MM2S013: Season 1, Episode 13
By: Ken Boone Welcome back, friends. We’ve reached the end of this round of blog posts/podcast episodes, so I’ll try to tie together everything we discussed on the subject of “Return to Normal Anxiety” into a neat little bundle. Needless to say, it’s been quite the learning experience for me. This post is also significant in that it’s release is on the first anniversary of my official retirement from the 9-to-5 work world. I think I’ll celebrate that milestone by treating myself to a month-long vacation. I’ll be back in August with a new storyline, so stay tuned. Let’s Recap: Ep010: Fearing a Return to Normal We talked about the pandemic’s mental toll taken on Americans. According to the CDC, nearly 41% of adults in the U.S. had reported they were struggling with mental health or substance use, with a substantial number of people reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression, and 26% trauma or a stress-related disorder related to the pandemic. This episode is where we first meet Dr. Garry Spink, a psychologist at Rochester Health in Rochester, NY, who served as our primary source of information. Ep011: Acknowledging Your Anxiety When it comes to tips for coping with “Return to Normal Anxiety”, Dr. Spink suggests three types of anxiety we need to get a handle on. These include:
Ep012: What's Your Comfort Level? In our next episode, we figured out how to navigate our comfort levels. From there, we determined our comfort zone to find out if we’re in a good place or not. Dr. Garry Spink said we should: “Evaluate if the activity is something you need to engage in – listen to your gut and weigh your pros/cons”. He further added that we should: “Balance that with the people in your network’s comfort levels and build connections within those parameters.” Then we looked at ways to continue to connect with loved ones virtually. If we received one of the COVID-19 vaccines, we should follow the CDC guidelines for getting together with other vaccinated households. Ep013: Turning Chaos into Calm Which brings us to this episode, which I titled “Turning Chaos into Calm”. Here’s where we learn about some calming techniques, or coping mechanisms. Back to Dr. Spink, who suggests: Relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, visualization and belly breathing exercises are great ways to help decrease stress and anxiety. To quote the good doctor: “These exercises can help you replace your body’s stress response with something that helps you feel more relaxed.” He further adds: “I find that mindfulness, the practice of being present without judgment, can especially help some people to remain calm when they feel their thoughts racing.” Coping with Stress (from the CDC) Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 | CDC Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient. Stress can cause the following manifestations:
It is natural to feel stress, anxiety, grief, and worry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some ways that you can help yourself, others, and your community manage stress. Here are 5 Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
Helping Others Cope Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. It is especially important to stay connected with your friends and family. Help others cope with stress through phone calls or video chats so you and your loved ones feel less lonely or isolated. Mental Health and Crisis For Resources and Social Support Services, go to www.cdc.org. This is an excellent place to start, with links to other key resources.
If you are in crisis, get immediate help: Again, the CDC is an excellent source of timely, and useful, information. They provide links to various agencies designed to help us in this chaotic environment. Go to: www.cdc.org And there you have it. I hope that these four episodes have answered some of your questions and calmed some of your fears as you return to a new normal. As you know by now, I’m always referencing what I’ve learned from my friends in recovery, and this episode is no different. May your Higher Power grant you:
Quote “Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting.” Amelia Atwater Rhodes, American Author
0 Comments
MM2S012: Season 1, Episode 12
By: Ken Boone Over the past couple of episodes of my podcast, we’ve been discussing the personal and societal challenges of a return to normal, now that we are finally getting our arms around the situation. We referred to a recent study from the American Psychological Association, which found that more than 50% of Americans feel concerned about in-person interaction once the pandemic ends. There’s also a term that refers to this phenomenon: “Return to Normal Anxiety”. We are relying heavily on the expert help and advice of Dr. Garry Spink, a psychologist at Rochester Regional Health in Rochester, NY. He shares with us three tips on how to help cope with our fears. In our last episode we explored ways to acknowledge our anxieties. In our next episode, we’ll dive into some calming techniques we can use to get us through this transition. In today’s episode, we’ll figure out how to navigate our comfort levels. From there, we’ll determine our comfort zone to find out if we’re in a good place or not. Navigate comfort levels (from Dr. Spink) We’re reaching towards an uncertain end of an uncertain time. With guidelines continuing to adjust to the latest research and restrictions that have been in place for months being lifted, it’s important not only to acknowledge your anxiety and talk with your networks but also to examine your comfort level. He said, “evaluate if the activity is something you need to engage in – listen to your gut and weigh your pros/cons. Balance that with the people in your network’s comfort levels and build connections within those parameters.” That could mean looking for ways to continue to connect with loved ones virtually. Or, if you’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine, following the CDC guidelines for getting together with other vaccinated households. Let's Talk About Your Comfort Zone? What is it, Anyway? Your “comfort zone” is a psychological, emotional, and behavioral construct. It's what's familiar to you and what feels safe—your regular habits and routines. When you're in your comfort zone, you experience low levels of stress and anxiety. In your comfort zone, there's little to no risk. A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and (perceive they are) in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. Is it OK to Stay in Your Comfort Zone? Staying in your comfort zone sometimes means allowing yourself to be yourself and listening to your inner voice. It means knowing what you and your skills are capable of under perfect or desired conditions and respecting yourself enough to be realistic and knowing your limits when those are not the case. Is Your Comfort Zone a Dangerous Place? Your comfort zone is a dangerous place. It prevents you from improving, it stops you from achieving all the things you are capable of achieving and it makes you miserable. So, make a decision today to change something in your life that you are unhappy with and start experiencing positive changes. Why do You Need to Leave Your Comfort Zone? Leaving your comfort zone allows you to have new experiences and to engage in activities that you haven't before, all while opening you up to meet new people. If you can try this, you are open to all sorts of possibilities you may not have thought possible. What Happens When You Leave Your Comfort Zone? Stepping out of your comfort zone means you're moving into uncharted territory. You're trying things that you've never tried before and learning things you've never learned before. An article by Cylon George (lifehack.org) lists the 10 ways to step out of your comfort zone and overcome your fear: 1. Become Aware of What’s Outside of Your Comfort Zone. What are the things that you believe are worth doing but, are afraid of doing yourself because of the potential for disappointment or failure? Draw a circle and write those things down outside the circle. This process will not only allow you to clearly identify your discomforts but, your comforts. Write identified comforts inside the circle. 2. Become Clear About What You Are Aiming to Overcome. Take the list of discomforts and go deeper. Remember, the primary emotion you are trying to overcome is fear. How does this fear apply uniquely to each situation? Be very specific. Are you afraid of walking up to people and introducing yourself in social situations? Why? Is it because you are insecure about the sound of your voice? Are you insecure about your look? Or are you afraid of being ignored? 3. Get Comfortable with Discomfort. One way to get outside of your comfort zone is to literally expand it. Make it a goal to avoid running away from discomfort. Let’s stay with the theme of meeting people in social settings. If you start feeling a little panicked when talking to someone you’ve just met, try to stay with it a little longer than you normally would before retreating to comfort. If you stay long enough and practice often enough, it will start to become less uncomfortable. 4. See Failure as a Teacher. Many of us are so afraid of failure that we would rather do nothing than take a shot at our dreams. Begin to treat failure as a teacher. What did you learn from the experience? How can you take that lesson to your next adventure to increase your chance of success? 5. Take Baby Steps. Don’t try to jump outside your comfort zone, you will likely become overwhelmed and jump right back in. Take small steps toward the fear you are trying to overcome. If you want to do public speaking, start by taking every opportunity to speak to small groups of people. You can even practice with family and friends. 6. Hang out with Risk Takers. There is no substitute for this step. If you want to become better at something, you must start hanging out with the people who are doing what you want to do and start emulating them. Almost inevitably, their influence will start to have an effect on your behavior. 7. Be Honest with Yourself When You Are Trying to Make Excuses. Don’t say “Oh, I just don’t have the time for this right now.” Instead, be honest and say, “I am afraid to do this.” Don’t make excuses, just be honest. You will be in a better place to confront what is truly bothering you and increase your chance of moving forward. 8. Identify How Stepping out Will Benefit You. What will the ability to engage in public speaking do for your personal and professional growth? Keep these potential benefits in mind as motivations to push through fear. 9. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself when you make mistakes. Risk taking will inevitably involve failure and setbacks that will sometimes make you look foolish to others. Be happy to roll with the punches when others poke fun. 10. Focus on the Fun. Enjoy the process of stepping outside your safe boundaries. Enjoy the fun of discovering things about yourself that you may not have been aware of previously. Final Thoughts It will seem really scary at first to get out of your comfort zone. But as I said, you don’t need to jump right out of your comfort zone at once, you can take baby steps gradually. As you slowly push past your comfort zone, you’ll feel more and more at ease about the new stuff which seemed so dangerous to you. Take the first step and I’m sure you’ll make it! Slowly but surely, we’re getting back to normal. Don’t worry if this makes you uncomfortable, because in our next episode we’ll show you ways to calm down! Today's Quote “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Neil Donald Walsch, American Author MM2S011: Season 1, Episode 11
By: Ken Boone The five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with what we’ve lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not points on some grief timeline. When it comes to grief, some argue that there are seven stages, while still others suggest that there are twelve! Thankfully, when it comes to tips for coping with “Return to Normal Anxiety”, our new friend, Dr. Garry Spink, at Rochester Regional Health in Rochester, NY suggests just three! In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at the first tip: ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR (OR MY) ANXIETY. In future episodes, we’ll look at the other tips suggested by Dr. Spink, which are:
In case you missed our last episode, according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association, more than 50% of Americans feel concerned about in-person interaction once the pandemic ends. We also discussed that according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, back in June 2020, nearly 41% of adults in the U.S. had reported they were struggling with mental health or substance use, with 31% reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression and 26% reporting trauma or a stressor-related disorder related to the pandemic. Acknowledge which is your particular type of anxiety. Dr. Spink suggests that there at least three types:
As Dr. Spink explained, “It’s helpful to consider what exactly is driving your anxiety”. I’ll repeat that advice: “If you’re worried about your health, you might want to call your provider to talk about your personal health risks. If you’re worried about a return to work, talk with your supervisor or a trusted coworker. If you’re worried about a return to social activities and a rustiness with engaging with people in person, consider being open about that with family and friends.” There are many things we can do to cope with a Return to Normal. The one thing we can’t do is nothing! That’s not an option! My Adjusting to a “New Normal” On the last episode of my podcast, I listed a few things that I did to adjust to my “New Normal”. Here they are, along with some updates in my behavior to date:
We’ve just begun our journey back to normalcy, or maybe forging a path to a new permanent normal. Either way, I’d like to know what you have to say! Today's Quote “When you are standing at a crossroads in your life, realize that the greatest block that you can put in front of yourself is the idea that there is a right choice.” Story Waters, British Spiritual Author |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
|