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What Is A Wellness Journal 

[Cold Open]

Bernadette: I always try to end one of my entries with love. Why do I care about them so much and what has made me so angry? And then why do I still love this person so much? 

McGill: With every writing session let me write something that actually matters to me. Let me write something that I will actually benefit from.

Brother Donald: Keeping a record of what we go through in our daily life and trying to, not only assess, but work to improve. Well, all the more when it comes to our service to God and utilizing his teachings wisely.

[Heart and Soul Introduction] 

Gretchen: You're listening to Heart and Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ). I'm one of your hosts, Gretchen Asuncion. And it's here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best Christian version of themselves. This is Heart and Soul.

Gretchen: Hey, everyone! It's Gretchen. With me today are our hosts, Bernadette. Hey, Bernadette. 

Bernadette: Hi Gretchen! How are you? 

Gretchen: I am good. Staying warm or trying to at least. How are you?

Bernadette: I’m alright.

Gretchen: Also we have McGill. Hi, McGill. How are you today?

McGill: I am pretty good. I feel good. I hope you feel good as well Gretchen. 

Gretchen: I do. Thank you. Thank you.

McGill: Awesome. Awesome.

Gretchen: And of course, we have a minister of the Gospel. Brother Donald Pinnock. Hello, Brother Donald, thank you so much for joining us. 

Brother Donald: Hi, Gretchen, Bernadette and McGill. I'm very very happy to be with you right now.

Gretchen: Awesome. Now, before I start here, I know many of us take notes during worship service. So why do we take notes during worship service? Is it something that inspires us, especially with the verses? You know, how is it that we give importance as we take notes during the worship service?

McGill: Personally, what I think the the nice benefits of taking notes during worship service is that it's a nice reminder, right? With notes, it's a nice reminder about everything that really happened during the worship service. And then you could reflect on your day-to-day if it if there's anything that you can learn from or to improve yourself as a person.

Bernadette: For myself, when I take notes for the worship service, I take the overall idea and the verses that I could remember, and I put it on paper, and then I compare it to my week. And then I try to look for what is God trying to tell me in the lesson.

Gretchen: Awesome. Well, I do take notes as well. So kind of helps me,  kind of conclude exactly what the worship service is. And they really do inspire me. So today we're going to talk about wellness journals and their value in keeping track of and giving importance to the words of God we regularly receive. What is a wellness journal? And how do we start? And is it in line with what God wants for us? So with that, do you guys know what a wellness journal is? I guess, like how could you when you hear the term wellness journal? What is your definition of it?

McGill: Oh, well, this is the first time I've really heard that a wellness journal is actually a thing. But based on what it sounds like, it sounds like a diary or a journal that you probably just write down your feelings or stuff to keep track of how your day is going or just to keep track of like how are you doing in your life?

The Phone Addiction You Didn't Know You Had [Music] Shannon: You had 11 hours of – maybe even more – of social media time!  McGill: I think the main culprit of my screen time on the social media is being on call with my friends. Gretchen: I'm doing… I'm going to post this right now. Like, I need to take this picture to post it now. Shannon: Trying to create this life online cannot encompass the entirety of who we are, especially as Christians! Gretchen: Well, I had to put an app limit with some apps where it has to lock me out!  Brother Michael: But it can also distract us. We use our devices also for entertainment. But then again there are real life matters that we need to attend to. [Show intro] Shannon Santamaria: You're listening to Heart and Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. I'm one of your hosts, Shannon Santamaria, and it's here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best Christian version of themselves. This is Heart and Soul. [Music] Shannon: Welcome to the INC Heart and Soul. And with me today is McGill. Hey, McGill!  McGill Onate: Hey, Shannon. How are you?  Shannon: I'm doing good. How are you? McGill: I'm great. I'm great. Shannon: And another host with me today is Gretchen. Hey, Gretch! Gretchen Asunsion: Hey! Hello, hello! Shannon: And today we are going to talk about being glued to our screens. Well, let's get right to it! So, I'm super excited to talk about this episode today, because it is definitely a discussion that I have with you guys, and I know that it's a discussion that everybody has! And before we get into talking about, you know, phone screens and being addicted to our phones, I want to introduce the hosts with a little icebreaker. You know, we're here on um INC Heart and Soul. Does our podcast count as screen time? McGill: Well, when I think about it, initially, yeah, I think it counts as screen time. I mean, I know this is just audio for the ones listening here today, but when we're recording, we are using a screen, so yeah, I guess it does count as screen time since we are looking into a screen. But I don't know. What do you think, Gretchen? Gretchen: Um, yeah! I would have to agree that it would be screen time, but I wouldn't take it as a negative type of screen time. We're all enjoying each other's time, and here we are going to talk about a great topic that I'm sure everyone can relate to.  Shannon: Right. And you know, I also wanted to introduce a minister of the gospel, Brother Michael Guerrero. Hi, Brother Michael!  Brother Michael Guerrero: Hi, everyone. How are you guys doing? Shannon: We're doing good. I actually wanted to ask you as well, is this podcast part of using your screen time?  Brother Michael: I think for us, yes, because like what was mentioned by Brother McGill earlier, we are using our screens and maybe for the people listening, maybe they're listening also on, you know, a mobile device or something. And what's nice though, about this is that they don't have to technically look at the screen, right? They just have to be logged in. So, I would agree with Sister Gretchen that, yes, this is a little bit of screen time, but in a good way! And we'll get to that in a little while. Shannon: Right. I know that, you know, this podcast is kind of in that gray area when it comes to screen time. Later, we're going to be talking about screen time, and we didn't have cell phones, you know, when the Bible was made, so it's exciting to kind of hear what the Bible has to say all about that. I know for one thing, I start panicking when I can't find my phone, or if I'm rushing and I forget to charge it before it dies, or I forget it somewhere and I'm trying to find it before I leave.

Recognize Burnout Before Burning Out: Part 2

McGill Onate: There were times I don’t know what to do.

Gretchen Asuncion: So, that time that you have dedicated with God, it kind of helps you realign what your priorities are and God is there to listen. 

Brother Richie Juatco:  A life without God and a life with God are complete opposites. That is the reason why having God in our life makes all the difference.

[Show intro] 

Shannon Santamaria: You're listening to Heart and Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ). I'm one of your hosts, Shannon Santamaria, and it's here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best Christian version of themselves. This is Heart and Soul. 

[Music] 

Shannon: Welcome back everyone to our episode on burnout. This is a continuation of our last episode and we are going to pick back up right from where we left off. We hope everyone listening in will be able to learn more about dealing with burnout and be guided by the words of God.

Shannon: Looking back and talking about burnout with you guys has been a lot more reflective of why we have them. Maybe it's so that I can lessen the amount of burnouts in the future. And if I haven't experienced it yet, or maybe, like McGill hasn’t experienced it, I wanted to ask you, you know, if you haven't experienced it yet, how can we help someone who is experiencing it? Maybe that's a thought that I want to put in your guys' minds, because feeling burnout might not happen to you, but it does definitely happen to people around you. McGill, have you ever helped someone who was experiencing extreme exhaustion or who wanted to feel like giving up?

McGill: I think I definitely encountered a couple of my friends, brethren in the Church, that have experienced burnout and that sort of exhaustion, of not not wanting to work, but just can't work because it's just really hard for them. Usually if it does come to that situation where they do ask for help or they're in need of help, I would just chill with them, be in their presence and just do something that they enjoy to do.

So, if they enjoy playing video games, I'll hop on a game with them and just chill and vibe and just allow all the stress to just freely flow. And just… because, you know, if you're stressed—I'm pretty sure this can apply to a lot of us—if you're stressed, do something that you love. And so whether it's playing video games, going to the gym, I think what's really nice and this definitely works for me if I'm sad or if I'm exhausted, just being with the people that you love, I think that's just, just great. Just being in the company, even if you're not doing anything, even if you're just on call with someone, even if you're just chilling on your phone and you guys are just in the same room, I love that! 

Shannon: Like, right now.

McGill: Yeah! Just right now! You know? We do this podcast, it's not only to just talk about how to help ourselves, but hey, I'm having a good time and I hope you guys are having a good time, too.

Shannon: I know, McGill, I'm having a great time with you guys here. 

Shannon: So, Gretchen, how do you help out a friend who is experiencing burnout or who has experienced it? What are some ways that you helped them? 

Gretchen: I think, number one, if they find the time or… trust, right? Where they're like, okay, I need to confide in you. Um, it's actually very timely. It's more of like, okay, so how are you feeling? Like, what are you feeling right now? What's causing you to feel this burnout? So, kind of have them kind of focus on like, wait, okay, reality check. Like, why am I feeling this way? And then kind of offer like how can I help? Like, what is it that you need me to do? I've been asked that before, of: do you need me to listen or do you need a response? And I think that’s the…

Recognize Burnout Before Burning Out: Part 1

Gretchen Asuncion: Then it kind of blows up in your face of, oh, did I take on too much or I missed something. 

McGill Onate: There's a lot of different things that I'm, like learning throughout this entire conversation, so hopefully you guys can enlighten me and stuff like that. 

Brother Richie Juatco: There's actually a condition that God is waiting for, so that He can give that strength. What is that? 

[Show intro] 

Shannon Santamaria: You're listening to Heart and Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church Of Christ. I'm one of your hosts, Shannon Santamaria, and it's here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best Christian version of themselves. This is Heart and Soul. 

[Show Open]

Shannon: Hey guys! Welcome to Heart and Soul! And with me today are my hosts, Gretchen. Hey, Gretchen! 

Gretchen: Hello, hello! 

Shannon: Welcome back! And McGill. Hey, McGill! 

McGill: Hey, Shannon! What's up, everyone?

Shannon: It's good. It's nice to see you here today with me. And with us is a minister of the Gospel, Brother Richie Juatco. Hi, Brother! 

Brother Richie: How are you? How are you, Shannon? Gretchen? McGill? Very nice to be with you guys!

McGill: Good, good! How are you?

Brother Richie: I'm very good. I’m very good. Thank you for asking! 

McGill: Oh, of course.

Shannon: It is so nice for all of you guys to be joining me today. I actually wanted to talk about what a lot of people have been feeling lately and that's burnout. I know, before we met, I was talking with you guys a little bit about burnout, just a casual conversation. And I thought, why not bring it to Heart and Soul and, you know, be guided by the words of God?

I actually spoke to one of our friends, Dr. Sydney Fontanares. Just a refresher: Dr. Sydney is a clinical psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Church Of Christ member. She's been on our show a couple of times already, and I reached out to her about burnout. Now, here's what she had to say: 

[Phone ringing] 

[Phone conversation with Dr. Sydney begins] 

Shannon: Hey, Dr. Sydney! 

Dr. Sydney: Hi. Hello. Hi, Shannon. How are you?

Shannon: I'm good. I'm so glad you were able to make this phone call with me. 

Dr. Sydney: For sure. 

Shannon: I know that our podcast is actually talking about burnout and experiencing burnout, and I have a couple of questions for you. Are you free?

Dr. Sydney: Yes! I am.

Shannon: Okay, awesome. So I wanted to ask, what is the clinical definition of burnout?

Dr. Sydney: Sure. So according to the Mayo Clinic, it's a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and a loss of personal identity. So kind of to, if you don't mind, Shannon, if I could break that down? 

Shannon: Yeah, definitely! 

Dr. Sydney: You know, there are, you know, when you're working, there is a normal response to feeling stressed or tired, and usually if we take a nap or do something to take care of ourselves, we can bounce back. But with what we're seeing with people who experience burnout, they're having a little bit more difficulty in doing this. And then not only are they having difficulty with bouncing back at work, but also it's starting to affect different aspects of their life, including outside of work.

Shannon: Oh, wow. 

Dr. Sydney: Yeah, yeah. It's kind of, what we call it, I'm not exactly sure what we call it, but it kind of sneaks up on you actually, and you don't quickly, you know, see it coming. We call it, what is it? 20/20? Hindsight is 20/20. 

Shannon: Shannon: Right. 

Dr. Sydney: And then you look back and you're like, oh, man, I was burnt out this entire time, and that’s why it… m-hmm? 

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

Brother Solo Figueroa: Though we were weak at the time, though we may have been confused at that time. But when we made that prayer and we really ask God for that help, that specific help that we were looking for. He provided for us, right?

Shannon Santamaria: You know, Brother Solo you put it best asking for help from Him. And I think all of us can really take that advice and run with it, because it's the best kind of advice.

[Music]

Shannon: You’re listening to Heart And Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church Of Christ. I’m one of your hosts, Shannon Santamaria, and it’s here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best version of themselves. This is Heart and Soul.

[Show intro]

Shannon: Hey, everyone, it's Shannon. And today I want to talk about how to effectively ask for help. And with me today, our host, Gretchen. Hey, Gretchen.

Gretchen Asuncion: Hey. 

Shannon: Nice to see you again.

Gretchen: Same to you

Shannon: And hey, McGill.

McGill Onate: What's up, Shannon?

Shannon: Hey. And of course, with us is the Minister of the Gospel Brothers Solo. Hi, Brother Solo.

Brother Solo: Hi sister Shannon. Hi, everyone. Thank you for having me.

Shannon: I'm so glad you're here with us. And I feel like you are the perfect person to ask for help in this podcast. Actually, you know I've actually had a lot of advice and I've openly asked for your help Brother Solo. Asking for help is a difficult thing to do because, you know, there are a lot of insecurities and maybe even, you know, I guess, vulnerability when it comes to asking for help, right Gretchen?

Gretchen: Yeah, definitely. It can sometimes be seen as a weakness because we are all empowered to be able to do it on our own.

Shannon: Right. Now McGill I want to know if you've ever had a moment where you, you know, struggled with asking for help, you know, whether it was in public or whether you were scared to ask for help from a friend. I know I've had my fair share of moments.

McGill: I'm 100% guilty of that. Like, I mean, I probably still am guilty about that today. You know, a lot of my mindset around nowadays is that I can do everything on my own. I'm okay. I'm strong. I don't really need another one's help. Or if I am going through problems, I can do things generally on my own. But I know thinking like that nowadays isn't the best way to think about things. But yeah, I've definitely been guilty about not asking for help when I definitely do need it.

 

Shannon: I know I remember I would keep things to myself because I thought, you know, asking for help isn't like—what you said, it wasn't the best option to do so. But, you know, I think when it comes to asking for help, it's also a sign of strength. I don't know if you guys would agree.

McGill: Yeah, no, I definitely agree with that because, going through my day-to-day life, I've noticed that it actually does take a lot of strength to ask to reach out. I know some of my other friends at Church, they have trouble reaching out and asking for help. It does take some strength. It does take—because you need to make yourself vulnerable, right?

In that situation, you have a problem going on and then reaching out and exposing these problems does make you vulnerable. Some people aren't comfortable with that, including myself. So yeah, it does take a lot of strength to actually do reach out to and ask for help.

Gretchen: But then there's a benefit in asking for help. You get that it almost alleviates whatever burden that help that you're asking for and knowing, you know, the ones that you could ask help from. 

4 Things You Need to Build Healthy Habits

Brother Michael: For me, this is inspiration. And that is a really good habit that every member of the Church Of Christ should really build on. 

Shannon Santamaria: You're just you're just dropping all the best advice right now. I guess, you know, when it comes to creating healthy habits, it's supposed to benefit us and I guess what better way for something to benefit us when it's spiritual.

 

[Show Open]

Shannon: You’re listening to Heart And Soul, a podcast from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church of Christ. I’m one of your hosts, Shannon Santamaria, and it’s here where we have real conversations with friends who are helping each other reach the best version of themselves. This is Heart And Soul.

[Show Open]

Shannon: Hey everyone! It's Shannon here, and we're opening up the new season with a series concerning self-care. And to start it off we wanted to talk about building healthy habits. In fact, I have a surprise for our listeners. This new season also comes with new hosts! And a few of the new hosts with me today are coming from across America. Camille Peralta who’s from New Jersey all the way on the east coast and Gretchen Asuncion who’s from Minnesota in the Northern Midwest and I’m here in California. These two are dear friends of mine and I’ve had so many wholesome conversations with them. I figured why not have them share their stories with you guys on Heart and Soul. 

So I'm so excited because this is your first episode on Heart and Soul, and you guys are one of the main hosts now! How do you guys feel?

Gretchen Asuncion: Excited! 

Camille Peralta: Yeah.

Gretchen: Excited to be here! 

Camille: Ecstatic. Can't wait to have these meaningful conversations with you guys.

Shannon: And, you know, I guess I'm building that habit with you guys to have these, you know, meaningful conversations here on Heart and Soul. So, I actually wanted to also introduce someone else who is with us, and that's a minister of the gospel, Brother Michael Guerrero. Hello! How are you?

Brother Michael: Hello, everyone! I'm doing well.

Shannon: You know, when it comes to building healthy habits, there are a lot of areas to explore, a lot of things to look into, and I think it's a lot to take in. But I think the best way to kick start the episode is asking what the Bible says. I want to get right into it because I know that these conversations are always spiritually guided, right Brother Michael? 

Brother Michael: That is true. And so the verse that I'm going to read is 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23, which states:

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

[2 Thessalonians 5:23 New Revised Standard Version] 

Shannon: So, Brother, I guess, what I wanted to ask is that, you know, when it comes to this verse, is that a certain mindset that we should go into when it comes to self-care? 

Brother Michael: Yes. You know, in fact, when it comes to what is mentioned in this verse, it isn't just our physical body that is being mentioned that we should take care of. Because when we talk about self-care, it can mean a lot of things. Building healthy habits can also be a lot of things, or mean different things to different people. And in this verse, it talks about our spirit, our soul, and our body, right? So, these are all things that we should, especially as members of the Church Of Christ, always think about and take care of, because we use all of these things in our service to God.

Shannon: You know, I think I really wanted to open up this episode with new hosts and a verse right o...