1297: Classic ACP Calm Anxiety By Building Adaptibility

In today's episode, Gina discusses the distinction between parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and how to use our understanding of these systems to help us regulate our response to stress and anxiety provoking circumstances. Gina identifies a number of symptoms associated with our sympathetic nervous system response as well as methods to get us back to our peaceful, rest and digest state.

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Learn more about anxiety What is anxiety?

Free Guided Meditation for Calming Your Anxious Mind 10-Minute Body-Scan Meditation for Anxiety

Quote:

True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed.

-Tom Robbins

Chapters

0:27 Calm Anxiety Through Adaptability

2:56 Understanding the Fear Cycle

6:15 Building Resilience and Flexibility

9:25 Coping With Chronic Stress

12:05 Making Time for Meditation

14:47 Closing Thoughts and Today’s Quote

Summary

This episode we discuss how anxiety can keep us in a cycle of fear and fight-or-flight, including the worry that physical sensations will return. We describe common responses such as a racing heart, sweating, shallow breathing, muscle tightness, trembling, tingling, and difficulty sleeping. These reactions are part of the body’s normal stress response, and becoming afraid of them can keep the cycle going.We talk about building adaptability by strengthening our resilience to internal and external stress. 

Our capacity can be affected by both acute stress, which comes and goes, and chronic stress that offers little relief. Ongoing responsibilities, such as caregiving, can make it especially difficult to recover and regain a sense of balance.We discuss making small, regular opportunities to rest and catch our breath, particularly when we cannot change a stressful situation. 

Meditation can help us se