This episode dives into the physiological and cognitive responses that make up fear and anxiety, and provides practical tools to deal with these emotions when they are unwanted.
The ability to control the heart as a muscle through training can help gain control over autonomous functions, such as the heartbeat. Being aware of excessive anger and understanding the bodily response to it can allow for more productive responses.
Affective labeling is the act of pausing to identify negative emotions and think about it on a granular level which can lead to constructive action and help regulate emotions in a positive manner.
This podcast explores how studies on fear and anxiety in the past were limited to showing pictures but virtual platforms can simulate the feeling of generalized anxiety by inducing a higher state of autonomic arousal and can challenge people's fears in a safer way.
The idea of balloons popping used to evoke a real emotion, but now it's become a hook and a punchline for jokes. It's interesting to think about the narrative element of the balloon's eventual demise.