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Today's Takeaway with Florine Mark


Nov 1, 2021

With Neuroscientist and Professor Dr. Wendy Suzuki

 

Are you feeling stressed out, worried, and on edge these days? Do you feel distracted and find it difficult to sleep because of all of the “what if” thoughts racing through your mind? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be suffering from anxiety. Many of us have grown so accustomed to these feelings of unease and anxiety in our daily lives, especially during COVID-19, that we just chalk it up to normal life. But for others, the feelings of anxiety can feel so overwhelming it can actually interfere with daily activities. A recent Google study showed that almost 20% of the U.S. population suffers from some sort of anxiety disorder.

 

But there is help. 

 

My guest today, Dr. Wendy Suzuki, is a noted neuroscientist and Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at the Center for Neural Science at NYU. She wrote a book called Good Anxiety about learning ways to channel those anxious feelings and redirect them for our benefit. According to Dr. Suzuki, we can learn to recognize and refocus our anxiety and use it to improve our lives.

 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

  • What is the study of neuroscience?
  • What led Wendy to become a neuroscientist?
  • What is “good anxiety”?
  • What are some examples of good anxiety in everyday life?
  • What is Dr. Suzuki’s #1 tool for calming anxiety?
  • What’s the difference between everyday anxiety and clinical anxiety?
  • Why are so many more young people experiencing anxiety today?
  • How does Dr. Suzuki control her anxiety?
  • How does music affect anxiety and our brains?
  • What impact does mindset have on anxiety?
  • What are the top two superpowers of anxiety?
  • How has Dr. Suzuki benefited from resilience in her own life?
  • What is tea meditation?

 

Today’s Takeaway:

When we’re feeling stressed and anxious, we may want to run away as far as we can from the people or situations that trigger us. But people who suffer from severe anxiety often become even more vulnerable and anxious when they try to remove their sources of stress. As humans, we crave connection. The feeling of being supported and understood is vitally important to our well-being. By isolating, the resulting loneliness may make the situation even worse. Instead, for these individuals, seeking treatment with a licensed professional is one of the best ways that you can handle your anxiety. There are so many people available to help us all!

 

But for everyday anxiety, when we pay attention to how we feel physically and mentally, we may learn to recognize the situations that typically make us anxious. Dr. Wendy Suzuki says that instead of allowing anxiety to control us, we might become more emotionally resilient and better able to handle our everyday stress. We may learn to channel those negative emotions in ways that might make us more productive, focused, and creative. So treat every day as a gift. Breathe, exercise, meditate, put on music… drink tea! Do whatever you can to make yourself feel good. Turn your focus to something positive. We only live once, so every day should be lived to the fullest potential. I’m Florine Mark and that’s “Today’s Takeaway.”

 

Quotes:

  • “Good anxiety is the understanding that, at its core, anxiety and that underlying physiological stress response is evolutionarily protective for us. (It is good! It is actually essential for our survival.)” — Wendy
  • “At its core, anxiety is a particular kind of brain activation.” — Wendy
  • “90% of the American public, before the pandemic, raised their hands and said, ‘I experience anxiety.’” — Wendy

Brought to You By:

Florine Mark

Mentioned in This Episode: 

Wendy Suzuki

Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion