Holy Eucharist Campus
Year 9
If you read only one of my Duce articles this year – make this the one.
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Whilst on a run the other day I listened to a podcast from health and fitness expert, Shawn Stevenson, titled Making Anxiety work for you. The podcast was The Model Health Show 509: The surprising science of anxiety and making good anxiety work for you.
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I do not consider myself an overly anxious person, however like all of us, I have experienced the symptoms of anxiety at various stages of my life. Anxiety can manifest in different ways and have varying degrees of impact. I would argue the typical adolescent is not equipped to deal with anxiety, nor versed on how to use these feelings in a positive way.
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As an organ, the brain is tremendously powerful, yet by paradox extremely fragile. Dr. Wendy Suzuki, an expert in neuroplasticity, suggests “Anxiety can be one of the most powerful self-help tools that we never knew we had.” She contends that we should all learn from periods of anxiety. Rather than finding distraction from periods of anxiety (as is the norm) like bingeing on Netflix, video games, social media, excessive sleep, chocolate or alcohol – instead we should shift our mindset and view anxiety as a part of our life that requires action.
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According to Dr. Suzuki, the easiest way to do this is through exercise. Physical activity gives your brain a “neurochemical bubble bath” and by association strengthens the brain’s resilience and its ability to deal with anxiety.
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We know that more than one third of Australia’s population is likely to be impacted by an anxiety-based disorder. With the global pandemic only increasing feelings of uncertainty, I would encourage students to flip the script on anxiety and perhaps learn to leverage advantage in their cognitive performance from periods of anxiousness. Own the anxiety!
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