Anxiety: 6 exercises to extract something positive from ‘misunderstood emotions’, according to the neuroscientist

2024-10-26 22:45:00

Photo caption, “Anxiety was designed to protect us from the dangers of this world,” says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki

About the item

• Author, Wise
• Role, BBC World

• 49 minutes ago

It’s hard to imagine anxiety as something positive. What’s so great about feeling nervous, worried, with a tightness in your chest? In Brazil, an estimated 18 million people suffer from anxiety disorders, an illness that disrupts relationships, professional performance and an individual’s physical and emotional well-being.

But for Wendy Suzuki, neuroscientist and professor at the Center for Neural Sciences at New York University, in the United States, anxiety can be a good emotion.

Instead of fighting it, Suzuki says that throughout her life she has used this emotion to be more productive, more optimistic, and ultimately more resilient.

The researcher, author of the book Anxiety for the good: Exploring the power of the most misunderstood emotions (publisher Alta Life, 2023), specializes in the study of brain plasticity and the transformative effects of exercise on mental health and cognitive development.

“Good anxiety refers to the fact that, from an evolutionary perspective, anxiety was designed to protect us from the dangers of this world,” Suzuki told BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanish-language service.

The problem, according to Suzuki, is that we have “very high” levels of collective anxiety, which causes this anxiety to lose much of its value.

“To return to the beneficial protective functions of our anxiety,” says the expert, “we must learn to turn down the volume on our anxiety, explore what these uncomfortable feelings associated with our anxiety tell us about ourselves, and in doing so, learn more about ourselves, our feelings and our emotional life.”

In an article on the Make it portal of the American network CNBC, Suzuki states that “the most powerful way to fight anxiety is to constantly work to develop resilience and mental strength”.

To achieve this goal, the neuroscientist practices these six exercises daily and explains them in her own words.

1. Turn anxiety into progress

The plasticity of our brain is what allows us to be resilient in difficult times: learning to calm down, reevaluate situations, reframe our thoughts, and make smarter decisions.

It’s easier to take advantage of this when we remember that anxiety doesn’t always have to be bad. Analyze the following propositions:

Credit, Matt Simpkins

Photo caption, Wendy Suzuki is a writer and professor at New York University

Anger can block your focus and ability to perform, or it can drive and motivate you. But anger sharpens your focus and serves to remind you of what’s important.

Fear can trigger memories of past failures. When this happens, it diverts your attention and hinders your performance. But it can also make you more thoughtful about your decisions, help you think more deeply, and create opportunities to change course.

Sadness can affect your mood and demotivate you, but it can help you change your priorities and motivate you to transform your environment, circumstances and behavior.

Worry can make you procrastinate and prevent you from reaching your goals, but it can help you better reevaluate your plans, adjust expectations, and become more realistic so you can focus on achieving your goals.

Frustration can hinder your progress and take away your motivation, but it can challenge you to improve.

These comparisons may seem simplistic, but they point to powerful options that produce achievable results.

2. Try something new

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to take a new online course, play a sport, or attend a virtual event.

I once participated in an Instagram Live workout with Wimbledon tennis champion Venus Williams, in which she used bottles as weights.

I’ve never done anything like this before. In the end it was a fantastic and memorable experience.

The point is: for free (or for a low price) you can force your brain and body to try something you’ve never considered before.

It doesn’t have to be training and it doesn’t have to be difficult. It might be something a little above your level or outside your comfort zone.

3. Think about positive outcomes

At the beginning or end of each day, think about all the current uncertainties in your life, including the big ones and the small ones.

Will I receive a good job performance evaluation? Will my child adapt well to the new school? Will I receive a positive response after the job interview?

Now take each of these situations and imagine the most optimistic outcome the situation could have.

Not just the good outcome, but the “best” possible outcome you can imagine. This practice allows you to practice the feeling of expecting positive results.

Photo caption, The people closest to you can help you take care of yourself

It’s not easy, but feeling surrounded by people who care about you is essential in times of great stress, when you need to draw on your resilience to persevere and maintain your well-being.

When we experience loss or other forms of suffering, it is natural for us to withdraw. This type of behavior is also observed in grieving animals.

However, you also have the power to draw closer to the company of those who can help you take care of yourself.

5. Practice or positive ‘autopost’

Actor, playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (winner of Pulitzer, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards) has published a book in which he talks about the posts he makes at the beginning and end of each day. They are essentially small, optimistic, fun, unique and charming messages.

If you watch him in his interviews, you see an intrinsically strong and optimistic person. How can you become so resilient, productive and creative?

Clearly, part of the answer is these positive reminders he writes. There is no need to share them with others. The idea is to be encouraged to do this at the beginning and end of the day.

If you find this difficult, try to think of what an important person in your life (sibling, friend, mentor, parent) would say to you and then write a tweet or simply dictate the message to yourself.

6. Immerse yourself in nature

Science has repeatedly shown that spending time in nature has positive effects on our mental health.

Some studies have found that it can significantly increase emotional well-being and resilience.

Photo caption, Contact with nature can have beneficial effects on mental health

You don’t have to live near a forest to immerse yourself in nature. A nearby park or any green, quiet environment where there aren’t many people will work well.

Breathe, relax and become aware of sounds, smells and images. Use all your senses to create greater awareness of the natural world.

This exercise increases overall resilience as it acts as a sort of energetic reset and restores balance.

This text was originally published in September 2021 and republished in October 2024