Pick the Easy Wins: A Simple Fix for Stress & Overwhelm

BZE and BZW speak about anxiety and stress through the lens of physical health, including research on how to relate to future heart issues. They focus on the behaviors that often go along with anxiety, such as poor diet, smoking, drinking, low physical activity, poor sleep, limited social support, and less consistent medical care. The two also discuss practical ways to reduce stress by changing what is manageable, including improving sleep, increasing exercise, and strengthening social support. A major theme is how small unfinished tasks can build up over time, and encourage writing them down, organizing them, and handling the most stressful item first. They further explore how perfectionism, avoidance, and poor organization can make tasks harder to complete. The Bonnies close out by discussing how to break larger projects into smaller steps and how self-compassion and small actions can help when exercise or relaxation goals feel difficult to maintain. HIGHLIGHTS: 3:36 Behavior Drives Heart Risk 6:37 Stress From Small Tasks 12:18 Perfectionism Blocks Progress 16:01 Rebuilding After Burnout 20:32 Move Your Body Now 23:49 Behaviors Over Anxiety mentioned in episode WomenHeart: https://www.womenheart.org CONNECT WITH THE BONNIE ZUCKERS: Bonnie Zucker Ph.D.(west) website: https://www.bonniezuckerphd.com Newsletter sign-up: https://bonnie-zucker-ph-d.kit.com/d44b57fcdf Books by Bonnie West: https://a.co/d/04aNJFDZ Bonnie Zucker Psy.D. (east) website: https://www.bonniezuckerandassociates.com Books by Bonnie East: https://shorturl.at/MxvRZ The content of Anxiety Matters Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute mental health or medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call emergency services or a local crisis line.