What is fear?
Well, March 2020 Changed everyone’s life. We thought all we had to do was just to wash our hands and not touch our face for 14 days and we would be fine. we also had our national leader say that the sun would kill it so it’s pretty much not that big of a deal. and then people we know started getting it. Hell Tom Hanks got it. We started to feel more fear. then. The question begged what are we going to do? when are things going to go back to normal? When can my kids go to school? How am I going to pay my rent? Should I move home? Am I gonna die alone? So much uncertainty. But hasn’t life always been uncertain? you never know what’s gonna happen. we just thought we did.
I felt something shift in me as the quarantine started. I started to explore my spirituality and connection to the universe. Look when you boil it down we are made of the same atoms as the air. We are energy. We have energy. We are magical force fields. But COVID sent some triggers all up in this world. But this episode is not about COVID.. It's about how we deal with fear. aka stress aka anxiety. That's what this episode is about Since March we have started a divide as a country. Red vrs blue. Black vrs white, people unfriending an uncle because of racist comments. All of that is very real but all of that is stress. There have been social injustices since humanity was created and the injustices have been instilled because of fear. Fear drives racism, homophobia, xenophobia, arachnophobia. Why do we fear things? From the beginning of time, people have had this fight more flee mode or freeze mode.
Now I should preface with the fact that I not a doctor though I have been a simulated patient for 7 years so I have coached over 200 medical professionals on communication skills and bedside manner. I'm not a psychologist. I am a performer. a singer, writer, and actor. I have spent my life creating characters in fictional worlds. So when the quarantine hit I started writing a short-form comedy. But, then I got scared. I got scared that I was gonna die alone so I reached out to everyone I knew and tried to connect and everyone failed me. Every single friend failed me. Because I excepted support and love that they simply weren’t capable of giving me. The nourishment I needed could only with self-reflection. So I prayed y’all I prayed to God, Jesus, Mother Earth, Budha, my Lil crystals Hell I even prayed to plant. Then I cried. I cried a lot. I wrote so many feelings of anger and abandonment and fear I had finally reached out to the best person in the world for me to actually connect with. Myself. I sat with myself and cried. This releases a lot of stuff Crying release trauma. Crying releases energy. Crying helps you deal it is a gift.
I know your thinking Ashley... come on. The one thing I do know is how to develop an emotion. I have spent my life doing just that. Creating believable emotions for an audience to connect with. And then it hit me. I have been so scared my whole life. constantly thinking I will fail because I haven’t quote-unquote made it but making it shouldn’t be the goal of life. this is life. The choices and actions I make today are my life. I have got to make the most of it. because I want to. and I want to share my journey with others. now is the time for connection. So each week I will research a topic that I am passionate about and I will talk with you about it. Appreciating every single day that I am alive. This got me to thinking about what holds me back. my anxiety, when things get dark my depression and I know a lot of you deal with the same shit.
So, I want to break it down. My goal of this podcast is to spread awareness on the leading killer on the planet. Fear Fear manifest in a bunch of ways in the body. We were created in a super fancy lab somewhere designed by the greatest chemist of all time. You can call it God, High Power, the divine, mother earth, or the big bang. Call it what you want the fact is that it happened. And we were designed with this cool way to try and save our lives. Your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors. Such threats are rare today, but that doesn't mean that life is free of stress. On the contrary, you undoubtedly face multiple demands each day, such as taking on a huge workload, paying the bills, and taking care of your family. Your body treats these so-called minor hassles as threats. As a result, you may feel as if you're constantly under attack. But you can fight back. You don't have to let stress control your life.
This is a great article from the Mayo Clinic. Enjoy
Understanding the natural stress response
When you encounter a perceived threat — such as a large dog barking at you during your morning walk — your hypothalamus, a tiny region at your brain's base, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located atop your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with the brain regions that control mood, motivation and fear.
When the natural stress response goes wild we go wild.
The body's stress-response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels and other systems resume their regular activities. But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. The long-term activation of the stress-response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follow can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems, including: Anxiety Depression Digestive problems Headaches Heart disease Sleep problems Weight gain Memory and concentration impairment That's why it's so important to learn healthy ways to cope with your life stressors.
Why you react to life stressors the way you do Your reaction to a potentially stressful event is different from anyone else's. How you react to your life stressors is affected by such factors as:
Genetics. The genes that control the stress response keep most people on a fairly steady emotional level, only occasionally priming the body for fight or flight. Overactive or underactive stress responses may stem from slight differences in these genes.
Life experiences. Strong stress reactions sometimes can be traced to traumatic events. People who were neglected or abused as children tend to be particularly vulnerable to stress. The same is true of people who have experienced violent crime, airplane crash survivors, military personnel, police officers and firefighters. You may have some friends who seem relaxed about almost everything and others who react strongly to the slightest stress. Most people react to life stressors somewhere between those extremes.
Learning to react to stress in a healthy way Stressful events are facts of life. And you may not be able to change your current situation. But you can take steps to manage the impact these events have on you. You can learn to identify what stresses you and how to take care of yourself physically and emotionally in the face of stressful situations. Stress management strategies include: Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise and plenty of sleep Practicing relaxation techniques such as trying yoga, practicing deep breathing, getting a massage or learning to meditate Taking time for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music Fostering healthy friendships Having a sense of humor Volunteering in your community Seeking professional counseling when needed The reward for learning to manage stress is peace of mind and perhaps a longer, healthier life.
Chronic stress puts your health at risk Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your mind and body.
Take steps to control your stress.
Credit to The Mayo Clinic as a reference to fear facts.
Your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors. Such threats are rare today, but that doesn't mean that life is free of stress. On the contrary, you undoubtedly face multiple demands each day, such as taking on a huge workload, paying the bills and taking care of your family. Your body treats these so-called minor hassles as threats. As a result you may feel as if you're constantly under attack. But you can fight back. You don't have to let stress control your life.