Category: Anxiety

How does stress harm both the body and the mind?

For many years now, medical doctors have been warning people of the dangers of poor stress management.

Many people still believe that stress doesn’t affect the body and it’s “just a state of mind.” What the majority of stressed individuals do not know is that the body’s natural stress response is mainly a physiological event.

This means that the effects of stress have never been limited to our minds. When a person is stressed, the whole body experiences it, too. So the idea that stress is essentially harmless because it’s somehow limited to our imagination is actually a dangerous belief.

Why? Because a person who experiences chronic stress for many, many years has a much higher risk of making health conditions such as high blood pressure worse. So if you want to be physically healthier, you have to understand how stress actually affects the body.

How does stress come about?

The modern stress model gives us a simple and clear explanation of how physiological stress is roused:

1st Phase: Mental and Emotional Triggers are Engaged. A person perceives an event, situation, action or idea as negative and stressful.

2nd Phase: Psychological Stress Engaged. If a person does not release their emotions and negative thinking, the present situation causes psychological stress.

3rd Phase: Physiological Stress or “Fight or Flight” Response. Unmitigated psychological stress often leads to actual, physiological stress.

When the instinctual “fight or flight” response comes into play, a person feels an immediate surge of adrenaline, which temporarily increases a person’s speed, strength and stamina.

A person’s breathing rate and pulse rate also increase in preparation for sudden, intense physical activity (e.g. running away from a real, physical danger).

Stress normally abates when the perceived threat or danger finally passes. Thousands of years ago, the instinctual “fight or flight” response was extremely useful for our hunter-gatherer ancestors as they had to battle wild animals, and each other, in pre-modern society.

Scientists believe that the stress adaptation came about because our ancestors were almost always exposed to threatening or dangerous situations.

What are the signs that a person is experiencing stress?

Below are some common physical symptoms that a person is experiencing stress:

1. Inexplicable exhaustion or fatigue
2. Acute headaches that have a tendency to disrupt work or chores at home
3. Shallow chest breathing
4. Increased heart rate even when the person is not performing strenuous or challenging physical activities
5. Minor muscular pain
6. Twitches
7. Facial tics
8. Hand and arm tremors
9. A general feeling of nervousness and anxiety
10. Insomnia
11. Oversleeping
12. Inexplicable perspiring of the hands and feet
13. Turning to different substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and even recreational drugs

The list of symptoms doesn’t stop there. Here is a breakdown of the mental symptoms associated with moderate to extreme stress:

1. Short temper
2. Feeling angry all the time
3. Inexplicable mood swings
4. Feeling of isolation and helplessness
5. Short term memory problems
6. General decrease in work productivity
7. Lowered sexual desire
8. Distracted thinking

The psychological signs of stress often manifest when a person has been under stress for a long period of time. These signs come about because the mind is trying to escape the stressful situation however it can.

This is one of the main reasons why stressed individuals are often less productive in the office.

Their minds are so sick of the prolonged stress response that their own thought patterns are preventing them from focusing on the things they have to do.

The same thing happens to university students who are overwhelmed with the nature and volume of work they have to complete to pass different course subjects.

How severe are stress-related symptoms in the general population?

In the United States alone, it is estimated that 90% of all physician visits are associated with symptoms related to chronic stress. It has also been estimated that on a monthly basis, 400 million people take medication to ease these symptoms.

Of course, we know now that medicating a stress-related symptom is a futile effort because you’re not addressing the main cause of the symptom – you’re just padding the symptom itself.

Now, it should be noted that the symptoms we discussed earlier may also be genuine signs of other health conditions (and not just stress). Consulting with your physician is still your best option if you experience symptoms such as racing heart rate or persistent headaches.

How does stress harm both the body and the mind?

For many years now, medical doctors have been warning people of the dangers of poor stress management.

Many people still believe that stress doesn’t affect the body and it’s “just a state of mind.” What the majority of stressed individuals do not know is that the body’s natural stress response is mainly a physiological event.

This means that the effects of stress have never been limited to our minds. When a person is stressed, the whole body experiences it, too. So the idea that stress is essentially harmless because it’s somehow limited to our imagination is actually a dangerous belief.

Why? Because a person who experiences chronic stress for many, many years has a much higher risk of making health conditions such as high blood pressure worse. So if you want to be physically healthier, you have to understand how stress actually affects the body.

How does stress come about?

The modern stress model gives us a simple and clear explanation of how physiological stress is roused:

1st Phase: Mental and Emotional Triggers are Engaged. A person perceives an event, situation, action or idea as negative and stressful.

2nd Phase: Psychological Stress Engaged. If a person does not release their emotions and negative thinking, the present situation causes psychological stress.

3rd Phase: Physiological Stress or “Fight or Flight” Response. Unmitigated psychological stress often leads to actual, physiological stress.

When the instinctual “fight or flight” response comes into play, a person feels an immediate surge of adrenaline, which temporarily increases a person’s speed, strength and stamina.

A person’s breathing rate and pulse rate also increase in preparation for sudden, intense physical activity (e.g. running away from a real, physical danger).

Stress normally abates when the perceived threat or danger finally passes. Thousands of years ago, the instinctual “fight or flight” response was extremely useful for our hunter-gatherer ancestors as they had to battle wild animals, and each other, in pre-modern society.

Scientists believe that the stress adaptation came about because our ancestors were almost always exposed to threatening or dangerous situations.

What are the signs that a person is experiencing stress?

Below are some common physical symptoms that a person is experiencing stress:

1. Inexplicable exhaustion or fatigue
2. Acute headaches that have a tendency to disrupt work or chores at home
3. Shallow chest breathing
4. Increased heart rate even when the person is not performing strenuous or challenging physical activities
5. Minor muscular pain
6. Twitches
7. Facial tics
8. Hand and arm tremors
9. A general feeling of nervousness and anxiety
10. Insomnia
11. Oversleeping
12. Inexplicable perspiring of the hands and feet
13. Turning to different substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and even recreational drugs

The list of symptoms doesn’t stop there. Here is a breakdown of the mental symptoms associated with moderate to extreme stress:

1. Short temper
2. Feeling angry all the time
3. Inexplicable mood swings
4. Feeling of isolation and helplessness
5. Short term memory problems
6. General decrease in work productivity
7. Lowered sexual desire
8. Distracted thinking

The psychological signs of stress often manifest when a person has been under stress for a long period of time. These signs come about because the mind is trying to escape the stressful situation however it can.

This is one of the main reasons why stressed individuals are often less productive in the office.

Their minds are so sick of the prolonged stress response that their own thought patterns are preventing them from focusing on the things they have to do.

The same thing happens to university students who are overwhelmed with the nature and volume of work they have to complete to pass different course subjects.

How severe are stress-related symptoms in the general population?

In the United States alone, it is estimated that 90% of all physician visits are associated with symptoms related to chronic stress. It has also been estimated that on a monthly basis, 400 million people take medication to ease these symptoms.

Of course, we know now that medicating a stress-related symptom is a futile effort because you’re not addressing the main cause of the symptom – you’re just padding the symptom itself.

Now, it should be noted that the symptoms we discussed earlier may also be genuine signs of other health conditions (and not just stress). Consulting with your physician is still your best option if you experience symptoms such as racing heart rate or persistent headaches.

Stress management is a term that can have many unsavory meanings. A lot of people are surprised by this idea, but the reality is that no one wants to actually manage their stress. They would far better prefer to find ways of alleviating it so that they can enjoy peaceful and content lifestyles and overall mood balance. Sadly, consumers often turn to pharmaceutical products in order to obtain this relief. These treatments do not resolve the underlying causes of chronic anxiety and stress and are instead, usually designed to mute the symptoms of these ailments only. Fortunately, there are a number of safe and effective ways to naturally improve your mindset and many of these strategies do not entail any uncomfortable side effects.

One of the best ways to limit stress and anxiety is to simply recognize that these emotions don’t work for you. They actually compound your problems by preventing you from taking action when you really should. It is hard to make clear and focused decisions that are actually to your benefit. People tend to freeze up when they feel anxious and can only watch their problems become worse.

The best advice for those who suffer from anxiety is to take care of the things that require action and to stop worrying about the things that they can’t change. Acceptance can make it easier to let things go or to simply be what they are. This mindset also allows people to learn from their mistakes so that they aren’t putting themselves in the same stressful circumstances further down the road.

Believe it or not, many of the physical feelings of stress and anxiety that people experience are actually a matter of choice. You have the power to control much of your own physiology. Thus, if your heart is constantly racing and your stomach feels like it’s in knots, these are things that you can consciously change.

Diaphragmatic breathing is a great practice for those who are living with an inordinate amount of stress. It is a simple, meditative practice that you can do anywhere. Simply sit back, close your eyes and place your hand on your abdomen. Breath in through your nose while using your diaphragm muscle, so that the intake of air causes your belly to push out. Hold your breath for ten seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth as your abdomen deflates.

Practicing diaphragmatic breathing for just ten minutes has been show to alter brain functioning and brain wave patterns. Not only will it make you feel calmer, but your body will respond in kind. Your heart rate will slow down and your stomach won’t be in knots.

If you feel a lot of stress, you should also stay away from stimulants. Stop drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages. Enter a smoking cessation program and limit your intake of refined sugars. Small changes like these really do make a difference.

Physical exercise is another great weapon in your arsenal against chronic anxiety and stress. Start taking daily walks or invest in a stationary bike. These activities will cause your body to release a flood of mood-boosting chemicals known as endorphins. You could also sign up for a yoga class. Yoga training fosters greater breath and body consciousness and will give you an increased ability to control and alleviate negative emotions.

Stress management is a term that can have many unsavory meanings. A lot of people are surprised by this idea, but the reality is that no one wants to actually manage their stress. They would far better prefer to find ways of alleviating it so that they can enjoy peaceful and content lifestyles and overall mood balance. Sadly, consumers often turn to pharmaceutical products in order to obtain this relief. These treatments do not resolve the underlying causes of chronic anxiety and stress and are instead, usually designed to mute the symptoms of these ailments only. Fortunately, there are a number of safe and effective ways to naturally improve your mindset and many of these strategies do not entail any uncomfortable side effects.

One of the best ways to limit stress and anxiety is to simply recognize that these emotions don’t work for you. They actually compound your problems by preventing you from taking action when you really should. It is hard to make clear and focused decisions that are actually to your benefit. People tend to freeze up when they feel anxious and can only watch their problems become worse.

The best advice for those who suffer from anxiety is to take care of the things that require action and to stop worrying about the things that they can’t change. Acceptance can make it easier to let things go or to simply be what they are. This mindset also allows people to learn from their mistakes so that they aren’t putting themselves in the same stressful circumstances further down the road.

Believe it or not, many of the physical feelings of stress and anxiety that people experience are actually a matter of choice. You have the power to control much of your own physiology. Thus, if your heart is constantly racing and your stomach feels like it’s in knots, these are things that you can consciously change.

Diaphragmatic breathing is a great practice for those who are living with an inordinate amount of stress. It is a simple, meditative practice that you can do anywhere. Simply sit back, close your eyes and place your hand on your abdomen. Breath in through your nose while using your diaphragm muscle, so that the intake of air causes your belly to push out. Hold your breath for ten seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth as your abdomen deflates.

Practicing diaphragmatic breathing for just ten minutes has been show to alter brain functioning and brain wave patterns. Not only will it make you feel calmer, but your body will respond in kind. Your heart rate will slow down and your stomach won’t be in knots.

If you feel a lot of stress, you should also stay away from stimulants. Stop drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages. Enter a smoking cessation program and limit your intake of refined sugars. Small changes like these really do make a difference.

Physical exercise is another great weapon in your arsenal against chronic anxiety and stress. Start taking daily walks or invest in a stationary bike. These activities will cause your body to release a flood of mood-boosting chemicals known as endorphins. You could also sign up for a yoga class. Yoga training fosters greater breath and body consciousness and will give you an increased ability to control and alleviate negative emotions.

I hear it over and over again: “I can’t network. I’m an introvert.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I don’t want to brag.” A lot of people don’t like networking, but the bulk of them seem to be introverts.

I’m an introvert, too, and I’m also an entrepreneur, having to teach myself along the way how to reach out and build that body of interested people who support and buy what I do. To make it even harder, I retired in California, moved back to Minneapolis, waited a few years, and then found I wanted to start a business in a city where I had no business contacts and only one friend (a nun).

Business coaches stymied me from the start, because they would start by saying: “First, send a warm letter to all of your friends, telling them what you’re doing and asking for their support.”

Oh. A fellow coach wailed that she only had 100 friends on her Christmas card list, and I was awed by her popularity. This was an exercise at which I never excelled, because my Christmas card list was five.

Introverts, whom I often call the “Quietly Brilliant,” are very likely to have one or two very deep friendships and a moderate number of pleasant acquaintances. This is dangerous for many reasons, among them the fact that those one or two deep relationships, whether professional or personal, can disappear in a wink of an eye, for such reasons as:

• You lose your job
• Your company moves and you don’t
• Your supportive boss – who really liked you – leaves
• Divorce – and your best friend disappears
• Marriage (of a friend who disappears into a different social circle)
• Your BFF is transferred or moves
• Death of a close friend or loved one
• You move! As I did.

And you are stricken, dealing with loss, and suddenly finding that you need to find some way to search for and find a replacement for that Very Important Person. Where do you go? How do you do it?

If you don’t have a plan and haven’t been practicing how to connect with others, the poorest time to start networking is when you are dealing with loss. So start practicing now.

Here’s my starting point for introverts who are “socially cautious”:

Step 1: Find friendly people with whom to connect. 
We introverts tend to look for reasons why it would be uncomfortable or even dangerous to approach other people. (Years of being told we’re too quiet, we should get out more, we should speak up, etc., have made us wary of other people and their potential disapproval and left us with the idea that we are somehow odd and unique. In fact, we’re over 50% of the population.)

Instead, try this simple exercise for a week or so: Suspend your sense of uniqueness and look for similarities between yourself and others. If they’re similar to you, how can they be so unapproachable?

For example, I am not a sports fan. Repeat, just N O T A S P O R T S fan. But because I was a ballet dancer, I can relate to how passionate someone can become about physical performance and competition. As I was growing up, I read every history book about ballet, and followed the careers of prominent dancers, so I can relate to how concerned someone can become about athletes, teams, their history and their current challenges. Therefore, I have a basis for conversation with someone I might have dismissed as too different. I can empathize with the thought of what an injury does to peak performance (of oneself or of an idol), how draining and humiliating defeat in an athletic arena can feel, and so on.

We don’t see a lot of friendly people out there because we haven’t believed it. We tend to think we are unique. But they are out there, just as anxious as we are, and wanting to share their enthusiasms but don’t, perhaps believing no one will understand.

Connecting personally with others is an important first step to setting up business connections that last.

Step 2: Reach out and empathize. Make a simple comment, not too personal but delivered with a smile, that shows you have some idea of what the other person is going through. For the clerk in a store: “It must be tiring lifting and scanning all those items every day.” For the deliveryman, “What a lovely day for an outdoor job,” or “This weather must really make your job harder.” Short contacts, no further interaction required (although you’ll be surprised at how often it triggers conversation).

Practice in these low-risk situations and it will become easier in situations where you really need to meet new people.

Step 3: Spread your thanks around as if they were fertilizer (because they are). Ditto for compliments.

Park the perfectionism you probably have as an introvert: keep it for serious stuff, such as your income tax return, operating heavy equipment, or doing brain surgery. It doesn’t belong in human relationships. Be forgiving and empathize with little mistakes if they are not too serious.

Thank the person who stops to hold the door open for you, pauses to let you enter a line of traffic, the clerk who discovers you didn’t take your small change or points out an even greater bargain than what you have selected, the person who asks about your recent health issue – all of these people deserve thanks for their consideration.

Try thanking a co-worker who completes a routine job for which he or she is paid. You may believe it’s simply their duty, but anyone can become fatigued doing their duty day after day and being taken for granted.

Interestingly enough, being thankful openly makes it easier to point out those little mistakes others have made. You are beginning to develop “social capital.”

These are the preliminary steps to becoming a socially confident networker; there are many more. But if you can’t recognize how important this process is, and how easy it is, once you know the right steps, you will never start.

With networking, you can develop social capital, a bank account of good will on which you can draw, but into which you must make deposits. Social capital can bring you:

• Help and moral support when you need it.
• Increased inter- & intra-departmental collaboration at work.
• New business.
• A promotion or new job.
• Opportunities – more than you ever dreamed of in more areas than you now recognize.
• … not to mention the increased warmth and ease you will feel in numerous social settings.

Networking is something we do – or don’t do – all day long. When you discover that not networking takes at least as much energy as actually doing it (not knowing where to go for help or resources, dealing with anxiety over replacing a loss, and more) you are on the path to an expanded future. Because networking is a journey, not an action.

I hear it over and over again: “I can’t network. I’m an introvert.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I don’t want to brag.” A lot of people don’t like networking, but the bulk of them seem to be introverts.

I’m an introvert, too, and I’m also an entrepreneur, having to teach myself along the way how to reach out and build that body of interested people who support and buy what I do. To make it even harder, I retired in California, moved back to Minneapolis, waited a few years, and then found I wanted to start a business in a city where I had no business contacts and only one friend (a nun).

Business coaches stymied me from the start, because they would start by saying: “First, send a warm letter to all of your friends, telling them what you’re doing and asking for their support.”

Oh. A fellow coach wailed that she only had 100 friends on her Christmas card list, and I was awed by her popularity. This was an exercise at which I never excelled, because my Christmas card list was five.

Introverts, whom I often call the “Quietly Brilliant,” are very likely to have one or two very deep friendships and a moderate number of pleasant acquaintances. This is dangerous for many reasons, among them the fact that those one or two deep relationships, whether professional or personal, can disappear in a wink of an eye, for such reasons as:

• You lose your job
• Your company moves and you don’t
• Your supportive boss – who really liked you – leaves
• Divorce – and your best friend disappears
• Marriage (of a friend who disappears into a different social circle)
• Your BFF is transferred or moves
• Death of a close friend or loved one
• You move! As I did.

And you are stricken, dealing with loss, and suddenly finding that you need to find some way to search for and find a replacement for that Very Important Person. Where do you go? How do you do it?

If you don’t have a plan and haven’t been practicing how to connect with others, the poorest time to start networking is when you are dealing with loss. So start practicing now.

Here’s my starting point for introverts who are “socially cautious”:

Step 1: Find friendly people with whom to connect. 
We introverts tend to look for reasons why it would be uncomfortable or even dangerous to approach other people. (Years of being told we’re too quiet, we should get out more, we should speak up, etc., have made us wary of other people and their potential disapproval and left us with the idea that we are somehow odd and unique. In fact, we’re over 50% of the population.)

Instead, try this simple exercise for a week or so: Suspend your sense of uniqueness and look for similarities between yourself and others. If they’re similar to you, how can they be so unapproachable?

For example, I am not a sports fan. Repeat, just N O T A S P O R T S fan. But because I was a ballet dancer, I can relate to how passionate someone can become about physical performance and competition. As I was growing up, I read every history book about ballet, and followed the careers of prominent dancers, so I can relate to how concerned someone can become about athletes, teams, their history and their current challenges. Therefore, I have a basis for conversation with someone I might have dismissed as too different. I can empathize with the thought of what an injury does to peak performance (of oneself or of an idol), how draining and humiliating defeat in an athletic arena can feel, and so on.

We don’t see a lot of friendly people out there because we haven’t believed it. We tend to think we are unique. But they are out there, just as anxious as we are, and wanting to share their enthusiasms but don’t, perhaps believing no one will understand.

Connecting personally with others is an important first step to setting up business connections that last.

Step 2: Reach out and empathize. Make a simple comment, not too personal but delivered with a smile, that shows you have some idea of what the other person is going through. For the clerk in a store: “It must be tiring lifting and scanning all those items every day.” For the deliveryman, “What a lovely day for an outdoor job,” or “This weather must really make your job harder.” Short contacts, no further interaction required (although you’ll be surprised at how often it triggers conversation).

Practice in these low-risk situations and it will become easier in situations where you really need to meet new people.

Step 3: Spread your thanks around as if they were fertilizer (because they are). Ditto for compliments.

Park the perfectionism you probably have as an introvert: keep it for serious stuff, such as your income tax return, operating heavy equipment, or doing brain surgery. It doesn’t belong in human relationships. Be forgiving and empathize with little mistakes if they are not too serious.

Thank the person who stops to hold the door open for you, pauses to let you enter a line of traffic, the clerk who discovers you didn’t take your small change or points out an even greater bargain than what you have selected, the person who asks about your recent health issue – all of these people deserve thanks for their consideration.

Try thanking a co-worker who completes a routine job for which he or she is paid. You may believe it’s simply their duty, but anyone can become fatigued doing their duty day after day and being taken for granted.

Interestingly enough, being thankful openly makes it easier to point out those little mistakes others have made. You are beginning to develop “social capital.”

These are the preliminary steps to becoming a socially confident networker; there are many more. But if you can’t recognize how important this process is, and how easy it is, once you know the right steps, you will never start.

With networking, you can develop social capital, a bank account of good will on which you can draw, but into which you must make deposits. Social capital can bring you:

• Help and moral support when you need it.
• Increased inter- & intra-departmental collaboration at work.
• New business.
• A promotion or new job.
• Opportunities – more than you ever dreamed of in more areas than you now recognize.
• … not to mention the increased warmth and ease you will feel in numerous social settings.

Networking is something we do – or don’t do – all day long. When you discover that not networking takes at least as much energy as actually doing it (not knowing where to go for help or resources, dealing with anxiety over replacing a loss, and more) you are on the path to an expanded future. Because networking is a journey, not an action.

Imagine you’re driving through the countryside on a beautiful day, but your car isn’t working. The gears keep getting stuck, and the gas pedal is jammed down.
It’s pretty scary. When you can’t shift gears, you can’t respond well to the bumps (or the boulders) in the road. So instead of enjoying the scenery, you’re constantly focused on what might go wrong and how you can prevent it.

That’s what anxiety was like for Antony. When he first sat down in my office, he looked calm. But his heart was pounding. His shoulders were tense and his stomach in knots. He had a mild headache, as he did almost every day, and he felt a little dizzy. And those were just the physical symptoms. His emotions and thoughts were out of control too. His doctor said that medically, he was fine.

Antony isn’t alone. Almost 20% of people in the U.S. struggle with anxiety every year, and it affects work, relationships, parenting, and inner peace.
For Antony, the problem was finding work. He was looking for a new job and wanted to nail his interviews, but at that point he could barely get through the day.

Neurofeedback for Anxiety

Here’s a key: stressful events are not the source of anxiety. It wasn’t the job search per se that was creating Antony’s anxiety. The job search was a challenge, but our brains are designed to rise to a challenge, and then get back to calm.
The problem was this: Antony’s brain was stuck on full-throttle – just like the gas pedal on the bumpy country road.

Neurofeedback for anxiety works directly with the brain’s regulating system to change your response to stressful events. In the process, you can learn to reduce and even eliminate anxiety.

The process is simple. You watch a video, which brightens and dims in response to your brainwaves. With feedback your brain can make a shift from worried to calm, often in the very first session. Antony rated his anxiety as an 8 out of 10 when he arrived. At the end of the first session he rated it a 3, and by the end of the second a 0.

To create lasting change, Antony continued with neurofeedback until the anxiety stayed low – even when something upsetting happened.

A Fast Approach for Anxiety Relief

Neurofeedback for anxiety is one of the most effective approaches I’ve found for calming the busy brain. Most people experience a noticeable calming in the first session, and a significant shift in symptoms in the first 5 to 10 sessions. Antony’s results are typical – about 85% of the clients I work with have experienced similar results.

Isabel, a professional in her forties, shifted from an erratic sleep schedule of 5 hours per night to a steady 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Teresa, a college junior, felt so frozen by text anxiety that her grades were dropping fast. With neurofeedback for anxiety, she steadily improved and regained B’s in all her classes.

Peter, who had a high pressure sales job, found that neurofeedback for anxiety significantly improved his focus, concentration, memory, and overall work performance.

For each of these people, neurofeedback for anxiety helped them reduce or end their anxiety.

A New Sense of Calm

It worked for Antony. After a few months, he could maintain a new sense of calm both in and out of sessions. His job interviews felt like fun, and he landed his top choice job.

Remember the stuck gears and the faulty gas pedal? Now imagine what it would be like to repair the car. Remember, your brain in its natural state is designed to rise to challenges. Neurofeedback can help you learn to regulate your brain once again, so you’re not so focused on avoiding obstacles… and you can enjoy the beautiful spring afternoon.

* * *

Research on Neurofeedback for Anxiety

According to Joel Lubar, PhD at the University of Tennessee, “Neurofeedback treatment for many disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety… and has been shown to be highly effective with long term lasting results. There are hundreds of published studies and several books demonstrating this.”

If you’re interested in these studies, here are a few resources to get you started. Together they show that neurofeedback for anxiety is an “evidence-based and… efficacious treatment” (Hammond). The research addresses generalized anxiety disorder, worry, phobias, panic attacks, and PTSD.

Here’s the list:

-In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk discusses neurofeedback and other body-based approaches to reducing anxiety and other effects of trauma by “rearranging the brain’s wiring.”

-Seburn Fisher demonstrates the effectiveness of neurofeedback for anxiety and developmental trauma in her recent book, Calming the Fear-Driven Brain.

-Egner and Gruzelier studied the effect of neurofeedback for anxiety related to performance for elite musicians at the London College of Music. Neurofeedback was compared with the effect of exercise, mental rehearsal, and the Alexander Technique. They found that “only the… Neurofeedback group resulted in enhancement of real-life musical performance under stress.”

-Garrett and Silver found that neurofeedback for anxiety helped college students with text anxiety. The study was randomized with two controls (one group received a different treatment, and one no treatment).

-Moore reviewed the literature on anxiety in 2000, and found that 7 of the 8 studies published at that time showed a significant reduction in anxiety.

Imagine you’re driving through the countryside on a beautiful day, but your car isn’t working. The gears keep getting stuck, and the gas pedal is jammed down.
It’s pretty scary. When you can’t shift gears, you can’t respond well to the bumps (or the boulders) in the road. So instead of enjoying the scenery, you’re constantly focused on what might go wrong and how you can prevent it.

That’s what anxiety was like for Antony. When he first sat down in my office, he looked calm. But his heart was pounding. His shoulders were tense and his stomach in knots. He had a mild headache, as he did almost every day, and he felt a little dizzy. And those were just the physical symptoms. His emotions and thoughts were out of control too. His doctor said that medically, he was fine.

Antony isn’t alone. Almost 20% of people in the U.S. struggle with anxiety every year, and it affects work, relationships, parenting, and inner peace.
For Antony, the problem was finding work. He was looking for a new job and wanted to nail his interviews, but at that point he could barely get through the day.

Neurofeedback for Anxiety

Here’s a key: stressful events are not the source of anxiety. It wasn’t the job search per se that was creating Antony’s anxiety. The job search was a challenge, but our brains are designed to rise to a challenge, and then get back to calm.
The problem was this: Antony’s brain was stuck on full-throttle – just like the gas pedal on the bumpy country road.

Neurofeedback for anxiety works directly with the brain’s regulating system to change your response to stressful events. In the process, you can learn to reduce and even eliminate anxiety.

The process is simple. You watch a video, which brightens and dims in response to your brainwaves. With feedback your brain can make a shift from worried to calm, often in the very first session. Antony rated his anxiety as an 8 out of 10 when he arrived. At the end of the first session he rated it a 3, and by the end of the second a 0.

To create lasting change, Antony continued with neurofeedback until the anxiety stayed low – even when something upsetting happened.

A Fast Approach for Anxiety Relief

Neurofeedback for anxiety is one of the most effective approaches I’ve found for calming the busy brain. Most people experience a noticeable calming in the first session, and a significant shift in symptoms in the first 5 to 10 sessions. Antony’s results are typical – about 85% of the clients I work with have experienced similar results.

Isabel, a professional in her forties, shifted from an erratic sleep schedule of 5 hours per night to a steady 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Teresa, a college junior, felt so frozen by text anxiety that her grades were dropping fast. With neurofeedback for anxiety, she steadily improved and regained B’s in all her classes.

Peter, who had a high pressure sales job, found that neurofeedback for anxiety significantly improved his focus, concentration, memory, and overall work performance.

For each of these people, neurofeedback for anxiety helped them reduce or end their anxiety.

A New Sense of Calm

It worked for Antony. After a few months, he could maintain a new sense of calm both in and out of sessions. His job interviews felt like fun, and he landed his top choice job.

Remember the stuck gears and the faulty gas pedal? Now imagine what it would be like to repair the car. Remember, your brain in its natural state is designed to rise to challenges. Neurofeedback can help you learn to regulate your brain once again, so you’re not so focused on avoiding obstacles… and you can enjoy the beautiful spring afternoon.

* * *

Research on Neurofeedback for Anxiety

According to Joel Lubar, PhD at the University of Tennessee, “Neurofeedback treatment for many disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety… and has been shown to be highly effective with long term lasting results. There are hundreds of published studies and several books demonstrating this.”

If you’re interested in these studies, here are a few resources to get you started. Together they show that neurofeedback for anxiety is an “evidence-based and… efficacious treatment” (Hammond). The research addresses generalized anxiety disorder, worry, phobias, panic attacks, and PTSD.

Here’s the list:

-In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk discusses neurofeedback and other body-based approaches to reducing anxiety and other effects of trauma by “rearranging the brain’s wiring.”

-Seburn Fisher demonstrates the effectiveness of neurofeedback for anxiety and developmental trauma in her recent book, Calming the Fear-Driven Brain.

-Egner and Gruzelier studied the effect of neurofeedback for anxiety related to performance for elite musicians at the London College of Music. Neurofeedback was compared with the effect of exercise, mental rehearsal, and the Alexander Technique. They found that “only the… Neurofeedback group resulted in enhancement of real-life musical performance under stress.”

-Garrett and Silver found that neurofeedback for anxiety helped college students with text anxiety. The study was randomized with two controls (one group received a different treatment, and one no treatment).

-Moore reviewed the literature on anxiety in 2000, and found that 7 of the 8 studies published at that time showed a significant reduction in anxiety.

Anxiety is part of the human condition. Search for somebody that never ever feels anxiety. Some individuals are more resistant to stress and anxiety than others, but everyone can reinforce their capability to manage anxious sensations. Establishing a high level of anxiety is a learned ability. Reducing stress and anxiety is an ability, too.

The crucial factor to managing anxiety is to begin reducing it as soon as possible after it hits you. The more it develops, the more challenging it is to manage.

Deal with anxiety rapidly and easily:

1. Break your day into small pieces. Just worry about the percentage of time in front of you. If you’re sitting in a conference at 9:00 AM, there’s no need to fret about how you’re going to pay the electric bill or exactly what you’re going to have for dinner. Take the day a minute at time and keep your interest on that minute.

2. Create a mantra and utilize it. Have a positive and uplifting phrase you repeat to yourself. You’ll eventually begin to think it and you’ll obstruct any negative self-talk.

” I’m happy with the ability to manage any circumstance.”

” My life is filled with joy and positive energy.”

3. Workout. The quickest way to relieve anxiety is to work out enough to sweat. A casual walk is better than nothing, but to get the greatest benefit, it’s necessary to get your heart beating hard.

4. Utilize distractions. Distractions never ever fix the underlying problem, but can supply relief. See a movie, play cards, or do a crossword. Hang out with a friend. Give yourself a break and put your focus in other places.

5. Keep going. Anxiety occurs since some part of your brain is attempting to stop you from doing something about it. It has learned that it can control you by making you feel miserable. You can reduce the anxiety you feel by plowing ahead. Your brain will learn that making you feel anxious does not work.

6. Give yourself 20 minutes to fret and worry each day. Schedule your worry time. You’ll find yourself less inclined to fret throughout the other 23-plus hours of the day.

7. Change your environment. Leave your existing environment and provide yourself a change of scenery. Go to the park or invest some time at the coffee shop. Spend an hour window shopping. Shake things up a bit.

8. Hang out with your pet. If you have a pet, you know how reassuring they can be. Rest on the floor and have a heart-to-heart with your pet. How could you not feel better?

9. Write in a journal. Get your anxiety out of your head and down on paper. There’s something cathartic about writing when you’re stressed out. Make a habit of writing about your life each day.

10. Discover the best aroma. The right scent can be relaxing. Travel to the candle store and find something that makes you feel excellent when you smell it. Or check out some of the aromatherapy oils at your local health store.

11. Find a hobby that requires concentration. It could be chess, playing the piano, or knitting. It doesn’t matter what the pastime is as long as you enjoy it and it requires your complete attention. It can be a fantastic way to invest your down time.

12. Envision. Envision something positive. Fantasize about Maui or keep in mind a favorable experience from the past. Imagine your perfect day.

Dealing with stress and anxiety is necessary. Effective individuals are successful due to their ability to handle stress and anxiety effectively. When you feel fear begin to build, deal with it instantly. A high level of anxiety is very difficult to manage. Develop a list of methods that can be carried out rapidly when stress and anxiety first appear.

Anxiety is part of the human condition. Search for somebody that never ever feels anxiety. Some individuals are more resistant to stress and anxiety than others, but everyone can reinforce their capability to manage anxious sensations. Establishing a high level of anxiety is a learned ability. Reducing stress and anxiety is an ability, too.

The crucial factor to managing anxiety is to begin reducing it as soon as possible after it hits you. The more it develops, the more challenging it is to manage.

Deal with anxiety rapidly and easily:

1. Break your day into small pieces. Just worry about the percentage of time in front of you. If you’re sitting in a conference at 9:00 AM, there’s no need to fret about how you’re going to pay the electric bill or exactly what you’re going to have for dinner. Take the day a minute at time and keep your interest on that minute.

2. Create a mantra and utilize it. Have a positive and uplifting phrase you repeat to yourself. You’ll eventually begin to think it and you’ll obstruct any negative self-talk.

” I’m happy with the ability to manage any circumstance.”

” My life is filled with joy and positive energy.”

3. Workout. The quickest way to relieve anxiety is to work out enough to sweat. A casual walk is better than nothing, but to get the greatest benefit, it’s necessary to get your heart beating hard.

4. Utilize distractions. Distractions never ever fix the underlying problem, but can supply relief. See a movie, play cards, or do a crossword. Hang out with a friend. Give yourself a break and put your focus in other places.

5. Keep going. Anxiety occurs since some part of your brain is attempting to stop you from doing something about it. It has learned that it can control you by making you feel miserable. You can reduce the anxiety you feel by plowing ahead. Your brain will learn that making you feel anxious does not work.

6. Give yourself 20 minutes to fret and worry each day. Schedule your worry time. You’ll find yourself less inclined to fret throughout the other 23-plus hours of the day.

7. Change your environment. Leave your existing environment and provide yourself a change of scenery. Go to the park or invest some time at the coffee shop. Spend an hour window shopping. Shake things up a bit.

8. Hang out with your pet. If you have a pet, you know how reassuring they can be. Rest on the floor and have a heart-to-heart with your pet. How could you not feel better?

9. Write in a journal. Get your anxiety out of your head and down on paper. There’s something cathartic about writing when you’re stressed out. Make a habit of writing about your life each day.

10. Discover the best aroma. The right scent can be relaxing. Travel to the candle store and find something that makes you feel excellent when you smell it. Or check out some of the aromatherapy oils at your local health store.

11. Find a hobby that requires concentration. It could be chess, playing the piano, or knitting. It doesn’t matter what the pastime is as long as you enjoy it and it requires your complete attention. It can be a fantastic way to invest your down time.

12. Envision. Envision something positive. Fantasize about Maui or keep in mind a favorable experience from the past. Imagine your perfect day.

Dealing with stress and anxiety is necessary. Effective individuals are successful due to their ability to handle stress and anxiety effectively. When you feel fear begin to build, deal with it instantly. A high level of anxiety is very difficult to manage. Develop a list of methods that can be carried out rapidly when stress and anxiety first appear.