4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 1 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.

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The world population is experiencing anxiety at unprecedented levels.

40 Million US In the United States, 40 million adults report suffering

from anxiety every year. Anxiety impacts nearly two
adults report women for every one man, commonly starting at ado-
suffering from lescence. Your best income-building and family-building
anxiety every years are also the years you are most likely to develop
an anxiety disorder, between the ages of 30-44.
year.
Anxiety is defined as intense, excessive, persistent wor- Your prime earning
ry and fear about everyday situations and uncertain
outcomes. Just like you, Intelligence professionals also and family years
encounter feelings of anxiety and worry. But what sets us are also the years
apart from the general population is that we are trained you are most likely
to overcome and control our anxiety.
to develop anxiety
As a SIGINT (signals intelligence) specialist, I had to disorder.
listen to terrible things: sounds of violence and behead-
ings, sick plans evil people make in private, horrible
activities in hidden basements and faraway caves. Being exposed to another per-
son’s trauma weighs heavy on the soul.

As a SIGINT I was immersed in a world most don’t know exists. It forced

specialist, I had me to try to become one person in my professional life and
to hear terrible a different person in my personal life. Except I couldn’t
unhear what SIGINT played for me. So my professional life
things... get bled into my personal life and I started seeing the worst-
exposed to other case scenario in everything I did… all the time.
people’s trauma.
When I moved into my first apartment, I insisted that I not
be on the bottom floor or in an apartment with windows facing the front door.
Though I was confident in my hand-to-hand combat skills, I wanted to ensure I had
every advantage against a predator, rapist, or thief.

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 2 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com
 I installed a glass-shatter detection alarm in my first
house. I built a panic room, then realized my panic
I slept with a KA-BAR
room would not withstand a fire so I closed it off. I under my mattress,
trained a fierce 130-lb German Shepherd that I got rock-climbing shoes
from Germany, bred for home protection, personal
security and drug detection. Even though my dog was
next to my bed, and
trained to withstand beatings and mace, my anxiety had an evac route out
still ate away at me and reminded me that the dog my window.
could be shot and killed by an intruder.

I was suffering I was sleeping with a KA-BAR under my mattress,

rock-climbing shoes next to my bed, and I had an evac
from a cognitive route planned out of my second story bedroom window
distortion intel to the roof of my house. I thought my plan was rock solid,
professionals call, even if an intruder made it into my home, past the alarms,
shot my dog, and made it up to my bedroom…
‘Catastrophizing.’
Then I shared my plan with a good friend and Iraq/Afghanistan combat veteran.
He listened patiently, looked at me in disbelief, and said, “Emma, that’s not nor-
mal. Your plan is a bit extreme.”

And it struck me. My worst-case thinking had become so normal, so second nature
to me that I fell victim to anxiety without even realizing it! I was suffering from a
cognitive distortion Intel professionals call, ‘Catastrophizing.’

Cognitive distortions are thought patterns that cause recurring negative views of
reality. Catastrophizing is a distortion that causes you Cognitive distortions
to always assume the worst outcome - a catastrophe.
It creates a false sense that you are in a dire circum- are thought patterns
stance when in reality you are not. that cause recurring
negative views of
For me personally, I expected somebody to break into
my home, kill my dog, and come up to my bedroom reality.

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 3 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com
 Catastrophizing and attack me. Simple, everyday events (like going to sleep
in the comfort of my own home) caused anxiety, which only
creates a toxic multiplied over the course of the day. Catastrophizing cre-
sense of worry ates a pressing, toxic sense of worry that is totally artificial
that is artificial! - even though it can feel real.

Once I saw my own distortion in action, I knew I had to take action. And my Intel
training had already prepared me with the tools to win. I just need to execute my
mission and take back control.

Use these 4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Back Control:

1. Eating to Combat Anxiety

2. Quiet to Combat Anxiety
3. Exercise to Combat Anxiety
4. Sleep to Combat Anxiety

Tool #1: Eating to Combat Anxiety

Operators in the field work hard to eat a wide variety of whole foods, including
fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and high-quality protein sources.
Natural, unrefined foods are critical for overall physical Operators in the
and mental health and wellness. Eating a diverse whole
foods diet feeds your brain and body the core vitamins,
field work hard to
minerals and nutrients they need to thrive under stress eat a wide variety
and outside performance demands. of whole foods.
Nutrition rich diets
When I tweaked my eating to consume more fruits,
improve sleep and vegetables, and high-quality proteins, I started to see
decision making, through the fog of baseless fear that had become so
dropping anxiety common to me. I started sleeping better, my decision
making improved, and my anxiety started to decrease
nearly overnight. almost overnight.

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 4 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com
 To beat the negative
Tool #2: Quiet to Combat Anxiety voices in your own
head, you need to
To beat the negative thoughts and voices in my head face them directly.
(both my catastrophizing distortion and the haunting
SIGINT traumas I had heard), I needed to face my thoughts directly. This type of
internal processing has many names: meditation, prayer, self-reflection, etc. To me,
the terminology matters less than the action itself.

In my own practice I put on noise cancelling headphones and sat in an empty

Face each fear room, eyes closed. In this quiet space, I could acknowl-
edge the catastrophizing thoughts that swirled around in
head-on and quiet my mind. I listened to everything the negative thoughts
them by rationally had to say. I relived screams, pain, confusion, and frus-
thinking through tration I had heard and felt.

each one. I faced each terror head-on and then quieted them by
rationally thinking through each event. And I developed
an ongoing meditation routine that still gives me the peace Exercise moves
of mind I need to withstand even the most brutal days at
work and at home.
blood to the brain,
reduces body
inflamation, and
Tool #3: Exercise to Combat Anxiety lowers stress
hormones.
Low intensity exercise for as little as 30 minutes a day ben-
efits multiple aspects of your mind and body. Exercise improves blood flow to the
brain, reduces body inflammation, and lowers stress hormone levels -- all of which
are important to healthy mental functions. Pairing physical activity with a mental
stimulus like meditation can also elevate cognitive skills and analytical thinking.

I made exercise a critical component in combating my anxiety. I mixed intense

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 5 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com
(HIIT) workouts with restorative yoga to release endor- Healthy sleep
phins that reset stress hormones that had long been out
of balance.
boosts the immune
system, reduces
stress, and lowers
Tool #4: Sleep to Combat Anxiety
blood-sugar levels.
Most adults need between seven and nine hours of
sleep a night to maximize anti-anxiety benefits. Healthy
Quality sleep sleep habits boost the immune system, reduce stress lev-
makes your other els, and even balance blood-sugar levels.
I know a consistent sleep routine can be difficult for work-
3 Spy Tools even ing parents and busy professionals. I succeed by setting
more effective to “non-negotiables” that help me keep sleep a priority.
For example, I do not watch tv and stay away from my
combat anxiety. phone from dinner onward. I also tap into Spy Tool #2
and create a quiet restful environment using medita-
tive music, aromatic oils, and an old fashioned paper Your brain doesn’t
book about an hour before I intend to sleep. play fair when it
Even when my kiddos disrupt my pre-bedtime routine,
comes to anxiety...
I am in a calmer and more patient headspace to deal So neither should
with the interruptions - a big secondary win for me! you.
Finally, good quality sleep boosts the effectiveness of the other 3 Spy Tools that
combat anxiety! As you improve in any one anxiety-destroying practice, you get
closer to winning the war on cognitive distortions.

Your brain doesn’t play fair when it comes to anxiety. So neither should you.

Godspeed, #EverydaySpy

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 6 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com
A B O U T TH E A U T H O R Emma Becker, former US Navy intel officer and
United States Naval Academy graduate. Emma is a decorated veteran
and graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is a proud
partner of Ever ydaySpy.com and the founder of HauteWellness.com, a
holistic wellness practice based in Washington state.

4 Spy Tools to Combat Anxiety and Take Control in an Uncertain World 7 Emma Becker - EverydaySpy.com