Ada

0:00

6s Welcome to all things health and abundance podcast. The podcast where we discuss different health related issues and come with real tips and advice. Today we'll be talking about anxiety. 1s What is it like living with anxiety everyday? What is anxiety and what can we do to cure it? That's what we'll be discussing today.

Today with me is Joanna Paco, a psychotherapist with over ten years of experience in positive psychology and mindfulness. She's running her own clinic in Albania. In addition to that, she's teaching at the Tirana University in the Department of Psychology.

Welcome, Joanna. I'm so happy to have you here with us today.

Joana

0:56

Hello, Ada. Thank you very much for the invite. I cannot wait to discuss and share and engage through the overall podcast. Very grateful.

U1

1:06

Thank you. Thank you for being here. I'm really eager to start discussing this. It's so many people that actually suffer from anxiety, right? Yes, I hear it everywhere. So what is anxiety actually? can you describe it for us

U2

1:20

Okay. Anxiety from a psychological perspective is a response to a heightened state of threat where there is no actual threat. It is characterized as emotion with feelings of tension, with word thoughts, and also physical changes like increased blood pressure, heartbeats, nervousness, and an overall nervous state of the biological system. Accompanied, of course, with overthinking and a lot of distorted and disruptive thoughts.

Ada

1:51

Okay, so there is actually no threat, but the person feels that there is a threat, right?

Joana

1:56

Yes. If there would have been a threat, then we would have had the feeling of fear. But in the case of anxiety, it's a fear usually for the future and usually for the situations that are most likely perceived in our heads, rather thant have very real elements. Of course, there are elements that trigger the anxiety, but mostly it has to do with our mental schemas and the way we perceive the situation and the triggers in the situation.

Ada

2:26

So it's actually: you think about the future, you think that something bad is going to happen, which probably won't even happen, or at least not as bad. And you start feeling anxiety. Yes. What causes it?

Joana

2:38

There is no specific cause in regard to anxiety. Usually there are triggers, which we identify, especially in the clinical practice or in psychotherapy. We identify triggers that give a goal to distorted thoughts or to disrupted thoughts. And make people engage into a very nervous situation. But depending on the person, traumas might be triggering points of anxiety, but also a normal situation might be interpreted in a bigger way.

Ada

3:14

So it's actually our interpretation of something rather than something actually happening?

Joana

3:19

In some cases, okay, yes. In some cases, it's a matter of interpretation. But people do feel it. Like, people have the emotion and they feel it. They feel the tension, they feel the heartbeat, they feel their breath going away. They're not able to breathe properly. They get very sweaty and they start to shake. So they feel all the physical symptoms. And most of the time, people feel like they are going to faint or they will go crazy, or they will make a scene out in public. So it's a mixture between our thoughts, what we have in our mind, and how our body reacts and responds to it

Ada

4:00

I think what you're describing, I've experienced it once, and it was uncomfortable.

Joana

4:06

Yes. And at the moment, people feel like their thoughts might go to a certain point when they feel like they're going to die, but that never happens. Right.

Ada

4:18

So it's good to think about that, right? So, okay, now I'm thinking like, I'm going to die, but let's stop for a second. Like you don't die from anxiety.

Joana

4:27

Of course, the two main thoughts are I'm going to go crazy or I'm going to die, but none of that happens. None of that actually happens. And once you realize that, then there is this turning point, let's say, where you start managing your anxiety when you tell yourself, okay, I know I'm safe. Nothing is going to happen. Is there a situation or my thoughts that are triggering this situation? And once you know that nothing bad is going to happen, you start freeing yourself from it and start managing better. Yeah,

Ada

4:59

okay, that was actually my next question. So it's that you started talking about that, because I was thinking, okay, now we know or we talked a little bit about what anxiety is, but how do we deal with it in the moment when we are in it?

Joana

5:13

Firstly, the first thing that we do is that we need to know. We need to recognize our triggers and our thoughts. So usually in therapy, we start with that. We start with recognizing what is triggering it. Because there are times where clients, for example, cannot state or can not properly identify where it started or how it started or what started it. But they usually know what triggers it or we see the patterns over the situations. For example, if we have similar patterns, we know that we have a trigger which might be common. And once we start recognizing the triggers, it can help us ease down the anxiety, usually. Coping strategies using mindfulness psychotherapy, of course, using breathing techniques helps a lot in the situation in order to stop overthinking. Because having anxiety or being in a situation where you feel very anxious is like a loop. Like your mind says something and your body reacts to it. For example, my mind says, oh my God, there are so many people in this place. This place is so crowded, I think I'm going to faint. And then you immediately start feeling very hot. Your breath goes away. You start feeling very tense. When you have this distension, your mind goes like, okay, my body is reacting to this. What's happening with my body? I'm feeling very hot, I'm sweating, I'm starting to shake. Oh my God, something bad is starting to happen. So what you do is that you feed your mind with this type of thoughts and your mind responds back and feeds your body. So it's all and then it goes back from body to mind again, like a loop, and it's interconnected. So once you stop your thoughts, that's where you can start managing it. But how do you do that when you are in it? How do you stop that kind of thinking, oh my God, something bad is going to happen? For example, if you are in therapy or even if you start learning about techniques, how to manage anxieties even simple ones, what you need to do is that initially people notice when they are about to have an anxiety breakout, let's say. And once you are aware of it, or you catch yourself starting to overthink a situation or starting to feel a bit of discomfort, that's where you stop. You say to yourself, okay, now I'm going to stop it. I will breathe. I will count from one up to ten. For example, do some very deep breaths and I will try to ground myself. Techniques that help a lot are usually checking your surroundings and checking your body. So you do a body scan, like are my arms okay? Are my feet okay? Is my head okay? I'm okay. And overall, my body is okay. My body is safe. And where am I? I am, for example, at Joana's Clinic or I'm in a mall. I'm with my mom. And what are we doing? We're going shop by shop to buy some nice stuff. So what we do is like we do a grounding so that we can start to input into ourselves a feeling of being safe and in control of the situation. And then we start applying techniques like for example one, two, three, stop. When you count, you say one, two, three. And then you stop your thoughts. And you also comply this with some physical movements. For example, you take two steps or you get out of the bed or out of the couch, for example, in order to stop. Two, three, stop the thinking, to stop the pattern of thinking. And then you go in with breathing exercises or just doing another activity for like one or two minutes in order for you to stop it, even psychologically. But moving stops it also physically.

Ada

9:00

so moving is also recommended, but let's say that the person is experiencing anxiety for the first or second time in their life. So they don't know that it is starting, so they are in the middle of it. Is there something they can do? Because I can believe that feels very uncomfortable, right? To be in the middle of it and you're feeling now I'm going to die. Is there something they can do at that moment?

Joana

Despite turning into someone for help, if it's someone near? Because we all need to feel safe at the moment. Counting, going out in fresh air, maybe trying to get out of the place and the situation. For example, if you are in a shop and you cannot stand the heat and you feel like you're fainting, you can just go out of the shop and try to calm yourself down by counting up to ten or to 20 and try to deep breathe. So breathing, it's one of the best exercises we recommend to manage anxiety. Besides filling your lungs with air and oxygen, of course, but it stops your thoughts also. So once we take a deep breath for that instant, we don't think we are there, we are grounded, we are mindful. So bringing attention to your breath helps a lot. Okay?

Ada

Yeah. In yoga therapy, we also recommend that a lot. I will come with a special with regards to yoga poses and breathing exercises. But okay, this is in order to manage. Is there something we can do to cure it? Totally be relieved of anxiety for the rest of our life.

Joana

In the fast paced world we are living in, there will always be stressors that will cause anxiety, even if it won't be like in the form of a disorder. But we still feel tension and we have anxiety from time to time, even for small stuff. What's most important is to adopt mindfulness. Mindset. If we start focusing on the moment, if we start practicing yoga also, but also these breathing exercises, meditations, relaxations also and we work with our mental schemas and the way we think and we direct our thinking into a more positive one, more towards acceptance, it's easier for us to manage it. Of course, we also have medications despite having different types of therapies. But that would be like the last thing to go to. Let's say it would be better for people to learn how to manage it and how to cope with it.

Ada

So it's about learning how to manage and cope with it. Unless you're living in the middle of nowhere With no stress from the outside world and stuff like that. Are there different types of anxiety? Since you mentioned that there are different triggers, I thought maybe there are different types of anxiety.

Joana

Yes, there are different types of anxiety. What was common is the generalized anxiety disorder which is a condition where the person has a constant and evokes fear of everything and also unlikely events. We have a social anxiety disorder which is talked about a lot, especially in recent years where people have feelings of anxiety but are more specific to social situations and interactions with other people. And COVID did get very deep into this because a lot of people do experience symptoms of social anxiety after COVID, after being isolated for such a long time and being alone and not being able to interconnect once they were out. There was this general, let's say, feeling of not being able to properly connect with people despite the fear of being affected and everything else. We have panic disorders, which is a condition related to anxiety. But people have strong panic attacks. We have the phobias, which is an intense fear, let's say, of a specific thing or a specific situation. Let's say phobia from insects, for example.

Ada

Okay, so basically, when you are in that situation, then you start experiencing anxiety. Like, for example, the phobia of height?

Joana

Yes, phobia from insects, from animals also. But people have different, different phobias. And recently we have so many new categorizations about specific phobias. I also heard this is like a curiosity. Let's say that Sadam was afraid of dolphins and there were dolphins. It was totally phobic of dolphins. So people can develop yes, different than specific phobias. We have separation anxiety disorders, which occurs when an individual is worried about their separation from another person and animals, maybe also, for example, toddlers from their parents.

Ada

Can this be connected to childhood? Because now I'm thinking that my son had that a lot when I would leave him in a daycare. So can it be that this may be connected to something from childhood?

Joana

Yes, because the relationship between a mother and a child. Has that bond that we call attachment. And if that attachment is not established in a qualitative way, let's say children do tend to have separation anxiety but it's not always in the form of a disorder. It's normal for children to have separation anxiety, right? Because they go into a new environment. For example, your son when he is with you is now going into kindergarten and of course it's a new environment, new people, you're not there, the feeling of being safe and comfortable and in control of the situation are at risk.

Ada

But when you have this as an adult, does it mean that it is related to childhood anxiety or doesn't have to be like that always?

Joana

Not always, but usually, yes. It has roots from childhood and the way form your attachment bonds with your parents and the other people that were present in your life. It's a big topic because it has many, many layers when you can unravel situations and factors and triggers that may have contributed to having separation anxiety as an adult. And this also impacts a lot the way you enter into a relationship and the way you behave into a relationship, like romantic relationships can be affected by that.

Ada

Okay, that's for sure another topic. Do women suffer more than men?

Joana

According to recent studies and to overall studies, let's say yes, women do suffer more than men, but we cannot state it as clear statements that men do not suffer from anxiety. Women and men are both touched by different conditions or mental health conditions and Milton health sufferings, so anxiety is no exception. But women are more likely to be perceived as more anxious in regard to men. That could be because of differences in brain chemistry and hormone fluctuations since women also have cycle and have more hormone imbalances and also from pregnancy and the overall biological cycle, which of course impacts our system. Also the way in which women react to events in their life because women and men react differently to events in their life, women tend to be more prone to stress which can also increase their anxiety and are more expressive in regards to what they feel. Men are a bit more introverted and they don't usually talk about these types of topics. This might be like a factor that might contribute to anxiety to be diagnosed, let's say, or identified more in women than men. And also women faced with different life stressors are more likely to ruminate about them which might also increase their anxiety. But despite it, men are more active or have more problem focused coping strategies. More straightforward, sometimes more direct. Of course, there are men who tend to be overthinkers, but women do overthink a lot about everything. So overthinking is like a major risk factor. In regards to anxiety. Statistics show that women are twice more likely to be suffering from anxiety than men, but we cannot fully fully define it because men might also suffer in silence.

Ada

What about panic attacks? Are the two related: anxiety and panic attacks?

Joana

Yes. Usually people who suffer from anxiety experience once or twice or even more panic attacks. A panic attack is a more aggravated situation of anxiety. Let's say it's more intense and it's shorter than an anxiety situation because anxiety might last even for, I don't know, maybe hours or minutes and might last longer. But panic attacks are usually shorter. They have a peak where you just go and the emotion intensifies, intensifies, it reaches out a peak and then everything falls off back to normality. Breathing can help with that, right? Identifying triggers, then applying coping strategies like breathing overthinking, stopping, working with mental schemas, restructuring the way we think also those are some of the techniques that help.

Ada

Wow, this is really a huge subject. I think I will probably be discussing this in other episodes as well, to go more in depth into anxiety and the different types of it and how to deal according to that. Well, if you guys want to be up to date with everything regarding the podcast, please follow me on Instagram at All Things Health and Abundance. And if you want to book an appointment, you can do so by sending a message on Instagram or on the website.

Joana

Okay. Ada, despite talking about anxiety in a more psychological way, let's say, and discussing different types of therapies and strategies and mechanisms, I would like to ask you a question in regards to yoga and other techniques that might be helpful, that are alternative but as useful as psychotherapy into managing anxiety.

Ada

it's a great question. Yana yoga is actually ideal to change the neutral pathways because it changes a person's behavior, thinking, emotions, which in turn helps the brain to make new connections. According to yoga, one can get rid of anxiety by restoring peace or as we call it, Satva. But how do we do that? It feels like it's easier said than done, right? I will actually come with a full yoga and breathing program in a special that will be released soon. But until then, the tips I can say that someone can follow is actually to avoid dry food, fast food, any food that basically does not grow on trees or doesn't come from earth, but instead to have warm cooked food. So this is one of the easiest things to do. Otherwise I'm coming with all the tips with regards to yoga, breathing, ayurveda, actually color therapy as well, and lots of other stuff very, very soon in a special. Lastly, in case of a panic attack, something really easy to do is to just close your eyes and imagine the cross. This brings the hemispheres of your brain in balance

Joana

reminding me of this, imagining the cross, which I find very useful. Also, visualization helps, and even in psychology, in clinics, we use visualization. So imagining, for example, your safe place or trying to go mentally into a safe place or into a beautiful place when you feel calm and relaxed helps a lot in this type of situation. So it will be very useful. For example, for a person who is in a situation with a panic attack or maybe in an anxious situation, it might help them try to redirect their thoughts and go mentally into a beautiful place, a relaxing spot, a safe place to provide a feeling of comfort.

Ada

How does one go about finding that place?

Joana

When we all lay down at night, there are times when we close our eyes and we imagine ourselves into, I don't know, a beautiful forest, or by the beach, or in a park with the sun, with warm weather, and when we feel relaxed and comforted and safe. So we can use that. We can use our own safe place or our own visualization, which may be also a simple place, or maybe also having a coffee or a tea or reading a book, or we can use those images to help ourselves to relax for the moment and get out of the anxious situation.

Ada

Ok visualizing the place to be. What about Affirmations? Would you recommend someone, any affirmation that they can use on everyday basis in order to feel more relaxed?

Joana

There are a lot of affirmations. People can find Affirmations even online. But it's best to create your own in order to specify them so that they can feel closer to you and you can relate more to what you're writing and what you're affirming practically. So some Affirmations that I might suggest is “I am safe and in control. “ I am strong, I trust myself, I am capable, I inhale peace and exhale worry. I am loved, I am accepted. Or maybe this feeling is only temporary. And above all, this too shall pass. Because every situation passes and this situation will also pass.

Ada

Yeah, the very famous quote from Buddha, these two shall pass. And actually, it's good to have that in mind for almost everything that happens in our life, right? Because everything shall pass, good or bad, or perceived as good or bad. Thank you so much. This was really, really useful.

Joana

Thank you for having me. It was such a pleasure to discuss today. The conversation felt very warm, and hopefully it will be helpful for everyone who will listen to it

Ada

I’m sure of it! Thank you. Now it's your turn. Let us know what health and abundance subjects you want us to cover in the future. Do that by commenting on the post on Instagram. Thank you so much for listening. And thank you so much to Joanna for being here with us today. If you liked it, please leave a review @podchaser.com. Just search for the podcast and write a good review. If you have questions or if you want to book a session with me, please do let me know on Instagram.

And remember, you are always creating your health and abundance. What do you choose to create today?