July 2, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode, Elena Apalkova is joined by Elizabeth Kipp to explore stress management techniques. Elizabeth shares valuable insights into tools and practices that help manage stress effectively. They discuss the importance of transitioning to executive thinking to prevent stress reactions and emphasize the power of choice and present moment awareness. The conversation provides listeners with strategies to manage stress and enhance their mindset for better results.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome to mindset to results.
Today, our guest is Elizabeth Keep.
She's stress management, and we will speaktoday about how to manage stress and avoid or
prevent burnout.
Hi, Elizabeth.
Hi, Elena.
It's so great to be here.
Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on yourpodcast.
(00:24):
You're most welcome, Elizabeth.
As stress manager, you work with so many peopleand help them to live life without burnout.
So it is really very, good topic because weknow so many crazy things happening in the
world now, and stress is just a part of life.
(00:47):
So we would like to learn from you how we canmanage stress and for business owners and
entrepreneurs, also how to prevent burnout.
Great.
Thank you so much.
Let's just start talking about stress and thestress response and what gets us stressed out.
(01:11):
Right?
So we have a a setting in the nervous system inour in our in our whole, biology called a
stress response.
And when there's a eustress, which is kind ofnormal stress, it's actually good for us.
(01:32):
And then there's, you know, distress, which istoo much stress.
And we wanna find the Goldilocks zone right inthe middle.
So when we are are are living in the world andwe meet, we perceive, or we meet a threat to
(01:54):
our safety, there's this thing called thestress response that arises, and we have
biochemical, electro biochemical reactions.
We have psychological things that that thatarise kind of a little package.
(02:14):
We meet the we these things, we meet the stresswith a with a certain behavior.
And when when when that when that threat isneutralized, the stress response goes back into
the off position.
In chronic stress, which leads to burnout, thestress response gets stuck in the on position.
(02:39):
And so now we're constantly looking for thethreat.
We're constantly we're not able to rest.
We can't we can't rest and run at the sametime.
So if the nervous system is is is isessentially energetically running from a tiger
or hiding from a tiger and it it it it isperceiving a threat, it can't rest, it can't
(03:03):
heal in that state.
Also, there are chemicals, hormones, stresshormones that that that are produced that that
will help us rise to meet that stress.
One of them, just as an example, is cortisol.
And and sometimes, anybody who's listening tothis who's had a who's had a stressful event in
(03:30):
their life one day where there may be a bigemotional event or maybe a physical event.
And then the and but they were able to meet it.
But then the next day, they're kind of slow andthey've they've got kind of brain fog.
That's the body metabolizing the byproducts ofcortisol.
(03:54):
And until the until the body clears thebyproducts of those stress hormones, you know,
it goes through a kind of readjustment state,and then we're then we're then we're clear
again.
So you'll it will all notice that's actuallysomething that you can you can be aware of when
you have a stressful event.
Oh, you know, don't be surprised if you're alittle off or a little challenged the next day
(04:18):
that the brain is not working quite optimallybecause it's busy clearing a lot of stress
hormone.
So just understanding kind of what stress is.
Now this a chronic stress in the brain createsa couple of things.
It creates chaos.
So now I can't think straight.
(04:39):
I forgot where I put my keys.
Oh, did I have an appointment today?
Right.
You might even forget to look at your calendar,or you might forget to write the appointment on
the calendar.
Right?
So chaos in the brain.
Another one is that we're normally in ournormal state.
We have a a marked negative bias, which helpskeep us safe in the world.
(05:02):
Something new comes into our environment.
Our immediate response is no, which kinda keepsus safe until we can reassess and go, oh, maybe
that's a good idea or absolutely no.
Right?
But we have a negative bias.
It helps keep us safe in the world.
In chronic stress, that gets accentuated.
(05:23):
And so now you're wrong.
The system's wrong.
I'm wrong.
Life is wrong.
Like, we have this very negative spin.
And and and that's that that's that's also thatthat that's just really damaging to the system.
(05:45):
And and it's hard to live with that.
Right?
You and you've gotten a lot of negativethoughts in the mind like that.
So chaos, I can't remember stuff, negativemind, and the when the emotional center gets
charged in such a way that that we're we'remore reactive.
(06:09):
So it's not just I have a negative I have abigger negative bias.
I have a and then it's it's I have a namebigger negative bias, and it's emotionally
charged.
So you see, we've got a complex that thatthat's that's that's setting up here in chronic
stress.
So it's really important that we that we areaware of how we're handling stress.
(06:34):
What are our tools?
Like, when I when we get stressed, there's alot of energy out in the world, a lot of chaos
swirling out there.
I had a client just yesterday that asked me,you know, what are the tools that I'm using to
keep centered in all this all this chaos?
Right?
So one of them is is real it's gonna soundcrazy, but I'm just saying, one of them is
(06:59):
eating more root vegetables.
Root vegetables help literally keep usgrounded.
So it's something really simple, but it'ssomething that that, you you know, if you're
not aware of it, you know, give it a try andsee see how it helps.
Another thing that I do, I have a morningpractice.
Like, I have a morning practice where I do acouple of things.
(07:22):
One, I do some movement.
I it's a little stretching.
I get the I I try and move the the spine in infive different directions just to kind of get
it awake.
And and I and I do some breath work, which doesa couple things.
One, it helps clear the the the pipes.
(07:44):
It helps rejuvenate the cells and clear anytoxins that are sitting in the base of the lung
from the night before, and it also helpsregulate the nervous system.
So it it helps me start my day with a calmer,predictable I I'm grounded, I'm steady.
(08:07):
And I sit in that practice, and I remind mynervous system, this is how we're doing life
today.
We're doing it, you know, nice long slow deepbreath or some other kind of segmented breath,
some kind of breath practice that allows thatthat really tones the vagus nerve.
You can even add chanting.
(08:29):
You could do a chanted breath breath practicethat that affects it as well.
All of this helps to tone the the nervoussystem, the the part of the nervous system
called the vagus nerve, which is this stressassess it's our it's our safety, our social
engagement thing, our safety assessment part ofthe nervous system.
(08:53):
So it's important that we address that and wegive it instructions and we remember that we
have that long deep breath to use during theday.
So I do my practice, and then I get up and I gointo my day.
Well, you know, life happens, and, you know, Imight get surprised.
(09:17):
I likely will.
Something will something will challenge meduring the day and, you know, and my nervous
system will start to to activate.
And you noticed I I held the breath a littlebit.
Well, that that's, you know, that's now we'rewe're starting to be in that in that activated.
Now I'm protecting defending state, and I heldmy breath, and that's sending a signal to the
(09:40):
nervous system that it's not safe.
And yet all it was was a problem I didn't knowhow to solve.
But here's the thing.
Our nervous system is old.
Like, the coding in the nervous system is old.
So we it can't tell the difference between aproblem that just came up that I can't solve
(10:01):
like that and, like, in a bit or a bill that Ican't I don't know how to pay, or all of a
sudden, there's a threat in my environment.
Maybe there's a tiger in over there.
Right?
The brain can't tell the difference.
We're it we go into the same into the samenervous system state.
(10:22):
So, obviously, there's not a tiger over there,but my nervous system doesn't know the
difference.
And I can't think straight when I'm in thatstate, so I can't solve the problem because I'm
not thinking straight.
I'm I'm I'm actually activated in the back partof the brain, which is the reactive defensive
(10:42):
part of the brain, and it it really kind ofdiminishes the ability for us to the executive
thinking part of the brain that that's ourproblem solving part part of the brain.
So how do we get from the this activatedreptilian brain state to the executive
thinking?
We bring in the breath.
(11:04):
Remember, we started the morning with thebreath practice that reminded us, oh, I have
this breath I can use that helps me regulate.
Now I get I get challenged in my environmentduring the day.
That breath practice is right with me.
I'm I calm the nervous system down.
I give it the signal that it's safe, and now Ican solve the problem.
(11:27):
Did that make sense?
Yes.
Yes.
So we go through, left brain where all thesesaboteurs are, yes, all the charges, and all
the stress to, the right brain.
Well, no.
This is actually not left and right here.
(11:47):
That's those are different.
This is actually the back brain, the back partof the brain where the amygdalene is and the
the reptilian, the older part of the brainversus the frontal lobe.
Mhmm.
The left right thing is different.
That's a that's a different that's a that'slogical thinking versus creative.
Mhmm.
That's not really what I'm talking about here.
(12:08):
I'm talking about this primitive brain takingover.
What happens when we meet a threat is theprimitive brain gets gets priority.
It we go right into default into this state.
So it it really cuts off the frontal lobe partof the brain, the newer part of the brain
ability.
And I'll give you an example.
(12:29):
So I'm going along during my day.
I paid a bill.
It was the darnest thing a few years ago.
I paid a bill.
I was moving pretty quickly through my day.
I paid a bill, and I got a with the electriccompany, and I got a notice.
I got a notice that they were gonna turn myelectric off.
(12:53):
And I was like, wait a minute.
I just paid the bill.
And so I chased this.
I got I got activated.
Right?
Oh, oh, my my my my my electric's gonna getturned off, and it's the middle of summer.
And I chased that that email or that thatnotice, and it turned out to be a scam.
(13:14):
And I and I was like, when it was all over, Iwas like, what just happened?
Oh, I was moving fast through my day.
I got activated.
I was in the back brain.
I couldn't think the problem out straightbecause once I get it was over, I was like,
well, that that was didn't even make sense.
Right?
(13:34):
But because I got activated, I couldn't Icouldn't address the I couldn't see clearly.
Right?
And so it was a it for a stress managementspecialist, this was a perfect example of,
like, you know, work your practice, Elizabeth.
But it was a great example because it's it'svery clear.
(13:54):
We all, you know, we run into this particularthing in the world from time to time.
Yeah.
So from reaction to thinking, yes, andreasoning and, having perception where this
letter came from.
Right?
So as you see, automatic reaction is different.
Yes.
This is what that, old brain does.
(14:16):
All these programs is automatic react.
And when we breathe, then we can take pause andthink.
Yes.
Like, look
at Yeah.
Different point of views and reason.
Yeah.
I I I kinda missed out a piece.
I missed a piece there that that that'llconnect all this.
(14:38):
Mhmm.
There is an intimate connection between thebrain and a long exhale.
And when we send the signal of a long exhale tothe brain, the nervous system begins to calm
down.
Mhmm.
And that's the connection between moving fromthe the back brain to the front brain is you
(15:02):
need to the the the nervous system needs tobelieve that it's safe.
And the quickest way that I know to get thereis it's not the only way, but it's the quickest
way that I know to get there is through a longdeep breath.
Mhmm.
Yes.
So when we learn how to manage stress frombreathing Mhmm.
(15:26):
So, how to practice not to be reacting.
Yes.
Like, yes, when we have stress, we breathe.
Okay.
How to prevent, like, train our muscles not tobe in that panic or in stress, not be reacting?
That's a I I love the question.
(15:47):
So I had a I had decades of a stress habit.
I just got by on my wits because I just didn'thave the tools.
I had a meditation practice, but I didn't havethe breath piece of it.
And so you can't solve these problems at thelevel of a mind.
You have to solve them at the level of thenervous system.
So
(16:11):
the way that you begin to rewire a stress habitin the nervous system so if we're stressed all
the time, now we've got a habit in the nervoussystem.
And the way you begin to rewire that and shiftthat and and and change that is you have a a a
regular practice every day.
(16:32):
So you built a stress habit after time aftertime being stressed one one time after another
after another.
You rewire that by by doing something withregulation time and time again.
So this is why everyday breath practice.
And this is why when you are activated duringthe day, you bring in the breath.
(16:56):
There are other things to if the emotionalfreedom technique tapping, I do a bilateral
version of that, which is amazing, to helprewire in its own way.
Their their EMDR is another one that will helpus rewire kind of, reactions to old trauma.
But breath is something that everybody is cancarry around.
(17:17):
They don't need a therapist to teach them.
They can just use it.
They can just leverage leverage the breath, butyou need to practice every day.
And I like to think of it like this.
So the the physicists tell us that an object inmotion stays in motion until acted on by an
(17:37):
equal or opposite force.
And if we have a stress habit, that's an objectin motion.
And so it's gonna stay in motion.
It's gonna stay exactly like it is until it'sacted on by an equal or opposite force, and
then equal or opposite force is a breathpractice.
It's that simple.
(17:57):
Another way I like to to to to bring bring itin is in every moment every moment, we have a
choice.
How am I going to act in this moment?
What am I gonna do with my breathing?
Like, right now, as I'm talking to you, I'mactually breathing between my words.
(18:19):
I'm actually conscious of how I'm breathing.
I'm not doing long deep breathing, but I amconscious of how I'm breathing so that it it it
keeps sending a signal that a relativelycalming signal to the to the to the nervous
system.
Mhmm.
So in every moment, I have a choice.
(18:39):
We have a choice.
Am I going to am I going to go into my justrevert to my old habit of being stressed, that
short, choppy, fast breath, or am I going torewire the brain into a new new way of life?
Am I going to change the trajectory of that oldhabit into a new one?
(19:03):
And so this is the power of the present moment.
We always have a choice in the present moment.
And this is good news to me because I used tothink life was doing it to me.
Life was just coming at me, and I was a victimof life.
And I was a victim to my stress, but that'sactually not the case.
(19:26):
I have power to affect my behavior in thepresent in the present moment by the choice
that I make.
So this is good news.
And this is a this is a real key to burnout, topreventing burnout is having a stable breath
it's not the only one.
Like I said, your your food is important.
(19:49):
Like, you don't wanna add a lot of sugar.
You wanna add sugar into the mix into your dietbecause that's gonna make the emotions, go, get
activated.
So, and there's other things that you know,sugar also brings in a lot of inflammation.
It it's all a package.
Right?
Sugar hits the whole system just as an example.
(20:11):
Another one is just really good hydration.
Right?
Making sure that you're hydrated well hydratedevery day.
We're we're we've we've got a, you know, 60 to70% water, and we need to make sure that we've
got enough mineral to go with that so thatwe're because we're not it's not just about the
water.
It's about the voltage in the water becausewe're electrochemical beings electromagnetic
(20:36):
chemical chemical beings.
So so you wanna make sure that you've got goodmineral a good mineral thing happening.
And also, I think it's really important to havespace in the day.
I mean, we all have jobs, and we've got aschedule.
We've we've got deadlines and things.
(20:58):
And we need to have some some kind of space inthe day where we can just be still and quiet.
And and maybe the mind is busy, but we're busy.
We we're we're watching the mind as we're juststaying focused in the quiet stillness.
(21:18):
That is a hugely centering thing for me.
The other thing that I'll that I'll just sayabout how I'm managing the chaos is where's my
focus?
So when the fires hit in in California in earlyJanuary, I just it was it was it was it really
(21:45):
freaked me out.
I I really felt it in my nervous system, and Iwe all did.
And and the way that I adopted a new mantrawhen that happened, I I was like, okay.
Think cosmically.
(22:06):
So keeping my focus on higher power and actlocally.
So I wasn't putting my attention on the firesor the pain around the fires or the political
mayhem that exploded around the fires.
I was keeping my attention on source, on god,on creator, on whatever you wanna call the
(22:31):
thing that I was keeping my focus there.
And then acting locally in my life, what is thenext right thing that needs to happen in this
moment?
How can I meet the moment with the with withthe with the need at the moment?
So that and that was very helpful for mebecause, again, I added the root vegetables and
(22:53):
the water and the minerals, but but that wasvery helpful for me because I was noticing my
focus was going all over the map, and it wasvery helpful for me to just okay.
Where's where's the boss here?
Stay stay with that.
Oh, it is like, detaching from your currentsituation, not be totally in.
(23:17):
Right?
Just look at the situation from as you areoutside.
Because when you are in, it is so easy just tobe overwhelmed with situation.
Yes.
And
Yeah.
Well, I'm still in it.
I I'm I'm not taking myself out of it.
I'm just being very conscious of where my focusis.
(23:38):
Mhmm.
Right?
Where's where's the where's my where's thedirector in my life?
The director is is source energy, not, youknow, political energy or whatever Mhmm.
If that makes sense.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Or maybe my maybe my my boss guy I don't haveI'm my I'm my own boss, but but I do work for a
(24:00):
cover couple other couple other businesses.
And and maybe and and and they're all we mybosses are the people that that instruct me are
are amazing.
And, you know, if if they they got upset at me,that would be that would be a trigger for me
because, like, I'm not good with people gettingangry at me.
But if that happened, again, it would be like,where's my focus?
(24:24):
My focus is on clearing the charge that justhappened in my body by breathing and keeping my
my focus on the light, the source energy, andand and and and then and then I'm I'm I'm gonna
redirect myself to to, to find balance andalignment between whatever happened between me
and the person that just was giving medirection, and we had a we had a communication
(24:47):
breakdown.
Does that does that make sense?
Yes.
Yes.
Definitely.
Yeah.
Definitely makes sense.
Yes.
Thank you so much for sharing.
We discussed this very important topicmanagement and avoiding and preventing burnout.
(25:08):
So when people have the as we, started thisepisode, you, mentioned some symptoms or, signs
of being in chronic stress.
When people find themselves from those reasons,they say, yes.
It it looks like I'm in chronic stress.
(25:30):
Mhmm.
So as we already mentioned that, what are thesteps to go out?
As you said, breathe start breathing and makingit everyday regular practice.
Is there anything else that they these peoplecan practice?
Well, I I think I think I'll just add anotherlayer there.
(25:53):
The a regular practice also, I think it'simportant to be in nature.
I think nature is very grounding, and I thinkwe need to spend time in nature every day.
I just think, like, that's a I can't I can'teven begin to stress how important that is.
We need to be aware that the the value ofhaving a practice.
(26:19):
It might maybe your morning practice is walkingtaking a walk out in nature and and just
breathing with the trees.
No.
But it's some kind of thing where you're you'rehaving an experience and you're doing it on a
regular basis is gonna build your awareness sothat when your nervous system gets out of
(26:41):
balance, you're gonna notice it faster.
Right?
So that's important.
Another one is to be in community with withpeople other people that are that are doing
this kind of work or are conscious people thatare that are aware and are loving and kind.
(27:04):
You know, it may not be your workplace, but itit it could be, you know, maybe a meeting that
you go to in the in the evening or once a weekon Sundays or whenever.
So supportive community is important.
Like I said, for your diet, I just you know,diet is, you know, not a lot of caffeine.
You know, there's not a lot of sugar.
(27:26):
There's a you know, mix the alcohol.
These things that that that that that that thatreally wreck your nervous system and and and
and and really create so much inflammation inthe body that that that things don't things
don't work correctly.
(27:47):
Yeah.
I I I I'd say that's a pretty good list tostart with.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth.
It was really so empowering conversation, andI'm sure that our listeners will learn so much
from your lessons.
Thank you so much, Elena.
Have a beautiful day.
(28:07):
Yeah.
You too.
Looking forward to see you again.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome to mindset to results.
Today, our guest is Elizabeth Keep.
She's stress management, and we will speaktoday about how to manage stress and avoid or
prevent burnout.
Hi, Elizabeth.
Hi, Elena.
It's so great to be here.
Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on yourpodcast.
(00:24):
You're most welcome, Elizabeth.
As stress manager, you work with so many peopleand help them to live life without burnout.
So it is really very, good topic because weknow so many crazy things happening in the
world now, and stress is just a part of life.
(00:47):
So we would like to learn from you how we canmanage stress and for business owners and
entrepreneurs, also how to prevent burnout.
Great.
Thank you so much.
Let's just start talking about stress and thestress response and what gets us stressed out.
(01:11):
Right?
So we have a a setting in the nervous system inour in our in our whole, biology called a
stress response.
And when there's a eustress, which is kind ofnormal stress, it's actually good for us.
(01:32):
And then there's, you know, distress, which istoo much stress.
And we wanna find the Goldilocks zone right inthe middle.
So when we are are are living in the world andwe meet, we perceive, or we meet a threat to
(01:54):
our safety, there's this thing called thestress response that arises, and we have
biochemical, electro biochemical reactions.
We have psychological things that that thatarise kind of a little package.
(02:14):
We meet the we these things, we meet the stresswith a with a certain behavior.
And when when when that when that threat isneutralized, the stress response goes back into
the off position.
In chronic stress, which leads to burnout, thestress response gets stuck in the on position.
(02:39):
And so now we're constantly looking for thethreat.
We're constantly we're not able to rest.
We can't we can't rest and run at the sametime.
So if the nervous system is is is isessentially energetically running from a tiger
or hiding from a tiger and it it it it isperceiving a threat, it can't rest, it can't
(03:03):
heal in that state.
Also, there are chemicals, hormones, stresshormones that that that are produced that that
will help us rise to meet that stress.
One of them, just as an example, is cortisol.
And and sometimes, anybody who's listening tothis who's had a who's had a stressful event in
(03:30):
their life one day where there may be a bigemotional event or maybe a physical event.
And then the and but they were able to meet it.
But then the next day, they're kind of slow andthey've they've got kind of brain fog.
That's the body metabolizing the byproducts ofcortisol.
(03:54):
And until the until the body clears thebyproducts of those stress hormones, you know,
it goes through a kind of readjustment state,and then we're then we're then we're clear
again.
So you'll it will all notice that's actuallysomething that you can you can be aware of when
you have a stressful event.
Oh, you know, don't be surprised if you're alittle off or a little challenged the next day
(04:18):
that the brain is not working quite optimallybecause it's busy clearing a lot of stress
hormone.
So just understanding kind of what stress is.
Now this a chronic stress in the brain createsa couple of things.
It creates chaos.
So now I can't think straight.
(04:39):
I forgot where I put my keys.
Oh, did I have an appointment today?
Right.
You might even forget to look at your calendar,or you might forget to write the appointment on
the calendar.
Right?
So chaos in the brain.
Another one is that we're normally in ournormal state.
We have a a marked negative bias, which helpskeep us safe in the world.
(05:02):
Something new comes into our environment.
Our immediate response is no, which kinda keepsus safe until we can reassess and go, oh, maybe
that's a good idea or absolutely no.
Right?
But we have a negative bias.
It helps keep us safe in the world.
In chronic stress, that gets accentuated.
(05:23):
And so now you're wrong.
The system's wrong.
I'm wrong.
Life is wrong.
Like, we have this very negative spin.
And and and that's that that's that's also thatthat that's just really damaging to the system.
(05:45):
And and it's hard to live with that.
Right?
You and you've gotten a lot of negativethoughts in the mind like that.
So chaos, I can't remember stuff, negativemind, and the when the emotional center gets
charged in such a way that that we're we'remore reactive.
(06:09):
So it's not just I have a negative I have abigger negative bias.
I have a and then it's it's I have a namebigger negative bias, and it's emotionally
charged.
So you see, we've got a complex that thatthat's that's that's setting up here in chronic
stress.
So it's really important that we that we areaware of how we're handling stress.
(06:34):
What are our tools?
Like, when I when we get stressed, there's alot of energy out in the world, a lot of chaos
swirling out there.
I had a client just yesterday that asked me,you know, what are the tools that I'm using to
keep centered in all this all this chaos?
Right?
So one of them is is real it's gonna soundcrazy, but I'm just saying, one of them is
(06:59):
eating more root vegetables.
Root vegetables help literally keep usgrounded.
So it's something really simple, but it'ssomething that that, you you know, if you're
not aware of it, you know, give it a try andsee see how it helps.
Another thing that I do, I have a morningpractice.
Like, I have a morning practice where I do acouple of things.
(07:22):
One, I do some movement.
I it's a little stretching.
I get the I I try and move the the spine in infive different directions just to kind of get
it awake.
And and I and I do some breath work, which doesa couple things.
One, it helps clear the the the pipes.
(07:44):
It helps rejuvenate the cells and clear anytoxins that are sitting in the base of the lung
from the night before, and it also helpsregulate the nervous system.
So it it helps me start my day with a calmer,predictable I I'm grounded, I'm steady.
(08:07):
And I sit in that practice, and I remind mynervous system, this is how we're doing life
today.
We're doing it, you know, nice long slow deepbreath or some other kind of segmented breath,
some kind of breath practice that allows thatthat really tones the vagus nerve.
You can even add chanting.
(08:29):
You could do a chanted breath breath practicethat that affects it as well.
All of this helps to tone the the nervoussystem, the the part of the nervous system
called the vagus nerve, which is this stressassess it's our it's our safety, our social
engagement thing, our safety assessment part ofthe nervous system.
(08:53):
So it's important that we address that and wegive it instructions and we remember that we
have that long deep breath to use during theday.
So I do my practice, and then I get up and I gointo my day.
Well, you know, life happens, and, you know, Imight get surprised.
(09:17):
I likely will.
Something will something will challenge meduring the day and, you know, and my nervous
system will start to to activate.
And you noticed I I held the breath a littlebit.
Well, that that's, you know, that's now we'rewe're starting to be in that in that activated.
Now I'm protecting defending state, and I heldmy breath, and that's sending a signal to the
(09:40):
nervous system that it's not safe.
And yet all it was was a problem I didn't knowhow to solve.
But here's the thing.
Our nervous system is old.
Like, the coding in the nervous system is old.
So we it can't tell the difference between aproblem that just came up that I can't solve
(10:01):
like that and, like, in a bit or a bill that Ican't I don't know how to pay, or all of a
sudden, there's a threat in my environment.
Maybe there's a tiger in over there.
Right?
The brain can't tell the difference.
We're it we go into the same into the samenervous system state.
(10:22):
So, obviously, there's not a tiger over there,but my nervous system doesn't know the
difference.
And I can't think straight when I'm in thatstate, so I can't solve the problem because I'm
not thinking straight.
I'm I'm I'm actually activated in the back partof the brain, which is the reactive defensive
(10:42):
part of the brain, and it it really kind ofdiminishes the ability for us to the executive
thinking part of the brain that that's ourproblem solving part part of the brain.
So how do we get from the this activatedreptilian brain state to the executive
thinking?
We bring in the breath.
(11:04):
Remember, we started the morning with thebreath practice that reminded us, oh, I have
this breath I can use that helps me regulate.
Now I get I get challenged in my environmentduring the day.
That breath practice is right with me.
I'm I calm the nervous system down.
I give it the signal that it's safe, and now Ican solve the problem.
(11:27):
Did that make sense?
Yes.
Yes.
So we go through, left brain where all thesesaboteurs are, yes, all the charges, and all
the stress to, the right brain.
Well, no.
This is actually not left and right here.
(11:47):
That's those are different.
This is actually the back brain, the back partof the brain where the amygdalene is and the
the reptilian, the older part of the brainversus the frontal lobe.
Mhmm.
The left right thing is different.
That's a that's a different that's a that'slogical thinking versus creative.
Mhmm.
That's not really what I'm talking about here.
(12:08):
I'm talking about this primitive brain takingover.
What happens when we meet a threat is theprimitive brain gets gets priority.
It we go right into default into this state.
So it it really cuts off the frontal lobe partof the brain, the newer part of the brain
ability.
And I'll give you an example.
(12:29):
So I'm going along during my day.
I paid a bill.
It was the darnest thing a few years ago.
I paid a bill.
I was moving pretty quickly through my day.
I paid a bill, and I got a with the electriccompany, and I got a notice.
I got a notice that they were gonna turn myelectric off.
(12:53):
And I was like, wait a minute.
I just paid the bill.
And so I chased this.
I got I got activated.
Right?
Oh, oh, my my my my my electric's gonna getturned off, and it's the middle of summer.
And I chased that that email or that thatnotice, and it turned out to be a scam.
(13:14):
And I and I was like, when it was all over, Iwas like, what just happened?
Oh, I was moving fast through my day.
I got activated.
I was in the back brain.
I couldn't think the problem out straightbecause once I get it was over, I was like,
well, that that was didn't even make sense.
Right?
(13:34):
But because I got activated, I couldn't Icouldn't address the I couldn't see clearly.
Right?
And so it was a it for a stress managementspecialist, this was a perfect example of,
like, you know, work your practice, Elizabeth.
But it was a great example because it's it'svery clear.
(13:54):
We all, you know, we run into this particularthing in the world from time to time.
Yeah.
So from reaction to thinking, yes, andreasoning and, having perception where this
letter came from.
Right?
So as you see, automatic reaction is different.
Yes.
This is what that, old brain does.
(14:16):
All these programs is automatic react.
And when we breathe, then we can take pause andthink.
Yes.
Like, look
at Yeah.
Different point of views and reason.
Yeah.
I I I kinda missed out a piece.
I missed a piece there that that that'llconnect all this.
(14:38):
Mhmm.
There is an intimate connection between thebrain and a long exhale.
And when we send the signal of a long exhale tothe brain, the nervous system begins to calm
down.
Mhmm.
And that's the connection between moving fromthe the back brain to the front brain is you
(15:02):
need to the the the nervous system needs tobelieve that it's safe.
And the quickest way that I know to get thereis it's not the only way, but it's the quickest
way that I know to get there is through a longdeep breath.
Mhmm.
Yes.
So when we learn how to manage stress frombreathing Mhmm.
(15:26):
So, how to practice not to be reacting.
Yes.
Like, yes, when we have stress, we breathe.
Okay.
How to prevent, like, train our muscles not tobe in that panic or in stress, not be reacting?
That's a I I love the question.
(15:47):
So I had a I had decades of a stress habit.
I just got by on my wits because I just didn'thave the tools.
I had a meditation practice, but I didn't havethe breath piece of it.
And so you can't solve these problems at thelevel of a mind.
You have to solve them at the level of thenervous system.
So
(16:11):
the way that you begin to rewire a stress habitin the nervous system so if we're stressed all
the time, now we've got a habit in the nervoussystem.
And the way you begin to rewire that and shiftthat and and and change that is you have a a a
regular practice every day.
(16:32):
So you built a stress habit after time aftertime being stressed one one time after another
after another.
You rewire that by by doing something withregulation time and time again.
So this is why everyday breath practice.
And this is why when you are activated duringthe day, you bring in the breath.
(16:56):
There are other things to if the emotionalfreedom technique tapping, I do a bilateral
version of that, which is amazing, to helprewire in its own way.
Their their EMDR is another one that will helpus rewire kind of, reactions to old trauma.
But breath is something that everybody is cancarry around.
(17:17):
They don't need a therapist to teach them.
They can just use it.
They can just leverage leverage the breath, butyou need to practice every day.
And I like to think of it like this.
So the the physicists tell us that an object inmotion stays in motion until acted on by an
(17:37):
equal or opposite force.
And if we have a stress habit, that's an objectin motion.
And so it's gonna stay in motion.
It's gonna stay exactly like it is until it'sacted on by an equal or opposite force, and
then equal or opposite force is a breathpractice.
It's that simple.
(17:57):
Another way I like to to to to bring bring itin is in every moment every moment, we have a
choice.
How am I going to act in this moment?
What am I gonna do with my breathing?
Like, right now, as I'm talking to you, I'mactually breathing between my words.
(18:19):
I'm actually conscious of how I'm breathing.
I'm not doing long deep breathing, but I amconscious of how I'm breathing so that it it it
keeps sending a signal that a relativelycalming signal to the to the to the nervous
system.
Mhmm.
So in every moment, I have a choice.
(18:39):
We have a choice.
Am I going to am I going to go into my justrevert to my old habit of being stressed, that
short, choppy, fast breath, or am I going torewire the brain into a new new way of life?
Am I going to change the trajectory of that oldhabit into a new one?
(19:03):
And so this is the power of the present moment.
We always have a choice in the present moment.
And this is good news to me because I used tothink life was doing it to me.
Life was just coming at me, and I was a victimof life.
And I was a victim to my stress, but that'sactually not the case.
(19:26):
I have power to affect my behavior in thepresent in the present moment by the choice
that I make.
So this is good news.
And this is a this is a real key to burnout, topreventing burnout is having a stable breath
it's not the only one.
Like I said, your your food is important.
(19:49):
Like, you don't wanna add a lot of sugar.
You wanna add sugar into the mix into your dietbecause that's gonna make the emotions, go, get
activated.
So, and there's other things that you know,sugar also brings in a lot of inflammation.
It it's all a package.
Right?
Sugar hits the whole system just as an example.
(20:11):
Another one is just really good hydration.
Right?
Making sure that you're hydrated well hydratedevery day.
We're we're we've we've got a, you know, 60 to70% water, and we need to make sure that we've
got enough mineral to go with that so thatwe're because we're not it's not just about the
water.
It's about the voltage in the water becausewe're electrochemical beings electromagnetic
(20:36):
chemical chemical beings.
So so you wanna make sure that you've got goodmineral a good mineral thing happening.
And also, I think it's really important to havespace in the day.
I mean, we all have jobs, and we've got aschedule.
We've we've got deadlines and things.
(20:58):
And we need to have some some kind of space inthe day where we can just be still and quiet.
And and maybe the mind is busy, but we're busy.
We we're we're watching the mind as we're juststaying focused in the quiet stillness.
(21:18):
That is a hugely centering thing for me.
The other thing that I'll that I'll just sayabout how I'm managing the chaos is where's my
focus?
So when the fires hit in in California in earlyJanuary, I just it was it was it was it really
(21:45):
freaked me out.
I I really felt it in my nervous system, and Iwe all did.
And and the way that I adopted a new mantrawhen that happened, I I was like, okay.
Think cosmically.
(22:06):
So keeping my focus on higher power and actlocally.
So I wasn't putting my attention on the firesor the pain around the fires or the political
mayhem that exploded around the fires.
I was keeping my attention on source, on god,on creator, on whatever you wanna call the
(22:31):
thing that I was keeping my focus there.
And then acting locally in my life, what is thenext right thing that needs to happen in this
moment?
How can I meet the moment with the with withthe with the need at the moment?
So that and that was very helpful for mebecause, again, I added the root vegetables and
(22:53):
the water and the minerals, but but that wasvery helpful for me because I was noticing my
focus was going all over the map, and it wasvery helpful for me to just okay.
Where's where's the boss here?
Stay stay with that.
Oh, it is like, detaching from your currentsituation, not be totally in.
(23:17):
Right?
Just look at the situation from as you areoutside.
Because when you are in, it is so easy just tobe overwhelmed with situation.
Yes.
And
Yeah.
Well, I'm still in it.
I I'm I'm not taking myself out of it.
I'm just being very conscious of where my focusis.
(23:38):
Mhmm.
Right?
Where's where's the where's my where's thedirector in my life?
The director is is source energy, not, youknow, political energy or whatever Mhmm.
If that makes sense.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Or maybe my maybe my my boss guy I don't haveI'm my I'm my own boss, but but I do work for a
(24:00):
cover couple other couple other businesses.
And and maybe and and and they're all we mybosses are the people that that instruct me are
are amazing.
And, you know, if if they they got upset at me,that would be that would be a trigger for me
because, like, I'm not good with people gettingangry at me.
But if that happened, again, it would be like,where's my focus?
(24:24):
My focus is on clearing the charge that justhappened in my body by breathing and keeping my
my focus on the light, the source energy, andand and and and then and then I'm I'm I'm gonna
redirect myself to to, to find balance andalignment between whatever happened between me
and the person that just was giving medirection, and we had a we had a communication
(24:47):
breakdown.
Does that does that make sense?
Yes.
Yes.
Definitely.
Yeah.
Definitely makes sense.
Yes.
Thank you so much for sharing.
We discussed this very important topicmanagement and avoiding and preventing burnout.
(25:08):
So when people have the as we, started thisepisode, you, mentioned some symptoms or, signs
of being in chronic stress.
When people find themselves from those reasons,they say, yes.
It it looks like I'm in chronic stress.
(25:30):
Mhmm.
So as we already mentioned that, what are thesteps to go out?
As you said, breathe start breathing and makingit everyday regular practice.
Is there anything else that they these peoplecan practice?
Well, I I think I think I'll just add anotherlayer there.
(25:53):
The a regular practice also, I think it'simportant to be in nature.
I think nature is very grounding, and I thinkwe need to spend time in nature every day.
I just think, like, that's a I can't I can'teven begin to stress how important that is.
We need to be aware that the the value ofhaving a practice.
(26:19):
It might maybe your morning practice is walkingtaking a walk out in nature and and just
breathing with the trees.
No.
But it's some kind of thing where you're you'rehaving an experience and you're doing it on a
regular basis is gonna build your awareness sothat when your nervous system gets out of
(26:41):
balance, you're gonna notice it faster.
Right?
So that's important.
Another one is to be in community with withpeople other people that are that are doing
this kind of work or are conscious people thatare that are aware and are loving and kind.
(27:04):
You know, it may not be your workplace, but itit it could be, you know, maybe a meeting that
you go to in the in the evening or once a weekon Sundays or whenever.
So supportive community is important.
Like I said, for your diet, I just you know,diet is, you know, not a lot of caffeine.
You know, there's not a lot of sugar.
(27:26):
There's a you know, mix the alcohol.
These things that that that that that that thatreally wreck your nervous system and and and
and and really create so much inflammation inthe body that that that things don't things
don't work correctly.
(27:47):
Yeah.
I I I I'd say that's a pretty good list tostart with.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth.
It was really so empowering conversation, andI'm sure that our listeners will learn so much
from your lessons.
Thank you so much, Elena.
Have a beautiful day.
(28:07):
Yeah.
You too.
Looking forward to see you again.
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