coronavirus

Episode 276: Recovering from Covid and Dealing with Survivor’s Guilt with therapist, Dr. Joanne Koegl

We have survived a year of coronavirus and the pandemic, but how do we really feel about what has happened? This week we bring back therapist and grief specialist Dr. Joanne Koegl. We had her on the show last year just after the pandemic began, to discuss grief & collective loss of normal life. During this week’s episode we cover everything from Joanne’s personal experience of loss due to covid to identifying survivor’s guilt and Paulina’s guilt & depression from her experience of surviving the disease last year. This was not an easy year for anyone but we’re here to listen, talk about our feelings and as always, we recommend reaching out to a professional if you feel deeper feelings that just aren’t getting resolved.

It’s okay to not be okay. If you are struggling, know that asking for help is a sign of strength. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential assistance.

More about Joanne: Dr. Joanne Diaz-Koegl is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist from Pasadena, California. Prior to her Master’s Degree, she worked for over 18 years as a television producer working on numerous TV Shows. After experiencing the sudden loss of her young husband in a car accident, she realized her life lacked a deeper meaning and purpose. She decided to return to college and received her Master of Arts in Marriage, Family, Therapy in 2005 and also wrote a 291 page thesis titled “The Impact on the Surviving Spouse with Respect to Anticipated Versus Unanticipated Death”. Joanne is very passionate in helping her clients thrive and grow from their experiences in therapy. She now specializes in couples counseling, premarital counseling, loss and grief, individual and personal growth therapy/coaching, and has worked with thousands of individuals and couples to create better, more fulfilled, happy lives.

Mindfulness Practices Recommended by Dr. Joanne to Help Process Traumatic Events

LINKS

Learn more about the services Joanne offers and book a Zoom session with her via her website.

The Rebellious Widow: A Practical Guide to Love and Life After Loss by Jill Johnson-Young helped Joanne deal with her grief last year.

Episode 272: Dealing with Post-Pandemic Anxiety in Children with Dr. Maritza Mikolich, PsyD, LMFT

The world may be getting ready to reopen again, but are our kids ready for in-person school after a year of virtual learning? We speak with therapist Dr. Maritza Mikolich about anxiety issues our children might be facing when going back to post-pandemic life. We talk about behavioral signs to look for and how to listen and validate their feelings. She also offers tips on how to help them get back to normal in-person socialization in a safe & healthy way!

Before the episode, we’re talking about Eddie going back to school! He’s so excited to see his friends and it feels like he grew up overnight (or during quarantine 🤣) because he’s getting ready for school on his own and even packing his school snacks, including the new plant-based Sabra Kids Snack Kits. We dared Eddie, Krista and Sabina to try the snacks and all they talked about was how good they were! The girls love the yummy Brownie Batter flavor and Eddie can’t get enough of the Taco dip, especially the delicious tortilla chips. We’re daring YOU to dare your kids to try these snacks - we know they’ll love it!

More about Dr. Maritza Mikolich: Maritza is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a doctoral degree in psychology. “I come from a traditional Mexican family, raised in the United States and spoke Spanish as my first language. My parents were born and raised in Michoacan, Mexico and moved to the U.S. for the American dream of giving their family better opportunities. It was that dream that highly motivated me to follow my passion by going to college and studying psychology when I discovered it in high school. I was the first college graduate in my extended family to get a college education. I obtained my bachelors degree at the University of San Diego, my masters degree at Saint Thomas University in Florida and my doctorate degree at Alliant International University in San Diego. During my studies, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico and Madrid, Spain.

“I have therapy experience working in different settings including: youth and parents in foster care, teenagers in group homes, children in schools who struggled with behavioral issues, individuals struggling with co-parenting issues, and crisis intervention with all age groups. During the pandemic, in October 2020, I decided to start my private practice in hopes of giving back to the Hispanic community. I provide psychotherapy primarily to adults in English and Spanish virtually through telephone and video throughout the state of California. I provide individual, family and couples therapy virtually to people struggling with depression, anxiety,  trauma, life stressors, and relational problems.”

For more information on how to contact Dr. Mikolich, check out her site DrMikolich.com and scroll below for more links!

Tips & Resources for Parents from Dr. Mikolich

Parenting During Covid

  • Self-care

  • Manage your own emotions

  • Manage your home environment

  • Be more aware of your child’s mental health

  • Practice healthy communication skills

  • Manage school stress

Suggested Reading

Resources

  • National Parent Helpline 855-4APARENT

  • Parents Helping Parents: 800-882-1250

  • San Diego Crisis & Access Line: 888-724-7240

  • Youth Talkline: 877-450-5463

  • Resources in San Diego: 211

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

  • National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI): 760-722-3754

  • Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): 800-826-3632

  • Codependency Anonymous: 888-444-2359

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

Pick or Tip of the Week

Bricia’s pick is the covid vaccine. She and Paulina are lucky enough to have received their first rounds of the shot and they are very thankful they’re on the road back to normal life. Bricia suggest doing the research, finding reliable sources and talking to your doctor about any questions you might have. If it’s your turn and you can get the vaccine, get it! You can find more information at myturn.ca.gov.

Paulina’s pick is Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. Her therapist suggested it as a tool for Krista to use to that help ease school stress and use during study time. It’s kind of like slime and it’s relaxing.

LINKS 

Learn more about Dr. Mikolich and her practice at drmikolich.com. Call or email for a free consultation at therapy@drmikolich.com. She is also available for virtual appointments via video or phone.

Try the new Sabra Kids Snack Kits now! Click here to find a grocer near you.

Episode 270: Keeping It Real with the Super Mamás - Post-Pandemic Dreams and Acknowledging Personal Growth

IMG_0491.PNG

Who else has missed our catch up sessions? We sure did, and this week is a little profound talk between sisters. Not only are we imagining what life is going to be like post-pandemic with family vacations (and maybe trips without them 🤣), going back to school, eating in restaurants and birthday parties, but we’re also getting deep into our feelings. We’re exploring buried emotions and acknowledging that growth from our childhood is just as important now that we’re parents and trying to understand our kids. It’s never too late to grow, sisters! 

P.S. Have you entered our giveaway for the new #TomAndJerryMovie ?! We’re giving TWO movie kits to a lucky random follower and a tagged friend! Check out our Instagram post for all the details on how to enter and watch the official movie trailer below.

Paulina’s Kid Schedules

The pandemic is finally on it’s way to out (we hope 🤞🏽) and Paulina barely started getting the hang of it! She realized that her girls needed to be on a better schedule before and after school, so she used Over to customize the schedules below. When the girls start to bother each other or tell Paulina they’re bored, she just points them to the schedule and asks what they’re supposed to be doing. Whether it’s meal time, school or free time, there’s always something to do.

Pick or Tip of the Week

Bricia and Eduardo tie dyed some shirts this weekend! The tie dye kit was gifted to her by Paulina. It’s a brand called Rit and it came in camel brown color and Bricia ended up buying more colors. She and Eddie went to Joanns for shirts, squeeze bottles and extra dye. Now her $5 shirt now looks like it cost $45 dollars!

Paulina is really into her eyebrows right now. She loves the Microfilling Brow Pen from Benefit. The tip is like three points and it almost feels like micro blading, and gives a much more full look. Elizabeth also recommended a brow gel from Anastasia. Paulina uses the gel first then the pen to fill in. 

Links

Bricia has started working with her life coach Victor Pierantoni again. Check out the episode we recorded with him about staying sane and zen in the pandemic earlier last year!

Episode 264: Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: How Covid-19 Tried to Steal Our Holiday Cheer

264_cover.jpg

Happy New Year, sisters!

This week’s episode is about our personal experience after Paulina and her family were diagnosed with covid right before Christmas. After months of being so careful and trying our best to stay safe, Paulina, her husband and children, and our parents, . What a way to end 2020, right? 😅 It was a scary, painful and stressful few weeks, but the entire family is on their way to recovery. So many of you not only reached out to send well wishes and covid experiences, but also shared home remedies that helped us fight the virus off even faster. We’ve included some below, which we will absolutely be using in the future for when flu season rolls around again. At the end of the day, we are blessed to have our good health and the support of our family, friends and followers! The year can only get better from here!

*If you’re a covid survivor, please consider donating blood and plasma for research. Learn more at redcrossblood.org.

Coronavirus Remedies

Flu Bomb Recipe

Smash one clove of garlic and one teaspoon of grated ginger.

Mix with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, one teaspoon raw honey, one lemon and 1/4 cup warm water.

Drink one in the morning and one at night to help with flu-like symptoms.

Pick or Tip of the Week

After Paulina’s Instagram Live, where she let the followers know she had coronavirus, many of you reached out to share remedies that have worked for you and your families who were also recovering coronavirus. Her favorite was a Flu Bomb that she knows she’ll use whenever she’s feeling sick. It helped with a lot of the flu-like symptoms of covid, plus it’s anti-inflammatory and helps with infection. Check out the recipe above and video above for more details.

Everyone is pretty used to virtual learning at this point in the pandemic. Bricia’s pick is Osmo, an app that children can use with their tablets at home. It’s a great gift and another great option for your kids who are learning at home and are craving a different kind of stimulation. Bricia bought it for Eduardo last year and it’s been great while he’s learning at home. He even wants to use it during his free time!

Links

If you’re a covid survivor, please consider donating blood and plasma for research. Learn more at redcrossblood.org.

Daniel Fast - Guide, Food List, Resources and more

Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker



Episode 231: Week #2 in Quarantine: Coronavirus Chat with Dr. Ilan Shapiro

IMG_2728.jpg

Another week in quarantine, another zoom interview. This week we speak with Dr. Ilan Shapiro, about the coronavirus. There is so much information about COVID-19 out there and it can be overwhelming to continue watching the news. We put together a list of what we felt were the most important questions and Dr. Shaps broke it down for us. Dr. Shaps talks about why it’s important to stay home, the safest way to go to the supermarket, how to protect our families and so much more. The next few weeks of social distancing will be tough, but as long as we’re informed and doing our best to stay safe & healthy, we will get through this! 

Our Conversation with Dr. Ilan Shapiro

What is the Coronavirus?

Why are cities shutting down?

Why is it so important to stay home?

What measures should we take if we need to go out? 

Does wearing masks and goggles work or not?

What is the safest way to go to the supermarket? 

What about vegetables? Can we spray disinfectant on those?

What’s an allergy vs a cold vs coronavirus?

How can we protect our families?

Links

CDC Coronavirus Guidelines

World Health Organization - Coronavirus

The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America

How to Protect Yourself & Others from the Coronavirus (CDC)

How to Wash Your Hands Properly (CDC)

What are your plans for the weekend ?Come join us this Saturday! we’re cooking up something STRANGE with @chefashleyshep and @iampaulinalopez! Check out the link in our bio to be a part of a very special STRANGE WORLD Mommy and Me cooking class
I feel like I’ve gotten to know so much more of myself in the past couple of weeks, from my trip to Oaxaca reconnecting to my inner child and the traditions that fill me up so much to meeting with @victor.zenstoic today. I feel so grateful and