00:00I get very hot, super tingly, and start to talk a lot, kind of as I am now.
00:04I have shortness of breath, and I start crying.
00:07My heart starts racing.
00:09I shake a lot, I stutter, I sweat, which is really cute.
00:13Hi everyone, I'm Corinne Fox, and I'm an ambassador for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness,
00:19and today we are talking about managing your anxiety.
00:22And everybody has anxiety from a varying degree, from a little bit to a lot.
00:26Specific things like driving over bridges, and highway driving, and like, subway tunnels.
00:32My thoughts run like a million miles an hour, and I get kind of like annoyed by everything that's happening.
00:38I kind of take situations and spread them open, kind of like spider webs,
00:43and seeing all the possibilities of what could go right, what could go wrong.
00:47I've suffered from anxiety for the past nine years, since I was 14 years old,
00:51and I realized that I had sweaty palms a lot, and my heart was beating really fast in class,
00:56and I didn't really know what that was.
00:58And I realized that this was something that was serious, I needed to get checked out,
01:01I needed to talk to somebody, and it's given me the tools to find out what works for me.
01:07To calm myself down, I really try and ground myself in my surroundings,
01:11look around, remember who I'm with, and where I am.
01:14Half the time, I'm not paying attention to what other people are paying attention to,
01:19and sometimes I can be way more observant than I really need to,
01:23and I just need to cut myself a break.
01:26Try to slow your heart rate down by taking long, controlled breaths.
01:30And try sitting up straight, as it'll relieve some of the physical discomfort of anxiety,
01:34and help facilitate those deep breaths.
01:36So another way to help manage stress and anxiety when you feel it bubbling up
01:41is to have a little object in your purse, in your back pocket,
01:45that you can carry around and kind of grab and play with
01:48when you feel those thoughts, you're getting into your head,
01:51and you want to stay in the present moment.
01:53So, something like this.
01:55My biggest coping mechanism is my two dogs.
01:57I bring them everywhere with me, even the office, and they completely ground me.
02:01One of my favorite ways to manage my symptoms of anxiety is to meditate.
02:05And I know it sounds intimidating, but you can meditate wherever, whenever.
02:10So here's a quick five-minute meditation that you can use
02:12when you feel your symptoms of stress and anxiety.
02:15First, you're going to find yourself a comfortable position,
02:17either in a chair or seated on the ground,
02:20wherever you can be comfortable and not think about how you're sitting.
02:23And then we're going to start with some deep breaths.
02:26Eyes open, in for six seconds.
02:31Out for seven seconds.
02:36So, after a few deep breaths, we're going to gently close our eyes
02:39and let our breathing return back to normal.
02:43And then we're going to just start noticing all of the sounds in the room.
02:46This is how we practice mindfulness.
02:49Don't judge the sounds.
02:51Just listen.
02:52Now we're going to focus on your body in the room.
02:55We're going to focus on your feet touching the floor,
02:59your butt touching the chair or the ground,
03:03the weight of your body,
03:06gravity pushing down on it.
03:08Just be aware of what's happening to your body.
03:10And just keep your hands rested on your knees or by your side.
03:16Just keep them open and light.
03:18Don't think about their placement too much.
03:20And right before we open our eyes,
03:23we're going to take a quick second to express gratitude
03:26that you took a time for yourself,
03:29a moment out of your day.
03:31Practice self-care.
03:32Just be grateful for five seconds.
03:36And then after that,
03:38slowly open your eyes.
03:40Take a deep breath.
03:43And that is meditation.
03:46Super easy.
03:47Not every method is right for every person.
03:50So if you're struggling from anxiety or depression,
03:52please reach out to a mental health professional
03:54to find the right treatment plan for you.
03:56Thank you so much for watching, guys.
03:58I hope this was helpful.
03:59Please visit nami.org for more information.
