expertise, I wanted to share our conversation with you with the audio as is. I hope that you're still able to get the messages shared, and I am excited for you to listen and learn.
Tiffany Yu: Hi everyone it's your host Tiffany here and I am excited to introduce our first guest. She’s a psychotherapist from New York City and an old friend of mine, Gina Moffa.
Gina Moffa: Hi Tiff, how are you? I'm so happy to be here with you.
Tiffany Yu: I'm excited that you're here! So a little bit of backstory. So Gina and I met back in 2012 at a retreat in Vermont and managed to stay in touch over the years. And you know she is just joining me on this experiment of podcasting!
Gina Moffa: I couldn't be more honored. You're one of my heroes.
Tiffany Yu: The feeling is so mutual. So just kind of wanted to dive right in. I thought that having you on as a guest was extremely timely given everything that's happening right now with COVID-19. How are things in New York City?
Gina Moffa: Things here are progressing in terms of more cases being confirmed and we’re over 15,000 here. We are, as of today, which is Sunday, March 22nd, we're on a--not shelter-in-place--but mandatory work from home except for essential employees. Although I have to say, just looking at pictures and being outside myself, a lot of people are having a hard time taking this seriously, which is concerning.
Tiffany Yu: I'm getting that sentiment as well. I feel like here in California--and I’m in San Francisco--most of us are taking it pretty seriously. I think being the second state to have COVID-19 cases reported. But one of the things I'm kind of noticing from my general community is this general sentiment around everyone's just feeling really stressed, and anxious, and overwhelmed. And I think given your work and the conversations that you're having, are you noticing that as well?
Gina Moffa: Absolutely, I mean like you've heard probably all over the place, this is an unprecedented time in our entire world. Having nobody ever tested or enduring COVID-19, there's no rule book for it. So when you are confused, you look to your leadership, and your leadership really is doing it moment by moment along with you and figuring it out. So it definitely increases the level of anxiety. I think in general, this is a time of real pendulum swinging for people. We find ourselves swinging to the extreme, from being fine and okay one minute, maybe calm and rational, and then back to fearing for our survival and being a total panic mode. I don’t know if you’re experiencing this, but a lot of people are responding this way because of being in a constant state of fear in the unknown.
Tiffany Yu: I think when so many are used to just controlling so many aspects of our environment, there's just so much uncertainty right now. It's actually forcing me--and I feel like during this time, I've been learning a lot of lessons around really trying to understand what this word “surrender”--or what I want it to mean in my life. And I think just relinquishing some of that control and trusting that whatever is happening right now is is meant to teach us something in the long-term, kind of just sitting in that place. One of the things that I have really appreciated that you've been doing is on social media, and I think it's through Facebook and Instagram, and we can plug those at the end, but you've been providing some tips over the last couple of days around how how to really manage those feelings of stress and anxiety. And one of the things that you had chatted about was really around grief. And as someone who--I lost my father as a child--and over the past couple of months, I've been participating in these grief dinners for other people who have lost parents. I did a quick check in with our group, and a lot of us are really finding this time to be a little bit triggering. Because we are in this period of social distancing and social distancing can sometimes mean social isolation for people. And especially for those of us who are grieving, and thinking about what our support system looked like during those times of needing support and not being sure where to turn, I think is what I'm finding to be a little bit triggering during this time.
Gina Moffa: There's a couple of things there. First, let's talk about the experience of grief itself. When a person is experiencing grief, that is a trauma to their body. And because of that, you know, your body and your emotions are--actually your body itself--decreases in the ability to actually control how you're feeling. So you know when you're experiencing grief, or you're being triggered by all of this, just remember that there's a dysregulation in your body's ability to regulate its own emotions. So you are going to feel really out of control, you're going to feel really vulnerable, and you're going to feel really susceptible to sort of any emotional, physical or sensory cue that would remind you of the grief, that would remind you of the feeling, which is mostly helplessness. What I would say first and foremost is to really be mindful about your exposure to the news. And something I'm talking with my clients about is really asking them, when you're looking at the news, what is it that you're looking for? What information is it that you're seeking? Is it something that, are you looking for control? It's really important to know. Because in a lot of ways, anxiety is not a choice, but in some ways, it is. So when I say, be mindful about your exposure, you do have the option to turn off the news and get whatever news you may need or information you may need in a different way. I don't know about San Francisco, but here in New York City, we have a text message that we could do 692-692 and we get all of the up-to-date information straight from the governor’s office, so we don't need any of the intermediary of the news at all. And even really I would say, Tiff, like being mindful about who you're talking to. Are you talking--are you more anxious when you talk to a specific person? Are you more anxious after talking to somebody? Are you more anxious when you're sitting alone in silence? I mean, one of the things that's the most powerful tool is to know what’s triggering you and to have some sort of control or at least some kind of semblance of control in what you can be doing and how you can control the things in your immediate surroundings, if that makes any sense.
Tiffany Yu: I guess I will say, for those of us who are in San Francisco, you can text 888-777 and text them all capital letters, no spaces, COVID19SF. And you'll be getting alerts from the City and County of San Francisco related to COVID-19. But I think to your point, I actually do think limiting media use is very helpful. For me, it's been really, kind of, depending on those text messages and really only looking at things from the CDC and the World Health Organization. But I think what is making it a little bit hard is, on the one hand, I’m very grateful to be part of a lot of global communities that have these 150-member WhatsApp groups. As a result, a lot of people, you know, want to inform people or spread positivity, which I think is great, but on the downside, it just means I'm continuously being inundated with messages. And you and I chatted a little bit about this, I just feel kind of social overwhelm in a way of like, all these people wanting to do these Zoom check-in alls or dance parties. And so for me, it's just picking and choosing what I think is going to be the best thing for me at the time. And maybe it's not joining any of those calls. You know, as an introvert, I think I get most of my energy from being on my own. So I think really being able to check in with myself about what’s going on. I also think, to your point, this is a really--you know, grief can really happen if you've experienced any type of loss. And I think in one of your videos, you had mentioned that a lot of people are experiencing grief right now in terms of social distancing and not being able to have that human connection or that human tough.
Gina Moffa: Oh, absolutely. The grief of human affection can really be something that comes as a surprise to some people. People may feel like they just don't know what's going on, but to have that touch--it’s calming, it's soothing, and it’s also a really strong message to your brain and the vagus nerve in your brain that all is ok on the Western front so to speak. I know I have this video out there but if any of your listeners actually want to try any of this. Peter Levine is somebody who I worked with many many years ago, and he has a lot of techniques that are self-soothing in the face of real trauma. And this is the fight or flight kind of trauma, which I feel like we are in at times here. But really what we want to do is just try to get that part of our brain in the place where it doesn't have to react so much. It can actually just be and feel what it feels and somehow it let’s it go. So let me know if at the end you want to do any of these exercises.
Tiffany Yu: If you want to provide 1 or 2 strategies that might be helpful. I know that the videos were helpful to see the visual, but if there is a way to kind of explain it for our listeners, we can do that.
Gina Moffa: Let’s start with something pretty--since we're talking about Peter Levine, let’s get into a space of feeling centered if we can.
If you can, close your eyes, and put one hand on your forehead, and one hand on your heart. The purpose of this particular exercise is really to feel a shift in your presence, just to notice what's going on between your hands, between your hand on your head, and your hand on your heart. Sometimes it takes some time, so maybe your viewers want to actually stay this way for the remainder of our interview or do it again afterwards. But you want to stay this way for as long as you can until you feel a shift. You want to see what goes on between the hands, and sometimes you may feel an energy flow, maybe you feel a little change in your temperature, maybe a new feeling will come up. I just want to ask you to keep your hands there, could be a few moments, maybe 5 to 10 minutes. Really feeling it until you have some kind of shift go on. And even since we’re here, I would say pay attention to the hand that is on your forehead right now. Feel the hand, what does it feel like? What does it feel like touching your head? Is it relaxed, is it tense, is it tingling, is it warm? Feel what the hand feels when it's touching your forehead. Does the hand feel that your forehead feels hard or warm? What is it like for your hand to feel that forehead? It may sound silly but really just simply being with your body, resting your focus on this for a while, can really calm down so much of both the heartbeat, which is also connected to the vagus nerve in your head, which is telling your body to fight, flight or freeze. I want you to feel what the second hand on your heart feels. Is your hand on your heart heavy, tense, relaxed, is it cool on top or warm? What does it sense when it's on your heart? I just want to know what sensations are there. Is there tension, is it starting to relax? You may even sense some emotions come up, you may even see colors behind your eyes, shapes, little textures. Maybe you feel foggy, what does a chest feel like when a hand is sitting on top of it? Does it just feel some pressure in that area, some weight, does it feel warm? You just want to sit with that for a while, and just really, just be with the heart for awhile. And I really just want to know if there's any difference sensing the part of your body that's doing the touching, versus the parts of the body that are receiving that touch. Are there any differences between the hand and your heart? When you're done with this, I'd like you to keep your hand on your forehead, but also place the hand that's on your heart on your belly. Again, pay attention to what's going on inside of your body. Does your stomach hurt, does it feel it distended, does it feel like there's nervous tension inside of there? Just want to really just be there with your body, your stomach is your second brain, so we want to see what's going on with it, and try to calm it if we can, but I would just stay this way until there's some sort of shift, till there's some sort of flow. I do this with clients if they're unable to sleep or feel afraid. We practice it in sessions if they're having nightmares. This really does help keep people present and centered. Obviously we're doing this over a podcast right now, but if you were in front of me, and we had the time and the space, it would be good to stay here for as long as possible with some soft music on. So if you’re at home, maybe pause the podcast, or do this a little bit later, but it’s really important that you take a step to nurture yourself and soothe any feelings that are coming out that are related to trauma, grief, anxiety. And really just try to pay attention to taking really good care of your body at this time. If you want to come back to the room, again, try to center ourselves. I’ll go ahead and bring in another grounding tip that I do. So, Tiff, if with your eyes are closed, open them and let’s get our senses back going. Try to tell me three things that you see around you. It could be your pen, it could be your computer, it could be anything in your surroundings.
Tiffany Yu: I see my pen and my notebook and my computer.
Gina Moffa: Okay, are there four things you can touch around you? Four other things.
Tiffany Yu: I can touch my phone tripod, and a blanket that I have wrapped around me, and a napkin that is on my dining table, and the placemat that is underneath it.
Gina Moffa: Perfect. Now tell me three things outside of me that you hear. It could be any kind of external sound, it can even be an internal sound, like your stomach growling or something like mine is right now.
Tiffany Yu: I hear the buzz of my refrigerator, and I do hear a little bit of white noise, I think probably from our recording, being across the country and doing this. And I think I hear the second hand on a clock.
Gina Moffa: Good hearing.
Tiffany Yu: Is that your clock?
Gina Moffa: It is my clock. I’m like, wow, I’m sitting right next to it and you hear my clock across the country. So let’s keep this going because it’s really good for the people around you too, which is acknowledge two things you can smell. It could be, maybe you're in your office and you can smell the pen ink or--
Tiffany Yu: I smell the air in my apartment. There's like no smell. It smells like, kind of cool, like when I breathe in through my nose, I can feel the coolness.
Gina Moffa: Okay.
Tiffany Yu: And then I guess, the scent of my clothes that have been in the laundry, the laundry detergent.
Gina Moffa: That’s a great smell. And the last one, acknowledge one thing you can taste. I know you’re talking to me right now so it could be even just the inside of your mouth for now.
Tiffany Yu: I had orange juice this morning.
Gina Moffa: Well, here we are. Thank you for bearing with me on that. I think sometimes when we go into a place that can feel meditative, feelings come up, sometimes strong feelings can come up. And that can also bring up, outside of calm, more anxiety. These are five grounding techniques that I think can really be helpful, just to use the senses to bring you back to you know what's in front of you, but also just keep you incredibly present.
Tiffany Yu: That was beautiful, thank you for sharing. I think we’re going to take a small break right here, and when we come back, we will chat some more.
Gina Moffa: Thank you, so fun.
[ad]
Tiffany Yu: Hi it's Tiffany and you're joining us with a psychotherapist from New York City Gina Moffa. And if you're just joining us, we just had a wonderful mindfulness exercise to really soothe and nurture ourselves. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that, rewind a little bit. Hey Gina!
Gina Moffa: Hi Tiffany!
Tiffany Yu: So in our prep call for this, I chatted a little around wanting to explore self-care strategies or coping tips during this really uncertain time. And I think you had some thoughts around calling it “self care strategies.” Wanted to hear a little bit more about how you're thinking about that.
Gina Moffa: What I really feel right now is that self-care has this reputation of feeling a little bit indulgent and self-indulgent and luxurious. Right now, the words matter. Everything that we're saying, everything that we're hearing. It all has its own weight. So in my mind, there does need to be more weight on the ways that we’re taking care of ourselves so I'm calling it “survival care.” And I think this is something that we have to be very purpose-driven for. It’s the normal stuff, like making sure we get good sleep, which a lot of people are not right now because of obviously anxiety, which is where calming methods and self-soothing and mindfulness can play a really good part. But beyond that, making sure that we’re eating healthy foods in the midst of things being uncertain. How often are we getting fresh fruits and vegetables were hunkering down for six weeks? We're going to be eating more processed foods, and so in this way, it puts a lot of weight on making sure that our physical body is moving. Moving the energy and the anxiety and the trauma and the grief up and out of our bodies. And that could be through dancing, that could be through any kind of fitness, exercising, taking a walk 6 feet apart from people. But really making sure also that we’re mindful, both about what we spoke about earlier in terms of our exposure to the news, who we're talking to, but also making sure that, even though we're physically distancing right now, that we're not on social overdrive. I think you and I were both talking about how we seem busier and more connected than we did before this and we're all very separate. I think taking time for ourselves, whether it's a bath, whether it's reading, whether it's journaling, whether it's dancing alone in our living room. That kind of thing is going to be incredibly important. I guess to say that it's not frivolous. This is all stuff that we really need to do to stay connected to our own well-being. And so I would really say, first and foremost to make sure that your physical health is something you're up-to-date on. Do you have all the things you need to stay physically healthy? Check off the box, but after that, our mental well-being and our mental health goes hand in hand with physical health. When I say purpose-driven, there's a lot of emphasis behind that. Survival care in a time of uncertainty is completely vital at this time.
Tiffany Yu: For sure, and if I think about--when I've given talks about self-care strategies, when they are more relevant, especially in the workplace and I think in especially an extremely digitally connected world, outside of this social distancing and pandemic that we’re in. But one of the things is really focusing on the fact that your overall well-being is a combination of your physical health, your mental health, and your social health. And a lot of people forget this social health component, making sure that social distance doesn't mean social isolation. You've talked about not over isolating, making sure that you're checking in with people. And one of the things I've actually found most rewarding in this whole thing, is being able to pick up the phone and FaceTime someone, and more often than not, they pick up. And this could be someone that normally I'm used to just texting them because that’s the easiest thing for me to do. Or I haven't been in touch with them in a while. Even just a check in really means a lot. And a couple of days ago, on my Instagram Story, I just recorded a quick video just asking people how they were doing today. And one of the responses was from someone I never met before, but I think just needed support of feeling like someone was listening. These check-ins are more important than ever.
Gina Moffa: Absolutely. And that's why I say, if you are alone, making sure to not over isolate. There are older people out there, there are people who live alone. Those are the people we have to almost be in service to first. Just a simple hello actually can do so much.
Tiffany Yu: I've been thinking a lot about community care, staying connected, being kind, and especially during times like this when we're so stressed and we’re really anxious, it can take us into a mindset of scarcity. And acting out because we’re so afraid.
Gina Moffa: Absolutely, and we are humans, so we act out anyway. In a place of being vulnerable, in a place of being uncertain, we are at our worst as humans. Humans, believe it or not, are very primitive when it comes to fear. We go way, way back in our history, and that fight, flight, or freeze is very archaic with regard to our survival. So what we do is the better thinking part of our brain goes to the back burner. And in fear, vision, clarity, doing what's right and wrong--it can be very clouded. So people can be more jerks than usual, but then people can also be giving and compassionate and service-oriented, and those are the people that have that contagious energy that we have to look at more of. Remember when I said, limit your exposure to people that trigger you. Definitely reach out to people, let's not be alone, but we also have to be mindful about, to whom our energy goes. Because anxiety can be contagious, because all of this fear can be contagious, it is important that we have a group of people, or at least one person, with whom we can say what's going on, but also be centered and you know clear and also have compassion from them so that we can be calm. I think going into a state of hysteria, where everyone's like, “Can you believe it? OMG there's another death here today! What next?” Being informed is absolutely important, but being over informed can be really detrimental to our mental health.
Tiffany Yu: So we're only about a week in, at least from a San Francisco perspective, of our shelter in place when I know it's going to go on for at least another two weeks. I know longer and in other places. Are you anticipating--like what are you thinking we're going to be seeing over the next couple of weeks in terms of people's anxiety levels, how they're reacting to all of this?
Gina Moffa: I think that sometimes we're slow learners. What we’re seeing right now is that if people feel good and they don't have any symptoms, they think that it's fine to go outside and do their normal thing. I think people are excited that they don't have to go to work and it's been really good weather here in New York. So people have been more social and more out. Thankfully Governor Cuomo shut down our restaurants and such so people can’t congregate too much, but I definitely see that when this becomes more real so to speak for people, you will see more people get tired of doing the same thing every day, whether it's checking in with people. You will see people's moods go down, you will see more depression and more sadness and people feeling more isolated.
The one thing I recently heard is if you text HOME to 741-741 when you’re feeling depressed or going through any kind of emotional crisis. There is a crisis worker who will text you back immediately, and continue texting with you. And this is a free service for everybody, so again it's texting HOME, that’s H-O-M-E to 741-741 and somebody will get back to you. I think that's a really, really critical information for people who are isolated who may not necessarily want to share all of that with a friend to top it off.
Tiffany Yu: I think to your point, I would describe myself as introverted and so this first week has been really exciting for me to launch new projects like this podcast and spend more time in my home and cleaning and tidying up. And so I'm really curious to see how I myself can continue to maintain this level of energy. And I don't know if I would call it contentment, but there has been a burst of energy with all of these new measures that it would have been put in place around social distancing, around people wanting to connect, and dance parties happening, and yoga class is happening. And my hope is that over the next couple of weeks, we don't lose that momentum. Because I guess I am just a little bit worried that the isolation is going to start getting worse as time goes on. Right now, we’re still in the honeymoon phase.
Gina Moffa: We are. I agree. A lot of people are using this as a time to get motivated to get projects done and all of that, but I also want to say, it's really important to be a time to just be gentle, to go inward, to do really gentle activities with yourself, and to be quieter. I definitely see the value in the dance parties and all of that and the connectedness for sure, but like I was saying with the pendulum swing, it will go back and forth, because I do think that indefinitely, we're not really sure. We don't have an exact day that this isolation or you know quarantine or social distancing will end. Some of that energy is bound to shift, and like I said earlier, thankfully energy is contagious. It will be a wave. And it's okay if it's a wave. I don't want anybody feeling like, just because they're home and have to get specific things done. They have to feel productive. I don't want any FOMO when it comes to being socially distanced. That can really come up too. There’s a lot with humanity, where people can just still feel isolated even in the midst of connecting with people. The “compare and despair” does not end just because we're all not doing something.
Tiffany Yu: I love that message of being gentle with yourself. And you probably might remember this, but I always like to have an intention or a hashtag for my year, and for one of my years, it was “live slow.” When people have been checking with in with me to see how I'm doing, one of the things I normally tell them is that I'm getting more used to this pace of moving slower. At least in my life, there are just so many distractions that pull me in a lot of different directions and by being at home--yesterday, I'm not sure I did anything other than wash the dishes.
Gina Moffa: And that was a lot.
Tiffany Yu: And I've been closing every night with a six minutes of gratitude journaling. And we can talk a little bit about routines, because I know that's a big part of staying--coping and a survival strategy through this time. But for me, to be able to close everyday with the gratitude journal. And in my journal, I was like, I feel grateful that I've been eating at home that gives me the chance to have dishes to do. Because otherwise I'm going out, or I’m eating out, or I’m traveling, or I don't have food at home. So it's also been kind of reframing of being kinder and being slower and being gentler.
Gina Moffa: I love that, I really do. And I'm also giving some--my hand is on my heart for the people who are listening to this who can’t identify because they are so much in a place of anxiety and sadness. And maybe all they can write in your journal is, I am not grateful for any of this. And I think to honor that and honor their hearts in this time too, to let them know that they're not alone. Because sometimes gratitude is a really huge exercise for people who are stuck in a dark sticky tar pit of depression. It's really hard to find that gratitude, but I think it's a practice, so I think we try a little bit at a time for sure. And I love what your example just was because it's pretty simple but it's profound at the same time.
Tiffany Yu: I will acknowledge that for those of us who actually are able to be socially distant right now, there is a level of privilege embedded within that. And so I do want to acknowledge everyone who is working on the front lines, the people who aren't able--who are in essential roles right now, who are potentially exposing themselves every day in order to keep whatever needs to be moving, moving.
Gina Moffa: Absolutely. That was one of my posts just two days ago. That we have a privilege of being alone, who would have ever thought?
Tiffany Yu: In preparation for this podcast, I did look through a lot of your posts because I wanted to make sure that I was aware of what was out there and the great tips that you were sharing. We've chatted about limiting media usage, you've walked us through a really beautiful self-soothing exercise, you provided us tips around making sure that we're keeping our physical health in check by just moving our body by doing something, we've talked about not over isolating, and I thought I'd close by talking about routines. And one piece of advice that I've gotten to help manage this work-from-home scenario that many of us are in, is to wake up and make sure that you change out of your pajamas. I wanted to hear what your thoughts are on routines during this time.
Gina Moffa: I totally agree with you, that changing out of your pajamas, especially if you are going to work virtually, can really change--what’s that line “dress to impress” but if you look good, you feel good? Some of that does take place but I think everybody could have a different routine, it could mean, waking up and making your favorite cup of coffee, it could be waking up and looking out the window and saying a prayer for somebody. I can tell you a little bit about something that I've been doing because you know me as a singer, as well as a therapist. And I've been finding a lot more, how much melody and music is activating my brain in a more meditative way than ever before and calming me down. So I've been waking up and singing mantras, and whether it's a little line like, [singing] “all is well, all is well”--whatever it is. And I actually, even if you don't mind me taking a little side bar on this, I somehow came upon a music therapist from Australia who sang this little number that I felt was so powerful because music and melody is controlled breathing. So what it does is actually bring circulation and oxygen to your entire body, all of your brain, all of your organs, and really can wake you up. And I think it's also a really good way to start the morning. I'd love to sing it, if you don't mind.
[singing] Every little cell in my body is happy, every little cell in my body is well. Every little cell in my body is happy, every little cell in my body is well. I'm so glad every little cell in my body is happy and well. I'm so glad every little cell in my body is happy and well.
And I've been doing that over and over. It's a cute little song but I think if you can really get into it,it's an interesting and tricky way to get your body to calm down, and maybe bring this into your personal routine in the morning, whether it's this song or any song that you really love. I would really say, bringing melody into your routine, would be not just therapeutic, but it would be part of my survival care way of being.
Tiffany Yu: You’re actually reminding me. There have been two periods in my life where I really felt like everything felt a little bit out of control. And I would listen to the same song every morning on repeat as I got ready. The first time that happened, the song was “7 Years” by Lukas Graham and the second time it was “Closer” by The Chainsmokers. But literally on repeat, so even if you’re not singing it, having that go-to song that when you hear it, reminds you, “Here is where I am. I'm still here and very present.”
Gina Moffa: I would push you even further and say, don't just listen to it, but sing along. Because that singing along is what's going to activate your brain. It’s going to be that controlled breathing that actually keeps you calm. People don't give credence to how calming, how meditative, and just how healing music can be when you're singing it. And I don't care if you can sing or you can't sing. Everybody can sing.
Tiffany Yu: I love it. I actually think I want you to do the intro, I want you to sing the intro for my podcast. We’ll chat about that a little later. I know you gave the tip of having that one single routine to get centered, and that can be your coffee, or singing in the morning, and I think for me these past couple of days it's really been taking a shower because I know it's easy if you're not trying to impress anybody to have that go by the wayside. Brushing my teeth, showering in the morning, and then I actually have been closing every single night with a group Zoom call with a couple of friends that I had actually been loosely connected to. And we start out with a 10 minute chat, and then move into a couple short three or four minute meditations, then do our 6 minute gratitude journaling, and then close with a 10 minute longer relaxation meditation.
Gina Moffa: Perfect.
Tiffany Yu: I’ll include the link if anyone wants to join. It happens at 7:30pm Pacific Time, 10:30pm Eastern Time. I have actually never been a consistent meditation or journal person, but during times like this, and I guess this is really one of my survival strategies is like now I'm pulling nothing that I had turned to for self-care before but taking on totally new behaviors that are actually keeping me quite grounded every single day.
Gina Moffa: Absolutely. When you were saying earlier when we first began, how there’s a hope that there’s something bigger than this. What's the biggest lesson? Maybe this is the biggest lesson. That humanity as a whole find compassion for ourselves and others, that we connect in different ways because what isn't working, really isn't working. So maybe this is part of that. So I love that. I think this is the time to bring in new healing routines, bring in new healing relationships if possible, do things that you've never done before that keep your brain focused on more positive things, and keeps you very present and centered. I mean, these are all parts of my survival care that I would say, Yes I'm championing that for sure.
Tiffany Yu: Beautiful. Well I actually think that's a wonderful place to close. If people want to follow you, where can they find you online?
Gina Moffa: They can follow my Instagram. It’s @ginamoffalcsw. And you're going to caption that, correct? I also have a Facebook page. It's similar. It's http://facebook.com/ginamoffalcsw. Reach out to me, I'd love to talk with you.
Tiffany Yu: Thank you again for being my first guest, and I'm excited for this episode to live.
Gina Moffa: I’m excited for your podcast Tiffany. You're going to rock it out. And thank you for inspiring the masses all the time. Just thank you. Okay bye.
[outro] Tiffany Yu: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Pioneers. I'm your host Tiffany Yu. If you like what you heard, you can subscribe to this podcast, leave a rating or review, or feel free to shoot me a note on social media at @imtiffanyyu. That's the letter “I”, the letter “M”, and my first and last name.