I woke up in a panic.
My heart was beating out of my chest. What was happening... an overwhelming feeling of dread and a sheer loss of control took over my entire body. I stood up. It got worse. I sat down. I couldn’t stop the rising nausea. I crawled into a tight ball and began breathing and counting over and over... 1...2...3... you are okay, Jesus is with you. 1...2...3.... That first panic attack felt like it lasted forever. It was scary, terrible, and a feeling I never wanted to feel again. It’s been 2 years since, and while I’ve regained control over most of these debilitating anxiety attacks, I still get the familiar rise of panic and that thudding in my chest every now and again... But... because of amazing therapists like Heather from neuroo.org, soul searching, understanding my triggers and WHY the panic and anxiety are sirens for other issues, I’ve been able to calm the storm before I get slammed by the wave. Come hear my personal battle and walk through some ANXIETY THERAPY with a real life therapist on today’s podcast episode. And she’s amazing.... We discuss: - Types of anxiety - Why mompreneurs experience anxiety - How to identify when to seek help - Coping techniques that can help you heal - My personal battle with anxiety - Where to look for qualified therapists near you And... a GUIDED RELAXATION BONUS! I’ll meet you in todays episode! Love and light, Stef P.S. If you are suffering from mental health issues like anxiety, seek help! You are not alone. You don’t have to suffer in silence.
Full transcription available at the bottom of this blog post.
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Show Notes:
Our very special guest, Heather Georgieff, MA, LPCC from Neuroo.org and Neuroo Counseling, LLC was such blessing to have on the show. To learn more about Heather and her services, visit: neuroo.org. To find a therapist near you, Heather recommends: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists. Heather also recommends the Stop, Breathe, and Think app. Wanna do a coaching session with me?! From power-hour calls to monthly and annual packages, there's an option for you. Email us for the coaching menu at support@stefaniegass.com Launch your podcast with ease. Follow the PROVEN system for scaling to success! Join the dozens of women who have launched TOP 30 RANKED shows using my exact system inside of Podcast Pro University. JOIN now and you'll get FREE, life-time access to the membership community, too! Hurry, this offer expires soon. Thinking about podcasting? Learn EVERYTHING you need to know at my free Start a Podcast Training Page (https://startapodcast.gr8.com)! Or, Snag my launch strategy + checklist at podcastchecklist.gr8.com Confused about what to do FIRST in your business? Download my Mompreneur Biz Blueprint and find out the exact order of operations to build your business. What to do, when: bizblueprint.gr8.com All of my recommended programs & software can be found at stefaniegass.com/resources FB Community: bit.ly/successsupportgroup Instagram: @stefaniegass
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION:
What's up. Mama boss. Welcome back to The Mompreneur Mastermind Show. I'm Stefanie Gass, success strategist, and passive income queen creator. If you're ready to step into your God led potential, create profit from your passions and capture the success that is already yours. This podcast was made for you as always, and you can find out more and connect with me over at stefaniegass.com. So grab that cup of coffee or fill up that glass of wine. And let's dig in to today's show. Boss. Welcome to episode 62 of the show in today's show, we are going to be talking about entrepreneurial anxiety and we have the most amazing guest ever and note, not just because she's my sister-in-law, which is awesome, but because Heather Georgieff is actually a nationally certified clinical mental health counselor. She holds her master's degree in professional clinical counseling. She started in 2013 where she was working at the public schools with children and teens, and then she shifted into adults and families. Heather has facilitated educational parenting groups. She's worked with mindfulness exercises, journaling, educating on child development to help parents better understand their children as well as themselves. And then in early 16, Heather opened up her own private practice where she primarily works with teenagers and adults specializing in EMDR therapy. She's seen incredible progress with those who complete the EMDR process, and she loves her work as a therapist and has great appreciation for those who commit to working on themselves for the benefit of their mental wellness. She's obviously married to my brother and she's a dog mommy. So we were so excited to have her on the show. And listen, if you've ever dealt with anxiety, whether it's just mild anxiety, whether it's debilitating panic attacks, whether you just feel anxious in your day to day, this episode is totally for you. We dig into my own experience with anxiety, tips and tricks to keep it at Bay. And when to know if it's actually a problem and when to seek counseling or help with your anxiety. So can't wait to dig in. It's a good, good, good one that review of the week was left by Lilo, Denise, and it's titled amazing five stars. I found out about this podcast on Instagram and I instantly fell in love and building a stronger relationship with God. And this podcast helps me do just that. Thank you, Lela, Denise and Hey boss, if you haven't left a review, hop on over to iTunes do so. I appreciate you. I am so thankful for you and excited that we get to be on this journey together. And OMG, I am just so flipping excited. I could jump up and down and scream, but I won't do it. You're welcome. The podcast pro university is officially live. You can hop on over there. You can register and start course immediately, and it will take you in 12 steps, 12 steps from idea to execution of launching your very own podcast. OMG, right? And I'm telling you guys, podcasting has shifted the game for me. It's exploding. You want to get in before the wave. If you're already doing video, if you're already showing up on social media, repurposing your content in a podcast is a no-brainer. Let me take you through how to set up a podcast. What it should be about. I teach you how to come up with your first 30 episodes. How to record edit, monetize, make money from a podcast. And I'm teaching you how to get this stuff done before the wave, before the masses, audible consumption is on the rise and you don't want to miss out. I will meet you over at podcastprouniversity.com and take my free quiz to see if podcasting could be right for you. Grab that coffee or wine we're digging in. And we're going to talk with Heather, George AF about entrepreneurialship anxiety. And I hope you guys enjoy, okay. This is happening. I'm so excited. I am so pumped right now. You guys, because I have my sister-in-law. I already read you her incredible introduction. You've heard all about her amazing accolades as a therapist and running her own incredibly successful counseling business. But I have her sitting with me in my office. Yay. She gets here and she gets going to help us just really dig into anxiety today. You know, gosh, like we've talked about so many times, you know, women face this just pressure to be successful, to be everything, to be moms and, and, you know, we're hustling to make money from home and raise babies and be everything to everyone. And I know for me, that manifests into anxiety truly. So that's why I asked Heather on, because I know, gosh, if I'm dealing with this, so many of you are probably dealing with this and she is the expert. So welcome Heather. Thank you so much for having me. You're welcome. I'm pumped. So obviously we got to know about you share with us. You're so cute. You guys can see her face. So the first thing we want you to do is share your story with us. Like, how did you become so passionate about therapy and mental health and kind of take us through your journey? Yeah, well, you know, I've always wanted to be a counselor ever since I was little, but I never really kind of verbalize that just cause I didn't think I could do the schooling for it. So yeah, I've, I've always wanted to do this type of work. I don't know why. It just always kind of felt it in my heart that this is what I was meant to do, but I just didn't have the self-confidence for, I didn't think I could do the school in for it. So I actually pursued careers around like my lack of confidence. So I wanted to be like a surgical technician. I was gonna get my certificate for that. And then I thought, Oh, maybe I could be an EMT. Like my dad, like, Oh, I would love to be a paramedic. And I just couldn't pass the biology. Oh one for some reason I took it for two years in a row. And then my husband, who is your brother is amazing. He was like, you know what, babe, maybe this just isn't for you. Maybe this isn't your path. So I went into school for communications and advertising and I got my bachelor's degree in advertising communications and organizational communication. And then I started looking for jobs. So after six years of going to college, I'm like, okay, now I can finally do this work. You know, be an advert. I'm an advertising major to do graphic design. I was applying for jobs and my husband was like, are you excited about this? Like you seem kind of like, not really looking forward to these interviews. I said, you know, to be honest, I don't feel excited about this. I don't know why I've been working so hard to get here. And he said, well, if you could just take down like all of the boundaries, money time, like if you could take down any, everything that could be holding you back, what would you be doing? And this was a very amazing and insightful question that I think actually any, everyone should be asking themselves. And I said, I would be a counselor, like hands down. I would just be a counselor. It like came immediately. You know, that kind of like that, just like quick gut feeling like, yeah, this Is what I want to do. Like the answer comes from beyond You, right? Yeah. Yes, exactly. Like just like popped out. I'm like, Whoa, I just said that. And he was like, he's like, well then go do that. And without having his support, I think I would probably be like, maybe in my fifties wanting to do this, which is totally fine. Like I would end up doing this work, but I'm 30 years old. I had my own private practice now. I love it. I'm just so grateful that I'm able to do this. So it's one of those things where I think people, they hold themselves back. Like I held myself back and if it weren't for someone else saying, Hey, just go do that. Yeah. It's the fear I think of when you, you kind of know deep in your heart, maybe what you're gifted at or what your, your calling could be, but it's all the things of, but I really don't know if I'm I'm worthy of that or would I be good at that? Or how would I even do it? It's how tos the fears. So what do you think it was about counseling? That was so enticing to you? I like talking with people and I've really like, one-on-one talking with people. So that's what I do is individual counseling. There's all types of different there's group counseling, family counseling. Those are all essential. For some people. I would find myself going out on coffee dates all the time or lunch dates with people. And you know, I had friends telling me, well, you should probably be a counselor. Like you're just kind of, and I like listening to Two people's stories, such a good listener. Like I talk and you listen, like you're so good. I'd be the worst counselor ever. Could you? No, no, you'd be great. You'd be so great at it. Cause you're a good listener too. So what type of counseling do you do Tell the listeners because it's super cool. It's so specialized. Yeah. So I have two populations. So the first half is I work with children and teenagers who are depressed, anxious. I do suicide assessments. So especially with the teenagers who are self-harming or who are suicidal, who have had suicide attempts. So that's about 50% of my population. And then the other 50% is I do this type of therapy called EMDR therapy. It stands for eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing. And it's really helpful for people who have panic, people who have especially PTSD. And I just want to say something about PTSD. It doesn't mean, and I think this has been driven in, but in society, but just in case, it's not just for military war veterans. Yes. They have PTSD. EMDR can be great for them. It's also for people who have been bullied in their past, people who have been taught, you know, if they have parents who are just really negative or toxic parents and they have this like self hates Trauma and Any type of trauma, a car accident, a terrible flight with horrible Turbulence yeah. Could be considered trauma. Wow. That's so cool. So let's start at the baseline. How would you term or like give us the definition to the phrase mental health? What does that mean? Good question. So mental health is really our state of wellbeing. And so it involves how we are doing psychologically, emotionally and socially. It impacts how we behave and how we feel and how we think. Right. Do you feel like, cause I feel like people are so focused on the external, like what does everybody think of me? I mean, working hard enough, am I successful? I mean, making money and that our mental health is like the last thing on the list. When in reality, your mental health and your mental state is what's affecting every other facet of your life, the way you parent, the way you show up, if you're happy or not, if you're successful, like, do you agree with me? Like what do you think? Yeah, Absolutely. 100%. Because if our mental health it's our wellbeing, right? And so if we're not feeling well, emotionally, psychologically, you know, spiritually, we're going to be presenting ours. That's going to be coming out as we are, as parents or as teachers or counselors or, you know, in your jobs And everything you have illness, do you have, because I have this theory and this is not based anywhere, FYI. Oh, NPS. We're just claiming this, I'm talking with a therapist, but she is not going to therapy you guys, but we're going to give you some good tips and guidelines. So again, see a therapist, if any of this really hits home for you truly. But I have this theory that when you have like you're, you're internalizing all of the things, maybe the trauma or you're internalizing this lack of self-worth and your mental health is struggling. That it, it comes out as illness, as anxiety, as depression, as anger as X, Y, Z. I mean, is that just like a crazy theory? Or do you see that? Yeah, absolutely. So when we're not taking good care of our mental health, which includes our physical self as well, it can come out in multiple ways. And so that's why, you know, there is like with mental illness, there is anxiety is involved with that. Depression is involved with that. Right. And so absolutely. I agree with you that Mountain. So it's important. You guys like this is important stuff. So let's shift into anxiety specifically because you know, as you know, you've known me well, and my listeners have heard me talk about this. About two years ago, I started getting these, I guess I would call them mild, but since talking to other people and you, and some other folks, you know, they have been severe at times where, gosh, I just feel, you know, my heart racing. And then you feel like this wave of heat take over and I'm sweating or I'm really cold. And if I look at my watch, which is my Fitbit versa, it'll be like, Oh, your heart's at 115 beats a minute. Oh my gosh. And it's like this random thing. And for me, it's always at night and it's like a wake up in this panic and it's even been so debilitating to the point of like throwing up or like these nausea. And it's weird because it lasts for like an hour or so, and it'll just go away. And the next morning I'm like, okay, it's gone. And I'm not, you know, I can't pinpoint it to something specific necessarily that's happening to me in the moment, but there's so many things. So I've experienced this. I've also experienced just daily anxiety, you know, the anxiousness of running a business and being a mom. And so talk to us about the different types of anxiety that you think female entrepreneurs specifically and mompreneurs could be dealing with. Yeah. So what you, what you were just talking about, sounds like a panic attack, which I'll go into first and foremost. The other thing you were talking about is generalized anxiety disorder. And not that that's what you have. I think anyone just, if you're living, being, or you're going to have some sort of anxiety, something that you're natural worried about, right. It is. And so I'll talk a little bit about when it becomes an issue. So I'm going to generalize anxiety disorder. I'll go into that a bit is what I see come in a lot generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and like specific phobias. And so I'll tell you just a little bit about the differences of those. So in order for it to be like a disorder for you to get diagnosed, I don't really do diagnosis in my practice, but I will say that, you know, if you go to a therapist or a doctor, you could be diagnosed with this and disclaimer, here, this isn't for you to diagnose yourself. You know, if you're noticing some issues, you guys listening, I'd recommend going to a professional and getting clarification on your specific issue for generalized anxiety. There's a lot of excessive or unrealistic worry that is difficult to control on more days than not. Right. So sometimes we have this unrealistic worry, this anxiety that happens once in a while though. So it needs to be happening on more days than not for at least six months. Okay. Cause there's natural levels, right? Oh, I'm worried about, you know, my son, something happening to him at school. Like, is he going to fall off the playground? Like you're almost catastrophizing in a way, but then there is, I'm not obsessing about this unrealistic worry. I'm thinking about it every day for months. Right. Okay. That's exactly it. And it could be my son's going to be falling off in the playground if that's happening every day. And it's worrying you to the point where you're showing up at his school to like, watch him play on the playground to make sure he doesn't fall off stock. Yeah. Soccer time. That's when it does become an issue. So if it's impairing your daily functioning is what we're looking for. Right. And so it could be, you're, you're feeling restless or on edge often you're feeling tired easily just because that worry can be really, it's just so heavy. Yes. You know, you know? Yeah. Can be very heavy. And so imagine having more days than not for six months or more okay. Having a hard time, concentrating, feeling irritable, having a hard time sleeping or sleeping too much. So those are just some of the symptoms that we're looking for. And then with panic disorder, like what you were talking about earlier, I mean, I've had a panic attack before too. Thankfully I've only had one or two in my life and I'll never forget them because it does kind of pop up out of nowhere and your heart is racing. You feel that dizziness, you can't, for me, it's like my vision. It's like, I can't see anything. So I have to find a safe place to sit down because I could fall easily. And so it's just so some of the symptoms of that, mnd if it's a disorder, right. It sounds like in your situation, it's happened a couple of times, but it wasn't happening on more days than not correct. Six months. Right? Correct. Yeah. And so, I mean, it's weird cause it can happen, you know, and I'm referring to the DSM, which is where they do the diagnostics from, mhich does have some limitations to it culturally. Umut just kind of going off general from this, it says the search an abrupt surge can happen from a calm or anxious state. Yeah. So you could already be feeling anxious, sleeping. It sounds like you were in a calm state. Yeah. Asleep and you wake up, it's wild. It's so strange. It feels some people, a lot of times it's mistaken for a heart Tack. Yes. And that's when people were like, Oh, but is it really? Because it doesn't sound that serious. Like I've had some friends, people I know that go to the hospital from a panic attack because they feel like they're having a heart attack. I never felt that way. I could tell this is just something I'm just anxious. There's this, this overarching feeling of like unease or fear, you know? And I just talked myself through it and I pray and I breathe and all of the coping mechanisms that I know because right. I think where you have to really take a look at this as, is this something I can control or figure out on my own or do I really need help here? Right. Absolutely. And it's Okay. It's okay to get help the help, because if you're having it, I would say if you're having it even once a week, just the once a week, I think it's coming from somewhere. It must be. Yeah. And so just kind of reorganizing your, you know, what your lifestyle is and checking out what the stressors are, that's going on. And so yeah, it could be a whole bunch of different things for everyone. It does present itself a little bit differently and it, it's very scary, very scary. It can feel like drowning, you know? And so you know, if you feel like you've had, you've been having panic attacks, no you're not alone. And it is totally treatable. There is hope for that because it can feel like you're just dying. You know? Do you feel like The treatment? A lot of times people will say, Oh, well you just need medication. Cause you're anxious and I, I get it. And you guys, again, disclaimer, everybody's different. Right. But I think, can you, you know, are there things that, and we're going to get into this, but do you feel like before going down that road, there's some like inner work to be done to discover what's triggering this. I know like, for example, for you and I, we talked about when did this, these panic attacks start and we were able to, you called it something cool. What was it, a float back, a float back. We floated back in my life guys. And we figured out in like 15 minutes, the exact moment my panic attacks began, we were able to, and I'll tell you, cause they're going to be like, well, what was it? So y'all know, like I was super successful in network marketing and that was my entire identity, which it just is what it was, what it was my whole worth was tied up in success and recognition and making $17,000 a month. You know? And so when that started to kind of crumble my best friend at the time, best friend, like, I mean, we did everything together. She ended up kind of behind my back, going to another company, started recruiting my team. We had a massive explosion of a fight when it all came out because she was hiding things from me. And that night, right around 10, 11 at night, this huge fight happened. And it was like, I felt so betrayed and crushed. And it was like, my identity was just rocked, like who am I now? The last person that I ever expected, you know? And that night was my first attack. So we were able to float back. And what do you, I mean, give us your view. Yeah. Yeah. So that, that, that was, you hit it really quickly what that was with the float back. And I didn't even do the full technique on you. I think I just asked you a question, like when did they start happening? It was similar to the float back, which is an EMDR technique and it can really help identify when did these start happening? You know, so what you experienced with your previous best friend and it would be trail and people get that with divorces. You know, there's a lot of betrayal trauma, which, you know, doing trauma work around that, you know, and it'll come out in different ways, panic depression, everyone kind of responds differently to that type of trauma with you. It was with the panic attacks. And so what you noticed, which was interesting was when you were in a similar setting or doing something similar to what happened that night with her, that's when you were getting those panic attacks. So we were out at the casino, it was her husband's birthday. Of course we'd had drinks. And I was staying at my mom's house because we had been drinking. We took an Uber there and we stayed not at home. So I noticed they would always happen when I would have alcohol and we weren't staying at home. So it's crazy because it was almost like this trauma event was being triggered by something totally unrelated. Nobody around me is, is betraying me and traumatizing me anymore. But in those situations I'm feeling that same, you know, like unease or fear creep weights, Right. It's and that's part of, yeah, it gets kind of stuck in your nervous system. And that comes out as anxiety, just like with people who've been in car accidents as a simple example, a lot of people been in car accidents, but for some people passing that same intersection, even though they're not getting into another car accident, they get the exact same feelings that they had, you know, in their body feeling tense and tight and sweaty and like, Oh my gosh, I'm going to get hit. It feels so unsafe. And sometimes you're feeling and knowing is very, you know, they're not connected. And so that can, that reconnecting. Those can be very helpful. And so it's good to know where it stems from. Yeah. So to specifically female entrepreneurs and moms, why do you think that this, that anxiety is so prevalent and common in women that are running businesses and their mothers? Like, because I'm here, I'm just hearing this over and over again, almost everyone I talk to, they're trying something to handle their anxiety. Why do you think this is like running rampant for these people? Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. You know, I think it really comes down to the daily stressors that you're experiencing and I run my own business. I'm not a mom. I can't imagine though, like just watching, I am a dog mom. Yes. And I do get anxiety about her sometimes, but you know, even watching over like my nephews, you know, whenever I'm kind of like watching them, I feel like honestly, there are many panic attacks that happen cause it's like, Oh my gosh, did they slip? Did they, you know, and then owning a business, building up your business is very stressful. It's exciting. And it's stressful. And so I think, I think that those things can apply to that. What, what has your experience been with? I think what you're saying is like, as women entrepreneurs, we just have more triggers. Do you think also there's anything to do with our, our physical or mental makeup compared to men? Because I do see as many men with, or do you think that you see more women? That's actually a really interesting question. I do see men who have anxiety as well. I just think it presents itself differently for men than it does with women. And you know, there are some women who it comes out, the stress comes out differently, you know, and some people will turn to substance use to help manage that stress Or self-abuse eating or eating. Like, gosh, you know, I used to do that in the twenties, like eating and then constricting calories. And then some people do right. Partying or alcohol abuser. Yes. Right. You're right. So there's so many different ways that it manifests. There's a negative. Yes. Yes. And for, I think women are really good at expressing their emotions. And so I think sometimes we just hear it more women are more outspoken about it. Yeah. So the next thing is, what are the tips that you have for women that are, they know that they have one of these forms of anxiety that we've mentioned, whether it's the generalized, whether they're having panic attacks or even severe like OCD or something like that, what are the tips that you have for them? Like how can they better understand their mental health and then the begin the healing process? Yeah. So I think it's, it's really important to understand when it's time to get help. So noticing how severe is this? Are you experiencing anxiety almost on a daily basis or more times than not. And so also taking a look at how your social, emotional and psychological wellbeing is. And so kind of just asking yourself, okay, how is my social life? How am I doing emotionally? Kind of just doing a check in with yourself. And sometimes, you know, it can be very mild. It doesn't have to be severe, but even when it's mild, like there's still stuff to work on. It, it could be very simple. Like you could decide to take, you know, five minutes to take a break or go for a quick walk just to kind of help ground yourself. And so sometimes it's, it can be something as simple as that life change. It doesn't have to be, you have to go flow full-blown therapy once a week, twice a week or whatever it may be, unless it is very severe, you know, So definitely doing the five minutes kind of mental break, whatever tips you have. So you're experiencing this, you don't think it's severe enough to head into, to therapy yet keeping an eye on it. What else can we do? Like what advice would you give me? You know, I'm experiencing a panic attack where I'm experiencing a high level of anxiety. What tips can I take to get myself out of that? That feeling? Yeah. So there, there are so many things and it's just finding what works for you, right? So self care is huge. So whatever that looks like for self care, if it's taking a hot shower or bath, you know, giving yourself a nice bubble bath, it's like showing yourself some love, you know, there's journaling, I know you've done some journaling, right. And there's also, you know, talking to someone that you trust. So sometimes just talking it out, even if it's a minor stressor, just talking it out with someone can be very helpful. Someone who's healthy, also positive reframing is another technique that can be really helpful. So if there's something and you're just feeling really upset about it, it can help to kind of get shifts out and be like, well, you know what I do have? And then list the things that you have that are strengths, you know, maybe listing three strengths versus that one thing that's going on for you, that's worrying. You can help alleviate a little bit when it comes specifically to like the panic is just knowing what's going to work for you. Some people need like a hand to hold. Some people need to be alone and just kind of sit in a dark room and give themselves a minute to let the panic attack pass breathing. Some people are very annoyed by being told to breathe, But we don't breathe. Like human beings don't breathe anymore. I'm telling you, like, I'll notice. I'm like, Oh, like I got to flip and breathe. So like sometimes I'll just go and realize I haven't taken a deep breath. Hold it. Yeah, it's crazy. It, it really is. You're right. We don't breathe nearly enough. And I will say, if someone's having a panic attack and you tell them to breathe, they're probably going to say like, get out of my face right now. Right. You know? Cause that's the last thing you want to think of. But I will say if you can practice breathing and I, and I will do this guided relaxation, that's going to talk about how you should be breathing how you ought to be breathing. So with breathing, when you're feeling highly anxious in your brain, it's not getting oxygen. And so that's why breathing is so important because you need to bring oxygen back up to your brain. So just know that when you are thinking, okay, what, even if you're feeling angry, sometimes that's blocking oxygen to your brain too. And so just taking a big deep breath can help your brain, get that oxygen that it needs. And then it'll help your body calm down too. Those are so good. And those it's funny because you say so many things I've implemented. Like I do the morning journaling. I have the 30 minutes of quiet, peaceful time. Oh, that's great. The shower I feel like is like my it's my time to just be full. And as moms, it's like your only time to be alone. It's crazy. It really is. You know, you will never appreciate a shower more than when you're a mom and you've got like crazy children everywhere. I do that. And then you had taught me about breathing and grounding myself during panic attacks. And that was really helpful in times of high anxiety. And then the other one I saw recently and tell me how you feel about this one. It was speaking, talking yourself through it, which is kind of a reframe, but it was basically saying it's okay to feel the fear right now. Like I'm at you are, you're afraid and that's okay. But I want you to know this is temporary and you are safe. Like how do you feel about talking to yourself? Absolutely. That is huge. I'm so glad that you mentioned that because that can really help. If you can kind of get into where you are at really, you know, I am in this space, it's a safe room, right? Cause sometimes with that panic, you can feel that fear is so intense. You do feel unsafe. So exactly what you said, reminding yourself. I, okay, I'm safe here. This will pass. And it won't always feel this way. Those are huge. I'm so glad that you've mentioned that because that can really help out Because in the moment you feel like the world is ending, but in reality, if you can just remind yourself, you know, gosh, by the morning, this will feel like it never even really happened. If will, maybe we'll help you get through it. So, okay. Those are all such good daily tips And there are way more, but those are just a few to mention. Sure. So now what about, they've tried the daily tips. They're noticing this is becoming a problem. Where would people go if they think, okay, I think I do need help. Like where, where do they look and what do they, what do they do when they're at that crossroad? Can people meet with a therapist virtually? Do they have to meet with people in person? Like what's your experience with all this? Yeah. There's so many different ways to access the help. There's some texting therapy, you know, for people who are really busy, I could get you a link to that. Yeah, for sure. There is virtual therapy, people who do virtual therapy, if you can't get out of the house, you know, for an hour, you know, it's interesting because oftentimes people end up finding out at the doctor's office. I remember having a bout of depression a few years ago and I thought I had cancer in my body. And so I went to the doctor, they did all these tests and they found, well, you have major depressive disorder. Right. You know? And so sometimes it starts off at the doctor's office. You could go there, they could help you clarify your diagnosis or what it is you're experiencing. It is good to double check and make sure that it isn't another med, physical medical condition in alignment. It could be like, if your thyroid's off, it creates heart palpitations, sweating, and all of them, it's mimicking panic attacks. And it's a thyroid imbalance apps. I've heard that one come up quite a bit. Yes. The thyroid one. Yeah. And that impacts your mood too, you know? And so it's really good just to get an overall. I always ask, whenever my clients come in, when was the last time you got a physical, if it's been over a year, why don't you go get a physical, just make sure everything, some people,uhave iron deficiency. And so they feel that can be mistaken for anxiety or depression, just feeling fatigued and overwhelmed and tired all the time. And when they really just needed maybe some iron in their system. Wow. You know, so it's good to, it's always good to just it's the whole mind, body connection. It very well could be anxiety. It's, you know, a mental health issue. Seeing a therapist or texting with a therapist could be helpful. Also go to your primary care physician and check it out and see if there's anything else going on as well. Your website you recommend. And we'll put it in the show notes if you don't have it offhand, but is there a certain website that you recommend for people to search for therapy? Yes. Psychology today.com. Okay. Yeah. That is a great one. You could filter some people know this, but you can filter by your area by what you're experiencing. So if it's anxiety, panic, you could click those. And then by your insurance, if you are wanting to use your insurance and then it'll pull up all the people in your area who accepts that, You know, what else was cool? When I went on there, I could also filter for Christian therapists. I also was able to filter by people that did EMDR. If you guys are interested in the eye therapy that Heather does many, maybe not many, but some therapists have that specialty. Yes. So, okay. That's amazing. Yeah. Yes. There, there are a whole bunch of different kinds of them that you can filter by all that. And then there's good therapy.com. You know, we'll have to double check on that and all, you can put it in the show notes. I love it. So is there any other anxiety or mental health tips you have because then we have a very special surprise for our listeners that we're going to get into. Yes. So you had mentioned earlier that grounding technique and I'll go ahead and link it and it's just kind of it can be really helpful if you're feeling really overwhelmed and anxious. Okay. In regards to the surprise, I do have a guided relaxation for you guys. So if you're driving, So if you're driving, maybe pause, Pause, and come back to us. Yeah. And you know, it's funny because the other day is kind of going over this with my husband and just seeing which, cause there are a few different guided relaxations, which one to use and our phones were on and they kept beeping and be, you know, so I, I'm going to ask that you guys maybe turn off your phones and get yourself in a comfortable place. That way there's no distractions. And it just is probably going to take no more than two minutes. So exciting. Okay guys. So get ready again. If you're driving, come back to us later. And of course you can bookmark this episode and use this guided relaxation any time. So I want you to get seated in a comfortable position and you can close your eyes or look softly downward. And I want you to take in a very slow, deep breath and now exhale slowly and keep breathing deeply and feel the cool air. Come in through your nose and flow all the way down to your belly and feel your belly extend as you breathe in and make sure your belly is going slowly in and out. As you inhale and exhale. Every time we breathe, we should try to breathe like this. Allowing the air to go in all the way down to the belly, not just in the lungs, this relaxes your whole body and keeps you feeling peaceful no matter what, it's also the correct way to breathe. Now, as you continue to breathe deeply, turn your attention to else. I'd like you to listen carefully to all the quiet sounds outside of you happening all around you. You may hear outside noises, maybe cars or birds or something else. And just listen to all the sounds, both faint and loud. Now let's turn our focus in word, listen very quietly to what you hear happening within your body. Can you hear your heart beating? Can you hear your breath? As you breathe slowly in and out, maybe your tummy is even making noises. Whatever is going on inside. Just take time to listen very carefully and just pay attention to the sound of your breath. Your whole body is alive and it's this breath among other things. That's keeping you alive. Allow the breath to fill up your whole body and enjoy as a living energy of your breath goes into each and every cell each and every atom of your body. Just feel that and relax. Even deeper. Now listen, even more closely, listen and pay attention. If there are any feelings coming up right now, feelings inside of you that needs to be expressed or talked about our feelings. Tell us a lot. When we are quiet and calm, we can tap into those feelings and listen even better. Maybe you'll suddenly get an answer to a question you've had or you'll realize something you have been feeling all along. It's important that we take time to listen to ourselves each and every day. It helps us connect with who we really are inside and is a very important part of growing up and knowing ourselves better in this safe, quiet space you're in right now. You can easily listen to what's going on inside. Your thoughts and feelings really do matter. You can trust yourself and your feelings. Next time you have a question on what you should do, just ask and then listen within for your answer whenever you're ready, open your eyes and give your body a big stretch. Nice, nice. She just gave a big stretch guys. That was awesome. Oh my gosh. I love that. Thank you. You're welcome. You guys can always replay that. Yeah. And I think it's so important just to remind ourselves, gosh, be quiet, be at peace and breathe even if for two minutes. Yes. And if you like these guided relaxations, there's this free that I use Called stop, breathe and think, and you can just download it from your play store and it's guided relaxations like this and they can really help you feel more grounded. Oh yeah. Well I'm ready for a nap. You're ready for sleepy time. I think it's all day. Like you're holding onto the anxiousness of all the, to do and activities and busy work. And so when you let it go, you actually recognize how fully exhausted you are. Yeah. And I guess that's the feeling that came up for me is like, you're exhausted. Go take a nap. Now I might might do that. Oh my gosh. Thank you, Heather. So much. We've learned so much from you. And I think what you're doing, helping children and helping people all across our state and hopefully eventually the world with your mission is just so incredible. So tell everyone, where can they find out more about you and your business and kind of all the things. So I do have a blog up that I don't update super often. So if you guys have any questions that you'd like me to post up, please let me know. You can go to nuru.org. And my business is Nuru counseling LLC. So neuro.org has a blog section and it there's a specific link that you can put in your show notes that talks about five signs that it's time to seek help from a professional. And there are actually also a couple of other little articles I wrote about how to tell if your child has depression. I'm going to do one on anxiety too, if it's not up already. And ubecause,uin children, since for all you moms, the depression, anxiety presents itself differently in children than it does in adults. So that might be helpful for you guys. Nice. Amazing. All right. Well, thanks this No problem. Thank you for having me. Wow. I hope you all love that. Okay. Episode as much as I love you're cording it, especially that mindfulness exercise, teaching us how to breathe. I truly think that we forget to breathe seriously as women, as entrepreneurs, as human beings on this planet. But seriously guys, if you're struggling with anxiety, like Heather mentioned, seek help. It's totally cool. And more people are there willing to help you through this. Then you can imagine, try to focus on the tips that Heather gave us for self-care and self-awareness reframing those thoughts because I know that that has helped me immensely. And I think it will help you too. I pray over you gorgeous human. On the other side of this recording, that you are so encouraged today to take control of your mental health, that you recognize that you are worthy of happiness and peace and love, and you are so worthy just as you are. And it's okay to live in your present moment to be fueled with the excitement and the day and everything that's all around you right now. I pray that you're able to really take a look at yourself to see what might need to change and where you might be struggling. And you can be honest with yourself so that can get the help or focus on guiding yourself towards healing and as always love and light Steph [Inaudible] Mama real quick. Before you go, if you found value in today's podcast and you learn something new, if you'll head over to iTunes, the mompreneur mastermind show and leave a review and subscribe to the channel, that would be awesome. And I love to connect with you over on social media. My handle is at Stephanie gas. I'll see you soon, praying, light love and abundance until next time [Inaudible].
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Stefanie GassLots of fancy unused education. Podcast Coach, Clarity Coach, & Top #25 Ranked Podcast Host for Christian Entrepreneurs.  Archives
March 2021
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