Author: Alex Gheorghe

When we are anxious/worried our body automatically triggers its stress response (or “fight or flight”). This our body’s natural reaction system and has evolutionarily been beneficial in something very key… helping us stay alive! Our stress response includes physical and thought responses to our perception of an event or situation.

As humans, we welcome predictability and when we feel a significant lack of control, our body can initiate this “survival mode.” When we spend a lot of time in survival mode, the chronic stress can have a negative impact on our mind and body. You may experience tension in your muscles, difficulty sleeping/eating or engaging in day-to-day activities. As someone who has experienced this first-hand, I know how scary and debilitating this experience can be. Feeling like we are trapped by our thoughts and unable to break out of this cycle can leave us feeling helpless and frustrated. It’s important not to be hard on ourselves though.

When it comes to managing stress and anxiety (especially in today’s uncertain situations), knowledge is power because knowledge brings with it some predictability. Understanding the reasons behind your behaviour and emotional response are important – most of us aren’t born anxious! Once we better understand what is causing us to feel this way, we can work on developing effective/individualized strategies to combat these maladaptive behaviours. Once I had some insight into what was causing my anxiety, I could better develop strategies to cope with it.

That being said, it’s not so much about being “cured” from the anxiety, but finding ways to manage throughout the rest of your life. Stressful events are happening and they will continue to happen for the rest of our lives. It’s how we cope with them that determines our well-being and quality of life. I am a firm believer that brains can be trained!

Message me to learn more and book a session today! Stay safe everyone.