We begin today’s episode with “When We Pause”, a poem written by our host: “When we pause we don’t break laws or get chewed up in regret’s jaws or suffer an immeasurable loss or start more bloody wars. When we pause, we are in control. If more people learn to pause, our world would not be so lost.” We are often the cause of our stress, overreacting in ways that do not fit the reality of that situation. Emotional reactions can never be eliminated but we need to find better ways to cope, that prevent us from launching ourselves into the stress stratosphere. Today, you will learn how to pause, breathe, and be curious, and how this practice can help you get rid of unnecessary fight-or-flight, emotionally-triggered reactions. We talk about why we feel threatened by opposing points of view, how to appreciate another’s perspective, why you need to choose progress over perfection, and how to use empathy to reduce someone else’s stress levels.  To find out how not to distort a normal situation, how to control your reactions during an emotionally-intense situation, and a whole lot more, tune in now! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s topic with “When We Pause”, a poem written by our host.
• Reflecting on how often we are the cause of our stress. 
• Reacting in ways that do not fit the reality of the situation. 
• Creating ways of coping to prevent you from launching yourself into the stress stratosphere.
• Understanding that we cannot eliminate emotional reactions from our lives. 
• How your immune system is weakened by unresolved stress/unprocessed emotions.  
• Getting rid of unnecessary fight-or-flight emotionally-triggered reactions. 
• Being threatened or feeling attacked by an opposing point of view.
• Appreciating an opposite point for enhancing the diversity of perspectives. 
• Pause: how to avoid being filled with regret because we didn’t pause. 
• Progress over perfection.
• Breathe: your BFF, using breath to calm your body. 
• Be curious: objectively observing a situation and asking yourself important questions. 
• Not allowing your emotional reaction to distort a normal situation. 
• Learning how to control your reactions during emotionally-intense situations.
• How to use empathy to help reduce another person’s stress level. 
• Using pause, breathe, and be curious to help alleviate the weight of a long-term stressful situation.  

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Episode 01: The First Steps to Effective Stress Management with Annemarie Bell

Episode 02: What’s Happening Inside Our Bodies When We Are Stressing Out?

Annemarie Bell on Instagram

Annemarie Bell Email

Disclaimer

This podcast represents the opinions and views of Annemarie Bell and her guests. The content herein should not be taken or construed as medical advice or therapeutic services. Additionally, views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of Annemarie Bell and/or her guests and do not represent those of her employer.

Just the word ‘takeout’ probably has you thinking of some of your favorites, whether it be sushi, pizza, or comfort food from the restaurant around the corner. Many of us associate takeout with quality time with our friends, family, or loved ones, relaxing and enjoying a meal together. Generally, this stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system and allows us to reduce stress, but what if you are bringing ‘takeout stress’ home for dinner? This might happen when something occurs during our workday that triggers an emotional response and leaves us feeling anxious or overwhelmed. If we’re not careful, we can allow this takeaway work stress to become home stress, often at the expense of our families, our relationships, or our health. In today’s episode, we take a look at the different ways you might serve this takeout stress, how it impacts your family and your loved ones, and some of the techniques and exercises you can use to prevent it from happening as frequently. Tune in today to learn more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The positive associations many of us have with takeout food.
• Distinguishing between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
• What happens when we bring home ‘takeout stress’ and what might cause it.
• The different ways we serve takeout stress and how it impacts our family and loved ones.
• Reality check: takeout stress will happen from time to time, even with the best stress management techniques and practices in place!
• A reminder that takeout stress does not make you a terrible parent, partner, or person.
• Ways you can prevent it from happening as frequently, starting with setting work boundaries.
• An exercise to help you avoid seeing certain situations through a past trauma lens.
• How positive, instructive self-talk can help you transition from negative to neutral energy.
• A look at how to use the ‘container exercise’ to ease your anxiety in the short term.
• Why you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you bring takeout stress home; you’re only human!
• How to turn your shame into action and take ownership of your stress management. 
• Remember: strive for progress, not perfection!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Episode 02: What’s Happening Inside Our Bodies When We Are Stressing Out?

Annemarie Bell on Instagram

Annemarie Bell Email

Disclaimer

This podcast represents the opinions and views of Annemarie Bell and her guests. The content herein should not be taken or construed as medical advice or therapeutic services. Additionally, views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of Annemarie Bell and/or her guests and do not represent those of her employer.

Many of us confuse our ability to acclimate to chronic stress as resilience when, in reality, it’s taking a far greater toll on our health than we realize. In this episode, we take a look at what exactly is happening inside your body when you are experiencing stress and, more importantly, when you’re living in a state of chronic stress. Our brain doesn’t discern between real and perceived threats and, today, we explore a few scenarios of commonly perceived threats that could send our nervous systems into fight or flight mode. The impact of chronic stress on your physical, mental, and spiritual health can be devastating, and this episode will equip you with some tools to observe your body’s response to stress and calm your nervous system. It’s never too late to change your stress management habits; tune in to learn about the physiological effects of chronic stress and how to make the necessary adjustments!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s topic: what happens inside our bodies when we experience stress.
• How Annemarie was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer which she believes resulted from an immune system that failed to optimally perform because it was ravaged by chronic stress for many years.
• Annemarie defines chronic stress and emphasizes the individualized nature of stress.
• Examples of situations that could potentially cause chronic stress.
• How we acclimate to chronic stress and confuse that ability with resilience.
• Our bodies’ physiological fight or flight response to stress.
• Examples of real and perceived threats, and the brain’s inability to discern between them.
• Encouragement that it’s never too late to change your stress management habits!
• What happens in your brain and body when you’re regularly in fight or flight mode.
• The role cortisol plays in the body’s response to stress and its other regulatory functions.
• The physical symptoms we experience when our bodies go into fight or flight.
• The devastating impact chronic stress can have on your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
• How to shift your stress response: observe and notice, and rely on your breath.
• How to use your breath to calm your nervous system.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Annemarie Bell on Instagram

Annemarie Bell Email

National Institute of Health

Disclaimer

This podcast represents the opinions and views of Annemarie Bell and her guests. The content herein should not be taken or construed as medical advice or therapeutic services. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of Annemarie Bell and/or her guests and do not represent those of her employer.

Are you struggling to sleep? Was your mind racing when you woke up in the middle of the night? Are you feeling overwhelmed or burnt-out? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this episode is for you! Welcome to the first episode of the Why Am I so Effing Stressed Podcast, a safe place to discuss everything stress and stress management. Take a break and learn about the different triggers of stress, what stress tolerance level is, techniques to manage stress, how to identify the sources of stress, and much more. Stress and burnout are commonplace in today’s society, and people often underestimate the impact it has on our lives and well-being. Stress management is essential to living a happy and healthy life. However, this is easier said than done. In this episode, I cover the basics of stress, such as simple questions to ask yourself to check your stress levels, what the definition of stress is, how it is unique to each person, how stress develops into chronic stress, and the different triggers of stress. I also talk about the impacts that stress causes on individuals and society, and the behaviors that can create and foster stress in your life. Tune in to take the first steps on your journey to reducing stress in your life with inspirational host Annemarie Bell!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Simple questions to ask yourself to check if you are suffering from stress.
• Learn a shocking statistic regarding stress-related health conditions.
• What the definition of stress is for Annemarie.
• How the triggers of stress are unique to each person.
• Why stress is important and what ‘good’ stress is.
• An example of ‘good’ stress in a real-world situation.
• When stress becomes harmful to your mind and body.
• Highlights of the health-related issues that stress causes.
• The ‘fight or flight’ response and how it relates to stress.
• How stress in individuals can cause problems in society.
• Annemarie shares a personal story about how stress affected her health.
• An outline of the different behaviors that lead to poor stress management.
• A takeaway message and a simple technique to reduce stress.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Annemarie Bell on Instagram

Annemarie Bell Email

The American Institute of Stress

Disclaimer

This podcast represents the opinions and views of Annemarie Bell and her guests. The content herein should not be taken or construed as medical advice or therapeutic services. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of Annemarie Bell and/or her guests and do not represent those of her employer.