Good morning, cadre world. It is Dr. Jessica Green. And I don't know about you. But I am definitely enjoying this transition into fall. This weather has been wonderful. It has been cool outside that journey. Because when you have short hair and that humidity, good morning, Michelle, and that humidity, Jocelyn, good morning, gets the best of us. Our hair tends to do some weird, weird things. So I am enjoying the fall weather, lowering of the humidity. But guess what? It is football season. And, you know, we come on sometimes and we talk about, "Hey, tell me how your week has been on a scale from 1 to 10 ."
Well, with this week, all Michelle is in Vegas and Dr. Tiffany, good morning, good morning. And we just talked about humidity and the heat going into fall. So I can only imagine what it feels like in hot Vegas. This week has been a 10, you know, full of excitement due to the fact that we are in football season. My nephew's play ball, football for the wreck. So oh, Joss is in Vegas too, Michelle, and Dr. Tiffany. So something exciting must be really going on in Vegas this week. But they both play football.
So one has football on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other has games on Wednesdays. My other nephew plays high school football. His games are on Fridays. The local college here, we Tealgate. They have football games on Saturdays. And then my Carolina Panthers. Oh, Joss and Liv's there now. Got you. What? Enjoy Vegas. Oh, Michelle said they're there to see Janet in action. I forgot she had a resident there in Vegas. But Saturdays are Tealgates, you know, here at the local college university in Sunday or Sundays for my Carolina Panthers.
So it is a week full of action. It's full of football. And we are so excited. So from now on my only day all are Mondays when it comes to football. And I'm not complaining. I am taking it with grace. And it is so pertinent today because today we are talking about the importance of personal safety and also that sense of community. Alright, yes, football season is the best. So most people think about safety, right? We picture ourselves, you know, double checking those locks. We've set in those alarms.
And if you have those ring cameras on your homes and your businesses, you know exactly what I'm talking about because they always keep us on alert. But real safety isn't just about protection from harm. It's also about building that connection, building that sense of belonging and the people that we surround ourselves with. Alright, so when we think about personal reflection, I want you to think for a moment about a time when you felt truly safe. Alright, so if you can think about a moment that you felt truly safe, I want you to put that in the chat.
Alright, maybe it's sitting around dinner table with your family, whether it's laughing with a group of friends or even being in that community space where you felt seen, you felt accepted and you felt heard. So I actually have three of those moments I'm going to share as you're putting those in the chat. So the first I had a great friend, and we try to meet like once a month at a local hamburger spot that's near where I am and near where her office is. And we try to meet there. And when we meet, we talk about us.
We talk about family. We talk about things that are going on in our lives. But then in that same moment, I know when I talk to her, I am hearing those things that I need to hear, not those things that I want to hear. And whether we're squeezing in time, maybe 20 minutes, 30 minutes, we've had 15, 20 minutes at one moment. But we squeezing that time, but we make the best of that time and we're very intentional with that time. The second group is there are group of four ladies that I also meet with once a month.
And we talk about, you know, live, we talk about things that are going on, but we are that sounding board, that sense of encouragement, sense of having compassion and empathy where we can kind of let loose, you know, for a couple of hours and be able to have that discussion where we have that psychological safety. And the last would be with my twin sister. You know, we have those moments where we share things, you know, hey, with best practices, where do you think about that and having that validation knowing that, hey, you are heading in that right direction.
So when I say that, when we think about that sense of safety, it doesn't come from those walls around us, you know, it came from the people, it came from that connection and that trust we feel in that moment. And Michelle, you know, exactly what I'm talking about. It's that trust that we have from people that connection and how we feel in that moment. So when we feel safe in our communities, something powerful happens there and it happens inside of us. All right. When we think about mental wellness, our stress decreases, our mental health improves, and then we are more open to personal growth, because we're not using all of our energy, just trying to survive.
We're actually thriving and safety is more than the absence of harm. It's the presence of a couple of things, but mainly these three. It's the presence of trust, of care, and then also that sense of belonging. So here's something that I want you to take with you. Community is one of the greatest protective factors for our mental health. Isolation can make us fearful, it tests our vulnerability, and it also allows our anxiety to keep growing and it gets louder. But when we think about that sense of connection, when we think about that safety, it helps us heal and helps us feel supported and it helps us move forward even stronger.
So you may ask yourself, how can I build more safety through connection in your daily life? So here are three simple steps that I want you to try this week. All right. Not next week or the week after, but this is something that I want you to try this week. So the first is I want you to check in. All right. So I need you to reach out to one person you care about, either you're going to send a text, make a quick call, but it reminds the both of you that you are not alone in this moment. The second, I want you to show up and I want you to show out.
All right. So I want you to look for a group, a class or an event that sparks your interest, whether it's fitness, whether it's faith, whether it's volunteering or something, that's just fun. So if you take a look into your community, you know, contact your local Chamber of Commerce because they always have a number of events that are available. And sometimes those events are free to the public and you do not have to be an investor to attend because when we show up in our community, it builds bonds that create safety over time.
And the third is again, creating that safety. Be that space for someone else. Listen without judgment. Offer your presence. And when we do that, sometimes just being there for them in that moment in that presence is more powerful than any advice someone could give us. So as we close, I want you to remember that personal safety is about more than protecting yourself. It's about building connections that strengthen you, strengthen your growth and strengthen your ability to be your true authentic self.
So remember, safety grows when we lean on each other. So today, take one step to connect because when we connect and we foster that growth and that healing, the best of us happens and the best of us evolves. So thank you for listening. And until next time, continue to be courageous, continue to have compassion, continue to build connections and continue to be true to yourself.
