Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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3 Effective Tools For Managing Anxiety

My job as a health and wellness coach encompasses so much more than habits and exercise and food. I strive to help my clients feel better in all areas of their life. Mental well-being included.

I can still remember the first time anxiety disrupted my life. It was 1980 – and I was in kindergarten. Yes indeed, you read that correctly. Kindergarten. A time when most children have very few (if any) worries.

It’s a time for fingerpainting + silly songs + playgrounds + making new friends.

But not for me. Always a bit more serious than other kids my age, it didn’t take much to land myself on the worry bus.

After being transferred to the full-day (academically gifted) class (why was this even a thing?), I was terrified of stepping into the classroom where worksheets and new faces replaced singing and painting.

It took decades (and many more life disruptions) before I sought help to manage my anxiety.

If you’re a member of this not-so-desirable club, here are few of my favorite tried and true tools.

Deep Breathing (4 + 4 + 6)

Deep breathing is a simple technique that’s excellent for managing emotions. Not only is deep breathing effective, it’s also discreet and easy to use at any time or place.

Sit comfortably and place one hand on your abdomen. Breath in through your nose, deeply enough that the hand on your abdomen rises. Hold the air in your lungs, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, with your lips puckered as if you are blowing through a straw. The secret is to go slow: Time the inhalation (4s), pause (4s), and exhalation (6s). Practice for 3 to 5 minutes.

Sometimes, I pair this technique with color imagery. Breathe in blue (or pink or glittery silver), pause, and exhale black (or gray or red).

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

By tensing and relaxing the muscles throughout your body, you can achieve a powerful feeling of relaxation. Additionally, progressive muscle relaxation will help you spot anxiety by teaching you to recognize feelings of muscle tension.

Sit back or lie down in a comfortable position. For each area of the body listed below, you will tense your muscles tightly, but not to the point of strain. Hold the tension for 10 seconds and pay close attention to how it feels. Then, release the tension, and notice how the feeling of relaxation differs from the feeling of tension.

FeetCurl your toes tightly into your feet, then release them.
CalvesPoint or flex your feet, then let them relax.
ThighsSqueeze your thighs together tightly, then let them relax.
TorsoSuck in your abdomen, then release the tension and let it fall.
BackSqueeze your shoulder blades together, then release them.
ShouldersLift and squeeze your shoulders toward your ears, then let them drop.
ArmsMake fists and squeeze them toward your shoulders, then let them drop.
HandsMake a fist by curling your fingers into your palm, then relax your fingers.
FaceScrunch your facial features to the center of your face, then relax.
Full BodySqueeze all muscles together, then release all tension.

Imagery

Your thoughts have the power to change how you feel. If you think of something sad, it’s likely you’ll start to feel sad. The opposite is also true: When you think of something positive and calming, you feel relaxed. The imagery technique harnesses this power to reduce anxiety.

Think of a place that you find comforting. It could be a secluded beach, your bedroom, a quiet mountaintop, or even a loud concert. My current go to imagery is a Thievery Corporation concert I attended at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver in 2018.

For 5 to 10 minutes, use all your senses to imagine this setting in great detail. Don’t just think fleetingly about this place – really imagine it.

(1) What do you see around you? What do you notice in the distance? Look all around to take in all your surroundings. Look for small details you would usually miss.

(2) What sounds can you hear? Are they soft or loud? Listen closely to everything around you. Keep listening to see if you notice any distant sounds.

(3)Are you eating or drinking something enjoyable? What is the flavor like? How does it taste? Savor all the tastes of the food or drink.

(4) What can you feel? What is the temperature like? Think of how the air feels on your skin, and how your clothes feel on your body. Soak in all these sensations.

(5) What scents are present? Are they strong or faint? What does the air smell like? Take some time to appreciate the scents.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.

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No Cure For Being Human

Did you know that suffering and flourishing can occur together?

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It simply CAN’T be one or the other. If you are a human being living on this Earth, you are faced with the delightful, the horrible, the beautiful, the worrying, and the hilarious – sometimes in the space of a single day (or, let’s be honest, a single hour).

I recently finished the ever so witty Kate Bowler’s, “No Cure for Being Human.”

She says life is…

…beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between – and there’s no cure for being human.

Yes indeed, Kate. Yes, indeed.

And then there’s this truth bomb…

Everybody pretends that you die only once. But that’s not true. You can die a thousand possible futures in the course of a single, stupid life.

We all face periods of hardship, uncertainty, and transition. So how do we navigate the churning waters of life when it feels like we’re being tossed around like a rowboat in a hurricane?

Focus on what you CAN control.

I know. I know. You’ve heard this one before.

There is so much we can’t control.

This feels really scary sometimes. We desperately want to know what’s going to happen in the future. (Preferably, that everything will be okay.) It can be really easy to spiral into a frenzy of uncertainty, panic, and/or frustration over stuff we have zero control over. Yet we often have more control than we realize.

There are factors and elements that we CAN control in healthy and productive ways. We can show up for those things, own them, and take an active part in shaping them.

Focusing on those things that we can control can help us feel calmer and more capable of carrying on.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what seems like uncontrollable chaos around you, try this exercise…

First, validate your struggle. You’re not “wrong” for feeling overwhelmed – there’s a lot going on, and much of it is out of your control.

Next, explore what you have control over. 

For example:

  • Moving your body (using whatever means you have access to right now, even if that means simply going on a walk)
  • Managing your mindset and attitude, or the story you’re telling about what things mean
  • Getting adequate rest (by prioritizing naps or getting to bed on time)
  • What information you allow in your mental space, and what sources it comes from
  • Connecting with people you care about
  • Helping those in need

Consciously commit to focusing on and acting on the things in your control, rather than the ones beyond your total control. And – take a moment to grieve the loss of control if you need to. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that much of the world operates without us as general manager.

Big virtual hugs to anyone going through a hard time right now. The most “wonderful” time of the year can sometimes be the most difficult.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.

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Why Hire a Health and Wellness Coach?

You’re smart and capable. You know what you should do for good health.

  • Get enough quality sleep most nights
  • Eat nutritious, satisfying meals most of the time
  • Make time for movement, meditating, time in nature—whatever helps you feel recharged and strong

It’s just that DOING these things (consistently) isn’t always so easy.

If you find yourself continually hitting a wall when attempting to start or sustain healthy habits, it might just be that you need a bit of support. Someone to give you strategies for overcoming obstacles, a little extra guidance, and accountability.

This is where I come in.

A health and wellness coach can give you the boost you need to reach your goals (and stay there).

What is a health and wellness coach, anyway?

Before we get to that, let’s get clear on the term “wellness.”

When you think of your health, you might consider your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other physical markers that your primary care doc would examine at a regular checkup. You might also think of the quality of your sleep, diet, or exercise.

Health and wellness coaching incorporates physical health – along with mental, environmental, and emotional health factors like…

  • How your everyday surroundings support (or undermine) your wellbeing
  • Creating healthy boundaries
  • Establishing a mindfulness practice (if that makes sense for you)
  • Reducing stress
  • Creating meaning and purpose
  • Discovering new + more helpful coping mechanisms
  • Exploring ways to infuse more joy into your life

I encourage my clients to take charge of their own health via client-centered health education, behavior change science, and motivational strategies. In other words, we’re a team.

I know it’s not enough to just tell you what to do. (Most people have enough knowledge; it’s the action part they struggle with.)

It also means I believe that YOU’RE the expert of your own life.

So, YOU get to decide—based on your own experiences, self-knowledge, personal values, and priorities – what habits you want to improve.

In short, if you have a goal, we’ll work together to build a map to get there.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE

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The Art of Eating Well

Too many of us fall into the trap of eating in ways that are either excessively permissive or overly strict.

A bottle of wine and four slices of pizza for dinner on Tuesday followed by skipping lunch and an hour of treadmill “punishment” on Wednesday.

A weekend free for all and a week of low carb repentance.  

Whole30 October + eat ALL THE THINGS November.

These approaches are neither sustainable or particularly enjoyable.

Lasting change requires an unwinding of the all or nothing approach to eating. Healthy eating doesn’t mean every meal has to be “perfect” (which is impossible anyway). It looks a bit more like 80/20. Which seems like a simple concept, but can be difficult to implement if you’ve practiced being either “on” or “off” a diet for any length of time. One “slip up” means the whole day is ruined. So you might as well finish off the ice cream in the freezer, right?

If this resonates (and you are NOT alone), try to start thinking of feeding yourself as a good parent feeds a child.

With love.

With limits.

Without drama – or harsh punishment.

Eating well is a skill you can learn (at any age). It requires saying goodbye to other people’s diet rules and coming up with a set of guidelines that make sense for you. It requires patience and self-compassion. It requires trying different foods and acquiring a taste for items that may not have been a regular part of your diet in the past (like veggies or coffee without caramel syrup and whip).

It requires SLOWING down and thoughtfully building in healthier habits while gently unwinding the unhelpful ones.

But we live in an instant gratification world. We want to lose 50 pounds yesterday. So we’re easily wooed by extreme diet after extreme diet, instead of slowly + steadily shifting our palate and habits.

We become skilled at being on a diet – or being off a diet. And that is not a recipe for sustained success.

You can and will change your habits, your weight, and your relationship with food for good if you give it enough time.

The word health originally meant “whole” or complete. To be healthy was to be sound of body and mind. Many of us – whether we diet or not – have a relationship with food that is broken. But it’s never too late to pick up the pieces and put them back together.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.