Managing your Anxiety During Times of Change

One thing is certain, and that is the only thing that stays the same is change itself.

But with change, can come anxiety - frustration - and fear.

And managing that anxiety is the key to unlocking a happier, more focused, and CURIOUS life.

Join me as I dive into the strategies and mindset shifts you need - to help you manage your anxiety during times of change.

If you stick around you'll even hear some life updates that are pretty exciting! 

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Transcript

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If you're starting a new job, or if you just found out that you were part of the recent layoffs at your company. If you ended a long-term relationship, or if you just started dating a new person. If you're on the verge of having your third kid, or maybe you're on the verge of having your first. One thing is certain and that's the change is coming for you. Now one of my favorite sayings about change that I could not tell you where I first heard this. But it has stuck with me for my entire life. And that is the only thing that stays the same is change itself. So that means you either got to get on board with change, or you are going to be living one heck of a stressful life. Now here's the real deal change is good, but he can also be really hard and really challenging. And it can cause a lot of angst and anxiety this I know to be true. But today we are going to talk about a topic that hits so close to home for many of us. And that is managing your anxiety during times of change. Whether it's a new job moving to a new city or just the unpredictable nature of life. Change can be a major source of anxiety, but do not worry because I'm going to break it down and I'm going to give you the tools so that you can handle your anxiety during change, like a pro. You were listening to the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. The podcast that will empower you to shatter limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities. So you can live your best life. I'm Erica Rooney and I'm on a mission to bring more women into positions of power and keep them there. I'm obsessed with all things, growth and abundance. And I'm here to talk you through the tried and true secrets to get you to level up your career and your life. We talk about the hard stuff here. Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear and burnout. So pull up a seat popping in here, bud. And let's dive in. All right. Y'all it is early, early morning when I'm recording this. So if I still have a little bit of that frog in my throat, y'all know why. But I want to start with the science of anxiety and with change. And y'all all anxiety is, is a natural response to stress. It's a natural response to change that often triggers this fight or flight response inside our body. Now this response is rooted in our brains. Uh, MIG Dilla had to take a breath cause y'all would still early. Had to make sure I said that. Right. DME. The amygdala, which detects threats and send signals to release the stress hormones like cortisol. Now, while this was super important for our ancestors who were outrunning, you know, saber tooth tigers and whatnot, it's less than helpful. When we're dealing with modern changes, like a job switch or a new project. But let's be real about it. Change is inevitable, but the way we respond to it can make all the difference. Now here's some strategies to manage your anxiety during those times, which are of course, backed by science and seasoned with a little bit of real life wisdom. Step one y'all I want you to embrace the uncertainty. And let's do this by imagine you're starting a new job. The unknowns are endless. Will you like your colleagues? Can you handle the workload? Will your boss be a micromanager? What's the culture, like all of those questions will be just spinning around in your head, right? You could spiral, you could go completely all the way negative saying that. Yes, my boss is going to be a micromanager. I'm not going to be able to do the work it's going to be horrific. My colleagues are going to be terrible or. You could try to reframe your mindset. Research from Harvard psychologist, Daniel Gilbert suggests that humans are resilient and that we tend to overestimate how negative future events will impact us. Y'all we automatically go to the negative. Okay. So just by knowing that, just by knowing that we overestimate the negative. That should empower you and alleviate a bit of the anxiety, right? That's just our natural response to do that. You have to remind yourself that uncertainty is just part of the journey. But you are more adaptable than you think. You have done hard things before you have done things where you didn't know what the outcome will be before. So you already know that you can get through it, right. So if you're walking into a new job on day one, or really any massive change, instead of thinking, holy shit, what did I do? Shift your mindset to what an adventure. I can't wait to see what this brings. Now what also works here is really having that curiosity mindset. Get interested in who you may meet, what you might learn or how this might change your life. Recognize that we have that. We have that tendency to go towards the negative. Acknowledge it and shift your mindset to the positive. Next, I want you to ground yourself in the present. Now when I first moved to North Carolina, about 15 ish years ago. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of changes. First of all, y'all I had no idea where anything was in this town. I didn't have the same grocery store to shop at back then. Y'all Publix did not live in North Carolina back then. Everything was different. And that move was right after college. And with that came all the changes. Right? My home changed my routine changed. Being able to see my family on the regular was no longer a thing. I had to find new friends. I had to find new places to run and work out. Everything was different. What helped me get through those moments of uncertainty? Of constant unrest was grounding in the present. Now techniques like mindfulness and deep breathing, they can be game changers here. And I found myself. When I found myself really struggling with that anxiety about something or the unknown, I would do just a few moments of the box breathing routine. And if you're not familiar with that, it's where you breathe in for four, you hold for a count of four, you exhale for four and you hold that exhale for four. And I would just do that for a few moments just to ground myself.'cause focusing in on that one simple thing. My breath. Would help me clear my mind. And it would help me focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the future or if something was gonna work out or not. So again, take that moment to ground yourself in the present, whether that is through mindfulness, journaling, meditation, walking outside a practice that works for you, find it and embrace it for when those moments of anxiety really creep in. Next. I want you to plan a routine as best as you can. Because routines can be your anchor in the seat of change. Now stick with me here, because if we stay with the example of my move to North Carolina, the one thing that I could keep the same as my morning routine. You all, I would wake up at the same time. I would go out to my living room. I would read my book. I would journal exercise, shower, and I would get on with my day. That simple routine helped me feel. It helped me feel as if I gained, uh, a sense of control over my life when nothing was the same, it helped reduce my anxiety. And of course the exercise helped me burn off some of that nervous energy. But here's the deal studies show that routines can provide stability and predictability, which are crucial in times of change. So look where you can keep that routine or look where you can establish a new one that works best for you in your new situation. I will often take my home routine that I do every single day, if I'm traveling for work and I try to implement it as best as I can in that new location. Okay. When you were establishing those morning and evening routines along with exercise schedules, that is a great way to give you that sense of control. When everything around you is changing. And then I want you to focus on what you can control. There are so many variables to life that we have zero control over, no matter how hard we try, we can't control the weather. You can't control. If your boss makes a decision, you don't agree with you. Can't control other people's reactions or emotions. Y'all think about when the pandemic first hit and we were all in lockdown. The only thing you really could control was what was going on inside your little bubble. So, so many of us felt that total loss of control. But here's what you can control. Your daily habits, what you eat, how much you move. When you turn off your electronics, how much time you spend with your family, you can control moving your body and setting small daily attainable goals. You'll even admits massive change. There are still so many things that you do have control over. And research from Yale university does show that when you focus on what you can control versus what you can't. You significantly reduce your anxiety. It can be a smallest drinking water, taking a walk or calling a friend. These simple actions y'all they build a sense of agency and calm even on the rest of the world is literally falling apart. Y'all change is hard and anxiety is a natural response. You have to learn to co-exist with your anxiety, give it a name, imagine what she looks like. Think of her like that slightly annoying colleague that gets into your skin, but actually is helpful from time to time. I want you to remember that you are resilient. When you embrace uncertainty. Ground yourself in the present and control what you can control through routines and daily habits. You can navigate change with grace and with strength. And you all speaking of change, I do have some life updates for you. First of all, you've probably noticed that the cadence of the pod has been reduced. Yes. After two years, I've decided to cut back a little and focus more on other needle, moving activities in the business. Was I nervous about this change. Of course I was, this is two years in the making where I have always produced two episodes a week, but I have really kind of done some soul searching. And I've taken stock and I am going to drop the cadence to one, just to test it out. Right. This podcast is such a passion project for me, but it's time to embrace the changing winds and diversify a bit. So for now, you're going to see one podcast episode a week, which will either be a fantastic guest episode. Like the one right before this, or it will be a stepping stone type podcast, short form, just like this one, but always with a science backed strategies to help you live your best life. Shatter those impose ceilings and just be an all around badass woman. Now, I don't know if I'll keep it for forever. I just know it's where I am now. And y'all, I'm going to embrace that change. Now. The other life announcement is that re-imagine at all these six week digital course and group coaching program kicks off next week. You still have time to join. There are already some amazing women signed up, but the time is now y'all the price will never be this low and you are truly getting a steal of a deal. Re-imagine it all is going to be life-changing. If you want to get more done in your life without adding things to your to-do list. It is a total game changing way to look at productivity and it will help you focus in on what matters most streamline your day and do it all without sacrificing your sanity or your sleep for your success. It is going to be so, so good. I can't wait to all of you women who've signed up. Oh my gosh. I hope you are just as excited as I am. Okay friends, that's it for now. Thank you so much for being on this wild ride of life with me through the ups, the downs, the highs and the lows. And if you stuck with me this long, I'll tell you change is brewing for me. It's coming. I can feel it. And I can't wait to share with you. What's next. Now, if you haven't already dropped that five star review, please do so today. It really helps it land in the hands of the woman that needs to hear it the most. And don't forget, jump over to my socials too. Facebook Instagram, LinkedIn, and even Tik TOK. I dropped some really great freebies over there that I don't want you to miss out on now until next time. Remember the only ceilings that exist are the ones we place over ourselves. Let's smash through them together.