Do you recall the feeling of fear, dread, or uneasiness, often accompanied by sweating, restlessness, and a rapid heartbeat? If your brain said, “yes” to that, then you, my friend, have been a victim of anxiety.
Now, don’t worry! To put your mind at ease, anxiety is relatively common. With the ever-increasing emphasis on consumerism, the lasting impact of technology and social media, and the rise of the coronavirus, stress and anxiety are prevalent like never before.
The unfortunate thing is that stress and anxiety do take a toll on our physical and mental well-being, and the sooner we learn to overcome them, the better for our mental peace and happiness. The good news is that there are proven ways and methods to tackle this growing problem in today’s world and generation.
I personally know quite a few people, many of them have been guests here, who have experienced anxiety in various forms but have still overcome that to reach newer heights in their personal and professional lives. Just know that you are not alone!
I couldn’t be more pumped about our guest today — Dr. Wendy Suzuki. An expert in the field, Dr. Wendy has literally written a book called Good Anxiety where she talks about harnessing the power of this emotion for long-term success. This episode of The School of Greatness might be a great starting point for you or someone you know who is dealing with the perils of anxiety and stress.
Before we begin this exciting session, let’s get to know a little more about Dr. Wendy Suzuki.
Who Is Dr. Wendy Suzuki?
Dr. Wendy Suzuki is an award-winning professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University where she studies the effects of physical activity and meditation on the brain. She is a passionate thought leader spreading the understanding of how we can use the principles of brain plasticity to maximize our brain’s performance and transform our lives for the better.
Besides being a TED speaker, Dr. Wendy is also a best-selling author for her book, Healthy Brain, Happy Life. It is like a personal program to activate your brain and do everything better, which has also been made into a PBS special. Her latest book, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, is now out in the stands for you guys to check out.
“Having some anxiety is a good thing. The key is learning to use your brain to transform the way you think about anxiety so you can tap into its secret powers. That’s why I love Good Anxiety so much — it offers a handy toolbox to transform your anxiety from a downer to a superpower.” – Dr. Wendy Suzuki
Dr. Wendy is renowned for her extensive work on studying areas in the brain that are critical for our ability to form and retain new long-term memories. Her most recent work focused on understanding aerobic exercise’s impact on improving learning, memory, and higher cognitive abilities in humans.
If you are reading this, then pat yourself on the back for taking your mental health seriously. It is not only about managing problems better but also about rising from those muddy waters and blossoming like a lotus. Let’s find out the most effective ways to manage stress and anxiety with Dr. Wendy Suzuki.
Understanding Anxiety to Unleash its Potential
Studies show that 90% of the population suffers from anxiety in one form or another, which establishes its prevalence. This makes it really important for us to first try and understand what anxiety is before exploring the idea of seeing anxiety differently.
“Anxiety and our stress response to it, which causes all those feelings evolutionarily, is a protective mechanism that is necessary for our survival. It evolved in a way that if there is a lion or any other dangerous situation coming at us, you automatically have that increased heart rate, with all the blood flowing through your muscles so you can run away.” – Dr. Wendy Suzuki
In this day and age, our likelihood of facing off with a lion is remote, yet we are exposed to one or the otherworldly worries through different forms of media. Looking at some distressing news on the TV or Instagram activates the same stress and anxiety systems as when faced with a lion. But is there a way to harness that anxiety and bring it back into submission so that it can help us? Dr. Wendy says there is.
“Anxiety always hits me right before I’m going to go to sleep. … So the action in my mind is, ‘Okay … this is going to be my to-do list tomorrow.’ … Coming from this practice of healing from your own shame, you can also start thinking about something you’re going to do for somebody else tomorrow. One of the superpowers in good anxiety is that it comes from your own anxiety.” – Dr. Wendy Suzuki
It was extremely difficult for me to sleep at night until I hit about 30 or 31. I would sit in bed probably for an hour or so almost every night, anxious and judging myself and beating myself up emotionally.
But through this, I learned three things: One was going through a transition of fully sharing and starting the process of healing my shame from the past. Two was that I began to focus on a few key things at night. I ask myself, “What was I grateful for today?” because being grateful brings me to another level of peace. Three was asking myself, “What am I going to do tomorrow to help people? How am I going to serve?” I heal from shame by focusing on gratitude.
