Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. If you're starting a new job or if you just found out that you were part of the recent layoffs at your company, if you ended a long term relationship, or if you just started dating a new person, if you're on the verge of having your third kid, or maybe you're on the verge of having your first, one thing is certain, and that's that change is coming for you. Now, one of my favorite sayings about change that I could not tell you where I first heard this, but it has stuck with me for my entire life, and that is the only thing that stays the same is change itself. That means you either gotta get on board with change or you are going to be living one heck of a stressful life. Now here's the real deal.

Erica: Change is good, but it can also be really hard and really challenging, and it can cause a lot of angst and anxiety. This I know to be true. But today, we are going to talk about a topic that hits so close to home for many of us, and that is managing your anxiety during times of change. Whether it's a new job, moving to a new city, or just the unpredictable nature of life, change can be a major source of anxiety. But do not worry because I'm gonna break it down, and I'm gonna give you the tools so that you can handle your anxiety during change like a pro.

Erica: You are listening to the Glass Ceiling and Sticky Floor podcast. The podcast that will empower you to shatter limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities so you can live your best life. I'm Erica Rooney, and I'm on a mission to bring more women into positions of power and keep them there. I'm obsessed with all things growth and abundance, and I'm here to talk you through the tried and true secrets to get you to level up your career and your life. We talk about the hard stuff here.

Erica: Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear, and burnout. So pull up a seat, pop it in your bed, and let's dive in. Alright, y'all. It is early, early morning when I am recording this. So if I still have a little bit of frog in my throat, y'all know why.

Erica: But I wanna start with the science of anxiety and with change. And y'all, all anxiety is is a natural response to stress. It's a natural response to change that often triggers this fight or flight response inside our body. Now this response is rooted in our brain's amygdala.

Erica: The amygdala, which detects threats and sends signals to release the stress hormones like cortisol. Now while this was super important for our ancestors who were out running, you know, saber toothed tigers and whatnot, it's less than helpful when we're dealing with modern changes like a job switch or a new project. But let's be real about it. Change is inevitable, but the way we respond to it can make all the difference.

Erica: Now here are some strategies to manage your anxiety during those times, which are, of course, backed by science and seen with a little bit of real life wisdom. Step one, y'all, I want you to embrace the uncertainty. And let's do this by imagine you're starting a new job. The unknowns are endless. Will you like your colleagues?

Erica: Can you handle the work load? Will your boss be a micromanager? What's the culture like? All of those questions will be just spinning around in your head. Right?

Erica: You could spiral. You could go completely all the way negative saying that, yes, my boss is gonna be a micromanager. I'm not gonna be able to do the work. It's gonna be horrific. My colleagues are gonna be terrible.

Erica: Or you could try to reframe your mindset. Research from Harvard psychologist, Daniel Gilbert, suggests that humans are resilient and that we tend to overestimate how negative future events will impact us. Y'all, we automatically go to the negative. Okay? So just by knowing that, just by knowing that we overestimate the negative, that should empower you and alleviate a bit of the anxiety.

Erica: Right? That's just our natural response to do that. You have to remind yourself that uncertainty is just part of the journey, but you are more adaptable than you think. You have done hard things before. You have done things where you didn't know what the outcome will be before.

Erica: So you already know that you can get through it. Right? So if you're walking into a new job on day one or really any massive change, instead of thinking, holy shit, what did I do? Shift your mindset to, what an adventure. I can't wait to see what this brings.

Erica: Now what also works here is really having that curiosity mindset. Get interested in who you may meet, what you might learn, or how this might change your life. Recognize that we have that we have that tendency to go towards the negative, acknowledge it, and shift your mindset to the positive. Next, I want you to ground yourself in the present. Now when I first moved to North Carolina about fifteen ish years ago, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of changes.

Erica: First of all, y'all, I had no idea where anything was in this town. I didn't have the same grocery store to shop at back then. Y'all Publix did not live in North Carolina back then. Everything was different. And that move was right after college.

Erica: And with that came all the changes. Right? My home changed. My routine changed. Being able to see my family on the regular was no longer a thing.

Erica: I had to find new friends. I had to find new places to run and work out. Everything was different. What helped me get through those moments of uncertainty, of constant unrest, was grounding in the present. Now techniques like mindfulness and deep breathing, they can be game changers here.

Erica: And I found myself when I found myself really struggling with that anxiety about something or the unknown, I would do just a few moments of the box breathing routine. And if you're not familiar with that, it's where you breathe in for four, you hold for a count of four, you exhale for four, and you hold that exhale for four. And I would just do that for a few moments just to ground myself because focusing in on that one simple thing, my breath, would help me clear my mind and it would help me focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the future or if something was gonna work out or not. So, again, take that moment to ground yourself in the present, whether that is through mindfulness, journaling, meditation, walking outside, a practice that works for you, find it and embrace it for when those moments of anxiety really creep in. Next, I want you to plan a routine as best as you can because routines can be your anchor in the sea of change.

Erica: Now stick with me here. Because if we stay with the example of my move to North Carolina, the one thing that I could keep the same was my morning routine. Y'all, I would wake up at the same time. I would go out to my living room. I would read my book.

Erica: I would journal, exercise, shower, and I would get on with my day. That simple routine helped me feel it helped me feel as if I gained, a sense of control over my life when nothing was the same. It helped reduce my anxiety, and, of course, the exercise helped me burn off some of that nervous energy. But here's the deal. Studies show that routines can provide stability and predictability, which are crucial in times of change.

Erica: So look where you can keep that routine or look where you can establish a new one that works best for you in your new situation. I will often take my home routine that I do every single day if I'm traveling for work, and I try to implement it as best as I can in that new location. Okay? When you are establishing those morning and evening routines along with exercise schedules, that is a great way to give you that sense of control when everything around you is changing. And then I want you to focus on what you can control.

Erica: There are so many variables to life that we have zero control over no matter how hard we try. We can't control the weather. You can't control if your boss makes a decision you don't agree with. You can't control other people's reactions or emotions. Y'all think about when the pandemic first hit and we were all in lockdown.

Erica: The only thing you really could control was what was going on inside your little bubble. So so many of us felt that total loss of control. But here's what you can control. Your daily habits, what you eat, how much you move, when you turn off your electronics, how much time you spend with your family. You can control moving your body and setting small daily attainable goals.

Erica: Y'all even amidst massive change, there are still so many things that you do have control over. And research from Yale University does show that when you focus on what you can control versus what you can't, you significantly reduce your anxiety. It can be as small as drinking water, taking a walk, or calling a friend. These simple actions, y'all, they build a sense of agency and calm even when the rest of the world is literally falling apart. Y'all change is hard, and anxiety is a natural response.

Erica: You have to learn to coexist with your anxiety. Give it a name. Imagine what she looks like. Think of her like that slightly annoying colleague that gets into your skin but actually is helpful from time to time. I want you to remember that you are resilient.

Erica: When you embrace uncertainty, ground yourself in the present, and control what you can control through routines and daily habits, you can navigate change with grace and with strength. And y'all speaking of change, I do have some life updates for you. First of all, you probably noticed that the cadence of the pod has been reduced. Yes. After two years, I've decided to cut back a little and focus more on other needle moving activities in the business.

Erica: Was I nervous about this change? Of course, I was. This is two years in the making where I have always produced two episodes a week. But I have really kind of done some soul searching, and I've taken stock. And I am going to drop the cadence to one just to test it out.

Erica: Right? This podcast is such a passion project for me, but it's time to embrace the changing wins and diversify a bit. So for now, you're gonna see one podcast episode a week, which will either be a fantastic guest episode like the one right before this, or it will be a stepping stone type podcast, short form just like this one, but always with the science backed strategies to help you live your best life, shatter those imposed ceilings, and just be an all around badass woman. Now I don't know if I'll keep it for forever. I just know it's where I am now.

Erica: And y'all, I'm gonna embrace that change. Now the other life announcement is that reimagine it all, the six week digital course and group coaching program kicks off next week. You still have time to join. There are already some amazing women signed up, but the time is now. Y'all, the price will never be this low, and you are truly getting a steal of a deal.

Erica: Reimagine it all is going to be life changing if you want to get more done in your life without adding things to your to do list. It is a total game changing way to look at productivity, and it will help you focus in on what matters most. Streamline your day and do it all without sacrificing your sanity or your sleep for your success. It is going to be so, so good. I can't wait.

Erica: To all of you women who've signed up, oh my gosh. I hope you are just as excited as I am. Okay, friends. That's it for now. Thank you so much for being on this wild ride of life with me through the ups, the downs, the highs, and the lows.

Erica: And if you stuck with me this long, I'll tell you, change is brewing for me. It's coming. I can feel it, and I can't wait to share with you what's next. Now if you haven't already dropped that five star review, please do so today. It really helps it land in the hands of the woman that needs to hear it the most.

Erica: And don't forget, jump over to my socials too. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok. I drop some really great Phoebe's over there that I don't want you to miss out on. Now until next time, remember, the only ceilings that exist are the ones we place over ourselves. Let's smash through them together.