Okay, we're good. We are live Okay, everybody drew here at that anxiety guide calm back again for another podcast with the fabulous Holly Could say from Mallorca and the blazing heat as always. How's it going Holly? Yeah, good. Yes. Oh good. Yeah, hot, but good We are going to go through and I'm gonna look down at my my phone. I have Kindle up on my phone here So forgive me if I'm reading as I go. Yeah, there we go. Very old coffee Holly's going old school. I'm going high-tech here. So we are going to go through chapter four of hope and help for your nerves If you've been following along it's the Claire Weeks book we were just talking written in the early 60s and Hopefully even following along so we're gonna go through chapter four today. It's a really long chapter. So let's get into it Right away. I think this chapter is entitled the commonest simplest form of nervous illness and The way dr. Weeks starts the chapter is to just start going through like a laundry list of anxiety symptoms Which I think Holly would you'd probably agree. That's the number one topic of discussion Yes, anyone anywhere that people with anxiety gather the number one topic of discussion is symptoms So she gets us started here talking about a laundry list of anxiety symptoms Maybe we could go through a couple of them. Should we go through a bit of a list? I mean, I know that everything you can imagine, but yeah, it's true she talks about almost everyone she basically gives us a list of Symptoms that people have brought into real doctors. I guess in Australia where she was from and to herself and She goes through a few of them fatigue What she calls churning stomach, which I think I don't know anybody who talks about churning stomach anymore I always say like I have a knot in my stomach. Yeah, or you know upset flutters in your tummy Churning stomach indigestion racing heart banging heart palpitations missed heartbeats. That's huge Yeah, that's a symptom for me that they're actually a slightly irregular heartbeat or skipped heartbeats Paint sure Sharp pains in the chest sore feeling in the chest pins and needles a choking feeling we could probably go through Yes, so many of the tight feelings across the chest, that's a big one for me Under the skin type in of pain around the head heavy weight pressing on top of head Yep, giddiness. That's a massive one for me. Giddiness strange tricks of vision such as apparent movement of inanimate objects weak spells sleeplessness depression nausea occasional vomiting and diarrhea frequent desires of past year And it's like just everything. It's just a big long laundry list and we could go for two hours and talk about anxiety symptoms I just want quick clarification. Giddiness is not something that we hear about a lot in the US I think we would probably all that I think that probably speaks to like the Depersonalization thing or possibly even a little bit of dizziness or disorientation. Is that yeah, so yeah disorientation Lousiness, I guess we don't generally use the word giddiness So remember when I first read the book I'm like, yeah to me get being giddy is like being silly and happy Yeah, use the word giddiness. Oh, I'm giddy, you know, so at any rate So she goes through this long list of very common anxiety symptoms I think most of the people listening to us could probably relate to it many of them And I'll throw out there that she's going to talk about how you know The bottom line here is to understand that those symptoms are not the problem. They're not dangerous That's not the problem And she she goes into what I think is the real crux of the book Which is her that whole sensitization bewilderment and fear thing, which is she starts to talk about that next I think Which is really what she talks a lot about. It's almost Really her main approach to nervous illness or whatever she wants to call it And and I think sensitization is probably where we should start where everything trigger. Yeah We'll just quickly say it should just before she goes on to that She just says that rarely people Sometimes like because they focus so much on the symptoms They think that there's something like physically wrong with them and they're that well They used to be anyway quite unaware at this point that like it was actually like an emotional Sort of like a well-recognized pattern of symptoms that are caused by like emotional stress Then there's these are general in symptoms. That's true And I that's a really good point that I'm glad you brought that up because so many people get stuck on the physical symptoms and Trying to just beat down the symptoms Fix the symptoms and it would go away and as you'll see as we go further her She postulates that the symptoms are not the problem at all. They're just And it's kind of irrelevant which symptoms you've got as well Like they're all caused by the same thing like the adrenaline or like the hyperventilation And so like it's kind of irrelevant whether you get this one or this one and chest or the stomach Or you know, it's just like that's not the problem. The problem is the way you react to them And yes, that is very true. That is very very true. So let's go through. I think we'll it's such a long chapter We'll have to try and move it as best we can so let's go through sensitization where she talks about Sensitization and I think I hear people talk in the forums online all the time about triggers You know, what's my what are my triggers when I think that's what she's talking about here We've become sensitized to everything and I like her she talks about the cleaner's broom against his bread his bed Which is such a an interesting She picks the strangest like analogies are examples, but it's true This is where she talks about where even just the shock of the I think she's talking about being in the hospital and the janitors The cleaners put it, you know, just hitting his broom leaning his broom against the wall or against the bed Just that sound could send them send someone into a tizzy Yeah, I think that's probably true. That's where you become so sensitized and everything becomes a trigger So did you have anything in particular on that that? She said the like the simple shock of tripping in the dark maybe enough to bring a flash of panic to a severely sensitized person so yeah, yeah For me for sure like it could be like just allowed not a member like I was driving once and my boyfriend at the time Was listening to a football match and his team scored and he was like yes goal And like he like him going like yes goal like actually like threw me into a panic. It's I don't really angry with him Like how dare you do that and like it's just like he was just cheering his team man. It was my problem You know, it is so funny. Yeah, I'm just just for one quick second of holly if you could try and bring your mic down Just a little more just a little more if you can and I completely relate to that for me One of the strangest things that I always had was even a change in the light so right now there's a window right next to me and it's pretty sunny where I am or it was anyway, but If a cloud went across the Sun and that the light changed just a little bit or if that happened while I was driving That could trigger me. It was just the strangest any old thing a sound anything So this is what she's talking about here when she talks about sensitization where you're so overly sensitized that Just about anything can start to trigger that flood of anxiety and fear and panic Yeah, go up a little bit more just a little bit from where you are Yeah, just up a little bit and we realize I'd forgotten to say perfect. Yeah, that's perfect. That's perfect So we're getting it. It's only taken us four episodes to figure out the audio part of this So all right, we're good with that so from sensitization she starts to go She talks about fear I think fear is big and fear of the unknown Not knowing what's going on. She has a nice little subheading called they fear the unknown as much No, they fear the unknown as much as the known So like people are scared of their symptoms But they're also scared of like what extra things might happen to them or what like these symptoms could mean and like all these unknown Things so it's like they're not only like scared of the way that they're feeling But they're scared of like what might happen next and what she tries to sort of like make clear is that Your symptoms follow a pattern and so once you especially once your patterns being sort of like established It's actually quite hard like there isn't any surprises like people think they're gonna pass out You know because they feel this giddiness or dizziness, you know And like she's like you're not gonna pass out because that's not one of the pattern That's not one of the actual symptoms of anxiety. You know, so It's like, you know, that's true And I think fearing the unknown where well, I know how I feel and it it's must it's going to get worse Like I think we interpret those symptoms as what it's going to lead to like you said passing out or having a heart attack or stroke Or going crazy and none of those things ever happen But yet we fear them anyway and that and that adds to the adrenaline fear cycle it adds to being more sensitized So it's just as horrible cycle once you get stuck in it Just gets worse and worse and worse and you know, it's hard enough to just stand upright sometimes without trying to remain calm So, yeah, it's I like that she does that is you know that her first sensitization bewilderment fear That's the first thing she brings up. I think it's good And bewilderment they fear the unknown as as much as the they fear the unknown as much as the known I think is that bewilderness because they don't people we just don't understand And I think especially people who are starting to experience anxiety issues at the beginning You know when they're first it's new to them and it's this great unknown something must be horribly wrong with me Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, and that's huge and just not knowing what it is I think it's such a huge thing and what she talks about bewilderment I think that's exactly what she's talking about and we probably have a leg up because we have so we we're doing this right now I mean you're on the other side of the world and where we're talking about this people are watching and that didn't exist in 1962 so no can you imagine like you'd have to go to the library to try and find any form of Self-help or something, you know, I hope there was a book or we go see a doctor who would tell you you were suffering from nerves and Yeah, so I could completely understand why she spends a lot of time talking about Not knowing and just being unsure of what the heck is going on But I think these days we do have a leg up because we can communicate with each other so well share information But yet I'm still amazed there I don't know. Yeah, I would argue that a lot of the you know And you see in like the forums and stuff the biggest problem a lot of people have is that they have a diagnosis But they don't necessarily know what that means or how to get better from it, you know, like yes It's just they get given that diagnosis and then they're like, oh, right, so I've got panic disorder So that's me for life then, you know, and it's like it isn't Doctors not explained it properly then or you know, that's true or I have panic disorder I have generalized anxiety disorder and therefore How do I stop my heart from racing or how do I stop that dizziness thing? So I think there's still a lack of understanding or there's a there's a tremendous amount of unknown even though we might know now Yes, you have panic disorder. You have generalized anxiety Maybe it is the doctors. I don't I don't know. It's just not enough explanation It's well, this is what this really is and this is how we're going to go about treating that It's just like diagnosis sometimes a prescription and you're often running and people are still bewildered, you know She would call it bewildered not not really knowing. Yeah. So even though we have so many resources and we're able to communicate So readily there's still a lot of people who especially in the beginning of their journey are just terrified You know on a hair trigger sensitize and still in the dark. It's it's actually yeah So I guess let's move on. She's she's talking about Fransky Okay, that's how he's dog. She's the best So funny, okay, so let's talk about being concerned with the way we feel Yeah, there's an interesting bit in the in the I just want to read a little passage from the book She says I wish to stress very strongly that many sufferers from nervous illness have no specific problem keeping them ill Other than finding the way to recovery the great majority of my nervously ill patients have been made ill and kept till because of the way They feel because of fear of what they think may happen next and so like that's the whole Like that's the whole crux of like what's keeping you ill isn't is you you know like and you're not You that you haven't found the way to get better yet, you know Like there's nothing actually keeping you will other than and you and it's a really hard thing to accept because people would say I would never do this to myself Yes, you know like of course. I'm not making myself ill and it's just like it's not that you're making yourself ill It's just that you You need to make a change to the way you're dealing with it to be able to get better from it I think people resist that so much. It's a good thing people don't actually know where you are because they'd be sending hate mail To you right now.  Yes, of course. Oh, I choose to be this way. No, we never choose to be this way But what she's what dr. Weeks is really saying here is that you're just and we talked about this last week, too What really drives it and what gets you over the edge from being just nervous or anxious to having an actual disorder That starts to impact your lifestyle is becoming afraid of the symptoms You're afraid of how you feel and that is what once you get into that territory. Well, now you got to approach this a whole different way And this is what she starts talking about and she said then she goes to the fear adrenaline fear cycle Which I kind of feel like we went over that in a yeah So what is here? She's like now she now then just describes like a general sort of like pattern of how a Person develops like full-blown nervous illness So she starts at the beginning like maybe they feel palpitations and so they're just like what's this and then they start and they're feeling palpitations because they're like super stressed already or something and it's so their body's releasing Adrenaline it causes one of the symptoms like palpitations They start to notice it because they're sensitized to their body and how their body is working because I mean like I think heart Like healthy hearts pulp to have palpitations all the time. It's just that you don't notice them, right? Yeah, yeah, but like when you're sensitized and like you're so like You're sort of like internally scanning your body the whole time for like anything that could possibly be going wrong You know like you start to interfere with the automatic workings of your body like listening like have I remembered to breathe? I see people saying like oh, you know and I like I caught myself not breathing and it's You know, I mean like our bodies do function without us thinking about each heartbeat and stuff But when we become so nervously ill and aware we just notice well. Oh my god. My heart just skipped a beat Oh my god, does this mean I'm dying and then they have more fear than the adrenaline comes because they're Fearful and then because the adrenaline comes they have more of these adrenaline symptoms which cause them more fear and does the cycle That's that vicious cycle that just feeds upon itself Yeah, so it's there's you know, we'll talk as we go further through the book We'll talk about ways to break that cycle, but I think for now It's just understanding that you are sensitized you aren't a hair trigger that it's the fear of how you feel That's keeping you that way and and at least understanding what that fear adrenaline fear cycle is So before you can try and fix it or break that cycle We have to at least acknowledge that that's there and that's what's happening right now Knowledge is power. It's huge. It's huge except that I think as you go through the book as we go through the book Knowledge is power, but we deal with just knowing what it is doesn't necessarily solve the problem But knowing what it is certainly helps. It's the first step. So The next part that she goes through where she says it's tension through fear that don't overdo it I love this part of the chapter because I think it it speaks to what a lot of people do. Hey That's how he says we're making it No big deal, but she talks about Somebody you know nervous sufferer goes to the doctor the doctor reassures this person. It's okay. You're you're all good But you know better better take things easy better not overdo it And so I think we we have this these conflicting signals where you'll hear people Maybe like me or you who will tell people, you know, you really have to confront the fear You have to get out there and expose yourself to the things that you fear you have to learn to face them But at the same time there's that you know, yeah, but take it easy. Don't go too hard Be gentle And so there's that tension that gets created where well, I I know I'm supposed to confront this fear But I'm not supposed to push it and when I confront the fear I get more afraid and so it just builds even more tension So I think this is big for me that whole Be gentle be good to yourself. Take it slow. Take it easy. Yeah I have a hard time with that a little bit I don't I'm not trying to tell people to go from stuck on the sofa to trying to climb Mount Everest But I feel really strong that when she talks about building more fear through tension This addresses that like you do have to go in small steps But each step is an effort and it's okay to make the effort So when you're making that effort, you're going to feel more fear. That's okay So backing away from it like oh, I can't do that because I got more afraid. Well, that's you're supposed to get more afraid Like you have to get more afraid before you get less afraid So I find this this is a big topic for me that whole thing I'm like, yes, take it slow and be methodical step by step, but it doesn't mean To back away from the fear. I don't know if does that make any sense and I think that's what she's talking about Yeah, yeah, no, it's totally yeah So and then she says you get like the other reaction as well where like Because she was saying that like the doctor might be saying I don't think the doc the necessarily the doctor would say this these days But on those days the doctor might say like oh, you know Don't overdo it and then like they'll sort of like she says it can create more brooding and worry over there Like bad heart, you know, which because they haven't got a bad heart But you know the doctor sort of told them to take it easy And so they think that like oh, maybe he told me to take it easy so that I don't stress my heart You know and stuff like that. It's just like no, that's not really The key and then like the other the other flip side is that the the doctor might like make too much light of it And just be like oh, no, you just suffer and nerves don't worry about it You can you can carry on and then they think like well the doctor must have missed something serious Like, you know, he didn't run every single test on my heart or you know He didn't run every test that literally exists for all these symptoms that I've got You know, he's dismissed it as of of something and so there must be something Seriously wrong with me that even the doctor hasn't caught and so yeah, that creates more Attention more fear of the unknown that thing that the doctor missed or what I've also seen happen Is people may be afraid that the doctor missed something There's something seriously wrong and no one's finding it But also There's that but then there's also the well, what do you mean?  I think to a certain extent like I'm obviously not okay Even though this the doctor over here 10 doctors have told me I'm okay, but don't they know that I'm not And in reality it goes right back to the no, you really are okay Which are really the problem really is that you're afraid of how you feel and like we talked about before so There's a whole lot to read into that. She does specifically start to mention panic You know, she mentions fear of other bodily sensations. I think she tries to go through A lot of symptoms and address a lot of them And then she just sort of has this couple of paragraphs where she just talks about a catchall fear of other upsetting bodily sensations And yeah, we hear about that all the time If you look on the forums or the facebook groups and whatnot people will talk about you see at least once a day You're going to see somebody ask that question. Well today, you know, my hair felt funny. Is that anxiety? Yeah, it's like any possible thing that we can think about like my fingernail.  Does anybody else get that? So you're right. We become afraid of every possible sensation So she does mention that and then she talks specifically about panic You know, she has a subheading here called panic Some people as well as having background of disturbing sensations are swept from time to time by intense waves of panic So she specifically acknowledges that not only can you just feel generally anxious and afraid and on edge and at the Edge of panic, but she specifically acknowledges that yes, there are times when you literally will go into a panic Full blown panic and and you know, I think we we know what that is You know, so she's specifically mentioning this at this point a full blown panic attack where that's it.  Yeah Yeah, panic could happen too. And then she just sort of moves on which I think so many people listening to us So watching us probably would think yeah, hello. That's the main. That's why I'm listening. That's like the main Right, you know Yeah, exactly because that's what we're afraid of we're afraid of how we feel But where I think we're really afraid that it's going to lead to that worst case scenario, which is panic Which you know, so she mentioned it but sort of as almost a throwaway And uh, up next she talks about you know, it's the why doesn't he pull up his socks or you know, what is The note they say, you know, why doesn't he get hold of yourself? Hold man. Yeah You've got to fight this thing old man. Yes. Yes. I love that in her 1940s movie dialogue writing Why don't we talk about that a little bit? Why doesn't he pull up his socks? I think that's that when people hear that it's all in your head.   So you have to fight this old man, you know, like she says because What we're dealing with really are phobic responses and a phobia is irrational So when you are terrified that that racing heart means that you're having a heart attack or dying That is an irrational fear. I mean you have to accept that the fear our fears are pretty much irrational and The person looking at that your wife your husband your best friend whoever it is your doctor Understands that your heart is racing, but they know that you're not in danger So what I think that why doesn't he pull up a socks up or just get it together You got to pull yourself together or it's all in your head is really just I try and use it as a positive So I think of it as like if you have children They may decide one day that they don't want to go to bed because there's a monster under the bed And they are that's real fear for that kid. They don't want to go to bed because there's something hiding in the closet Now as a parent you know that there's nothing in the closet You know there's nothing under the bed So you try to comfort and support as best you can but sooner or later You have to make the kid go to bed and understand only through experience that look there's really nothing in the closet And so when people tell us that it's all in our heads Or that we have to pull ourselves together or that we should just you know fight it and get it together I think all they're really saying is that there's no monster under the bed So that's all they mean they they don't they're not saying it right But as opposed to being pissed off that somebody tells you that just consider that that person that normal person Doesn't have the same irrational fears that we do So they're just pointing out that they don't they see your fear, but they don't see the danger So why are you afraid? That's all they're pointing out. I think so try and take that negative What a lot of people take as a negative and turn it into a positive let that person sort of Guide you a little bit like oh, okay So I'm being irrational because they're not scared of that so like and maybe I'm you know Like maybe it is a sort of fear thing. I'm working with it That's why I try to do with this because you are right people react very emotionally to this whole idea of just just get yourself together It's all in your head kind of thing and and she does talk about it near the end of the chapter You know that whole you have to fight it you have to pull yourself together And I don't know for what it's worth That has helped me over the time when people tell me those things I try and understand that they're just trying to show me They're just they're just pointing out the irrational aspect of what's going on in my head So, you know when you're on the plane if you're a little bit nervous, I don't like to fly So if I'm nervous, I'll look at the flight attendants if they're fine, then all right I guess I got to be fine, too. So it's that looking nervous. Yeah, you can definitely be Exactly. I'm going for the flotation device, but generally speaking. So anyway that that for what it's worth That's what I tend that's how I tend to interpret that whole pull yourself together You know, yeah, your socks up thing I don't do anything else that you wanted to add to that it's I can't really think what I can't actually remember what it is that she's saying and Oh, I think it's just maybe it just makes the sufferer feel more isolated and stuff because The friends and stuff are just telling them come on.  I guess which is a big part of of the sort of, you know alone or hopeless Yeah, hopeless everybody's telling me I should just pull myself together and I can't and she even says Um You know, then you wind up going from doctor to doctor in some instances looking for the doctor who's not going to tell you that But that's never gonna happen.  They they they don't have share. There's a rational fear So I think you're right that it I think especially in those days as well there's a lot more awareness of like Sort of anxiety and stuff and like mental health sort of stuff these days So people might not be so sort of judgmental. Well, I don't know maybe they are I don't know Maybe they're just not so outward about it I think especially in those days like it would have just been like what do you mean, you know And I think especially in those days. Yeah, and back when she wrote this book We were still in that era where I think it was more attributed to women than men and A man could never admit that they were going through this kind of problem. It was really difficult, but So she talks about that and then she she goes on to talk specifically about fighting I think this is a big part of the chapter two. She talks about fighting it I like what she says the sufferer from nervous illness is neither fool nor coward Which is which is good. I think really good But but it was often a remarkably brave person who fights his breakdown to the best of his ability with commendable although often Misdirected courage and I think that that statement at the beginning of the subheading call fighting is is huge Because it really encapsulates The misdirected effort that I think we play in especially in the beginning Yeah, definitely.  Do you know what I mean?  It's actually like keeping you Ill She literally says that it should get further down a few more paragraphs down. She says You know, he reasons that if he cannot become himself again by fighting, how else can he Fighting his natural is his natural defense the only weapon he knows so he fights even harder But the harder he fights the worse he becomes and and that really You know and so many people start that way. We're trying to attack our symptoms Which is misdirected and then we begin to just try and fight And I say this all the time if you're having a problem getting to the supermarket Or to pick up your kids from school or getting to work because of anxiety or panic You know and and you just white knuckle your way You know through that supermarket trip fighting it all the way You made it and you know you did it and the fight was there and you're exhausted But tomorrow you'll have to fight it again because fighting it isn't the way to go Yeah, you can't that's the mist. I made that mistake honestly for years like probably about 15 years I made that mistake.  I was just like no, I'll do it But I was having just the most horrendous time the whole time through it and I'd just be like This is this must just be my life forever now, you know, like this is just how my life is I just have to it's just more difficult than for anyone else because I'm having like People don't realize that just meeting my friend down the pub is like just a hugest deal for me But yeah, I still do it but it's horrific and If only I'd realized I mean like 15 years ago that like I didn't actually need to do that It just life becomes so much easier when you start fighting But I think that is so true and it's but it is exactly the opposite of what we would think we should do here And that's what makes is so difficult for people to grasp It's it literally is doing the exact opposite of what every cell in your body is asking you to do And fighting it everybody makes a mistake though. You made it. I made it everybody makes it So if you are listening or watching right now And that is the situation that you're in and you maybe you're watching at the end of the day And you had to white knuckle your way and grit your teeth and sweat and shake and Near panic your way through an entire day at work And this is the way every day goes for you. You're this is the way everybody tries it. So it's there's no shame You're not alone, right? It's a very common thing And she does it dress it here that the harder you fight the worst it does seem to get Because you're only adding to the cycle So we'll talk about you know, she does talk about the floating and accepting thing in future chapters But she mentions it here. So again, I think as we go along there's a lower We're jamming a lot into a short little episode here But it's just important to if you have the book and you're following through just just reread it again Maybe after you listen to us and just just get a grip on what she's talking about because just understanding it and knowing it Understanding what's going on is a lot is a huge first step And then she talks about From there she does talk about sedation, you know, we were talking about before we went live that using the word sedation And she talks about, you know, collapse Which I think would be that total collapse at hospitalization nervous breakdown thing So she's talking about sedation, you know at some point people will when she wrote the book it was 1962 So take that with you know into account Nothing is working and now I'm just going to be sedated and we were talking about this before we went on the air I think yeah, I'm not sure what drugs they were using in those days I have the feeling that it was more the benzodiazepines like valium and you know Stuff like that rather than the antidepressants that people sort of tend to get prescribed as long term Thinks these days. I think I think that's like, I don't know. I just know what my nan took when she was ill And I think that's true. I think that's true So, yeah, like I don't think even I'm just I'm not sure how long antidepressants have been around But I don't I'm sure that they weren't treating like anxiety with them back then so I don't know But so I think when she talks about sedation, she's she's kind of talking about like Taking benzodiazepines, I think Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what she's talking about. I mean, we looked at that The first benzos were introduced in the early 60s when About the time this book was written and there were sedatives before that too But I think the difference is she talks about the doctor prescribing sedation At this point where the person is fighting and is exhausted and doesn't know where to go And they've been doctor to doctor to doctor and there's a difference now because I mean, it's very common now where somebody will go to their very first doctor visit Even to just a general practitioner Describe some basic level of anxiety issues and leave with a prescription for valium or Right, you know I think especially in Outside of the UK anyway, because we've got like the national health like where it's all free So like they try not to give out drugs as much as possible Whereas I think if you like in like private healthcare like in america and stuff It's like the more drugs the more money. So I don't know how it works. It's a tough topic We can talk about that one day, but it sort of is I mean I at the risk of catching heat I I have my own opinions on that but So she talks about sedation is almost like a last ditch effort to get somebody in peace and really at least here in the US We're giving it out Almost at the first visit, you know, like, oh, you know, it's your grandma died You're feeling anxiety or you're feeling you're bam. Here's a prescription. So this is the pattern We've gotten into here in the last say 30 to 35 years So she talks about it as a last resort Writing in australia in the 60s whereas now sedation Or use of the benzos has become Really almost the first line of defense at least here in the u.s. Which I think is a shame. It shouldn't be Because all it's doing is just addressing the symptoms And then she goes on to talk about she has a heading called doctor. He has collapsed Which I which is so dramatic, you know, doctor. He has collapsed I can hear her say it too if you've listened to her audio box that voice that she had Um, you know, she kind of talks about that. I guess you get to the end of the rope You just can't take any more and it's just this collapse this Literally a complete nervous and physical breakdown where you end up hospitalized and That from whatever we want to call that a nervous breakdown exhaustion Whatever it happens to be. Yeah, you see a lot of the time in the I mean everyone's probably got their sort of like And that was like rock bottom, you know, like when they were just like, I've got to do something about this because I've just Like, yeah, I've been in the hospital because I thought I was dying or you know, like or like I don't know people just like get to that point where they're just like Literally, I can't carry on, you know, like something I do remember, you know, I could I don't mind saying this too. I remember getting to a point When I really got really it was around 1996 or so and going to my family doctor who gave me the old If you were diabetic, you take insulin speech and he prescribed me an antidepressant and I took it And I remember at that visit though, he said, well, this is going to take it could take two weeks or so before you feel this I remember looking at the guy and saying if you could just put me in a hospital right now and knock me out for two weeks I would take it so getting just to the end of the rope like I cannot go another day this way That she does at least acknowledge that people can get to that point So this isn't a hospitalization because you think you're having a heart attack This is what she talks about hospitalization because you just cannot deal with the anxiety And the the impact that's having and the fear all the time and you just want to go into that collapse She talks about it very in an old-fashioned kind of way, but nonetheless She does she does mention it. I think that's what she's talking about here That's it's the difference between running to the ER because you think you're dying and and literally just not being able to Carry on any longer. I mean, I remember I think like my probably like Point of that was I mean I didn't go to the hospital or the doctor or anything like that. I just remember Um, I was stood at like my Oh, because I was like 11 at the time when I was stood in my house And my dad was just like and I just couldn't leave the house and my dad was like look I'm gonna stand at the garden gate. It's like 20 feet away in my own garden You know and he's just like just come and stand with me at the garden gate And I was like at the door like and I actually couldn't Physically it felt like put my feet outside of the door and he was just like but why not and I was just like I don't know but I just can't and when I realized I couldn't literally step outside of my front or my back door Do you know what I mean? I was just like this is really bad like this is as bad as it gets, you know Like I physically well, I could physically leave the house, but I just couldn't actually bring myself To physically leave the house. I can relate. It's just like that's bad And I think a lot of people listening and watching you could completely relate to that.  Yeah, no, I agree And you know, so I think um, we're up to 40 minutes at this point. So I would like to do Just do one more kind of the end of the chapter. It is we're almost near the end But she does mention the afraid being afraid to admit fear Okay, I'm not sure I have not I don't think I've encountered anybody or very few people who would insist that they're not afraid I think everybody think I would be one of those people that you would insist that you were not afraid. Yeah, I'm not afraid Interesting, okay Really and then like yeah, and then I think like Eventually I'd be like, maybe I like yeah, I don't know I just would have probably resisted the the idea that like I was afraid of you know, how I felt just I'm not afraid. You've got no idea. It's just this feeling It's not fear. It's just like this, you know feel that I'm scared of it. I'm not scared of anything You know that sort of thing that's super interesting because I That's very interesting. I don't know if I've ever encountered anybody who's who described it that way Well, no, I'm not afraid Yeah, I'm not afraid of this and she mentions it that you know being afraid to she talks about one person One woman that she was working with I guess personally where she didn't want to hear the word fear So she she dr. Weeks had to use the word tension To for months to try and get her to the point where she really understood like oh, I guess yeah, I'm afraid Um But again being because we would drive this is that we are afraid of how we feel We are afraid of some perceived consequence because of how we feel it never happens And fear is so much a part of this But if you are the type of person that refuses to admit that you are afraid and that's honestly bogus because You know, I'm as goofball like alpha douchebag as anyone and I'm happy to admit that Yes, I was afraid to walk out of the house like fear is would drove it. So You know, it is what it is. So she does address it. So if you're that type of person It's definitely worth at least thinking about that. You got to sort of embrace the fear because it is Yeah, it's just making you realize that it's the because I think for me like when I was saying I couldn't step out the door I wouldn't have realized it because I was afraid to step out the door. I just Honestly, it was like a feeling. I just couldn't even tell you what it was But if you'd said oh, it's because you're scared of someone scared of stepping outside of the door Of course, I'm not scared. I'm just I just can't you know And so it was kind of like a bit of a gap of I was young as well So, you know, it's like a sort of gap of understanding there But yeah, so I think I find that quite interesting very interesting Yeah, it's funny because that was a throwaway for me when I looked at it But now that I reread it just now as we're talking You know that actually may be a thing for some people if you're you have to kind of embrace the fact that fear is Part of this it just is deal with it get over that. That's not embarrassing people fear Fear was built into us to keep us alive. So it's okay In this case the fear is misguided and misdirected and happens at the wrong time But it's okay to be afraid and fear does drive this a lot. So You gotta remember i'm british and it's from the sort of keep calm carry on, you know, that's that that's tip Exactly like we're not afraid of anything And I have to say just as a bit of humor I don't know for those of us listening in the states that accent when somebody tells you to just pull it together And that british accent. Oh my goodness. There can't be anything more annoying than that So you guys gotta you have the market cornered on that for sure, but we love you anyway So anyway, um, that is pretty much the end of the chapter. It is a super long chapter So we we've been at it for twice as long as we usually are if hopefully you hung in this far I would say reread the chapter and just like I said, I think the takeaway here is just understand What's going on use the chapter to just help explain exactly what's going on with you It's there's there's no hints here for cure or anything or recovery that's coming down the road, but The next chapter is the next chapter is the cure So come in next day, which we're trying I think we're being pretty good. We're trying to do one a week I think we skipped a week here in there But the next one she the chapter is called cure of the commonest kind of nervous illness So that's when she does start talking about her strategy, which is sounds a whole lot like modern CBT So we'll we'll get into that but um and in the meanwhile, of course If there are questions comments or whatever if you're watching on youtube comment in the comment section under wherever it is on your phone or wherever Or you can get me at twitter at that anxiety guy facebook that anxiety guy We actually had a couple of questions, believe it or not. I answered some questions in the next week. Yes, we did Somebody asked the question and maybe at one point we'll have to do like a q&a session Somebody asked the question, which I thought was really good. I'll bring it up here Do you think it's possible to recover just with this book? What do you say? Well, I think if you Understand enough then yeah, like I think one of the hardest things to do with this sort of method is to remember when you're in the middle of Panic kin or being anxious about like what you're supposed to do because your logic tends to sort of like go out the window um So it's handy if there's like someone else that can like remind you Of like what you're supposed to be doing, you know, I mean like it doesn't have to be a doctor It can just be like your husband or your friend or your parent or something Do you know? I mean just someone to sort of like work through the method with I would say um But I think you could like from this book alone and yeah, I think so I don't think I actually got better from anything else other than this in the book, right? Yeah, I think I mentioned maybe like a couple of other books But like they don't say anything that this book doesn't you know It means I kind of just pieced it all together and was just like oh and it's actually all in this book in the first place That's that was exactly my answer like if you fully embrace what's going on in the book and the concepts and and you really buy into it I think this book alone would be enough to get you 90 percent there probably, you know, maybe more. I don't know but uh So anyway, that was an interesting question that I found that was on the youtube on the youtube channel But I'll keep an eye out and otherwise if you have questions comments angry rants, whatever it is send them this way And um the hate mail The hate mail don't send hate mail to Holly. She means well and um, we will see you guys in the next chapter I guess so come on back Cool. See you I have to stop the recording awkward moment while I stop the recording ready three two one. Bye


European Union officials begin talks with Chinese Premier Lee Kuchang by video link as the EU seeks China's help with restrictions on Russia. In the Vatican, Pope Francis apologizes to Canadian native people for the Roman Catholic Church's part in reported abuse at native Canadian schools. US President Joe Biden Thursday ordered the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, seeking to bring down gasoline prices. And the World Food Program warns that the number of people facing hunger in Sudan will double to 18 million by September.


Hello and welcome to the session. In this session we discussed the following question that says, what must be added to 2x square minus 2x minus 3 to make the sum 6xq minus x square plus 3x plus 1. Let's move on to the solution now. The sum of the 2 expressions or 2 algebraic expressions is given as xq minus x square plus 3x plus 1. We are given 1 algebraic expression x square minus 2x minus 3. To find the second algebraic expression, we subtract the first algebraic expression from the sum that is 6xq minus x square plus 3x plus 1 minus 2x square minus 2x minus 3. Now we write these expressions column wise by writing the light terms in one column. So we have this is equal to 6xq minus x square plus 3x plus 1. Now the second expression that is 2x square minus 2x minus 3 and we write it below this expression in such a way that the light terms are in a column. So it would be 2x square minus 2x minus 3. Now as we need to subtract, so we will change the sign of the second expression. So this would be minus this would be plus and this would be plus again. And so this is equal to 6xq would be written as it is. Then we have minus x square minus 2x square. So it becomes minus 3x square. Then 3x plus 2x becomes plus 5x. Then 1 plus 3 becomes plus 4. So thus we can now say that 6xq minus 3x square plus 5x plus 4 must be added to x square minus 2x minus 3 to get the sum as 6xq minus x square plus 3x plus 1. This is our final answer. This completes the session. Hope you have understood the solution of this question.


Hey, welcome to our bathroom. We take baths in here. Yeah, right there. On the floor? Yeah, on the floor is where I take a bath. You have to fill up the whole room. I've seen so many people do this on the internet and I feel like I'm caving, so I wanna do it. It looks so fun. Well, we were talking about it on stream last night on Twitch and our chat suggested that instead of turning myself into a Bratz doll, we just turned Julian into a Bratz doll. First of all, I haven't done your makeup or anything on you for a year and a half. The last time I put makeup on you was double drag makeup when boxed mac and cheese was born. We looked fierce. I still have dreams about me. You don't know if you're gonna be good at it until you try it, so that's half of the reason why I like to do videos like this because I just wanna see if I'm capable and able. To do it on yourself is one thing, but to do it on someone else is really difficult. It's harder to do it on someone else. Yeah, for sure. Really? Yeah, I think so. So I'm gonna turn you into a beautiful Bratz doll. And I asked Julian which one he wanted to get turned into and we found this lovely picture. I never really played with Bratz dolls because when they came out, I was almost driving a car, so not to age myself or anything. But it's not like I really played with Barbies either. I was more of a, I'm gonna go outside and put some worms in my pocket kind of kid. So I believe the one that Julian wants me to make him look like is Chloe. Are you excited? I am excited to look like an absolute, oh. Give me your brows. This isn't your first rodeo with this, huh? Oh no, no, no, no. What if you could hear out of your eyebrows?  Front facing here. Well, that took altogether way too long and it's still not good. Like you have the thickest brows. It is so hard to glue them down. I have to cover them though, so. Here we go. Time to make them disappear. They're not gonna disappear though. I'm like so disappointed and frustrated. Like I can't, I can't get your brows good, you know? Oh, you're gonna look so chunk in the face here. Wait, what's wrong? Can't open my mouth, there's powder everywhere. Don't hold your breath. Oh God. Oh, can you help me? Ow. You know. My jaw pops. Chill, look. I think that might be the best that I can do. It is so hard.  Stop. Stop what? It like doesn't look good at all. Thanks babe, I love you. Like James Charles did. I'm gonna do like the top half of your brows and stuff so that if I make a mistake, I can still fix it later on. Yeah, worst case scenario, you ruin it. Thank you, Julian. Don't, don't, whatever you're doing, don't. Just sitting here. I can only use like a pomade or like a wax and this is the only color that I have so, okay? Yeah, no problem, MP. Brats, please. Stop moving, you gotta stop. You gotta stop, you gotta stop. I just need you to know how much fun I'm having. But once I'm all done up, can I go with my brats friends to my brats mitzvah?  Sorry, beautiful people. Sisters. Sorry, brother. Sisters. Sorry, sisters. Gentle wants to be in your club, don't mind me.  Breathe through your nose. I'm trying. Get some good air, good air. So much work and it like hardly was even worth it. It looks good. Are they bad? They are brutal. She's got this really pretty, like pinky, blushy color right below her brows. Oh, you look so cute in blushy, pinky, BB. You know what? What? I know. Maybe the best way to do this cut crease is with a brown, excuse me. Well, it's not exactly even, but that's fine.  That's what I always say. People always think I'm leaving, though. Look at me, fierce glitter goddess. Oh! So now I think I'm gonna- Oh, no, yeah. No. What? I think I'm gonna line like your eyes, like the big part that I'm gonna fill in with white. Like the fake eye line? Let's go. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling brattier. Ooh, just wait till I'm in my full brat form. You're gonna wish you didn't do this.  It's not even. Ah! What do you think about that? Looks fierce. How do you feel? Beautiful? I feel beautiful. I feel bratty. Actually, before I'm in pain.  I look good, though. Like, especially when you get really close and you see the textures in my face, I look really good. Take a shot, Shawn. Fine. Okay, come here. Oh, it's so like chunky and cracked. Don't subscribe. Hers are like icy blue. Do I bother like mixing this with some white? No, this is like face paint. Yeah. Let's go. That's icy blue. You did it. Yeah. I have to just, I don't really know where to put it. I think it's like way too low. Like I need a little gap of white there or something because it looks so like sad and droopy. Like as cute as you're gonna look in the end, this like struggle part is making me wish I did this on me so bad. Me too. This isn't gonna feel good, so just relax.  I need to at least tightline. What?  Yo, chill, chill. Oh, no. Yes, dude. Why do you do this? Sorry, sorry. You're okay. You're okay. You're okay. It was inside. No complaining, some. This has been no complaining. I need a break. I need a break. I need to take five. Wait, but can you look? That looks kinda good though, right? Why did you stop breathing? That is very brat's doll. If anyone makes fun of this, I'm gonna cry.  Don't make fun of me. At the risk of ruining everything that we just did, we are not going to do lashes or mascara because Julian will blink and cry all over those eyes. I'm really sad. So we're just gonna have to make do. Breathe out of your nose. Out of your nose. Breathe out. Okay, now breathe in. How do you feel, bratty? I feel so bratty. I feel like I'm just ready to disobey my parents.  I also lost our cat. Sorry, mom. What are you gonna do about it? Oh, yo. Did you make an appointment here? I'm trying to pencil in your lips. Please, for the love of God.  What? I didn't know what you were doing. Oh my God.   No, because I don't care about my parents because I'm a brat's. That one? What? It's the little lips. I almost can't look at you. Look at me. Look at me.  I will say one thing. This is doing me favors for my white teeth look. Okay. I can't look at you. Boo. Good at all. That doesn't look right. Julie, no. In the pupils here, she's got like. Reflection, huh? And then in the lips, I'm gonna do one too. To make it look 3D. Okay, the lips are killing me, Julie. I don't know where we went wrong here, but like hers go all the way down to like her chin. So I don't really know what to do. Julie in. Please don't come from me for not blending this. Look at what I'm looking at right now.   Why did you do that? What do you mean? It's supposed to be like. It looks like a tooth. Oh no.  Look, okay. I just, I don't know what to do.  Like, I'm not trying to be funny. I'm really not, I'm really not trying to be funny. Okay. Did I just get cold in here because I'm a brats? I was like, am I staying all the way back here? I'm even close to good. It is so scary. Oh, I think it looks great. You know what time it is, boy, cause we really mailed in those lips. Hair time. Hair time. It's hair time. Be a brat. Now you get dressed and then I won't show them me doing the hair. The hair will be the reveal. I'm gonna get my clothes on, my brats clothes. And I'm gonna do your hair. Stuff that you can't find or buy anywhere cause it's only for me cause I'm a brats. And you're gonna deal with it. It's gonna take me a hot minute to do this hair though. Yeah, but for them it's just one cut, you know? Hey, you stayed on the end of this video. You hear me? Right. How long and beautiful that wig is though. It's actually two wigs. How do you feel? Feel pretty good. I don't know. Julie. I don't listen to anybody cause I'm a brat. Julie, you're ruining your hair. Give us the face tour. Your hair is a little disheveled now. My hair is freshly crimped. We got this at TJ Max. It fits me perfectly. And it's a turban neck like in the picture. This is also, oh look at what I'm doing. TJ Max specialty. Where is he, the back? Yeah. Well, what do you think? I feel so beautiful. Okay, that was a lot. I think this was worth all the pain and tears that we both shed in this process. She just spent 80 million hours doing this. And I just spent 80 million hours having this done to me, right?  Oh damn. Nice to meet you. I don't listen to anybody, I'm a brat. And honestly, it doesn't look that bad. It just looks terrifying because it's hard to do. Don't do that, don't do that, don't do that. What? Don't do that. What? Ah! What is the pose she's doing in the picture? Is she doing this?    Stop flexing. Sorry, I just, you know, when you're feeling yourself, you know we had to do it to them brats. Up close, it's just completely brutal. Like, can you get a little closer?  So are the lips, which has gotten so much hair in it, Julianne. No, the lips are fine. What'd you say?  Smile for the picture, we're doing a brat's pick. Well, your buns looked better earlier, but there she goes. Hurts, like my back hurts, like. You do a lot of physical. I'm just in pain from doing that. You do a lot of physical work on this. Well, I'm glad that I did it, because I wanted to give in to peer pressure and like see how I would do if I did it, because I'm not a makeup artist, but I do have a willing subject that will let me do just about anything to him. I'm willing. It's like the standing with your leg all the way up on the counter. It's like a lot for right now. Damn. Safe. Oh, are you an umpire now? I'm an umpire. Ah. Good game.  Are you okay? Yeah, I feel great. Do you want me to just start the shower for you now? I'm gonna need to take the longest shower with my wife. Well, make sure you subscribe to my channel. I put out a piece every Wednesday slash Thursday. I might not be the most gifted. Otter, you did great. You can't tell yourself short. This is like a really like tough task. I can keep my hands going on at service. There you go. Right now, I'm in the state of mind.  Congratulations. You're just saying the only cover of Uncle Cracker on YouTube. I'm gonna go take a shower. Are you guys having a good one? Thank you for coming out to the show. Be careful. Let's get your face wet and then show me.


Good morning everybody Thank you all so much for being here. My name is David share I am the director of the state portion of the Congresswoman's congressional office, and we are so glad To be able to host this event for you all and put this on An event like this takes a lot of helping hands. I've got a few Thank yous. I want to get through before I turn it over to the Congresswoman First and foremost on behalf of the staff of the Congresswoman. I really want to thank all of you The the students and the teachers and parents and caregivers Students talent is incredible. It was a joy for us to see all that you've done Thank you also of course to the teachers and caregivers and parents who have taught and nurtured all these folks It's really a remarkable Remarkable display so the staff we put on a lot of events and this is truly one of the joys of our time a Few other folks I want to thank Vermont College of Fine Arts for welcoming us back into this space They've hosted this event a number of times. We're really grateful to them For doing it again this year the Vermont Arts Council was incredibly important in particular Troy Hickman for your support and Providing historical knowledge about this event and to the Arts Council in general for your financial contributions to putting this event on And to supporting our esteemed judges as well as lots of other parts of putting on an event like this Want to thank Ellen McCullough Lovell for her generous Financial support and longtime support of the arts and public service Also, thank you to Lisa Bressler from the Vermont Agency of Education for helping us spread the word about this event around the state to teachers Of course, we want to thank our amazing judges Stefania Eurek Harlan Mack and Cynthia Cagle all of whom have put in a lot of time and deep thought and careful review of the artwork Came up here earlier this week and been doing a lot of work on this So thank you to you all and we'll have some further introductions of them in a few minutes We also want to thank the team at Senator Welch's office when the senator was a representative They put this event on before us and they did a huge amount in terms of teaching us all that We needed to do and giving us a lot of materials to do it One other note I want to make is that this is our first year doing it in the Congresswoman's office And so we will be Sending around a survey for folks to fill out We certainly want to learn by doing and get better and make this a better event even in the future So we look forward to getting your constructive feedback on that and a final thank you This is a team effort putting this on but an especially big Thank you to Morgan Nichols on our staff who really led this whole thing and so a big thank you to her So as as you folks know, this is a national competition nearly every congressional district in the nation participates But it did start right here in Vermont, which I think is really cool Former representative and senator Jim Jeffords is the one who created it nationally So we're it's really nice for us here in Vermont especially But for the very first time in this competition It is my great pleasure to introduce a Congresswoman to It's so wonderful to see you all it's it's such a treat Not just to be outside of DC and back in my home district would be able to spend this time with all of you so Good morning. I couldn't be more thrilled to be here I'm Congresswoman Becca Ballant as David said the first woman to represent Vermont and Congress And I'm so proud to be carrying on this Incredibly important tradition here in Vermont of celebrating student art as a former teacher as a mom as a writer I know how important it is to foster creativity and a love of the arts in our students and to make that a Continued priority in schools. I was fortunate enough at a very early age To be taught that creativity Was something of real value It wasn't an add-on that it would help me to expand my understanding of the world and in my adulthood I've come to see that imagination and innovation greatly contribute to more vibrant More robust communities and in a larger more vital sense creative endeavors simply make life worth living It's not an afterthought. It's a core part of who we are as humans and creative pursuits have been Really the steadiest guideposts in my life when my ailing grandmother moved in with us when I was in high school We had to do a lot of shuffling of rooms in my house to make a space for her and my siblings and all I all had to make You know space sacrifices and I remember not worrying so much about where I would sleep I was worried about where I was going to have my space to do art I wanted to make sure that I'd have a corner to continue to create and my childhood And my early adulthood was really filled with hours and hours of printmaking and cartoon drawing and Still life drawing and in high school I added watercolor and then when I was in college. I added design classes and that has really been a Throughline to my political career as well. I need creative outlets in order for me to deal with The intensity that is politics. I want to say too as I was looking around downstairs It's clear that all of you are incredibly Creative and innovative in your thinking and something that I noticed in the artist. I walked around downstairs is that Clearly we are all struggling with such big emotions right now because of the pandemic because of the isolation that came from that and because of the larger Social and political angst that we find ourselves in and I see that reflected so beautifully in the art So thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for contributing your art to this competition. It is not easy To show somebody Your creative side and then to hang it up on a wall for other people to walk by So I want to just thank you regardless of You know who ends up winning this amazing competition The fact that you were able to contribute your artwork is an amazing gift to yourself But also to everybody else in that room. So thank you for that the Congressional art competition as David said was started by congressman Jim Jeffords who then went on to be a State senator and When I walk through my building in DC I work at an office building called Longworth and I Usually walk outside to get to the comp you know to get to the capital because I need fresh air to clear my mind But on those days when it's rainy or cold or windy or my staff is telling me we're too rushed to be able to go Outside that I have to go in the tunnels I always know That there's something wonderful and magical waiting for me down there, which is all of the artwork Sent in from every congressional district from across the country In every single time and I drive my staff a little crazy every single time I slow down by certain pieces and I always say the same thing Can you believe a high school student at that? Can you believe that that someone who's a sophomore junior or senior in high school did that and that could be on the wall of A gallery anywhere in this country. That's the amazing gift that this competition brings to all of us so Art has always been extremely important to me and it continues to be important to me But now it feels like an absolute imperative for all of us in these dark times. We need Creativity to assuage our grief To celebrate our triumphs to soothe our loneliness To remind us all of our shared humanity and honestly just to simply delight in beauty and an imagination So I want to thank all the teachers here as well First for creating space in your schools Where students and young artists can feel safe and tune the rest of the world out and just Create that was a place of refuge for me Throughout high school and in college and I just want to take a moment right now Everybody thank you teachers And congratulations to all the students and the teachers and the parents and the schools and the arts Organizations and community partners who have made this time possible for all of us I'm so thankful that I get to represent a state that values and celebrates the arts and creativity And of course a special thank you to the students You are fueling our imagination You are shining light into darkness and you are Giving us hope that we have better days ahead So thank you Next up we are going to have Amy Cunningham from the Vermont Arts Council to announce the county winners When you are announced if you could please come up the stairs on that side where Morgan is standing You'll come across the stage shake some hands get a picture taken and go down on that side and We're very excited Good morning. What an honor to be here. My name is Amy Cunningham and I Am representing the Vermont Arts Council at what a joy to see the incredible array of work downstairs I'm just really overwhelmed by the talent so I have the the honor of announcing the county winners and I will begin with Bennington County and The students name is Lillian Bombria is this perfect She's from Arlington Memorial High School. Her teacher is Christie Wood Congratulations, Lillian Next up we have Caledonia County The winner from Caledonia County is Ellery Norwood the work is simple joy from Lincoln Institute Congratulations Ellery Thank you Next up we're going in alphabetical order on these counties if you hadn't Determined that already Chinden County No electric the work is Chinatown from the Burlington Technical Center teacher is Ashley Stagner Congratulations Noah Next up is Lemoyle County The winner from Lemoyle County is Ronan Stefansky The modern dilemma is the work from Green Mountain Tech teachers Matt Neckers Next up is Orange County and the student winner is Madeleine Houghton The work is my storm my peace my calm from Blue Mountain Union High School teacher is Jennifer Duby Moving on to Orleans County And the student is Isha McNulty the work is called Boys Don't Cry from Lake Region Union High School teacher is Stephanie Harper We have the teacher accepting the award Wonderful. Thank you Stephanie Terrific All right, we're moving on to Rutland County and the student winner is Gareth Fox Talk between past and future self from Poltney High School teacher is Melissa Next up we have Washington County The student winner is Eva Poutre Beauty is in the eye of the butterfly from Harwood Union High School asked, but not least we have Windsor County Student is Dylan Moss The work is crabbing from Woodstock Union High School teachers Katrina Jemerson Next up we're gonna have the judges choice awards each of the judges will be handing out an award First up we will have Cynthia Cagle Cynthia Cagle is a Mexican-American artist whose work explores the metaphysical relationship between identity and nature Using her experiences as a biracial woman Cynthia creates paintings collages and murals that investigate themes related to biology relationships generational trauma and the impact of colonialism Born and raised in Los Angeles Cynthia study primatology which included since at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Museum of Natural History She received her BA in Biological Anthropology and Studio Art from Pitzer College, and she relocated to Vermont in 2004 with her family Leveraging her unique style to reckon with her own story and drawing on her passion for flora and fauna Cynthia's work is activist in nature as well as a deeply personal interrogation of what it means to be of Mexican-American An indigenous ancestry a woman and a mother She creates her distinctive imagery Ancestors birds animals in color with oil paint on wood as well as in other mediums such as ceramics graphite water color printmaking and acrylics Thank you so much for having me here today. It's been just an incredible Experiencing so much talent in the room downstairs from our young people in Vermont Okay Artists seek to make sense of the world through image and color line and shape This is exactly what this young artist from Caledonia County has done Owen Young Allen's painting healing childhood trauma takes the complex theme of repairing the past and Offers a renewed vision of healing The figure featured in this work is a young person whose skin is a patchwork quilt The child is literally sewing themselves together Patiently stitching a tear in the fabric of self The tears on the forehead of the subject of the painting the hands raised and carefully healing the rip with needle and thread The background is a blurry expanse of undefined space Providing the viewer with the opportunity to focus on the unfolding story of the child's attempt to suture the past The layers of color blues and greens in a plum-like violet evoke a dreamlike quality and Yet the lighting of the painting offers a sense of realism as well This contrast of objective materiality and uncanny imagery Hightens that experience of looking at the art Through color and brushstroke Owen Young Allen has created a deep sense of loss and melancholy a Mature project that suggests not just the versatility from a technical standpoint But the importance of theme and narrative a Hopeful message perhaps that with time healing even a torn garment may be mended excuse me Owen, I don't know where you are in this room But thank you for your courage and honesty some of the best art is that which speaks raw truths as you have done here The depth of your work will resonate with many who get the opportunity to see your painting congratulations The next judge's choice award will be delivered by Harlan Mack Harlan Mack is a multidisciplinary artist working narratively through painting sculpture and oral storytelling To build a fictitious future world that regards themes of experience environment labor history and potential In addition to his work as an artist Harlan serves as part-time MFA faculty at Northern Vermont University and Manages the sculpture program at Vermont studio center in Johnson, Vermont. It's so nice to be here and see all your faces I think first off. I just want to mention how I was blown away by all the work that I saw In the show. It's really wonderful So I'm really really happy to be one of the judges here So When I first saw Logan's piece I I just I was like Immediately floored and and there's so many really wonderful elements to this piece and they really reminded me of my experience as a learner as an artist and how We create a composition and how we learn to create a composition and the ability of Logan's Soudal to see light in The throughout the entire composition and then relay that back to us with like this really emotional attention I think was what took me right away So I mean I think really the first thing that I noticed is that the entire piece is extremely complete So like every element is accounted for and then every element actually has this impact on the eye The color in the piece is really masterful it's something that I think a lot of learners take an incredible amount of time to sort of pick up on and The thing of my favorite detail in this piece is the The reflective light on the on the passenger side side window It's it's sort of it indicated to me that there was like an extreme level of detail and awareness And and I found that actually you know I think that level of awareness is something that's one of maybe the most difficult things to learn as a young artist and to create Composition that's so just syrup and So much to it But I think mostly I'm just really excited to see Logan's work progress and see how How your life as an artist unfolds and I'm really excited by this piece and even ask them I was I was like right away like this one over there Appreciate it. Thank you. The next judge's choice award will be delivered by Stefania jurist Stefania jurist is an interdisciplinary artist who addresses the fraught and intertwined relationship between humans and nature By utilizing natural materials and installations sculptures and prints Urist earned her master fine arts degree from the school of the art Institute of Chicago in 2022 BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2013 and has attended multiple artist residencies and fellowships Her dedication and skills are evident in the numerous grants and awards She has received to create new work and group and solo shows and sculpture gardens around the U.S. Stefania first off I'd like to reiterate how strong all of the work that we saw was we were here for hours longer than we were expecting to be because we really wanted to investigate each and every piece and Even if you didn't win an award today I really want to strongly encourage everyone in this room to keep making artwork Whether you do that in your career or just for yourself It's so important and there's so much talent here. So please continue to Foster that creativity and keep going So my choice for the judges choice award is white noise by Vivian source. I Chose this piece because of the conceptual depth and technical ability exhibited in this drawing The drawing hatching technique and perspective is really strong and unique There are lots of hidden details both in the subject matter and in the marketing skills The circular people draws the viewer in and asks really important questions The concept really resonates with me because of the climate change crisis that we are all experiencing globally The way this drawing exhibits the screaming of the media people in the planet has turned into white background noise That idea is very provocative. I Particularly love how the buildings and windows are lit up Highlighting that people are watching this flood and disaster happen, but unable to do anything about it Congratulations Vivian. I hope you keep drawing and making her So now I'm going to I have the pleasure of announcing the third place winner So the third place winner that we all agreed upon unanimously of the Congressional art competition is Apalena Mabelchi, I'm so sorry if I pronounce her name wrong Her photo is looking away This photo demonstrates very high skill and technical photo ability the tonal range in the black and white photo shows that the lighting was perfect and It shows in the details The focus and detail in the face is amazing while blurring the background and focus that to bring focus onto the subject The subject's gaze is confident but defiant They are constantly they are consciously ignoring the camera knowing and acknowledging its existence But consciously looking away The conceptual depth of this piece a portrait of a young person Choosing their inner calm over outer distress Resonates especially in light of recent events such as the global movement towards racial equality and Contemporary fight for self-identified identity in marginalized communities So social justice is incredibly timely and important So the idea that this person is finding inner calm is very powerful and important Thank you so much for your submission and congratulations Apalena. Please continue to make work For second place winner in the Congressional Arts competition We are pleased to announce Bennington County Bella engineers painting entitled transformer rhetorical questions Engineers transformer rhetorical questions is both a poignant tribute to the power of art the title refers to Lou Reed's seminal 1972 album transformer and a richly composed conceptually complex examination of identity within the queer community Like Reed's album this painting rocks Engineering has offered the viewer a double portrait The two faces seem to meld into one another and the area where they overlap is an extraordinary exploration of transparency The detail and warmth of the faces picture draw the viewer in and then ambiguous expressions of the subject Stoke curiosity as to the story being told by the painting Surrounding the somber faces are a number of symbols all richly painted in hues of yellow the Greek letter lambda carnations and triangles What these symbols have in common is their resonance within the struggle for the LG Bqt plus rights clearly this painting is telling a story that is both bound in history as well as personal identity and Is so relevant today The fact that this painting is inspired by and referencing the Lou Reed album transformer is vital to understanding the rich conceptual depth of this piece Reed was a leader during the 70s in questioning heterosexual norms Using his music to offer listeners a richer broader definition of sexual orientation Produced by David Bowie the album is seen to this day in a positive light within the struggle for LG Bqt plus rights This piece is technically complex and beautifully rendered. That's obvious What takes it to another level is the way in which its symbolism references in text challenge the viewer as An artist's engineering plunges deeply into the way in which imagery color and line can tell a story And it can also echo and amplify both history and emotion It makes sense. The piece has the words rhetorical questions in the title The artist wrote in a statement accompanying the piece quote And this is important is the pride that queer people feel really self-assurance and happiness in their own identities Or is it just happiness because their identities aren't being oppressed Justice people cannot see light without darkness can queer people not be prideful unless they are threatened with discrimination and violence unquote Engineering is offered as compelling questions that serve to deepen our relationship within the piece This painting asks us to consider questions of self history and identity All while offering us a gift in return a beautifully rendered portrait of a fascinating subject Please join me in offering Congratulations to Bella Ingenere an artist of resounding depth and a painter with a bright future Well done Bella. I get super nervous when I come up But I'm really honored to to announce the first place winner And Please apologize if I pronounce the name improperly Their name is Shaqe I'll say that again Shaqe Hedovian Few remarks about the work I Mean, I think it's I think especially when you see the work in person. You'll see that this is a really beautiful Beautifully rendered piece But I'm glad that you're up here, too Yeah, it's a beautifully rendered self-portrait and When you see it in person you get to see that there's there's some sort of hidden elements Within the work if you see inside of the pomegranate you see these chess pieces and the frayed canvas Which is like a whole another world inside of the pomegranate? I really appreciate it Another element about the painting that I that I that I finally probably already appreciated was that there was Really like a a complimentary set of mark making styles that are happening to the piece And those combinations of you know brushstrokes really support the strong sense of poetic and vibrant within the composition Like the detail in the brushwork throughout Has also sort of it creates the sense of the boldness and energy and Also, you know, obviously the iconic imagery helps tell of the story of cultural pride specifically from me The details within you know sort of inspired me and then I've met another viewers as well to sort of investigate further into the meaning of these cultural elements When I began looking into The elements depicted here, you know, I was able to learn that pomegranate nor Thank you symbolizes life and abundance And I imagine one of the things And then in Armenian mythology the pomegranate has 365 seeds one for each day in the year and then Inside of the pomegranate in the hand you see you can see chess pieces Among other things, but the chess pieces indicate also an element of cultural pride and impact that the game of chess has had on the culture And the overall position Of the figure and there seems to reference you know also like elements of Armenian traditional dance Which I thought was really quite nice because I've looked at it and I see this Very impactful poids and position of the body and when I was researching and looking into it further I was like, oh, that's almost identical to the dance. I thought it was a really well-added element So I found I found I think we all found that this work is, you know Not only extremely captivating and it's composition and expression, but it also invites to be a bit more about Armenian culture and I thought that was a really important aspect of the work And I really look forward to seeing what you do as you progress and all of you as well I think this is I think every all of you really deserve a huge round of applause Oh Congratulations to everybody and congratulations again to shaka whose work will be going down to Washington DC to be hung in the hallways of Congress for the next year The Congresswoman is going to close out with a final remark in just a minute I have three announcements briefly to get through one is that in the next week or two We are going to have an online gallery of all the work That was submitted that'll be on the Congresswoman's website Hopefully within two weeks and we can send around a link to the teachers when that happens All the artwork downstairs has been taken down and collected by school So if you're a teacher here with students, please collect that artwork. It should be organized according to your school's Students in a moment after the Congresswoman closes us out. We are going to have a group photo So if you have hung art downstairs, please come up to the front and we're going to do a big group photo with the Congresswoman And I think there were a few students who have not taken an Individual photo with the Congresswoman if you fall into that category, please stick around after the group photo And we'll get those done and with that any further ado to close it out I'm going back about my message to you is really simple Keep creating Keep putting your art out there in the world if you are going to pursue a life and art Welcome welcome into that incredibly important Space that we need so much in this world right now and if art is not your chosen path Keep it as something important that you go back to To heal to nurture to ground in the first few weeks when I was in Congress It was very disorienting And I said to my staff down there like I feel like I'm Kind of losing it here Because I was working with some really really difficult people in my committee some of the most extreme Members of Congress and I couldn't seem to figure out how to get myself reset And one of the things that I did Was put on my coffee table in my office the work of Alison Bechdel who is an amazing cartoonist so that every time that I would come back from a really hard Committee meeting that would be the first thing that I would see which was really healing And then the other thing I did Was I bought an extra guitar For my office so that I've got one of Vermont when I come back here that I needed to create I needed to have music. I needed to have Something that I turned back to in order to do the other work that I do so please Keep creativity as an important part of your life. And if you're not a senior Please contribute more art to this competition next year. Thank you so much Students coming up for a picture. Thank you everybody so much. We're grateful


Day 3 PDAC 2023 and I'm with one of my favorite colleagues in the critical mineral sector. How are you today Russell? I'm great Tracy. Thank you for having me today. And so Russell, I call you when I need to know what's really happening. So let's start with the Congo. What's happening? You know a lot of people are saying you know it's a safe jurisdiction. Some people you know what's happening with critical minerals in the DRC because it still seems to be one of the most used sources for actual critical minerals in the world. So people have this mistake and perception that all mines in the DRC use child labor or pay unfairly and such and that's actually a fallacy and we're a perfect example. We just started production in January this year of copper and we have no child labor. We know exactly who we hire, we have background checks and such so we know what's going on. Let's take it from a macro basis. The government, the United States government has entered in December of 2022 a memorandum of understanding between the US and the DRC in Zambia and what's happening on the ground now is the DRC government is openly trying to attract Western capital to come in. They want a competition to the Asian investors that have been there for 20 years or so. And so what's happening is in fact they're here at PDAC talking to companies like ours and talking to new companies saying hey we are open for business, the noise from the past in terms of governance and labor and such, we are cleaning that all up. We want our kids in the schools, we don't want them underground trying to mine. So there's been a sea change in terms of the investment philosophy and how the government looks at Western capital. And I'm just going to put you on the spot, South Africa, critical minerals, give us an update. So there's a lot going on in South Africa in terms of critical minerals. The problem is there's a political infighting on who is going to lead that charge. And I think you're going to see a cabinet reshuffle here in the next few weeks or so as the budgets come out and as the ANC decides who they want to put into their positions. It's well endowed with critical minerals. We've looked at a couple of acquisitions there. There are smaller companies that are looking at acquisitions there. It's a place for us to invest, but Sub-Saharan Africa is actually where we're at. So again, this is country number six on my trip. I started in Zimbabwe. I went to South Africa. I went to the Congo to look at our mine. I went to Rwanda, Tanzania. And there is an absolute plethora of investment opportunities there for Western capital and for capital such as critical metals. I was just talking five minutes ago to a group of investors over here from London and I actually referenced you because you recently told me if you're in critical minerals you need to be in London and of course you're LSE listed. Would you like to comment on that? So there's a new sea change from the UK government. In fact on the 28th of February while I was traveling I put in a submission to the UK parliament about the critical metals industry and what I believe they need to do in order to attract the supplies coming out of the Congo or coming out of Zambia or coming out of South Africa and such. My impression is they're behind Canada and the US in terms of that attraction. So they are trying to get supplies to companies like Rolls Royce or British Aerospace in terms of what's required for them to have proper output, aerospace, satellites, etc. And so they know that China should turn off that flow that they've been purchasing. They're going to have problems certainly from an economic viewpoint and they're having struggles already in their economy. Brexit has caused some problems and such. So I think what's happening is you're starting to see things silo-wise. So you have in Canada and the US kind of team up as one silo and I am seeing UK and EU team up as a second silo to try to capture those necessarily critical metals that they require to run their economies. Jack Lipton and I have been going back and forth about this trend we're seeing about large automotive companies actually looking at exploration companies. We asked Constantine Carinopoulos about this this morning and now I'm asking you. So I've actually seen increased interest from the automotive industry but I've seen it via third party traders. So if you think about the big traders and I'll just throw some names out. If it's Glencore, if it's Traxxas, if it's Traffigura, if it's Gerald Metals. All the automotive OEMs have come to them and said look we are in need of this, please go find it for us. What happens is they're happy to pay a slightly higher price to have the intermediary in order for the intermediary to come to companies like us and say we will supply you with the cobalt and the cobalt goes into Mercedes Benz or goes into Ford or whatever. So absolutely seeing more of that type of growth from the Fords and from the Mercedes Benz in particular on the ground. So who are they hiring for brokers though Russell? Where are they finding competent talent that can actually make these professional decisions? So I've heard rumblings that the OEM automobile manufacturers are actually sourcing directly from some of those companies that I mentioned earlier who are global metals traders.  Cuz they know A, the mining side, B, they know the trading side and how to price it. And C, they know, as you know, the logistics side which is very important. If you think about how we would get our cobalt from the Congo or our copper from the Congo into Mercedes Benz plant or into a Ford or Volkswagen plant, those logistics are pretty complicated. And so they've made decisions, some of them have made decisions to actually poach from a traffic guru or a traxxas or even a Glencore to bring them in house to help manage that supply chain. Well, as always Russell, what a pleasure. Thank you very much, Tracy, for having me.