#OurAnxietyStories

To see the live recording of this episode, check out our YouTube channel.

Stress is a common anxiety trigger, but because a little stress is normal, it can be hard to identify when stress has become a problem.

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories, Mary-Ann Booth shares the pressure and physical impact of stress and anxiety after being elected Mayor of West Vancouver in BC, Canada.

Mary-Ann’s demanding, fast-paced election campaign increased her adrenaline so much that she felt increasingly “hyped up,” even having tingling in her legs. Because she was used to high-pressure situations after working in courtrooms as a lawyer for years, she did not feel concerned by the physical sensations. She won the election and was elated—and didn’t think she was experiencing an abnormal amount of stress.

However, shortly after being elected, she recalls experiencing a “physical crash” from anxiety. She felt fear and a loss of confidence, telling her loved ones she didn’t think she could go through with being mayor. As a natural problem solver, she worked to improve her mental health like she would any other challenge. Exercise, yoga, and mindfulness helped Mary-Ann overcome anxiety—something she is happy to have experienced because it increased empathy for people with mental health challenges. Mary-Ann's episode highlights how powerful it is for leaders to share about mental health. She notes trying to embrace life's ups and downs and that discomfort is not a bad thing, so though she still fears not being busy, she knows she's on her way to living a less stressful life.

Stress is the response of your body and mind to demands placed on you. When you feel threatened, your brain releases chemicals called hormones that send alarm signals throughout your body. These hormones prepare your body to act against any perceived threats.

Work can be an ever-present source of stress—especially in situations with high expectations, like in Mary-Ann’s case. Major life changes can also cause stress, even when the new life events are positive. To learn more about stress and what you can do about it, check out this HeretoHelp BC resource from CMHA. Find more anxiety resources on Anxiety Canada’s Get Help page.

About the Guest

Mary-Ann Booth was elected the mayor of West Vancouver in 2018 after two terms on City Council from 2011 to 2018. People who know Mary-Ann describe her as an inclusive, collaborative, thoughtful leader who works to improve her community. She served as a school trustee with the West Vancouver Board of Education from 2005 to 2011. Before public service, she practiced law for 12 years, including positions as a provincial crown prosecutor and in-house corporate counsel.

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com. 

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority. 

To see the live recording of this episode, check out our YouTube channel.

Because anxiety presents differently for everybody, it can sometimes be easy to miss.

Ayla Tesler-Mabé grew up with parents working as psychology professionals, so she was well-versed in anxiety from a young age. However, neither Ayla nor her family realized she had been grappling with anxiety and perfectionism. Ayla had fainted as a child, but it took fainting on a flight as a young adult—and waking up to "a good hundred people staring"— to investigate further. 

A note: For anyone who fears fainting from anxiety, know that it is not typical. A sudden and significant drop in blood pressure causes fainting. When you’re anxious, your blood pressure rises. So, it’s extremely unlikely that you will faint, even when you have a panic attack. 

However, for Ayla, fainting was the catalyst to seek answers. She realized that beneath her outwardly calm demeanour, her nervous system felt “heightened.” She was living with a crippling fear of failure that she admits drove her success at times but was not the most pleasant motivator.

Medication and therapy helped Ayla come to terms with and manage her anxiety. She explains that medication helped her “deal with some of the physical symptoms” that often prevented her from cementing healthy habits in place. Ayla’s episode touches on how important it is to use coping tools like therapy even when things are going well. “You have to outsmart yourself sometimes,” Ayla says, “especially when you know you have negative habits you’ve built.”

If you are interested in learning more about helpful therapies for anxiety and other mental health challenges, you can learn more about cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on our website. For free anxiety management tools based on CBT, check out our free app, MindShift CBT. Another resource for young people and families working to support youth with their mental health is FamilySmart’s helpful ‘In the Know’ video series. Learn more at www.familysmart.ca. 

About the Guest

Ayla Tesler-Mabé is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist living in Vancouver, BC. Showcasing her musical talents online has earned her millions of views on her YouTube and TikTok accounts. She is an accomplished guitarist who has performed (and collaborated with) artists like Willow Smith. From 2017-2019, she was a member of the band Calpurnia with Finn Wolfhard, performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and starring in a Weezer music video with the group. You can listen to Ayla’s latest solo single, Give Me a Sign, on your favourite music streaming service. In addition to her latest solo release, she has new music in the works with her band Ludic, whose sound blends vintage and modern soul, funk, jazz, and pop. 

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com.  Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority. 

Did you know that panic attacks can cause physical symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations—and even be mistaken for a medical emergency? 

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories, Tom Power shares his journey with anxiety—something he didn’t realize he struggled with until his adult years. Tom recalls a terrifying incident in his mid-twenties at a social gathering where he thought he had a heart attack. “All I could think about was, what is happening to me?” Tom shares, “Why am I feeling this way? Am I having a heart attack? Am I having a stroke? What is going on?"

Tom sought medical attention only to learn it was a panic attack. He was also diagnosed with panic disorder. In this episode, Tom reflects on several instances of anxiety in his life, including at the dentist and the grocery store, and while interviewing Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro.

With therapy, lifestyle changes, and self-reflection, Tom has done the work to put his panic "in remission." He now recognizes that experiencing the unlikely catastrophe of losing his father to an illness after only 4-5 months, along with several other personal and professional life changes, fueled negative thinking patterns.

Through exposure therapy, Tom learned that panic attacks only last so long and that he can get through them—an invaluable lesson that has helped him until this day. Anxiety is still present in Tom's life, but he shares that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), limiting substances like cannabis and alcohol, and daily meditation has helped him manage it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a panic attack, it’s important to remember that you are not in danger. If experiencing chest pain during a panic attack, know that it is simply a result of muscle tension (part of our body’s natural “fight-flight-freeze” response). To learn more about panic, check out HeretoHelp BC’s resource on Panic Disorder.

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com. 

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority. 

Fear of the unknown, dwelling on the future, and thinking in “what-if” scenarios can be major anxiety triggers, especially for those facing big life changes.

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories, Kelda Logan reflects on how anxiety has manifested throughout her life, including during childhood, becoming a parent, and her battle with breast cancer. Like many, Kelda didn’t know she had anxiety in her earlier years. She thought her experience with perfectionism, panic attacks, avoidance, and her fear of spiders, flying, and highways were normal. It wasn’t until Kelda became a mom and failed a postpartum depression screening test, despite not being “sad,” that she realized something else might be going on. Kelda emphasizes that for her, meditation and mindfulness are of great help, highlighting that she shared these tools with her students and other faculty members during her years as an educator. Looking at the silver lining, Kelda is proud to share that although she’s faced many trials and tribulations throughout her life, she’s now “more aware and more resilient.”

Anxiety Canada Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr. Melanie Badali, shares the importance of learning to identify anxiety: “being aware of anxiety can help us understand and manage it. Naming anxiety can help us tame anxiety.” Though anxiety is normal, it’s important to watch out for warning signs that anxiety may be becoming a problem.

During Kelda’s journey, anxiety seemed to lurk in the background in her early years, but it wasn’t until she became a mother that she recognized the warning signs. Dr. Badali says this is normal, sharing that “anxiety can become amplified during periods of increased responsibility such as having a new baby.” According to Dr. Badali, “an important step in managing anxiety involves facing feared situations, places, or objects. It is normal to want to avoid the things you fear; however, avoidance prevents you from learning that the things you fear are not as dangerous as you think.” Dr. Badali adds that “workarounds” and avoidance quiet anxiety in the moment but fuel it in the long run. “Kelda is inspiring in that she faced her fears. She didn’t let anxiety continue to make her life smaller and smaller. She got back on the highway and is even able to fly.”

If you or someone you know is a new mom struggling with postpartum anxiety, you may find HeretoHelp BC’s article “New Moms Feeling Anxious” helpful. The article provides valuable information on managing and coping with postpartum anxiety, including tips on seeking support, finding time for self-care, and managing stress. Remember to take things one day at a time, and don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider if needed.

About the Guest

Kelda Logan is a dedicated educator, loving mother, and cancer survivor. Despite facing a difficult breast cancer diagnosis, Kelda remained strong and determined to overcome the disease. Her anxiety issues predate the cancer diagnosis, but the experience of facing her mortality has brought a new level of anxiety that she has had to learn to manage. Despite these challenges, Kelda has remained positive and determined to live each day to the fullest, focusing on her family and work as an educator, as well as her own personal growth and well-being.

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com.

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority.

When it comes to treating anxiety and other mental health disorders, there isn’t a ‘one-size fits all’ treatment approach.

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories, Dr. Kourosh Edalati shares his experience as medical director and CEO at Elumind Centre for Brain Excellence, a private outpatient healthcare centre specializing in optimizing brain functions through various neurotherapeutic modalities. Dr. Edalati highlights the importance of building rapport with patients and creating individualized treatment plans, stressing that different people may respond to different treatments. Dr. Edalati also explains why an integrated approach to mental and brain health, such as the ‘roads, cars, and driver’ model used at Elumind, can be beneficial when treating patients with mental health challenges including anxiety.

If you’d like to learn more about your own mental well-being, consider taking one of HeretoHelp BC’s screening self-tests. Although self-tests are not a substitute for a medical diagnosis, they are a good way to start a conversation with your doctor or someone who supports you. You can even print out your results and bring them to your appointment, which can be helpful if you are nervous about talking with your doctor or have difficulty describing what you’re feeling.

About the Guest

University of British Columbia Psychiatry graduate, Dr. Kourosh Edalati, is the founder of Elumind, a private outpatient healthcare centre specializing in optimizing brain functions through various neurotherapeutic modalities. His clinical experience includes working in private practice and at BC Children’s Hospital’s Child and Family Clinic, specializing in PTSD in children and adolescents. Dr. Edalati is also a clinical instructor for the department of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com.

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority. 

Did you know that anxiety and other mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and depression, can drastically impact the trajectory of a person’s life? 

In this episode of #OurAnxietystories, Lise Laforge reflects on her childhood and how it’s connected to her anxiety journey. At age 8, Lise was told she was adopted, which eventually led her to search for her birth mother. At 21, Lise received a call from Children’s Aid to say that they’d found her mother, but the news of her identity sparked an anxiety attack: Lise learned that her biological mother was a homeless woman she’d encountered before. She also learned that her mother had schizophrenia that went untreated for decades and had been a victim of domestic violence. Through learning about her mother, Lise gained a new understanding of homeless communities and some of the root causes of homelessness. Additionally, through therapy and speaking openly about the past, she’s learned to accept her situation and that she is “meant to be on this earth.” 

Anxiety Canada Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr. Kyle Burns, says that this episode stresses the importance of relationships and how these can shape our anxiety. “We often describe anxiety in terms of the ‘fight-or-flight’ reflex and it certainly can be an alarm system for physical threats. But interpersonal anxiety can be just as powerful. As humans, one of our most basic needs is to belong and to connect and we often miss or give greater importance to physical needs. This is an important issue in adoption where the emotional sense of belonging and safety are just as important as food and shelter.” Dr. Burns adds that acceptance is powerful: “John and Lise noted that anxiety is not really ‘cured’ and at the same time, they have both figured out a way to live. Acceptance can be hard to define, but I think it might be helpful for listeners to know a couple of things that acceptance is not. Acceptance is not approval, it is not saying that something is good (or bad, for that matter), and it is also not giving up. Acceptance is a sort of acknowledgement, and at the same time moving forward... How a person comes to a place of acceptance is likely going to be unique and individual, yet it’s stories like Lise’s that can give us some [guidance] on how we can get there.”  

If you have a loved one or family member who lives with a mental illness, communicating with them may be difficult. This is because mental illnesses can affect a person’s ability to concentrate or think clearly. BC Schizophrenia Society’s ‘Tips for Communicating with a Loved One who has a Mental Illness,’ is a PDF resource for youth that introduces basic tools for effective communication. This can help families and friends, and people living with mental illness, better communicate with one another. 

About the Guest: 

After learning she was adopted as a child, Lise Laforge spent years looking for her birth mother, only to deal with a long struggle to accept the shocking truth that her mother was an unhoused person she’d been passing on the street for years. Now, Lise is an advocate for the homeless and the mental health challenges they often disproportionately endure. 

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com. 

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority. 

Did you know men are nearly twice as unlikely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder compared to women? 

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories, Dale Horth highlights the barriers preventing men from seeking diagnosis and treatment. Looking back on his experience working in the logging industry, Dale shares how the hyper-masculine culture of certain blue-collar jobs can make it difficult for men to seek help. “Only the weak need help,” or so he was taught. Throughout his journey, Dale experienced substance use challenges, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and panic attacks. During the peak of his challenges, Dale visited the hospital 58 times in a single year. After overcoming his mental health and substance use challenges, as well as unthinkable physical injuries, Dale is now pursuing a career change and being retrained in Occupational Health Safety Administration to better support men’s mental health in the workplace.  

Looking for resources to support yourself or a loved one experiencing challenges with substance use? The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) has created several informative workbooks to help those who use substances. Workbooks include ‘Supporting people who use substances,’ a basic introduction to substance use along with tips to engage in dialogue with a friend or family member around substance use, as well as ‘Substance Use and Young People,’ a guide for friends, family and a youth’s caring community on how to initiate and continue dialogue around substance use.   

About the Guest:  

Dale Horth worked for many years in the logging industry in British Columbia, Canada. According to Dale, his battle with PTSD, anxiety, and depression has taken him to hell and back. After several suicide attempts and a successful recovery program, Dale is now being retrained in Occupational Health Safety Administration. Authoring “Why Men Suffer in Silence: A Story of Hope and Recovery,” Dale is now an advocate for men’s mental health, challenging blue-collar, testosterone-driven industries, and encouraging men to speak out and get help. 

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com. 

Anxiety Canada is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information. The BC Partners are funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority.