Best 3 Tips on Worry, Anxiety and Turning Down the Stress Response - Anxiety Workshop w Nick Wignall

The video begins with an introduction to the topic of setting boundaries on anxiety, which is described as 'bossy.' Emma McAdam, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Nick Wignall, a clinical psychologist, present their credentials and the structure of the video, which will include swapping tips on managing anxiety and opening the floor for questions. Emma emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between stress, anxiety, and worry, explaining that stress is a physiological response, while worry is the cognitive aspect, and anxiety is the combination of both.

Emma discusses the bottom-up approach to anxiety, which focuses on physical sensations and the feedback loop between the brain and the body. She suggests that calming the body can signal the brain to relax, mentioning deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and vagus nerve exercises as methods to achieve this. The video provides a quick example of a vagus nerve exercise involving yawning to trigger a calming effect.

Nick introduces a top-down approach, focusing on the cognitive aspect of anxiety by distinguishing between a worry (an intrusive thought) and worrying (the act of elaborating on those thoughts). He suggests accepting the presence of worries but controlling the act of worrying, thereby redirecting one's focus to more productive thoughts. This approach aims to manage the habitual behavior of worrying that contributes to anxiety.

Emma talks about the trap of avoidance with respect to anxiety. She explains that while avoidance can be beneficial in certain physical threats, it can be detrimental when dealing with daily life anxieties. She uses the example of students auditioning for a play to illustrate how avoidance can lead to increased anxiety and how facing fears can reduce it over time, even if the initial cause of anxiety remains.

Nick discusses the common misconceptions about using mindfulness as a coping skill for anxiety. He explains that using mindfulness or other techniques as a means to avoid anxiety can backfire and actually increase anxiety in the long term. Instead, he advocates for using such practices as exercises to build strength and skill, rather than as immediate coping mechanisms, emphasizing acceptance of anxiety over avoidance.

Returning to the topic of worry, Nick explains that worry is a direct cause of anxiety and that it's important to address worry to manage anxiety effectively. He introduces the concept of 'scheduled worry,' a technique where one deliberately schedules a specific time to worry each day. This practice is meant to reduce the intrusive nature of worry at other times, thereby lowering overall anxiety levels.

Emma emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries with anxiety, suggesting that anxiety can serve as a messenger indicating that something in one's life needs attention. She discusses how anxiety can signal a need for change or action and that addressing these messages can alleviate anxiety. Emma also highlights the importance of distinguishing between real and perceived threats and not letting anxiety control one's actions.

The video concludes with a Q&A session where the hosts address questions from viewers about managing morning anxiety, physical symptoms of anxiety, and the balance between acceptance and effort in dealing with conditions like depression. They provide advice on immediate actions one can take when feeling anxious, such as getting out of bed immediately to disrupt the cycle of worrying, and the importance of viewing anxiety as a messenger rather than a disorder.