Avenging Anxiety: Practical Tools for Families, Caregivers, and Seniors with Bonnie Brindle

When it comes to caregiving and aging, anxiety is a silent but ever-present companion. Whether you’re supporting a loved one or navigating your own transition into later life, the emotional toll can be immense. Kelly sits down with Bonnie Brindle—psychotherapist, author, transformational coach, and self-proclaimed “Anxiety Avenger”—to explore the unique challenges of anxiety in senior care and practical strategies for both caregivers and older adults.

Drawing from her own journey through debilitating panic disorder and agoraphobia, Bonnie shares not just clinical wisdom, but lived experience. We dive deep into the actionable tips so you or those you care for can move toward calmer, healthier days.

For additional information about Kelly, check her out on Linkedin or www.SteadfastAgents.com.

To explore your options for long-term care insurance, click here.

Steadfast Care Planning podcast is made possible by AMADA Senior Care and Steadfast Insurance LLC.

Come back next time for more helpful guidance! 

Transcript

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:02]:
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Steadfast Care Planning, where we plan for care, to live well. I am Kelly Augspurger, long-term care insurance specialist, and your guide. With me today is Bonnie Brindle, also known as "The Anxiety Avenger". Bonnie is a psychotherapist, author, educational consultant, transformational coach, and international speaker. Thanks so much for being here, Bonnie.

Bonnie Brindle [00:00:24]:
Thanks for inviting me, Kelly. I'm so happy to be here.

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:27]:
Today we're going to be talking about how to battle against anxiety, something that a lot of people, especially in the United States, experience at least one point in their life. And so I think this is especially true, Bonnie, for those who are caregivers and those who are receiving care. So can we jump right in?

Bonnie Brindle [00:00:44]:
We can jump right in because that is exactly the audience we're looking to help today is caregivers and seniors.

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:50]:
Yep, that's right. And they don't have a whole lot of time, these caregivers. So we want to be efficient and really speak to what gives them issues. So let's get into it. Okay, Bonnie, I know that you've lived through a debilitating panic disorder and agoraphobia. Can you share how those personal struggles shaped your journey and then how they inspired you to step into this unique role as "The Anxiety Avenger"?

Bonnie Brindle [00:01:12]:
Yeah, sure. So when I was college age, my first experience going into college, I was dealing with a lot of family dysfunctional things that had kind of followed me through high school, and got myself out of the house, and into college. And I was all excited about my program. And I realized that anxiety was still haunting me from the past and ended up having to drop out after my first semester because I couldn't go to class and stay there. So that was the first step of making a decision for myself about how I was going to go forward in my life. And I decided that I needed to connect with a therapist to help me figure out what was going on in my mind that was causing me to be so anxious. And at that time, I wasn't thinking about helping other people with it. But that was the first start.

Bonnie Brindle [00:02:00]:
I went out and got the help that I needed because I had no other option. Having agoraphobia really means to be stuck in one place because of fear of going out and doing normal things that everybody does every day. And I got to that point, so I needed to move forward. When I realized there are different places, I would say that I realized that I could help other people as I got better in my own daily world where I was able to go back to do things like go to movies and ride on elevators and take a train. And when I was able to get back to being able to fly on a plane, that was one time I thought, "I've done this work, and I know there are other people that are terrified of flying, and I'm back to being able to do that again. So maybe this is something I should think about." And as I decided to become a therapist, years after all the stuff that I just described, in addition to being an educator, I noticed that a lot of people would come to me and just sort of ask for my mentorship in the public education space that I was working in.

Bonnie Brindle [00:03:02]:
So I noticed it then, too. And then at one point when I had to have an MRI, which was terrifying to me, to be stuck in a tube with a banging noise. Oh, my word. I really didn't want to take drugs to have to get through that. And I had connected to wildlife and nature very deeply all through my life. And so I took the imagery of a wolf and a horse in with me into the tube and just connected with them and communicated with them in my mind and was able to get through an MRI without sedation by doing that. And I thought, "I'm onto something that could help other people." And so when I retired from public education, and I've been a therapist since 2005, I thought, "Where can this ability that I have to move through such enormous transitions and help myself and go forward be most useful?" And as I've now become a senior at 63 and recognizing that the huge transitions that seniors go through and the stress that caregivers are under while they're helping, whether they work for a senior living facility, or are helping a family member, or a friend, I thought, "Yeah, this is a place where there's a lot of anxiety that I can help people to move forward and stay grounded at the same time."

Kelly Augspurger [00:04:19]:
A lot of personal experience that has motivated you to help others. I often think of, "What's your mess? Make it your message." And it seems like that's what you've done. You've taken something really difficult and overcome it. And then now, "How am I motivated and how can I use that personal experience to help others?" So really inspiring. Bonnie, excited to hear what you have to share with our listeners today, because I know you've got a lot of great nuggets that'll be really helpful for them.

Kelly Augspurger [00:04:46]:
So in talking about this older adult population and caregivers that are helping them, let's talk about anxiety within kind of that transition for older adults. So we know that a lot of them face anxiety, whether it's moving into a new living situation or maybe they just lost a spouse or a partner, maybe they just gave up driving, or they're leaving their longtime home. From your experience, what do you think are the most common triggers or sources of anxiety during these transitions? And then what should caregivers do, and what should they be watching for as warning signs?

Bonnie Brindle [00:05:24]:
Okay, big questions. Here we go.

Kelly Augspurger [00:05:26]:
It is a big question. So what does that look like? What are those common triggers and what should caregivers look for for warning signs?

Bonnie Brindle [00:05:33]:
Well, common triggers, you mentioned the big transitions that occur in the senior stage of life and even things that we think are going to be positive, like retiring is a huge transition and, "Oh, yay, I finally reached the point where I can retire." But moving from the daily expectation, the identity that we have, just that alone is enough to really trigger people's anxiety and loss and grief and all the things that we relate to, losing others, losing people, losing animals, et cetera. But making decisions that are positive and exciting can also trigger anxiety. And then, of course, as you mentioned, a lot of seniors are changing homes and maybe have lost friends around them, maybe lost a primary relationship, maybe their kids don't live close by. And then dealing with some of the physical changes that we deal with when we're aging, all of that can cause anxiety and grief and depression. And so if it's not addressed, and let's look at this situation that boomers and the silent generation who are older than the boomers, and that whole span runs from the age 61 to 100, tend to be people who were asked to be seen and not heard as children and were expected to put up and shut up and just stuff it and go when things have happened that are emotionally difficult. And so it's not always a habit for seniors to be able to express feelings in a way that is understandable to others and certainly to their caregivers.

Bonnie Brindle [00:07:05]:
So that can sometimes build a lot of frustration and anger. The anxiety can come out as frustration and anger and fear and withdrawal and all different ways of people trying to protect themselves from those intense feelings that come with the big changes as we move into senior life. And caregivers, number one, Kelly, caregivers need to care for themselves. You can't just give care if you don't have care. If you don't practice self-care, you don't have it to give. If you've ever been on a plane, they tell you to put your mask on first.

Kelly Augspurger [00:07:38]:
That's right.

Bonnie Brindle [00:07:38]:
Good advice. In all aspects of life and certainly in caregiving, There are ways that caregivers can be in therapy on their own, they can work in coaching, they can make sure that they're taking care of their physical selves, that they're eating well, eating good food, eating whole foods. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, making sure you get enough water, all those basics to take care of oneself and taking the time to learn some of the techniques that are available to help move blocked energy, which is what anxiety is. It's just blocked energy, to help move that out of the body. Because being a caregiver is one of the toughest jobs that there is, whether you're caring for people, or animals, because you're constantly being pulled upon. As a former middle school teacher, I know that feeling a constant draw. It's always in this direction. Somebody needs something.

Bonnie Brindle [00:08:30]:
So taking the time as a caregiver for self-care. Absolutely necessary to avoid burnout.

Kelly Augspurger [00:08:36]:
What signs do families most often overlook, or misinterpret here, Bonnie?

Bonnie Brindle [00:08:40]:
When they're considering the senior in their lives?

Kelly Augspurger [00:08:43]:
When just in general, thinking about what caregivers should be watching for as warning signs when it comes to the anxiety that their loved one might be facing. What signs do they often overlook?

Bonnie Brindle [00:08:56]:
Oh, okay. I would say what signs we sometimes misinterpret because we see them, we feel them, we hear them, and we don't really connect them to anxiety. So, for example, when a senior becomes more withdrawn and less effusive in communicating. Easier to anger over little things that didn't really seem like something that would bother them previously. Becoming anxious and fearful of...it's sort of a paranoia about what people around them might be doing, or what next steps might be coming for them. In losing ability to care for oneself, like the cleanliness of the house and personal hygiene and connections with friends, are they staying connected with people that they know? All of those things in a big heap, all of those things can be triggers to show us that anxiety is building.

Bonnie Brindle [00:09:48]:
And certainly one of the first that comes out is that people who are not used to expressing their feelings, or recognizing that they're anxious, they will often be angry and throw energy at other people, or withdraw. Those are probably the two most powerful things you'll notice is people are quick to anger, or people who withdraw and don't communicate like they used to.

Kelly Augspurger [00:10:11]:
I think it's so interesting how you said just a few minutes ago, the baby boomers and the silent generation, how they were often told to be seen and not heard. And I've not thought about that in relation to the older adult population and caregiving and how they can express their needs, how they can best be cared for. That, I think, is very impactful because now we kind of look at Gen X, and Millennials, and Gen Z, the younger generations, and they are much more vocal, right? We are much more vocal in letting people know what we think, what we feel as opposed to the older generations. And so I think that caregiving experience could be radically different for the younger generations than it can be for the older generations just due to the environment in which they were raised and the culture and just what you said, being seen and not heard. So I think encouraging the older generation, "How can I care for you today better," or specific questions to draw them out so that they feel comfortable expressing what's going on in their heart and mind.

Bonnie Brindle [00:11:17]:
Yes, you brought up a few things that made me go ping, ping. Asking questions when you notice your senior is changing their behavior might be different than what you're used to. Rather than making statements: "You should...", "You need...", "You must..." Ask questions: "What is...", "How are...", "Can I...". Anytime we come at another person with a question rather than a statement, the door is more open to communication.

Kelly Augspurger [00:11:44]:
The Steadfast Care Planning podcast is sponsored by the Certification for Long-Term Care, CLTC, an in-depth training program that gives financial advisors the education and tools they need to discuss extended care planning with their clients. Look for the CLTC designation when choosing an advisor. If you're looking to become a CLTC, enroll in their masterclass and enter "Kelly" in the coupon code field for $200 off.

Bonnie Brindle [00:12:10]:
I just wrote this in my newsletter, "Musings from the Menagerie", that I put out twice a month, was about my experience...I'm a speaker and I speak in senior living communities on this topic. And I was discussing the fact that, yes, the boomers and the silent generation are, "Suck it up and move on, be seen and not heard," not familiar with communicating their feelings that way. And as you say, the caregivers who are younger, not only are they now in a position, this is parent to child, where they're in a position where they used to be the one that was cared for and now that's flipped and it's very hard for a parent, I don't care if you're 55, to stop looking at you as a child and start taking orders and advice from you as the functional adult. But I had just spoken in a senior living community in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago and it went really well.

Bonnie Brindle [00:13:05]:
And what happened was the floodgates opened. People tried to tell me in the past, "You'll never get anywhere with this. These people are never going to talk about what's going on with them. Da, da, da..." And I said, "No, I don't feel that." So a lot of my work is speaking at senior living communities on strategies to help oneself with better self-care. And I was at this particular place in Connecticut. It was wonderful. Noble Horizons, it's called.

Bonnie Brindle [00:13:31]:
And as soon as I was done with the talk and we started the Q and A, the floodgates just opened. Kelly, I mean, a woman said, "I lost my daughter some years ago and I took an antidepressant for a while, but I was never able to talk to anyone. I didn't have anyone to talk to about this." And another person was saying, "I use a lot of negative self-talk. I talk to myself like, 'Oh, you're an idiot,' when I make a mistake." And just things that people carry around with us all the time, they started expressing all over the place. It was really gratifying to know that creating a safe space for seniors helped to allow them to express it. And then that particular facility has gone on to use my senior source book, which is a little more expanded self-care piece, with their recreation department, with their residents, and they're going through some of those techniques and strategies and they're communicating with each other, they're supporting each other more, which is really neat.

Bonnie Brindle [00:14:31]:
Just what I want.

Kelly Augspurger [00:14:34]:
Yeah, that's right. It's making a big difference in those people's lives and their family's lives, too.

Kelly Augspurger [00:14:39]:
It doesn't just affect that individual person because it will have a ripple effect. If they are being able to express themselves better, it's probably going to mean a higher quality of life and better overall experience. So really cool, Bonnie. When we look at caring for adults, we know that it definitely can be very deeply rewarding, but also incredibly demanding. So what are some warning signs should caregivers and staff notice in themselves? And then how does their anxiety affect the overall energy and culture of a senior living community, or even vibe in the home? If people are receiving care in their home.

Bonnie Brindle [00:15:16]:
Oh my goodness, everybody's vibe bounces up against everybody else's. We forget sometimes that we are purely energetic beings. We have energy coming off of us constantly. And when our energy is frenetic as caregivers, we're anxious, we're frustrated, we're exhausted. That bounces off the person, or animal, that we're caring for. And pretty soon you have an ugly ball of yarn rolling up there. So how to notice, how to recognize, that for caregivers to recognize their own burnout is so incredibly important.

Bonnie Brindle [00:15:52]:
Are you getting up in the morning initially feeling exhausted with, "Oh my gosh, I have to go deal with this situation again. I have to do this caregiving today." Yes, it's going to be exhausting for anyone. But if it becomes such a burden that stepping forward and connecting with that person, that's a warning sign that your own self-care isn't happening. That's where you need to step into taking better care of yourself. Some of the quick little ways as you approach the person, or animal, that you're caring for is to take a few breaths to start. And I use a technique called box breathing. Just really simple, nobody knows you're doing it.

Bonnie Brindle [00:16:32]:
You can do it in 60 seconds to bring your heart rate down when you're stepping into that stressful situation. And yes, your heart rate does go up, yes, your energy does become more negative, is just to and through the nose only just to breathe in for four counts. Hold that breath for four counts, express it for four counts through the nose, and hold it again at the bottom for four seconds.

Bonnie Brindle [00:16:57]:
So anyone would tell you stop and take a breath, deep belly breathing through your nose. Great. It's effective when you add the holds at the top and the holds at the bottom and it's 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold. Then you increase the CO2 levels in the blood and the heart rate goes down. This has been proven and you can look it up. Navy Seals use this technique. You can imagine the stress that Navy Seals are under.

Bonnie Brindle [00:17:30]:
And this is one of the ways that they lower the heart rate and bring themselves back to a homeostasis is to breathe in for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four at least four times in a cycle. And that gets you to about 60 seconds. But just taking that time to settle yourself can make all the difference. When you push yourself energetically into a space that you're already stressed about without taking that time to step back, then there's nothing positive is going to happen there. And then in the Jin Shin Jyutsu practice, which is a Japanese energy practice based on the meridian system, thousands of years old, thousands of years practice in Japan, that, as Americans, unfortunately, we have been taught these things are "woo, woo". This word I'm sure you've heard. Who knows? Is this based on racism? I don't know. I'm not getting into that.

Bonnie Brindle [00:18:20]:
That and acupuncture and acupressure and EFT tapping. All of these things are based on systems of care of other cultures that have been in practice for thousands of years. One of them for me, that I would do is the finger holds in Jin Shin Jyutsu is to just hold your fingers. It's a practice of holding fingers for different energetic reasons. And on the hand and when thinking about negative energies that come up. The thumb is worry. The index finger is fear. The middle finger is anger.

Bonnie Brindle [00:18:53]:
I bet you could have guessed that. The ring finger is sadness. And the pinky is pretense, which means like not being your real-self. So with worrying and fear being the thumb and the index finger, if you're approaching a situation or a person and you're feeling stressed, you can take it, doesn't matter which hand, either way it works, one hand and wrap around the thumb and index finger of the other and just gently hold it. That completes an energy circuit that helps redo...I can do that right now.

Bonnie Brindle [00:19:22]:
I can feel my feet tingle immediately because I practice this kind of stuff all the time. It completes that energy circuit to bring your anxiety down. Just hold your thumb and index finger. I go to sleep like this often on the pillow. One hand holding the thumb and index finger of the other. So that...

Kelly Augspurger [00:19:39]:
And Bonnie, that would be considered acupressure?

Bonnie Brindle [00:19:41]:
That is actually considered a Jin Shin Jyutsu finger hold. EFT tapping...I know everyone here that's listening knows what acupuncture is, whether you've experienced it, or not. But the meridian systems are like energy pathways that go through the body. You're doing this all the time. Your energy systems are flowing. In EFT tapping, instead of using needles, we're using fingers to tap on specific meridians as we're talking about what's happening.

Bonnie Brindle [00:20:08]:
"I'm really stressed that I have to deal with my mom this afternoon. She was so angry yesterday, I thought she was going to throw something at me. I need to calm myself down before I move forward. I need to calm myself down before I meet with my mom. I get stressed when she's angry. I want to release that stress today."

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:25]:
So you're tapping the different meridians as you're saying it?

Bonnie Brindle [00:20:27]:
Yes. So there are patterns to go through for that. And it's the whole therapeutic level of working with EFT that actually helps. That tapping, just like the needle helps to unblock energy through the body and release it. And a lot of people will look at this and think, "What? That's crazy." But that's just because most Americans haven't been introduced to these practices that have helped other people heal for generations on generations.

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:51]:
For a long time.

Bonnie Brindle [00:20:51]:
And I use them all the time.

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:53]:
Yeah, these are really practical, everyday tools. And I want to talk more about this, Bonnie. Personally, I'm a follower of Jesus and when I'm feeling anxious or stressed, I read my Bible, I pray, I listen to worship music, I try to get outside. Like those are all ways that I help get my anxiety down lower. And I know that you take a different approach. The Steadfast Care Planning podcast is sponsored by AMADA Senior Care. AMADA provides complimentary consultation with a senior care advisor to find the right care from in-home caregiving to community care, as well as long-term care insurance claim advocacy, and unique support partnerships for financial advisors to address family transitions and generational retention.

Kelly Augspurger [00:21:36]:
To learn more, visit: www. SteadfastWithAmada.com. Your book "Cracking the Crazy Makers Code" outlines 9 steps for easing anxiety. Can you briefly highlight these 9 steps for caregivers, families, or professionals? I know that there's great detail in your book, it goes into great detail about them. So just, quick highlights. What are these 9 steps, Bonnie?

Bonnie Brindle [00:22:02]:
Yeah, absolutely. And I'm glad you mentioned that because religion is really important to a lot of people to help them be grounded and connected and let go. So whatever practices, we can mix them all, right? We don't have to just stick with one thing that has worked. We can try different things. We can incorporate all sorts of modalities and I'm really glad that that's available to all of us. All these all different ways of helping ourselves let go of negative energy. So yeah, my book, which is approachable...

Kelly Augspurger [00:22:32]:
Yes, it is. If you're just listening, and not watching, she's showing it to us. It doesn't look super thick, or intimidating.

Bonnie Brindle [00:22:37]:
It's not thick, or intimidating. It has a cute black racoon on the front for a good reason. But inside, I did put the 9 steps in at the end of each chapter. There's a reflections, questions, and mantra, and action steps that can help you move forward. And it really is the path that I built for myself to start moving forward when I realized how stuck I was when I started into therapy and before I was a therapist, I hadn't talked to other humans, not even my closest friends about how deeply anxious I was. I mean, they knew there were things that I couldn't do, like take a plane, or I didn't visit my best friend in New York City, she lived in Manhattan for 5 years, because I couldn't fly.

Bonnie Brindle [00:23:19]:
I said no to being a bridesmaid in my other best friend's wedding because I couldn't stand up in front of a congregation of people at a wedding. There was no way. So it's cost me a lot to be anxious. So that's one of the steps is, I won't speak about them in order necessarily, but one of the steps is noting in the journal that is provided with my book, that you can print, noting what anxiety has cost you. Take a step back and look at it. What relationship issues have you had? What things, what activities, what situations have you said no to because you were too anxious to move forward? And the very first step in the book is to acknowledge what may have happened in your younger life that was unacceptable. That might have been...

Bonnie Brindle [00:24:02]:
I can't tell you how many clients I've had that say, "Well, my family, yeah, whatever. It was normal. They're all the same." No, they're not. And some of the things that we were taught to accept were clearly unacceptable in our earlier lives. So recognizing first, what are some of the things you were brought up with, you were taught, you experienced that were unacceptable, and how you can look at those things in a different way than just saying, "Yeah, that's just how it was."

Bonnie Brindle [00:24:30]:
And list the people and animals in your life that you can connect with. And that might be a short list. It is for me. To really connect intimately, there's only a few people. And it's very difficult to talk to people when you're really struggling with these issues. And list the characteristics of a friend, you, yours, and others. How are you a friend to other people? And what do you need in friendship from others, as well? Another step is to look at the difficulties that you have in relationships and own your own impetus in that situation.

Bonnie Brindle [00:25:06]:
When I looked at it, how was my behavior causing difficulty in relationships that I have? And what can I do? What steps I can take to repair those things, how I can let people know that I realized that I may have been causing relationship issues. So looking at the characteristics of a friend as yourself and what you want from others, and then allowing yourself to explore the vision of what you would like to have for you to move forward, creating a vision, there's a journal piece in there, you can create a vision. You can draw this, you can write this, create a vision of yourself that you can take one step at a time to reach. I want to be calmer with my family. I want to be more engaged with my friends. I want to reach out more instead of waiting for other people to reach out to me. I want to get a breath practice, get an energy practice, connect with my religion, connect my spirituality before I connect with another person who triggers me. What can I do first to set myself before I'm with someone else who triggers me? Steps like that to just kind of start exploring from the background what we were raised with, what was okay and what was not, and how that brings us forward in our friendships, in our work relationships, in our primary relationships, and how we can clear ourselves through those steps. The journal, it's printable, it's guided all the way through, so the reflections are there.

Bonnie Brindle [00:26:34]:
And then you can write and move yourself forward so you have a recording of your progress. And you can look back and say, "Here's where I started. Now I've taken steps forward and this is better."

Kelly Augspurger [00:26:43]:
See how much I've improved over X amount of days, months, years, so on and so forth. Yeah. Well, practical everyday tips. That's great, Bonnie. What about different tools? I know you talked about EFT tapping. You talked about box breathing. I know you've got some others. So do you want to share any other kind of simple techniques that you like to use with clients, or that they can use on themselves, or with the people that they're caring for that they can just use right away to help reduce anxiety on a daily basis?

Bonnie Brindle [00:27:12]:
Absolutely. Folks can teach themselves and others some of the energetic holds from Jin Shin Jyutsu on my website. If somebody goes to my website to buy my book, because you can buy it on Amazon and it's in Kindle and it's in Audible, but if you go to my website to purchase it, mailed directly from my office. I also have this book that I didn't write, "The Power to Heal Myself" by Betty Wall, which is a very simple, easy to use book on Jin Shin Jyutsu for finger holds that any senior can do. If I'm feeling really angry right now, I'm just gonna hold my middle finger and breathe. It's gonna settle my anger. If I'm really sad, I'm grieving a lot, I'm gonna hold my ring finger and breathe.

Bonnie Brindle [00:27:55]:
And that book is instructional with photos and super easy to use. I wouldn't Be offering someone else's book if it wasn't something that I absolutely believe in and use every single day, which I do. And for your folks in the show notes, I know I put my 5 top tips from "The Anxiety Avenger". 5 things I do every day before I do anything else. I hydrate. First thing I do when I wake up, I have a glass of water next to me. Hydration, hydration.

Bonnie Brindle [00:28:20]:
Hydration is so critical, especially, Kelly, for seniors.

Bonnie Brindle [00:28:24]:
Because seniors, as we age, we have less of a feeling of thirst, so we have to think about it, not just feel that I need to have a drink. Most Americans of all ages are under-hydrated.

Kelly Augspurger [00:28:37]:
Absolutely. You know what? I'm on my kids all the time about drinking because it'll be noon, and my daughter hasn't had any water, and I'm like, "Are you not thirsty?" And she's like, "No." I'm like, "Well, okay, it doesn't matter. You still need to drink water. You need to be hydrated." It really is so important for all ages. But yes, especially older adults.

Bonnie Brindle [00:28:56]:
Especially older adults. But yeah, just like kids, they'll go forever. I used to, when I taught middle school, I'm like, "Bring your water bottle. Bring your water bottle." Call the parents and say, "Your kid needs a water bottle in my classroom." It's like putting oil in your car. If you don't put oil in your car, it's going to seize up.

Kelly Augspurger [00:29:10]:
Such a good analogy. Absolutely. Yep.

Bonnie Brindle [00:29:12]:
People complain about pain and joint and all the things hydration can solve so much of that. That's incredibly important for every day. And then movement, whatever ability one has to move whatever part of the body, you can use, move it. If you're a person who uses a wheelchair in your upper body, you can still push weights. You can use bands. If you're someone who can get out the door and walk. That's what I do in the morning, first thing, I push myself out the door, half asleep down the street, just start moving.

Bonnie Brindle [00:29:43]:
And I get out to the park over by the trees, and I just breathe and appreciate the fact that the trees are there every day. Take a moment in nature, look at the birds and the squirrels and your pets. Recognize all the connections that we have to all these other living, energetic beings. And then I take a few minutes for 3 points of gratitude. It might be really simple that, "Yay, I didn't run out of peanut butter yesterday. That's what I want for breakfast." And something more profound that I'm so glad that this house that I live in is still in one piece. It hasn't been blown away by a tornado, or washed away in a flood.

Bonnie Brindle [00:30:20]:
I get to wake up in this place every day. So taking hydration and movement and gratitude and breath practice that we talked about earlier, the box breathing. And then I also always focus on a wild animal, or something in nature. I'll go in my mind, or go to a happy place that I know where I can be in Connecticut in my kayak on a lake and just go there. And that's another technique, Kelly. During the day, caregivers are busy, stressed while they're breathing.

Bonnie Brindle [00:30:49]:
At the same time, go to that place, Go somewhere in your mind that you love to be and just enjoy it. Breathe it, touch it, see it. All of those things reduce our anxiety in small increments, and they can make really big differences in our relationships.

Kelly Augspurger [00:31:07]:
I'm already relaxed, Bonnie, just listening to your 5 daily tips. I'm like, "Okay, I need to incorporate this in my life, because I think my heart rate just dropped by 10 just listening to you." So you guys really good advice here. You need to pick up Bonnie's book, try some of her tips that she offers, because I think this can make a world of difference whether you're a caregiver, or not. I think almost every American experiences anxiety at some point in their life, if not on a regular basis. And so I think that these are practical and useful. Bonnie, any final advice on how people can plan for care to live well?

Bonnie Brindle [00:31:43]:
Yes. Today, no matter what age you are, listening to this, take better care of you. The earlier we start, like you're talking about your kids building that habit to hydrate, building a habit to move, building a habit to eat whole foods. In the United States, we are pushed every single day to eat garbage. To eat manufactured processed foods with high fructose corn syrup and colors and preservatives and all kinds of junk that the human body is not designed to handle. And it's no joke. The rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke, all the things that go on for us.

Bonnie Brindle [00:32:22]:
Taking care of yourself better tomorrow than you did yesterday. And you can do that. And people think, "Oh, what are your 5 top tips? I don't have that kind of time in the morning." I can hydrate, move, go through my gratitude practice, and my breathing practice all at the same time.

Kelly Augspurger [00:32:40]:
We can be efficient with it, yeah.

Bonnie Brindle [00:32:42]:
Yes. So you can do that in 20 minutes if that's all you've got one day. But yes, and getting up, if you're a person who works at a desk, you and I are sitting here at our screens, when we're finished chatting today, I'm gonna go take a few minutes to move my body. I'm gonna do a little mat pilates on the floor, work on my core, get myself stretched out before the next thing I do today. Just taking a few minutes. We're so used to grinding ourselves.

Kelly Augspurger [00:33:05]:
You're so right.

Kelly Augspurger [00:33:06]:
Yeah, constant grinding. Excellent, Bonnie, where can more people find out information about you and your services?

Bonnie Brindle [00:33:15]:
Thanks for asking. So my main website is my name, which is so easy, BonnieBrindle.com and there you can find my book, you can find the book on Jin Shin Jyutsu. And on my website, right beginning at the splashy front page, you can connect to my newsletter for free. Just click on that. And then under Anxiety Avenger Alliances, I have two online communities. One for caregivers called Colossal Caregivers, one for seniors 60 and over called Tire Swing Seniors. And if you want to know what I mean by "Tire Swing Senior", you'll have to show up for your free 30 days and check it out and I'll tell you. But that's something really important to me that I have begun to build to create low cost communities for people.

Bonnie Brindle [00:34:00]:
Caregivers are usually in isolation with the people they're caring for. They're so busy to connect with others who understand, recognize the same issues, recognize the same problems, have solutions to share, and support for each other both in that senior community and in the caregivers community. So that's in my website under Alliances. But yeah, most of the information is right there. And then my speaker website is BonnieBrindleSpeaks.com.

Kelly Augspurger [00:34:27]:
Fantastic, Bonnie, thank you so much for your time and your expertise today. Really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day.

Bonnie Brindle [00:34:34]:
Thank you so much. Kelly. Take care of you!