90: How to Get Out Of Your Head

Do you feel like a victim to your anxiety at times? Today’s show will help you leave the overwhelm behind, walk around the wall, and find relief. I’ll show you practical steps to get out of your head and learn to listen to your body. You may not realize it, but giving your body what it needs is the key. Stay with me, and I’ll show you how.   Episode Highlights:   Cognitive Behavior Therapy--challenging and changing thoughts and behaviors to help moods and emotions and dispel anxiety and phobias My high-risk pregnancy was my first anxiety experience, and there were many doctors’ appointments where I expected the worst How I tried to challenge my bad thoughts but nothing was working, until I discovered the key During pregnancy, the baseline for anxiety shifts, and we become more cautious and more attentive The problem is that we are so much “in our heads” that we miss out on the tools available to us and we stop listening to our bodies The principle of embodiment or “embodied cognition”--your body influences your mind When you change your body, you change your mind! It’s a new approach! Dr Arielle Schwartz says: “Embodiment is the practice of attending to your  sensations . . .” How I’ve used this therapy with a specific client, teaching her to ask, “What does my body need right now?” (the easiest way to deal with anxiety) How to honor a to-do list and other concerns of life Creating body memories and retraining your systems through your body’s truth Two foundational steps: (they are simple, but they need to be practiced) What do my sensations feel like? What does my body need right now? Why you need a “bottom-up” approach to get out of your head Why my book, Pregnancy Brain, packs in 70 years of research that aligns with this therapy   Your needs are most important and by paying attention to what your body needs, you are giving yourself the greatest gift.   Resources:   Pregnancy Brain by Parijat Deshpande   Stress and the mind-body connection: http://bit.ly/2IWnqFO The truth about postpartum anxiety http://bit.ly/038dmppa Your anxious mind during pregnancy, Parijat's interview on Birthful Podcast http://bit.ly/2uelAXr