{"id":152207,"date":"2024-03-03T14:56:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-03T19:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/archives\/152207"},"modified":"2024-03-03T14:56:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T19:56:44","slug":"9-tips-for-rewiring-the-anxious-brain-cognitive-behavioral-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/archives\/152207","title":{"rendered":"9 Tips for Rewiring the Anxious Brain | Cognitive Behavioral Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SHksvBpVSkk<\/div>Unlimited CEUs are available for $59 at AllCEUs.com\/Anxiety-CEU hey there everybody and welcome to this\u00a0 presentation on nine tips to rewire your\u00a0\u00a0 anxious brain i’m your host dr dawn elise snipes\u00a0 in this presentation we’re going to start by\u00a0\u00a000:00:13<\/a>understanding a little bit more about what\u00a0 anxiety is then we’ll talk about the influence\u00a0\u00a0 of experience and the stress response and we’ll\u00a0 finish up by identifying those rewiring strategies anxiety is an emotional label we apply\u00a0 to a particular set of physical reactions\u00a0\u00a000:00:35<\/a>like rapid breathing and increased heart rate\u00a0 that can be triggered by a variety of things\u00a0\u00a0 phys physical stress like exercise can trigger\u00a0 the hpa axis which is our stress response system\u00a0\u00a0 threat can also trigger the hpa axis\u00a0 our cognitions or our thoughts can also\u00a0\u00a000:00:59<\/a>trigger this physiological reaction if we\u00a0 tell ourselves there’s a impending danger\u00a0\u00a0 then it’s going to trigger that fight-or-flight\u00a0 reaction relationship dynamics are another example\u00a0\u00a0 of something that can trigger a stress response\u00a0 if someone starts interacting with you in a way\u00a0\u00a000:01:23<\/a>that reminds you of an unpleasant interaction in\u00a0 the past it’ll trigger that memory and your brain\u00a0\u00a0 may respond with activating that stress response\u00a0 system anxiety is an emotion it is there to help\u00a0\u00a0 protect us the fight-or-flight system the anger\u00a0 and anxiety are designed to give us energy to\u00a0\u00a000:01:50<\/a>tell us that there might be a threat not that\u00a0 there is a threat so this fight or flight system\u00a0\u00a0 is designed to help us survive it’s designed like\u00a0 a fire alarm to alert us to the fact that there\u00a0\u00a0 might be a problem and i know i already said that\u00a0 but it bears repeating anxiety is a feeling which\u00a0\u00a000:02:14<\/a>may or may not be based on accurate facts feelings\u00a0 are not facts feelings tell us to check the facts when you experience something that causes anxiety\u00a0 your brain encodes it as a threat so think about\u00a0\u00a0 if you are walking down the street and an\u00a0 aggressive dog just runs up to the fence and\u00a0\u00a000:02:39<\/a>starts barking like crazy well if that’s your\u00a0 first experience with a dog or if you felt too\u00a0\u00a0 threatened then your brain is going to encode\u00a0 that and it’s going to make it really prominent\u00a0\u00a0 high winds are another example that i’ll use\u00a0 throughout this presentation we live on a farm\u00a0\u00a000:02:58<\/a>and we’ve had occasions where the winds have\u00a0 gotten so high that is not that it has knocked\u00a0\u00a0 down significant portions of our fence which not\u00a0 only is inconvenient but it means the animals can\u00a0\u00a0 escape and it is not a cheap endeavor in order to\u00a0 repair the fence so whenever we have high winds\u00a0\u00a000:03:22<\/a>there’s a part of me that may get a\u00a0 little bit anxious that oh my gosh\u00a0\u00a0 i hope it doesn’t blow down the fence so we’ll\u00a0 talk about how i’ve dealt with that over the years\u00a0\u00a0 it’s important to remember that in order to\u00a0 protect us your brain gives more weight or\u00a0\u00a000:03:39<\/a>more prominently displays information about\u00a0 threats so instead of remembering the 15\u00a0\u00a0 nice dogs that you’ve met in your life it’s\u00a0 going to remind you of that one aggressive dog\u00a0\u00a0 or instead of remembering the 50 times that we had\u00a0 a storm come through that there was no damage my\u00a0\u00a000:04:02<\/a>brain as soon as the wind starts picking up goes\u00a0 to that one time well actually three times but\u00a0\u00a0 whatever those few times that the fence blew down\u00a0 so probability is that nothing bad is going to\u00a0\u00a0 happen but my brain focuses on those distressful\u00a0 events because it’s trying to keep me safe00:04:28<\/a>when your brain perceives a threat based on\u00a0 prior experience or lack of experience so if\u00a0\u00a0 you’ve never encountered a situation\u00a0 many times that’s going to trigger a\u00a0\u00a0 feeling of anxiety in you because your brain’s\u00a0 like i’ve got no data i don’t know what to expect\u00a0\u00a000:04:46<\/a>so it could be bad it could be good but let’s just\u00a0 err on the side of caution and be a little anxious\u00a0\u00a0 so it triggers the hpa axis which causes your\u00a0 body to drop dump adrenaline we know that that’s\u00a0\u00a0 stimulating norepinephrine and glutamate those are\u00a0 also stimulating and all of those things um work\u00a0\u00a000:05:07<\/a>together as well as uh your thyroid causing\u00a0 blood sugar to be dumped into the system to\u00a0\u00a0 create that feeling of anxiety when we are anxious\u00a0 when our fight-or-flight system has kicked off\u00a0\u00a0 i mentioned earlier our heart rate increases our\u00a0 breathing increases our gi tract says you know\u00a0\u00a000:05:33<\/a>it’s not the time to rest and digest so let’s\u00a0 clear out the system so a lot of times we get\u00a0\u00a0 stomach cramps or an uncomfortable feeling in\u00a0 our belly all of that is just a normal reaction\u00a0\u00a0 to our body getting prepared in case we need\u00a0 to fight or flee but we assume that since we’re\u00a0\u00a000:05:57<\/a>feeling that way then there must be a problem and\u00a0 we’ll talk about emotional reasoning in a minute\u00a0\u00a0 when we have this physical\u00a0 reaction we start feeling\u00a0\u00a0 anxious thoughts about our ability to keep\u00a0 ourselves safe and to cope with the situation\u00a0\u00a000:06:15<\/a>can really affect whether it spirals and gets\u00a0 worse into a panic attack or we’re able to cope\u00a0\u00a0 with it so if we start feeling anxious and we\u00a0 believe that oh my gosh i’m feeling anxious this\u00a0\u00a0 is going to be out of control i’m going to feel\u00a0 overwhelmed i’m powerless over these feelings\u00a0\u00a000:06:36<\/a>then we’re going to have increased anxiety which\u00a0 is going to cause more adrenaline more glutamate\u00a0\u00a0 more blood sugar to be dumped because our our\u00a0 body’s going ooh there must be a big problem\u00a0\u00a0 if our feel thoughts on the other hand are\u00a0 that of safety curiosity and empowerment\u00a0\u00a000:06:56<\/a>i’m looking around i recognize that i’m pretty\u00a0 safe and i think i can handle whatever life\u00a0\u00a0 throws at me okay so let me get curious i wonder\u00a0 why i’m feeling pinky right now i wonder why i’m\u00a0\u00a0 feeling anxious right now so let me explore it\u00a0 so i can figure out how to handle it that’s the\u00a0\u00a000:07:16<\/a>empowerment part well when we approach a situation\u00a0 like that then it promotes functional responding\u00a0\u00a0 we can assess the situation accurately and\u00a0 decide is this something i need to address\u00a0\u00a0 or can i turn on that rest and digest\u00a0 and down regulate my stress response00:07:41<\/a>all right easier said than done so\u00a0 when we talk about rewiring the brain\u00a0\u00a0 it’s important to start out with mindfulness and\u00a0 i know we talk about mindfulness a lot but it’s so\u00a0\u00a0 important when you’re on autopilot then your brain\u00a0 is just pulling from data that it already has\u00a0\u00a000:07:59<\/a>and not taking into account anything in the\u00a0 present mindfulness encourages us to become\u00a0\u00a0 aware of things we become mindful of what\u00a0 i call our pacer triggers for anxiety that\u00a0\u00a0 means our physical triggers for anxiety when\u00a0 i feel a particular way for example if you’ve\u00a0\u00a000:08:19<\/a>got health anxiety then maybe if you have start\u00a0 having pain that triggers anxiety in you okay\u00a0\u00a0 write it down what other physical sensations may\u00a0 trigger anxiety in you maybe when your blood sugar\u00a0\u00a0 starts to get low you start to get really shaky\u00a0 and you can’t necessarily differentiate that from\u00a0\u00a000:08:43<\/a>a panic attack so you assume that if you’re shaky\u00a0 it must mean a panic attack so write down shaky\u00a0\u00a0 that’s a trigger for anxiety um some people\u00a0 tend to be more anxious in certain situations\u00a0\u00a0 when they have certain feelings if they feel\u00a0 angry that also may trigger their anxiety in other\u00a0\u00a000:09:08<\/a>videos we’ve talked about that as dirty discomfort\u00a0 because we rarely have one isolated feeling\u00a0\u00a0 so if we get angry we may feel anxious that people\u00a0 are going to get angry with us because we got\u00a0\u00a0 angry or if we feel depressed it may trigger our\u00a0 anxiety that we’re never going to feel any better\u00a0\u00a000:09:30<\/a>so what feelings what affects trigger your anxiety\u00a0 and then cognitive what thoughts trigger your\u00a0\u00a0 anxiety when you’re having an anxious moment\u00a0 what are you telling yourself and sometimes\u00a0\u00a0 you may not be aware of these right now so the\u00a0 first part of rewiring your brain is starting\u00a0\u00a000:09:51<\/a>to become mindful and become aware when i’m\u00a0 feeling anxious what am i telling myself\u00a0\u00a0 when i’m feeling anxious what in the\u00a0 environment might be triggering my anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 in the book the body keeps the score but um vessel\u00a0 vander kulk talks about how a lot of times when\u00a0\u00a000:10:13<\/a>we’ve experienced trauma we may re-experience\u00a0 it not as a thought so much as a reaction\u00a0\u00a0 so if there are stimuli in the environment\u00a0 sites smart smells sounds in the environment\u00a0\u00a0 that remind you of a past trauma it may trigger\u00a0 your anxiety and you may have that anxious\u00a0\u00a000:10:36<\/a>reaction and you don’t know where it’s coming from\u00a0 it’s like oh i really don’t like how i’m feeling\u00a0\u00a0 and i don’t know why i’m feeling anxiety i’m\u00a0 looking around and objectively everything’s fine\u00a0\u00a0 so it’ll be important to be aware of triggers\u00a0 in your environment and start becoming aware of\u00a0\u00a000:10:54<\/a>things that trigger reactions from the past so you\u00a0 can process that and recognize in the present are\u00a0\u00a0 you safe and and not even necessarily related to\u00a0 trauma i remember one of the places i worked was\u00a0\u00a0 the walls were kind of this pukey blue green color\u00a0 and it felt very institutional and it felt very\u00a0\u00a000:11:26<\/a>depressing and overly rigid and it\u00a0 felt uncomfortable to be in there and\u00a0\u00a0 i couldn’t exactly tell you why and\u00a0 to this day i can’t exactly tell you\u00a0\u00a0 why that color paint and the um environment\u00a0 in that particular building triggered that\u00a0\u00a000:11:48<\/a>feeling but it did and i recognized that\u00a0 when i started when i see that color\u00a0\u00a0 it triggers a emotional reaction in me it’s\u00a0 not anxiety but people may have similar\u00a0\u00a0 reactions when they see particular colors\u00a0 or environments and relationally what people\u00a0\u00a000:12:10<\/a>or interpersonal behaviors trigger anxiety in you\u00a0 maybe particular people that you’ve interacted\u00a0\u00a0 with may trigger anxiety but also people that\u00a0 look like those people can trigger anxiety in\u00a0\u00a0 you and it’s important to note that it could\u00a0 be that they look physically like that person\u00a0\u00a000:12:33<\/a>or it could be that they are in a similar\u00a0 role so maybe all doctors trigger your anxiety it’s important as you become more aware of\u00a0 your triggers to also encourage yourself\u00a0\u00a0 to open your mind and become aware of\u00a0 facts in context in the present moment\u00a0\u00a000:12:56<\/a>so i notice that when i’m in\u00a0 this environment i feel icky facts in context in the present moment is\u00a0 there something going on that is distressful\u00a0\u00a0 or is it triggering a reaction from the past you\u00a0 know there are two completely different things00:13:21<\/a>another important step is what i call reducing\u00a0 stress sensitivity if your body machine\u00a0\u00a0 is hyperactive hyper vigilant then you may tend to\u00a0 respond with anxiety more easily or more strongly\u00a0\u00a0 than if it’s not so what can we do in order\u00a0 to create a sense of safety and empowerment\u00a0\u00a000:13:48<\/a>well part of it is sleep when you are sleep\u00a0 deprived your hpa axis becomes more active\u00a0\u00a0 which means and remember your hpa\u00a0 axis is your stress response system\u00a0\u00a0 when that system is more active then you\u00a0 are more likely to respond with more anxiety\u00a0\u00a000:14:07<\/a>think about it when you’re sleep deprived is\u00a0 it just as easy to deal with life on life’s\u00a0\u00a0 terms or do things stress you out more easily\u00a0 i mean i think most of us have the answer there\u00a0\u00a0 good quality sleep is important also with that\u00a0 recognize some of your natural rhythms in the\u00a0\u00a000:14:28<\/a>morning there is the cortisol awakening response\u00a0 and that is when your cortisol your stress hormone\u00a0\u00a0 and other uh hormones as well as your blood sugar\u00a0 tend to be high your body is saying hey wake up\u00a0\u00a0 get ready for the day that is your body’s\u00a0 um awakening response it’s not anxiety it’s\u00a0\u00a000:14:52<\/a>not designed to make you feel stressed out it’s\u00a0 designed theoretically to make you feel excited\u00a0\u00a0 but sometimes we label it\u00a0 differently sometimes our system is overly eager and it secretes too much cortisol\u00a0 and it’s important to to take a look at that\u00a0\u00a000:15:13<\/a>so if you wake up in the morning and the first\u00a0 thing is you feel anxious get curious examine\u00a0\u00a0 what thoughts am i having that\u00a0 are contributing to this anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 what physical sensations did i not sleep well you\u00a0 know what might be contributing to this besides\u00a0\u00a000:15:31<\/a>something that’s actually threatening so sleep\u00a0 is important pain management is important when\u00a0\u00a0 we’re in pain that triggers that stress response\u00a0 system to stay more active the primitive parts\u00a0\u00a0 of our brain say hey if we’re in pain that means\u00a0 we’re vulnerable which means we are in more danger\u00a0\u00a000:15:55<\/a>from that hungry lion that might be chasing us\u00a0 manage pain you may not be able to eliminate\u00a0\u00a0 it completely but be aware that pain may increase\u00a0 your anxiety just because it triggers the hpa axis\u00a0\u00a0 pain may also trigger your anxiety because of\u00a0 health anxiety and that’s a different video\u00a0\u00a000:16:17<\/a>but being aware of that and\u00a0 managing your pain can be helpful\u00a0\u00a0 nutrition is important if you’re eating a\u00a0 lot of simple sugars then your blood sugar\u00a0\u00a0 is doing this and that can contribute to feelings\u00a0 of anxiety and jitteriness same thing with if\u00a0\u00a000:16:36<\/a>you drink a lot of coffee you can have surges\u00a0 and crashes that can feel uh very anxiety like\u00a0\u00a0 getting enough protein throughout the\u00a0 day to keep your blood sugar stable\u00a0\u00a0 can be really really helpful and paying attention\u00a0 to insulin resistance is also important uh\u00a0\u00a000:16:59<\/a>when we become more insulin resistant\u00a0 than our body has more difficulty\u00a0\u00a0 managing our blood sugar to grossly\u00a0 oversimplify it some people have found that dietary changes can help with their anxiety\u00a0 additionally making sure that you’re getting\u00a0\u00a000:17:21<\/a>a relatively healthy diet so your body can make\u00a0 the neuro chemicals it needs to like gaba in order\u00a0\u00a0 to moderate your anxiety can be important and\u00a0 then reducing minimizing eliminating if possible\u00a0\u00a0 stimulants if you’re already anxious then adding\u00a0 stimulants is just turning up the volume of that\u00a0\u00a000:17:47<\/a>stress response system it’s giving it more energy\u00a0 environmentally create safety in your environment\u00a0\u00a0 in your house in your car in your workspace so\u00a0 you’re not hyper vigilant so you’re not on edge\u00a0\u00a0 a lot of the time turn down any unnecessary\u00a0 sources of distress and develop a safety plan to\u00a0\u00a000:18:13<\/a>identify aspects within your control to respond to\u00a0 common threats if x happens then i will so going\u00a0\u00a0 back to the aggressive dog if the aggressive dog\u00a0 charges me i will respond with pepper spray you\u00a0\u00a0 know maybe i have pepper spray that keeps me\u00a0 safe when i’m on my when when i’m on my runs\u00a0\u00a000:18:37<\/a>or if we get a bad storm and it does blow the\u00a0 fence down then i will call my neighbor and i have\u00a0\u00a0 t posts that i can use in order to put the fence\u00a0 back up so i have a plan that helps me feel\u00a0\u00a0 safer so i know that if this bad thing happens\u00a0 i’m not saying that it will but if it happens\u00a0\u00a000:19:02<\/a>i can cope with it it’s not going\u00a0 to have catastrophic consequences many people with anxiety get caught\u00a0 in the emotional reasoning trap\u00a0\u00a0 i feel anxious therefore something bad must\u00a0 be getting ready to happen emotional reasoning\u00a0\u00a000:19:21<\/a>causes you to seek out and focus on information\u00a0 that confirms your feelings it’s not necessarily\u00a0\u00a0 confirming the facts it confirms your feelings\u00a0 and it dismisses contradictory information if you\u00a0\u00a0 wake up and you’re having feeling anxious and you\u00a0 say oh something bad’s going to happen today it’s\u00a0\u00a000:19:43<\/a>it’s going to be an awful day then you’re going\u00a0 to pay attention and you’re going to notice the\u00a0\u00a0 bad things that happen and you’re not going to pay\u00a0 attention or notice as as much of the good things another example i feel anxious about this test\u00a0 therefore i am going to fail so the person starts\u00a0\u00a000:20:05<\/a>looking for confirmatory information they’re\u00a0 taking the test and every time they get to a\u00a0\u00a0 question they don’t know they’re just like see\u00a0 i knew i was going to fail and they can actually\u00a0\u00a0 create a confirmation bias they tell themselves\u00a0 enough that they’re going to fail that they\u00a0\u00a000:20:24<\/a>actually do fail or i feel vulnerable and\u00a0 anxious in this relationship therefore this\u00a0\u00a0 person must intend to abandon me so i feel anxious\u00a0 maybe based on prior abandonment experiences therefore i’m going to look for any clue anything\u00a0 this person may do that may indicate that they’re\u00a0\u00a000:20:48<\/a>getting ready to abandon me now i don’t know\u00a0 for certain whether that’s what their behavior\u00a0\u00a0 actually means but i’m assuming based on other\u00a0 people’s behaviors that that that’s what’s\u00a0\u00a0 going on here so there’s we’re not talking\u00a0 about facts we’re talking about assumptions00:21:10<\/a>examine your relationship with anxiety\u00a0 and i know that sounds really weird\u00a0\u00a0 but anxiety is there to protect you think\u00a0 about how it has protected you in the past\u00a0\u00a0 and in what ways is this current anxiety maybe\u00a0\u00a000:21:28<\/a>dysfunctional but trying to protect you in\u00a0 in the present you know it’s sort of that um\u00a0\u00a0 hyperactive or overprotective uh friend\u00a0 that wants to make sure that you stay safe\u00a0\u00a0 how are you different now than you were in\u00a0 the past what was dangerous or overwhelming or\u00a0\u00a000:21:50<\/a>whatever in the past uh things that caused you\u00a0 anxiety in the past how are you different how can\u00a0\u00a0 you handle them differently how are you safer and\u00a0 more empowered or how is the situation different\u00a0\u00a0 now in the past than in the past maybe in past\u00a0 situations people that you dealt with were unkind\u00a0\u00a000:22:12<\/a>or caused you distress in some way how are these\u00a0 people in the present different than those people sometimes that people find it helpful to treat\u00a0 anxiety like a nervous friend think of piglet\u00a0\u00a0 from winnie the pooh and set good boundaries if\u00a0 your nervous friend tells you that there might\u00a0\u00a000:22:36<\/a>be a problem and they’re really anxious about\u00a0 something okay thank you for alerting me i’ll\u00a0\u00a0 check it out just because they feel anxious\u00a0 doesn’t mean you need to take the information\u00a0\u00a0 thank them for letting you know and\u00a0 then figure out for yourself what you\u00a0\u00a000:22:54<\/a>think and what your perception of the situation\u00a0 is then be willing to explain to them why they\u00a0\u00a0 don’t need to be anxious in your perception or\u00a0 why you don’t feel like you need to be anxious\u00a0\u00a0 so thank you for letting me know however these are\u00a0 the actual facts in the situation as i see them\u00a0\u00a000:23:15<\/a>how are you safe and empowered if they persist if\u00a0 your your anxious friend persists in saying no you\u00a0\u00a0 need to be anxious you need to be anxious you can\u00a0 also set boundaries and tell them to go home you\u00a0\u00a0 know and that’s where those cognitive boundaries\u00a0 come in if you treat anxiety as something separate\u00a0\u00a000:23:36<\/a>from you as a person or an entity separate from\u00a0 you then you can more easily set boundaries it’s\u00a0\u00a0 hard to set boundaries with yourself sometimes\u00a0 consider what are you afraid will happen\u00a0\u00a0 if you don’t dwell on anxiety all the time\u00a0 if you’re not constantly scanning for the\u00a0\u00a000:23:58<\/a>next shoe to drop what are you afraid will happen\u00a0 think back to times when you haven’t been anxious\u00a0\u00a0 moments hours even not necessarily days or weeks\u00a0 but moments or hours when you haven’t been anxious\u00a0\u00a0 has something bad happened a lot of people\u00a0 are afraid if they let go of their anxiety\u00a0\u00a000:24:21<\/a>then they’re going to be caught unawares by\u00a0 something bad but think about it times when\u00a0\u00a0 you haven’t been hyper vigilant over anxious\u00a0 when you’ve actually felt calm for a moment\u00a0\u00a0 did something bad happen and catch you unawares\u00a0 a lot of times you’re going to be able to say no00:24:46<\/a>so rewiring the brain develop distress\u00a0 tolerance tools for emotional regulation\u00a0\u00a0 when you are in your fight-or-flight\u00a0 mode your cognition is impaired you’re\u00a0\u00a0 not going to be able to effectively\u00a0 evaluate the situation and alter\u00a0\u00a000:25:08<\/a>your your brain’s shortcuts alter your brain’s\u00a0 understanding of the situation when you’re in\u00a0\u00a0 fight or flight your brain is focused on just that\u00a0 fight or flee not let’s check it out in order to\u00a0\u00a0 get into the place where you can effectively\u00a0 evaluate what’s going on and potentially\u00a0\u00a000:25:30<\/a>rewire what’s going on you need to be able to\u00a0 get into what linehan called your wise mind\u00a0\u00a0 using distress tolerance tools like\u00a0 distress tolerant thoughts telling yourself\u00a0\u00a0 that you won’t be consumed by anxiety or\u00a0 that you are able to handle this situation\u00a0\u00a000:25:53<\/a>activities like slow breathing breathe in for\u00a0 four hold for four exhale for four hold for four\u00a0\u00a0 so that’s what we call square breathing or\u00a0 engaging in relaxation activities or even exercise\u00a0\u00a0 i know that’s the opposite but sometimes when\u00a0 your fight or flight system is revved and dumping\u00a0\u00a000:26:17<\/a>energy some people find that the best way to\u00a0 manage that is to actually start moving their body\u00a0\u00a0 in sync with their heart so if their heart is\u00a0 beating fast then they start moving and then when\u00a0\u00a0 they stop moving their heart naturally decreases\u00a0 they kind of get it recalibrated or re-synced\u00a0\u00a000:26:39<\/a>between their their physiological\u00a0 reaction and what their body is doing\u00a0\u00a0 guided imagery can be helpful as well as\u00a0 sensations like sounds and smells and even\u00a0\u00a0 things that you feel like splashing cold water on\u00a0 your face and i have lots of videos on distress\u00a0\u00a000:26:58<\/a>tolerance tools on the youtube channel so\u00a0 i’m not going to go into that a lot here\u00a0\u00a0 but it’s important to find tools that work\u00a0 for you so you can get into your wise mind\u00a0\u00a0 and engage in using some of the following tools00:27:15<\/a>when you’re confronted with a stressful\u00a0 situation and you manually override your\u00a0\u00a0 stress response you use those distress\u00a0 tolerance schools tools then your brain\u00a0\u00a0 actually says hmm wonder what’s going on here\u00a0 i guess maybe i might not need to be nervous\u00a0\u00a000:27:34<\/a>about this i’m not sure you manually\u00a0 override it you get into your wise mind\u00a0\u00a0 you can start adjusting the beliefs and\u00a0 your brain also associates that anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 formerly anxiety provoking situation with\u00a0 low amounts of physiological distress00:27:59<\/a>fcp is another technique that i really like\u00a0\u00a0 once you’re into your wise mind examine the\u00a0 facts in the present context i feel anxious\u00a0\u00a0 okay that’s a fact i’m mindfully aware that i\u00a0 feel anxious what thoughts are contributing to my\u00a0\u00a000:28:19<\/a>feeling of anxiety what are the facts for\u00a0 and against those thoughts in this context\u00a0\u00a0 at this time not when i was eight not last\u00a0 week not three weeks from now but right now\u00a0\u00a0 in this context at this time what are the facts\u00a0 for and against my belief that there is a threat\u00a0\u00a000:28:42<\/a>what else might be contributing to my feeling\u00a0 of anxiety did i have a little too much coffee\u00a0\u00a0 in the past few hours is my blood sugar\u00a0 low am i under chronic stress so you know\u00a0\u00a0 i already was like that pressure cooker that\u00a0 was at max capacity and this one thing that\u00a0\u00a000:29:03<\/a>came at me normally wouldn’t bother me but\u00a0 it’s just i don’t know how to deal with it\u00a0\u00a0 i don’t know that i have any more energy to deal\u00a0 with it so i feel overwhelmed and i feel anxious\u00a0\u00a0 or as i mentioned earlier are there sensory\u00a0 triggers around me right now that might be\u00a0\u00a000:29:22<\/a>contributing to my feeling of anxiety there’s\u00a0 no actual facts there’s no actual threat in the\u00a0\u00a0 environment but there’s sensory stimuli that are\u00a0 triggering reactions based on prior experiences c stands for what’s within your control\u00a0 we’ve already evaluated the facts we’ve\u00a0\u00a000:29:47<\/a>identified what may be contributing to\u00a0 what’s going on and if there’s a threat\u00a0\u00a0 what’s within your control what\u00a0 can you do to address the situation\u00a0\u00a0 and if you do what’s within your control if\u00a0 you do what you’re empowered to do what is the\u00a0\u00a000:30:04<\/a>probability of the worst case scenario what is the\u00a0 probability that catastrophe is going to happen\u00a0\u00a0 i have teenagers older children now and one\u00a0 example can be letting them go out and drive\u00a0\u00a0 by themselves when they go out in the car by\u00a0 themselves i feel anxious yes i do what thoughts\u00a0\u00a000:30:28<\/a>are contributing to it they could get into a wreck\u00a0 what are the facts for and against those thoughts\u00a0\u00a0 they have a license they are in a safe\u00a0 vehicle so even if they do get into a wreck\u00a0\u00a0 it’s probably not going to be catastrophic\u00a0 my daughter is a very good driver and00:30:53<\/a>she’s been driving for years and never had an\u00a0 accident so therefore um what are the facts\u00a0\u00a0 supporting my feeling my anxiety you know it do i\u00a0 have information that says yeah it’s pretty likely\u00a0\u00a0 that she’s going to get into into an accident no\u00a0 i don’t have that information so what is within\u00a0\u00a000:31:19<\/a>my control with her driving with the exception\u00a0 of taking away her keys not a lot therefore uh\u00a0\u00a0 i have to rely on her being smart and i cannot\u00a0 control other drivers and i cannot control her\u00a0\u00a0 when she is out driving i did my best leading up\u00a0 to this to make sure that she was a safe driver\u00a0\u00a000:31:45<\/a>and and again what is the probability of\u00a0 the worst case scenario the probability\u00a0\u00a0 of her getting into a catastrophic\u00a0 car accident probably pretty small\u00a0\u00a0 she doesn’t drive on the interstates uh we\u00a0 live in a very small town so there’s not a\u00a0\u00a000:31:59<\/a>whole lot of traffic you know probability\u00a0 of the worst case scenario is pretty slim another technique that can help in rewiring\u00a0 is rewriting cognitions or your thoughts in\u00a0\u00a0 your core beliefs and i emphasize re-write and\u00a0 rethinking about it is one thing but if you\u00a0\u00a000:32:25<\/a>actually hand write it not type it hand write it\u00a0 it solidifies the new memory or the restructured\u00a0\u00a0 memory in a different way than if you just\u00a0 think it or even if you type it or talk about it when you start feeling anxious\u00a0 write down what you’re thinking\u00a0\u00a000:32:50<\/a>and then write down a restructured version or\u00a0 a more accurate version of what you’re thinking\u00a0\u00a0 um all or nothing thinking this happens every time\u00a0 every time there’s a storm the fence blows down\u00a0\u00a0 every time i get into a relationship i get\u00a0 abandoned those are all or nothing thoughts\u00a0\u00a000:33:16<\/a>so what are the exceptions write down the\u00a0 exceptions to the rule um mental filtering\u00a0\u00a0 and that is when you focus only on the negative\u00a0 so again you want to look for the positives\u00a0\u00a0 i’m always getting in trouble at work or at school\u00a0 or my child is always getting in trouble at school\u00a0\u00a000:33:40<\/a>look for the exceptions okay maybe they’ve\u00a0 gotten in trouble a lot but not always so what’s\u00a0\u00a0 different during the times when they’re\u00a0 not getting in trouble personalization\u00a0\u00a0 you know people don’t like me because i’m a\u00a0 bad person or people are going to abandon me\u00a0\u00a000:34:02<\/a>because i’m not lovable what are some alternate\u00a0 explanations you know maybe it’s because they’ve\u00a0\u00a0 got stuff going on now that doesn’t necessarily\u00a0 mean you’re not going to get abandoned\u00a0\u00a0 by a person but if you personalize it if you think\u00a0 it’s about you then you expect that henceforth\u00a0\u00a000:34:25<\/a>and forevermore everybody’s going to abandon\u00a0 you because you’re the one that’s not lovable\u00a0\u00a0 if you look at the big picture find alternate\u00a0 explanations why something may have happened\u00a0\u00a0 yes it’s unfortunate and you’ve got to\u00a0 grieve that loss but you can also recognize00:34:45<\/a>that that doesn’t always have to happen\u00a0 magnification of the negative or minimization of\u00a0\u00a0 the positive look at the facts assuming or jumping\u00a0 to conclusions without all of the information\u00a0\u00a0 or mind reading get the facts you don’t know\u00a0 what somebody’s thinking if you’re anxious if\u00a0\u00a000:35:07<\/a>you feel anxious that somebody’s angry with you\u00a0 instead of assuming that you’re interpreting their\u00a0\u00a0 nonverbals correctly or their mood correctly\u00a0 and it’s about you ask them get the facts\u00a0\u00a0 and availability is another thing that\u00a0 contributes to anxiety we tend to remember and\u00a0\u00a000:35:32<\/a>react based on the things that are either\u00a0 most recent or most emotionally charged so\u00a0\u00a0 plane crashes for example we hear about plane\u00a0 crashes on the news and those are devastating\u00a0\u00a0 those are very emotionally charged when we hear\u00a0 about it we feel awful for those people and we\u00a0\u00a000:35:54<\/a>may empathize and think how awful it would be to\u00a0 be in that plane crash we don’t think about the\u00a0\u00a0 20 000 flights that took off that day that landed\u00a0 successfully so it’s important to get the facts\u00a0\u00a0 if you start thinking flying is dangerous what\u00a0 are the facts how many planes actually crash um\u00a0\u00a000:36:17<\/a>driving you know how many cars actually crash how\u00a0 many people you know actually have problems it’s\u00a0\u00a0 important to if there’s something that’s making\u00a0 you anxious if there’s something you’re afraid of\u00a0\u00a0 get all of the facts about it snakes for example\u00a0 you know when i was growing up a lot of people\u00a0\u00a000:36:41<\/a>talked about how snakes were dangerous\u00a0 and in my mind that’s all i heard\u00a0\u00a0 snakes are dangerous therefore all snakes\u00a0 must be dangerous and that’s a false premise\u00a0\u00a0 when i started doing the research i learned\u00a0 that yes there are six snakes in tennessee\u00a0\u00a000:37:01<\/a>that are dangerous but there are literally\u00a0 hundreds of other species that are not\u00a0\u00a0 so looking at the availability of\u00a0 information i needed to broaden\u00a0\u00a0 my awareness of the whole picture not just\u00a0 the sliver of information that i was presented00:37:23<\/a>rewiring and retraining can also be done through\u00a0 experience the first step is to be willing to\u00a0\u00a0 be open to the experience and challenge our\u00a0 inaccurate beliefs which means i’ve got to be\u00a0\u00a0 able to look at the snake or whatever it is that’s\u00a0 causing me anxiety use my distress tolerance\u00a0\u00a000:37:42<\/a>skills to get into my wise mind and then examine\u00a0 the accuracy of my facts in the current context\u00a0\u00a0 data collection can also be helpful write\u00a0 it down again handwrite whenever possible\u00a0\u00a0 how often does this actually\u00a0 happen how likely is it to happen\u00a0\u00a000:38:06<\/a>does it happen literally every single\u00a0 time so start keeping notes for the\u00a0\u00a0 storms i started keeping notes how frequently do\u00a0 we have storms and how frequently during those\u00a0\u00a0 storms does my fence get blown down and the\u00a0 preponderance of the time it didn’t happen uh\u00a0\u00a000:38:32<\/a>so it’s important to get data to understand\u00a0 how often does this happen versus how often\u00a0\u00a0 does it feel like it happens what are other\u00a0 possible outcomes and how often do they happen\u00a0\u00a0 so let’s take relationships and abandonment\u00a0 for example move away from the fence00:38:54<\/a>how what are other possible\u00a0 outcomes i get into a relationship\u00a0\u00a0 and it works out how often does that happen when how often does it happen that people get into\u00a0 not necessarily just me that other people get into\u00a0\u00a000:39:10<\/a>relationships that they get abandoned that other\u00a0 people get into relationships and it works out\u00a0\u00a0 it’s important to recognize that how frequently you could expect something to\u00a0 happen and how accurate are your expectations\u00a0\u00a000:39:31<\/a>do you expect a gale-force wind and it’s only\u00a0 a gentle breeze do you expect to fail a test\u00a0\u00a0 and okay you get a b minus what\u00a0 were your expectations going into it\u00a0\u00a0 rewiring can also be done through guided imagery\u00a0 envision yourself successfully navigating\u00a0\u00a000:39:56<\/a>a concern that that you’re having going to\u00a0 the doctor or asking somebody out on a date or\u00a0\u00a0 your kid going out driving and coming home safely\u00a0 envision the positive scenario envision the\u00a0\u00a0 positive solution envision prior times when you’ve\u00a0 experienced something similar and it’s gone okay\u00a0\u00a000:40:20<\/a>remind yourself of other times when it’s gone\u00a0 okay see that happening and repetition repeating\u00a0\u00a0 to yourself the distress tolerant thoughts\u00a0 and those more accurate cognitions are really\u00a0\u00a0 helpful at reducing anxiety so instead of saying\u00a0 everybody is dangerous or nobody is trustworthy\u00a0\u00a000:40:45<\/a>repeating to yourself that some people are\u00a0 untrustworthy and some people are trustworthy repetition repeating it to yourself over\u00a0 and over again and stopping using the um\u00a0\u00a0 extreme or thoughts or the thoughts with the\u00a0 cognitive distortions that trigger your anxiety\u00a0\u00a000:41:12<\/a>can help you approach a situation and\u00a0 feel more in control and empowered your brain learns from experience and uses\u00a0 those experiences to help you predict the future\u00a0\u00a0 information from past experiences often only\u00a0 provides part of the picture that is what happened\u00a0\u00a000:41:33<\/a>in the past it doesn’t take into consideration\u00a0 what’s going on right now when in fight or flight\u00a0\u00a0 cognition is impaired and prior information is\u00a0 often unable to be modified to include new data\u00a0\u00a0 so if you expect something to be distressful and\u00a0 you maintain your anxiety even if the situation\u00a0\u00a000:41:54<\/a>ended up being no big deal your brain isn’t going\u00a0 to process that because you were in that anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 haze if you will rewiring the brain requires\u00a0 learning tools to calm the stress response\u00a0\u00a0 then identifying new information that may help\u00a0 you feel safer more empowered that’s based in\u00a0\u00a000:42:20<\/a>facts in the present context integrating that\u00a0 new information training the brain to have new\u00a0\u00a0 expectations i’ve mentioned in other videos that\u00a0 when i was very very little i had a bad experience\u00a0\u00a0 with a nurse giving me a shot and from then on\u00a0 i was terrified of needles and i talked about\u00a0\u00a000:42:47<\/a>it with my doctor one time when i was much much\u00a0 older and she said i’m gonna give you the shot\u00a0\u00a0 trust me it’s not going to hurt and every\u00a0 fiber of my being said oh she’s lying\u00a0\u00a0 but i did trust her and i was willing to be open\u00a0 to a new experience and sure enough she gave\u00a0\u00a000:43:11<\/a>me the shot and it didn’t hurt so now i go into\u00a0 the doctor’s office different doctor now um and\u00a0\u00a0 i don’t automatically expect it to be painful\u00a0 or distressful because i know that it i can get\u00a0\u00a0 shots without having it be be awful so i’ve\u00a0 trained my brain to have new expectations\u00a0\u00a000:43:37<\/a>now there are certain phlebotomists for\u00a0 example that you may go to and you may\u00a0\u00a0 know from experience that they have difficulty\u00a0 finding a vein so your anxiety may go up when you\u00a0\u00a0 see that particular phlebotomist whereas if you\u00a0 see a different one who gets the vein every time\u00a0\u00a000:44:01<\/a>you may not have any anxiety at all and in that\u00a0 way you’ve trained your brain to be more selective\u00a0\u00a0 and not expect that every time you get your\u00a0 blood drawn it’s going to be a painful situation\u00a0\u00a0 the brain’s desire for survival may cause\u00a0 it to cling to the distressful expectations\u00a0\u00a000:44:22<\/a>until it is proven wrong multiple\u00a0 times you can’t just have this fear\u00a0\u00a0 and then have an experience that contradicts that\u00a0 fear and your brain goes oh i was wrong never mind\u00a0\u00a0 your brain’s automatic response is to say maybe\u00a0 that was just an exception let’s see if it happens\u00a0\u00a000:44:44<\/a>again and so it may take several repetitions of\u00a0 something several times experiencing something\u00a0\u00a0 or doing something like get public speaking\u00a0 or asking somebody out on a date before it\u00a0\u00a0 doesn’t trigger the extreme anxiety response\u00a0 so it takes practice what you want to look for\u00a0\u00a000:45:07<\/a>is a reduction in the intensity of the anxiety\u00a0 each time you repeat it now see if you feel\u00a0\u00a0 it feels a little bit easier each time i hope this\u00a0 has given you a few tools to consider exploring in\u00a0\u00a0 rewiring your brain basically what you’re trying\u00a0 to do is reprogram your brain by providing it\u00a0\u00a0
Source : Youtube<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SHksvBpVSkkUnlimited CEUs are available for $59 at AllCEUs.com\/Anxiety-CEU hey there everybody and welcome to this\u00a0 presentation on nine tips to rewire your\u00a0\u00a0 anxious brain i’m your host dr dawn elise snipes\u00a0 in this presentation we’re going to start by\u00a0\u00a000:00:13understanding a little bit more about what\u00a0 anxiety is then we’ll talk about the influence\u00a0\u00a0 of experience … Continue reading 9 Tips for Rewiring the Anxious Brain | Cognitive Behavioral Tools<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":152208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[192],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transportation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1709495804-maxresdefault.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}