Hello! Today we will be discussing the monster that is called “Anxiety.”

This blog post is the first of three parts, where we will discuss what anxiety is, how to call it out in our daily lives, and what to do to decrease anxiety or how to combat it and win.

So, today we are going to identify and name anxiety. In the, evolution of animals perspective, our bodies and the bodies of all animals, have developed ways in which our safety is our #1 priority. In situations where our safety is being questioned, we do a fight or flight response to gauge whether fighting for our lives is warranted, or flight (escaping) the situation is a better choice.

Within our bodies, an actual chemical change is happening during these moments. A chemical called, Cortisol, is being produced and this chemical helps to increase our blood pressure, changes our breathing pattern, and readies our muscles to act quickly. Back in the day when our survival was dependent on situational awareness, cortisol prepared our bodies in moments of quick escape or fighting against a predator.

These days, our survival isn’t against a bear or lion, but our bodies/minds don’t realize that. The mind sees a long list of responsibilities and goals, a short time frame, and an urgency that is pushed on us by superiors, family, and from within, to get them all done, and they should’ve been done yesterday. It can create a very tense, chaotic, and ultimately, exhausting experience (especially as we go from one stress-filled experience to another without stopping to pause and reflect). All the while, cortisol is coursing through our bodies, keeping us on edge, unable to think clearly, and we tend to lash out at our support systems (family, friends, etc.) instead of enlisting their help.

To help us work through that cortisol build-up, and develop a more useful tool at facing anxiety, we are going to look at a 3-step process.

Today we go over step 1.
1. Ask yourself what you are lacking in.

What this means is, to ask yourself/your body, what chemical is lacking.

There would be three major chemicals that our body wants, and we’re trying to see which one is the lowest, and to start filling that one up. It doesn’t take a long time, nor do we need loads of the chemical to then move onto step 2.

Chemical choices:
Our body enjoys three chemicals immensely, and will go to any length to receive them.

They are:
Dopamine - the feel good chemical that is triggered when a reward is at hand.
”It is the motivator for a monkey to crack open a nut, even if it takes hours to accomplish.”
”It is released when you anticipate a new way to meet a need.”

Oxytocin - the feel good chemical of social trust.
”A herd is more protection of the self, than to be alone.”
”Mammals survive by constantly monitoring their group mates and doing what it takes to sustain the bond. We feel curiously threatened without that social bond, even if we’re frustrated by the herd when we’re with it.”

Serotonin - the feel good chemical of social importance.
”We constantly compare ourselves to others. When we see that we’re in a position of weakness, cortisol (anxiety) is released and we withdraw to protect ourselves. When we see that we’re in a position of strength, serotonin is released. Serotonin is not aggression. it’s confidence in your power to meet your needs in a world of rivals.”
”Moral superiority is the modern way to stimulate serotonin. If you are constantly outraged by other people’s serotonin-seeking, you end up feeling just as threatened” (which releases a whole bunch of cortisol, or anxiety).

So ask your body/mind, which is lacking today. Come back next time, where we will discuss how to achieve the goal of meeting the needs that our body is asking for!