FIU Professor Mihaela Plugarasu Demonstrates How to Manage Fear, Stress, and Anxiety
CARTA professor Mihaela Plugarasu had the pleasure of joining BOLD Strategic Communications Agency on Tuesday, February 8th. Breaking away from the typical industry guest speaker, hearing a new discussion that many college students can also utilize and relate to was a refreshing subject. Managing fear, stress, and anxiety within a pandemic or any crisis is an important conversation as it has become a growing topic to recognize and learn to combat.
Mihaela, a NeuroMindfulness certified coach, began with asking the audience an upfront question: “What is the main fear you experience today?” to build comfort and vulnerability around the conversation. Many members connected on the fears shared by other college students and were prompted to observe the internal operation of fear within the brain’s anatomy. Professor Plugarasu concluded that because anxiety and fear primarily lives in the amygdala, individuals lose 75% of cognitive capabilities in a state of amygdala hijack (high stress) and essentially under-perform in testing life situations.
Considering that humans are innate to observing signs of danger at all times, it is commonly seen in today’s society that the survival mentality is no longer needed and can cause anxiety and over-stress to sit in this section of the brain. By introducing the predominant functions of how stress can be produced, Mihaela went into further detail on what stress actually means. The body’s method of reacting to a threat, challenge, or physical and psychological barrier is what the overarching viewpoint of stress can entail. She explained that it is healthy to have acute stress as our bodies are designed to react appropriately to this factor. However in terms of having chronic stress, this can lead to several negative consequences for the body, mind, and one’s relationships with others.
Mihaela’s three main aspects to managing stress under this impression is to create a triangle of resilience for one’s self and practice healthy habits on a daily basis.
- Body: Be proactive in your sleep, nutrition, exercise, and breathing routines for it to become a positive influence in your overall day.
- Mind: Develop an affirmative growth mindset by practicing self-compassion, mindfulness, and an emotional regulation cycle.
- Relationships: Pursue human relationships that strengthen your overall social connections and cultivate your pro-social qualities such as forgiveness and gratitude.
Overall, this insightful presentation prompted college students to take action and take care of their physical and mental well-being for the sake of readily responding to everyday fear, stress, and anxiety.
Click here to connect with Mihaela!
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Written by: Carri Medina, Director of Public Relations