Ep#216 Understanding Anxiety in under 10 minutes
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[00:00:00] Hi everyone. My name's Dex Randall, and this is the Burnout Recovery Podcast where I teach professionals to recover from burnout and get back to passion and reward at work.

[00:00:22] Understanding Anxiety in less than 10 minutes.

[00:00:26] Anxiety is one or more alarmist thoughts about what might go wrong in the future, that cause distress and worry.

[00:00:35] Anxiety relates to threats both real and imagined in your security, health, longevity, job, amongst your loved ones, your community. Or larger events such as war, famine and the economy.

[00:00:51] Anxiety provokes a sense of helplessness and doom.

[00:00:55] Anxiety's job is to help you prevent the bad thing from happening, but its warnings might not be logical, relevant, or even realistic.

[00:01:06] Anxious thoughts trigger a fight or flight response, sending hormones, chemical messengers such as cortisol and adrenaline, throughout the body to prepare it to respond to a perceived threat.

[00:01:21] One of the outcomes is to reduce cognitive function and therefore conscious choice and problem solving. If anxiety persists without attempts or problem solving, it can be overwhelming and further impair ability to function.

[00:01:38] There are many types of anxiety, such as separation, social, presentation, panic, fear of judgment, OCD and PTSD.

[00:01:49] CHRONIC ANXIETY

[00:01:51] If anxiety persists, it alters the function of neural circuits in the brain. It speeds up the stress response, making it more efficient and easier for the brain to repeat, so it does repeat more and anxiety turns into a habit. Every burst of anxiety strengthens that habit and increases sensitivity to perceived threat. If you repeatedly worry, avoid, overthink, check or catastrophize, those loops too become faster and more habitual.

[00:02:27] And when an anxious thought triggers the amygdala, it becomes hypervigilant for more danger, which cues many more anxious thoughts, which trigger it again, trapping you in this anxiety cycle.

[00:02:41] Anxiety leads to compulsive behavior, for example, eating and drinking. The goal of such behavior is to escape the unpleasant feelings of anxiety.

[00:02:52] Anxiety is addictive. Cortisol and adrenaline provide an energy boost, which you come to crave, and overwhelm your ability to exert rational control and so exit the anxiety loop.

[00:03:06] Anxiety can be viewed as learned behavior. Children learn safety from the adults around them. For example, how to tolerate discomfort and co-regulate emotions. In unpredictable, tense, or emotionally confusing environments, children will try to cope alone. Sparking more vigilance, avoidance and worry.

[00:03:32] For any human experiencing anxiety, "I cannot cope unless I do this" is the belief that keeps that anxiety alive.

[00:03:42] FUN FACTS

[00:03:43] Anxiety can be bypassed by intoxication, like that day after football and beers when you yelled at your mother-in-law without a thought for the consequences.

[00:03:53] It could also be exaggerated by intoxication, such as if you are using speed, acid, weed, cocaine.

[00:04:01] WHY DO WE GET ANXIETY?

[00:04:03] Humans have anxiety because we have the capacity to imagine the future. It reflects our uncertainty about that future and whether we will be safe in it.

[00:04:14] We inherit patterns of anxiety.

[00:04:17] My father, went to school barefoot, the only boy who did, because his family couldn't afford shoes. He was pressured to leave school at 13 to be the family breadwinner and look after his sisters.

[00:04:31] My mother grew up in the Second World War, and one day, age six, she walked to school by herself as usual. But when she got there, there was no one there, only rubble 'cause the school had been bombed to the ground during the night.

[00:04:45] With two anxious parents, it's really not surprising that I myself experience anxiety. They taught me.

[00:04:53] Anxiety is also contagious. We can smell it in people's sweat, we can see it in their body language, hear it in their voices. And long before that, we subconsciously sense it as we enter a room. Our nervous system silently communicates our nervous state -calm or threatened- to those around us, and we receive theirs back.

[00:05:20] Let's look at if you do have anxiety.

[00:05:24] WHAT DOESN'T WORK TO FIX IT?

[00:05:27] You can't cognitively control anxiety by telling yourself not to worry.

[00:05:33] Anxiety doesn't reduce when someone ridicules it or blames you or gives a valid counterargument.

[00:05:42] Escaping the discomfort of anxiety with compulsive behaviors like eating, drinking, or doom scrolling. They won't fix your anxiety, but they might become addictive 'cause you can never get enough of something that almost works.

[00:05:56] Okay then, so WHAT DOES WORK IN HELPING WITH ANXIETY?

[00:06:01] My number one go-to is this: Acceptance of oneself and the thoughts, feelings, and effects of anxiety. 'cause anxiety is just energy passing through the body.

[00:06:13] The energy is harmless, if you don't resist it. It simply has a message for you. Receiving that message allows the feeling to dissipate -its job is done. Resist it, it will stay around and shout louder.

[00:06:28] So pause when agitated. Notice your anxious thought. Take a few slow deep breaths and become aware of your body. See if you can find where anxiety lives, where the tension is. Perhaps it's in your solar plexus. Can you find it?

[00:06:48] Accept the discomfort. Say to yourself, "this is anxiety", and gently let it be. Don't try to change it. Notice the size, shape, vibration, texture, or temperature. When you do, it may start to disperse. A few moments of mindful observation and quiet acceptance can release its charge.

[00:07:11] Number two, in the moment, caring conversation with a compassionate adult you trust. Preferably one who listens well and nods rather than gives advice.

[00:07:22] Three, vagus nerve resets. You can look these up, and they include box breathing, grounding, yoga and somatic exercises.

[00:07:32] Number four, getting out in nature or with your dog. Being in the moment.

[00:07:37] Number five, developing a sense of sovereignty over yourself and your life. Recognizing what you can do rather than imagining yourself helpless. 

[00:07:48] Number six, setting boundaries to protect yourself, your energies, and your health.

[00:07:53] Number seven, for some people, therapy or medication can be effective.

[00:07:59] Number eight, reduce overstimulation from gaming, caffeine, stimulants, late nights..

[00:08:05] Number nine, avoid drama fueled people who stimulate anxiety and ten avoid sensationalist media content.

[00:08:14] 11 turn screens off 90 minutes before sleep. It really does make a difference to your sleep quality, dreams and restfulness.

[00:08:22] Number 12, surrounding yourself with steady, grounded, accepting people.

[00:08:26] Number 13, use a progressive relaxation technique. Again, you can look that up.

[00:08:32] Number 14, realizing that nothing is wrong now, that you're okay, and if possible, feeling grateful for what you do have: health, family, pets, a home. 

[00:08:44] In a world where one third of adults will grapple with disabling anxiety, and it's very much on the rise with children, this is a terrific time to retrain your brain.

[00:08:57] Anxiety is always present in burnout. It's almost endemic in many professions, but it doesn't have to be.

[00:09:03] So for you, you can help yourself.

[00:09:06] Anxiety can be tamed on a personal level and at a team level.

[00:09:11] A large part of burnout prevention, and recovery, and leadership growth, is learning to rebalance your emotions, trust yourself more deeply, and release the power and goodness of your own heart. The most potent force for good that you possess. I call this championing yourself, and this is what I teach my clients.

[00:09:35] When you reduce your own anxiety and release your positive emotions back into play, you're gonna open to connection and become a grounded resource for your team, an island of safety and sanity. And I very much wish that for you. Thank you for listening.