The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - Life is Like a Seasoned Skillet | FF65

Episode Date: September 9, 2022

Just like we need to clean and season an iron skillet properly, so to do we need to work to maintain good mental health by processing and addressing past traumas. Give this short 'Foundations Friday' a listen to hear more on how like is like an iron skillet.

Welcome to Foundations Friday 65. Life is like a seasoned skillet. Have you ever owned or cooked with an iron skillet? If so, you know they require unique care. If not, let me explain. An iron skillet needs to be greased and seasoned. For me, it has been with Crisco, but I understand some other people use animal fats and other greasy type things. This means coat the surface with a thin layer of Crisco and heat it in the oven 300, 400 degrees for an hour or so. This bakes in the fats and seals the iron so foods don't stick as much when you use it. As the skillet is used more and more, it starts to

retain the flavors and seasoning of previous meals. Some good, some not. I imagine this is partly due to using only water and a brush to clean it, not soap and water. The key though is to properly take care of it and not use harsh cleaners and to reseal it after each use with a thin layer of Crisco. So I was thinking about this the other day and I don't know where it popped in, but to me an iron skillet is like our mental and emotional health. If we don't take care of that skillet or ourselves, the skillet will rust, not hold its seal or come apart altogether. So too will we come apart. We need to clean the skillet appropriately with only water, meaning we need to clear our minds by processing traumas as they happen. We need to dry the skillet fully. We need

to work through the traumas, not just drown or numb them with substances or quick fix ideas. We need to seal the skillet with Crisco or other fats to maintain their effectiveness. For us, we need to keep up with ongoing stress management and trauma processing. We need to have a continued exercise, update those trauma logs, continue in-person or virtual Thank you. Do we watch or listen to things that are triggers? I hope for those of you that are listening to this, that this isn't triggering, but helpful. I hope the previous episode, episode 109, The Body Keeps the Score, helped you understand and learn a bit more about trauma and some more, as well as some other tools and book reviews that I've read that have to do with anxiety and depression, mindfulness and other things that will help us become just a little bit better, a little more whole,

that will help us appropriately season our own mental skillet. Thank you all so much for listening this Friday. I hope you stay safe. Please wash those hands and Godspeed.