08 Managing Stress and Anxiety: Tips and Techniques for a Healthier Mind and Body
Dec 20, 2023Episode 8
Jennifer Lander
In this episode, I will share parts of my personal journey of managing stress and anxiety. I will talk about my struggles with anxiety and the coping mechanisms I have discovered and implemented. I will delve into the physical and psychological aspects of anxiety and stress, offering valuable insights on the biological and chemical responses in our bodies. I will also share practical techniques, such as the "sigh" technique and temperature-based methods, along with lifestyle adjustments that have helped me and my patients. Join me as we dive into the world of managing anxiety and stress, gaining knowledge and practical tools to empower ourselves.
00:00 Struggling with long-term anxiety, seeking coping methods.
04:32 Cardiovascular issues can lead to mental health problems.
08:48 Focus on bottom to top mechanisms for stress.
12:50 Reducing caffeine can alleviate anxiety symptoms.
13:42 Self-awareness, self-compassion, and moving forward.
In this episode, I will share parts of my personal journey of managing stress and anxiety. I will talk about my struggles with anxiety and the coping mechanisms I have discovered and implemented. I will delve into the physical and psychological aspects of anxiety and stress, offering valuable insights on the biological and chemical responses in our bodies. I will also share practical techniques, such as the "sigh" technique and temperature-based methods, along with lifestyle adjustments that have helped me and my patients. Join me as we dive into the world of managing anxiety and stress, gaining knowledge and practical tools to empower ourselves.
00:00 Struggling with long-term anxiety, seeking coping methods.
04:32 Cardiovascular issues can lead to mental health problems.
08:48 Focus on bottom to top mechanisms for stress.
12:50 Reducing caffeine can alleviate anxiety symptoms.
13:42 Self-awareness, self-compassion, and moving forward.
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They have Sam's club and target clothing brands high seriously could go on and on about how amazing the store is. And the owners, Jeff and Heather bedroom. They bust their butts to provide you guys with the best deals and experience in their store. Their staff is so welcoming and friendly. I'm telling you, you make your way over to Ben bargains located at seven 11 east main street, Geneva, Ohio. And you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Stay up to date with them on Facebook at Ben bargains, where they often share their deals and you can find their hours and Ben prices there as well. So happy shopping. Alright, so I want to talk a little bit about how to manage stress and anxiety and things like that. So for me personally, I have struggled with anxiety over half of my life. And I really didn't take it. Like, I was taking it serious, obviously, but I was just stuck in this loop of a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress happening, and not a lot of coping skills on how to manage it. I'm just kind of riding the wave, and I think a lot of us are, are kind of stuck in the same situation. So two years ago, I've been really focusing on stress and anxiety and trying to find ways to manage it because I just got sick of feeling like that. You guys know, it's like a terrible feeling. I remember even in high school, and then with my kids going through like college, it was so bad that I would sometimes like skip classes if I had a presentation, I'd kind of bail on the last minute, I'm someone too when I get nervous, I start to stutter, and that makes me so uncomfortable. So talking in front of people is not an easy thing for me to do. So I am doing things that get me out of that comfort zone, so that I can obviously make, make some improvements on my life. Because I want to be able to Have conversations like this in front of people and not like get super intense and agitated or anxious, so we're going to talk about some of those things. I feel like I'm going to get into like a lecture kind of talk right now, but all this stuff is so good. And I think it's important for us to understand what's happening in our bodies so that when we're doing certain things, we understand why we're doing them. And I think it's a better buy in, too. Because sometimes you just start doing these things and you're like, Why am I even doing this? This is stupid. Because a lot of times you're not even going to notice right away the effects of it. So, if you have a good understanding, I think it's going to be helpful. So what is anxiety? Anxiety is like our response to certain stressors that we have. Anything that we're feeling, like, threatened by. We start to notice a lot of, like, fears and worries surrounding that, which can increase our heart rate and Like our respirations and just feeling like really tense and then stress is our body's response to Like a demand or something that's feeling like really challenged. We start to kind of like get stressed out That can show up as like physical Tension, but also like psychological tension. So an example of like physical tension, if I'm telling you to walk outside in the middle of winter and it's freezing cold out. And I'm like, no, you're not having a coat. Like just go, go out and see what happens, so. You're going to start to tense up, so that's going to be like an example of physical stressors. And then psychological stressors, if you have like a work deadline or anything with school, so that's like the psychological stress of what's kind of going on. If that's not managed And if it's severe enough, like the stress of that, it can lead to physical health conditions. So you could have like cardiovascular issues, but then it can also lead to depression and anxiety. So, what this looks like in our brain. There's two important parts. So your amygdala, that is the part of your brain that kind of shoots you into survival mode. So it's our fight or flight response. So when our amygdalas are feeling a threat, then it's going to trigger pretty quickly an emotional response and that's where fear and anxiety comes in. And then our prefrontal cortex the role that that plays is decision making. So it helps control our impulses as well and then like regulate our emotions. So, if our amygdala triggers, that our prefrontal cortex kind of kicks in and it helps manage, the anxiety and the fear. So if we have a well functioning prefrontal cortex, we're going to be pretty good. We're going to be able to manage our anxiety, we're going to be able to manage our stress levels, and if we don't have a very well functioning prefrontal cortex, then it can get and feel very out of control. So there's a couple important chemicals that are involved too, so serotonin, that's our feel good neurotransmitter, it helps regulate our mood, and when our serotonin levels become low, that can cause anxiety and depression. And then there's something called GABA. So GABA helps calm our nervous system. So when our levels are low, when GAB is low, that can also cause anxiety. And then, epinephrine, like adrenaline. If we have too much, then that leads to some anxiety. I remember, oh my gosh, I remember getting some dental work done. This was years ago, I think I was like 22 or something. So I was having some dental work done, and I think it was lidocaine, but it was with epinephrine. I didn't know there was like epi in it. And so I was feeling okay, but then it started to kick in and my heart just started like racing. And when I'm uncomfortable, I just get really quiet. So I think the doctor kind of like picked up on that and he's like, Hey, is everything okay? And I was like, no, like, yeah, I think so. Like, my heart's just like racing or whatever. He's like, oh, there, there's epi in there. And I was like, oh, well, thanks for telling me. Like, my gosh. So it's a very, it's a very crazy feeling. I mean, we all know what it feels like. So your heart rate starts increasing. You know, you start breathing a little faster. You're more alert to what's going on around you. And sometimes that's not a good thing because you have like tunnel vision. You're just alert to what's in front of you or what the problem is and you can't see like bigger picture. Okay, so, and then cortisol, like some stress hormones too that play a role, cortisol and adrenaline. So, adrenaline is like a chemical in your brain, it's a neurotransmitter, but it's also a hormone, so it plays kind of like two roles. So, when our adrenal glands release like cortisol and epinephrine, During our stress response, when that happens, our bodies start preparing for the threat. So we've become more like energetic. Our blood starts flowing to the outside of our body so that we're ready to like take off if we need to escape the situation. Our heart starts pumping faster. The cool thing about adrenaline activating and you see those things that I'm talking about, but it also can be deactivating. So, Some people, when they're feeling anxious, and it's not anything that is warranted. Like, sometimes there's just nothing really going on, but you can't realize that that's what's happening, that everything's okay, you're safe, but your body's just kind of like, oh my gosh, on this stuck, response to, stress and anxiety. It's going to decrease your appetite, and then also decrease, your GI system. So, I mean, there's no need to be sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner if you are, in a heightened state of anxiety so, our mind and our body are interconnected, so our thoughts, emotions, our mental state, All of those can influence, like, our physical well being, and vice versa. our physical health can also impact, our mental state, too. Now, how do we manage it? I think that's, like, the most important thing. There's two ways to manage it. Top down mechanisms, like it's like prefrontal cortex down to amygdala, but then there's also bottom up. So the top down things, they're, it's not really what I want to focus a lot on right now. They're very powerful tools, so it's like the meditating. Mindfulness activities, yoga, all of those things can be really helpful if you're using it in a daily practice, very, very helpful at reducing like long term stress and anxiety. But I think like the bottom to top mechanisms are so important because those are the things that when you're in a lot of like an in the moment, like real time things that you could do when you're feeling like really anxious, what you can do to kind of decrease and regulate your nervous system. One of the things is called, the sigh. So if you're noticing kind of when you're stressed out, you're just like, like you're just kind of taking this breath. So what can be helpful is you take two inhales in through your nose and then a really long Exhale, making sure your exhale is longer than what your inhales are. Taking care of like the physical symptoms when you're in the moment is key. Because you're not going to be able to focus on any rational thinking. If you're like, this is crazy what's happening right now. I can't even concentrate. You really need to control what's happening with your heart and all the physical symptoms. So that can be really helpful. If you try this, the two inhales and exhale, I would try it one to three times and then wait 20 to 30 seconds to let your heart rate kind of slowly come down. If you're not noticing that your heart rate is slowing down, then it's important you need to repeat the cycle. So keep doing it over and over. Sometimes it takes people like 10 to 15 cycles to really notice that their heart rate and their respirations, everything's like coming down. It's also helpful for people who are struggling with sleep too. So if you have a hard time falling asleep, that's something that you could practice. Other things that you could do is temperature stuff. Now the ice baths and things like that, just make sure that you're cleared with your doctor. I think there's so many benefits to ice baths. It's an awesome tool to use. But, something I'll tell my patients and something that's helpful for me too is like holding ice. That can be something like ice cubes. Just holding an ice cube, rubbing an ice cube across like this T zone, so the bridge of your nose across your forehead, that's really helpful to decrease anxiety. Um, one thing that I really like and I will tell a lot of people to try is taking a Ziploc bag and filling it with ice cubes and then water, laying down and placing it on your face because it simulates being underwater and that can really regulate your nervous system too. So, whether you're having stressors that are related to your relationship or finances, work deadlines, it doesn't matter. If you, if your heart rate's getting up there, if you're close to even a panic attack or you just, your anxiety is really revving up. The key is to control your physical responses, not trying to control your mind, it's just, you're not there, like you're not going to be able to do that. So trying to do that first, and then once you're feeling, okay, I feel like I can manage a little bit, I'm gonna slip into some of these like, Top to bottom things like meditating or yoga that could be really helpful, but definitely making sure you're trying some of those other things and then what's important too is making sure that You're taking an inventory on what you're doing in your life, too. Are you? Are you engaging in like a lot of maladaptive coping mechanisms where it's like you're maybe drinking a little bit too much alcohol or you're emotionally eating or anything like that. So really making sure that you're getting enough sleep You're not engaging in a lot of alcohol use Caffeine was a big one for me. Oh my gosh. I was drinking. I was drinking these energy drinks for months and months. And I have anxiety, so I'm like, what? And I know this, and I tell people this, right? So I'm like, I have so much anxiety, I don't know what my deal is, blah blah blah, and I knew it was the energy drinks, because I wasn't even getting energy from them, it just became a habit and I liked the taste of them. So I'm like, to break that habit was so hard, but once I did, and I don't really drink a lot of caffeine anymore at all, but it has made all the difference. And I can't tell you how many people, like patients, that I see are like, I have so much anxiety. And then I'm like, well, how much caffeine do you drink? And oh my gosh, they're drinking like pots of coffee a day and energy drinks. And I'm like, do you ever notice that it causing any anxiety? They're like, Nope, not me. Like that doesn't affect me like that. It would make all the difference if you seriously can decrease the caffeine I think, and honestly, if you're trying all of these things, And it's not helpful and you're giving it a good go, you might just need to talk with someone, too. I mean, there's medications, supplements, all of these things, but I think working with a doctor, a physician, a therapist, that could be really helpful. And just giving yourself some Self compassion. I mean, we're all just up against a lot, and a lot of people just want to beat themselves up about it, and I've been there, like, I'm, I have been so hard on myself, and sometimes I can still fall into it, and I have to check myself, I'm like, nope, like, you're, we're not falling into old habits here, so, really just, Recognizing and having that awareness for what is happening, why am I responding in the way that I'm responding, like, what's going on, what can I fix, what can I improve, I think those things are really important and just, if you have a bad day, you just have a bad day, you just move on, you know, um, we're human, so we're all gonna, we're all gonna have those experiences, but I would say, honestly, out of all these things, if I had to recommend one thing for you guys to do, it would be the PSY. I would honestly commit to the next two weeks, if you have high anxiety, a lot of stress, I would do the PSY technique. Um, and then take inventory over that also, re evaluate after two weeks, and look at the results, like, did it, did it help? Was it something that was helpful for me? Um, And then try something else if it's not, but I guarantee you if you like commit to it, it's something that's actually going to be very helpful to you. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of landing and perfect. I truly appreciate you being a part of this community and sharing this journey with me. If you'd like to connect further and continue the conversation, you can find me on Instagram at Lander I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions or stories. So don't hesitate to reach out. And remember, this podcast is a personal project. It's unrelated to the full-time work I do for the company. I help treat those with eating disorders. While I aim to provide professional and educational inspirational content. It's important to understand that the podcast is not a substitute for professional treatment. So if you or someone that you know is struggling with any issues I've discussed, please consider seeking the help of a qualified healthcare professional. And I'll be back with another episode next week. So stay tuned and continue your journey to personal growth and empowerment. Can't wait to connect with you again until then take care and remember it's okay to embrace their imperfections. They make you the amazing person that you are. See you next week.