Assertive Engagement Newsletter

September 2023

This month we are kicking off a two-part series exploring the ways we learn and how we experience the world. Big concepts, I know!

We frame this discussion by describing our Challenge Zones. For me, I like to think about my relationships to bodies of water.

Comfort Zone: We are resting, restoring, building back up our reserves for when things get tough. I'm in my comfort zone when I'm in a pool floating aimlessly, soaking up the sun and dipping a toe in the water.

Challenge Zone: Here is where we learn and grow. We struggle in the challenge zone. As we improve at a skill or become more informed on a topic, we are better equipped to handle the hurdles, but it's never really easy. I liken this to white water rafting; I'm nervous, I need an experienced guide, but it's also exciting and I feel accomplished at the end. It would be scary to fall in, but I have a life jacket and a boat full of friends who can help me back aboard.

Danger Zone: Now we are in our lizard brain (not a scientific definition, see below for actual science), reacting to trauma or danger. We're not learning here, only responding in survival mode. I get this way in the ocean. I panic, my breathing gets shallow, and my body is focusing all my energy to get out of the water, which I am convinced is full of sharks and I am dinner. It doesn't matter if there are sharks present, I'm not using logic. I'm operating from a place of terror.

For some of you, the ocean is a comfort zone. You can think of nothing more relaxing than scuba diving or snorkeling. For others, floating in a pool could put you in the danger zone, especially if you don't know how to swim or have experienced trauma in a pool. We all have different lived experiences, so the situations that put us in our comfort and danger zones are unique.

This month and next we'll explore what zones we enter depending on different contexts, why we respond this way, how we move between zones, and how we can use this learning with others.

The Assertive Engagement Team,

- Helen, Rhea, Gabe & Ruba

“Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential.”

— Katherine May from the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

How to Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

The challenge zone is aptly named–it isn’t easy. Unlike the stability and peace of the comfort zone, the challenge zone asks you to stretch beyond what’s comfortable. Though the stretch may be difficult, spending time in the challenge zone can help you grow.

So how do you know when you’re in the challenge zone? You might notice it first in your body as your sympathetic nervous system starts to become more active. When out of your comfort zone, you might notice your heart rate speed up and your anxiety increase. While these physiological responses might make you feel like you should back off, as long as the discomfort isn't so high it triggers our body’s defense cascade (responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn), these signals also tell us we are primed to learn.

We can recode our discomfort with the awareness that we need to enter the challenge zone to grow. But how do we stay present and engaged when we’re uncomfortable? George Mumford, a renowned mediation teacher and scholar, offers a guide.

Breathe. Your brain needs sufficient oxygen to work and grow.
Take it slow. You can’t conquer all your fears in one day–challenge yourself in increments.
Make sure it’s doable. As Mumford puts it, the challenge needs to be “doable but hard to do.”
Stay interested. When we’re curious and interested in something, the motivational circuits in our brain get activated.

The next time you notice that you’re in the challenge zone, try out these tips. See if you can stay present–even for just a few minutes at first. Growing in the challenge zone won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Let us know how this practice goes for you!

Decoding the

Danger Zone

The danger zone is when our body and mind are overwhelmed with fear. Stress hormones in our body get activated to help us try to escape danger. Our physiological responses are in place to ensure our survival from life threatening situations and get us to safety as quickly as possible. The problem is human bodily systems haven’t fully adapted to living in modern society. Biological alarm systems get activated in situations where a serious threat to life isn’t actually happening. Now, the alarms start to shout at us during social interactions, when late for a meeting, sitting in traffic, moving to a new home, etc. Long-term stress takes an enormous toll on the body. Chronic stress often leads to chronic inflammation, which can be the root cause of disease.

Our stress response starts in the brain. The eyes and ears take in information about what is happening in the environment and activates the emotional processing center of the brain. The amygdala interprets the images and sounds. If the amygdala believes there is any sort of danger, it sends a distress message to the hypothalamus. This command center of the brain lets the body’s autonomic nervous system know it is activation time. At lightning speed the body activates the involuntary systems for increasing blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, the rate of flow in blood vessels and the amount of oxygen moving through the airways of the lungs.

The autonomic nervous system has two components: the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. Think of this system like driving a car. The sympathetic system (fight or flight) functions as the gas pedal. It fills the body with a burst of energy to react to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic system (rest and digest) acts like the car’s brake. It slows down the activation response and assists in returning us to a state of calm once the sense of danger has passed.

When in danger, the extra oxygen the body produces is sent to the brain to increase awareness and alertness. The hearing and seeing senses become more in tune to the immediate situation, the adrenaline hormone releases blood sugar and fats from the body’s temporary storage areas to flood the bloodstream with the energy needed to activate our muscles. All of this happens before the conscious mind fully realizes what is going on. This enhanced reaction time allows people to take almost unconscious steps to escape danger. Take, for example jumping away from an oncoming vehicle, or running away from a charging animal.

Learning about the parts of the body that get activated when it senses danger can help us learn how to return to homeostasis. The nervous system helps us to pull out of the danger zone.

Name it to tame it. Identifying what emotion is activated helps ground us. People have feelings but when they don’t know what feeling is activated, it is hard to think through what is going on. Naming an emotion develops insight and assists with focusing on what needs to be addressed. When feeling high levels of stress or anxiety ask yourself, “What am I feeling? Does this situation really present a threat to my survival? Or does it simply feel that way?” This helps the brain focus on what is really going on in the present moment. If there is not a threat to life, challenge the perception by actively saying, "I am safe, I am okay, I am adjusting to this situation."

Avoiding situations based on past experiences that caused fear, but were in fact safe, increases the sense of danger and amplifies that fear. The brain thinks: we survived a threat. Thus, similar events are coded as dangerous. This paired association occurs when stimuli get paired with a physiological reaction. An example of this is when you recall something from the past and have a strong emotional response in the present. This can lead to anxiety going up over time.

Toolbox Time

There are many ways to avoid the danger zone, but the best approach is to learn how to move into the challenge zone as quickly as possible. This helps take the sting out of the physiological panic and helps process the emotions that are signs of hypervigilance. To reduce intense feelings of anxiety, avoid avoidance. It feeds the anxiety cycle. Avoidance can take many forms and a lot of them put us in a mental comfort zone which is nice at the moment but causes us to spend more time in the danger zone. Strong emotions are the body’s way of saying: pay attention because something needs to be processed and addressed. When we learn to sit in discomfort, remind ourselves we are okay and that this moment will pass, we begin to effectively process the emotions. Through repetition our body starts to unpair the trigger from the physiological response, pulling us successfully out of the danger zone.

Professor of Neuroscience Andrew Huberman, whose work “focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states of fear and courage”, often promotes the physiological sigh. It is one technique a person can consciously use to calm down an activated sympathetic nervous system. The technique is simple and rapidly reduces stress and anxiety. The way it works is by doing a double inhale followed by an extended exhale. When the first inhale stops, sneak in a little more air by taking in more air. Then do a long slow exhale. This off loads a lot of carbon dioxide built up in the bloodstream. This taps into the nervous system because breathing impacts heart rate variability. Inhaling speeds up heart rate while exhaling slows the heart rate down. By emphasizing exhaling, the stress response lowers because the heart rate lowers.

Another way to lower the amygdala’s threat detection activation is through lateral eye movement reprocessing. It involves moving one’s eyes side to side for several minutes to reduce stress. People automatically do this whenever they go for a walk or ride a bicycle outside. This eye motion keeps people alert but calm. When in motion, optic flow occurs. This means whenever one is sitting still and experiencing stress it is harder for the body to process the stress than when the body is in motion. Remember, the sympathetic nervous system is about movement away from danger, so we are primed to get us to move forward in space and scan the environment to achieve safety.

People with low vision tend to have enhanced panoramic or spatial hearing within their auditory processing center. They show enhanced activity when locating sounds in the visual area of the brain. This is similar to lateral eye movement but for the ears. Sighted people have the ability to improve this skill, but because of relying more heavily on seeing the environment, they don’t pay as much attention to everyday sounds. Spend time listening to every sound you can hear, its direction, the quality of the sound and focus on it for a moment. There are a lot of variations in sounds around us.

Similar to the sigh, intentional yawning can help cool down the brain. Anxiety causes the brain to heat up. The brain’s thermoregulation senses the heat and tries to cool it down. Yawning may be one of the things we do to help. When the jaw opens wide, it increases circulation to the skull which forces the brain to cool off — the inhalation that happens during a yawn lets cooler air into the mouth, which cools cranial arteries. Yawning is also associated with a relaxed state such as when resting or getting ready to sleep. This makes intentional yawning an effective tool for helping us relax.

Practicing before becoming flooded by the danger zone is key. Naming emotions to tame them, the physiological sigh, lateral eye movement and yawning can all help get you into the relative safety of the challenge zone. Yes, the challenge zone is challenging but it is the zone to exercise the tools that let you know you’re safe before complete overwhelm creeps in. Are there any unusual tips or tricks you use to get out of the danger zone? If so, please share them with us so we can encourage the larger AE community to add more tools to their getting out of the danger zone toolbox.

Getting Back to the Comfort Zone

After all that work we do in the challenge and danger zones, our comfort zone serves as a much-needed battery charger. Either our bodies will force us back to our comfort zone (manifested through depression, anxiety, fatigue, etc.), or we can learn how and when to choose to return there. We ready ourselves for challenges by resting and preparing in the comfort zone. Once we have pushed ourselves in the challenge zone, or even the danger zone, the trick is to recognize our exhaustion, and intentionally return to our comfort zone.

So … how do we get back to our personal comfort zone when we get too far into the danger zone and feel that panic (heart racing, palms sweating, etc.) setting in?

Having a comfort zone, and knowing how to return there, is important. For some people, it can be a physical place - at home, even a particular room, or a place in nature where you can go to feel calm. For some people, calmness, breathing, and meditation are ways to return to the comfort zone. For others, hanging out and laughing with friends, dancing in a club, walking a dog, or making dinner can be ways to return there. If you haven’t yet figured out your best method for returning to your comfort zone, that’s ok too! Just try to notice when you feel relaxed and comfortable, so when you feel that panic setting in, you can do what feels best for you to be able to return ‘home’ to your comfort zone to rest, relax and recharge.

Of course, we don’t always have the luxury to be able to return to a particular physical space, and sometimes we need to find that comfort zone inside ourselves and return there. Just closing your eyes and visualizing yourself in the place where you feel most safe, relaxed and comfortable can help you return to the comfort zone. Rest, recharge – and then return to your challenge zone! Because, as important and recharging as a comfortable comfort zone can be, you also don’t want to get stuck there and get complacent.

Tips to Calm Down

Here are 22 ways to intentionally calm yourself down and find your comfort zone. Read the full article for more information.

Breathe

Admit that you're anxious or angry

Challenge your thoughts

Release the anxiety or anger

Visualize yourself calm

Think it through

Change your focus

Have a centering object

Relax your body

Drop your shoulders

Identify pressure points to calm anger and anxiety

Get some fresh air

Fuel your body

Chew gum

Listen to music

Dance it out

Watch funny videos

Write it down

Squeeze a stress ball

Try aromatherapy

Seek social support

Spend time with a pet

Community Spotlight

Hello All,

I had the opportunity to serve as the College to County Communication Intern with the Assertive Engagement team over the summer, and worked with Alex Gerald. In my role, I had the chance to interview Alex about his current job at the county and how he arrived here. Alex got his start in journalism, began at the county doing videos and photography, and then arrived in his current role as DCHS Communications Coordinator.

Alex noted that through this work he discovered a love for video production. When asked what his favorite projects were, he noted that he enjoyed the work he did for “WomenFirst, which is an organization that is created for and by Black women who have been incarcerated or survived forms of trauma.” Alex enjoyed working on this project with the director of WomenFirst, appreciating that it “evolved from focusing more on the County earlier in the production process, into focusing on the amazing women who are part of WomenFirst in a way that was useful for them.”

The power of video is apparent in this project. He noted that “Shannon used the video to raise awareness about the organization and used it to apply for competitive grant funding later on. She got it playing in the women’s prison so that folks who are locked up there can learn about WomenFirst’s services and get connected once they get out.”

This story highlights the most valuable lesson Alex has taught me which is that communications work is especially valuable when the work you do centers the community you work with.

The AE team is especially grateful for all the work Alex has done for our initiative, and I am incredibly grateful to have had the chance to learn from him.

-Written by Campbell Small

Find out more about the work WomenFirst Transition & Referral Center is doing in the community!

Watch Video

The Assertive Engagement team recently conducted an online training with staff from El Programa Hispano. The staff were engaged and enthusiastic about learning and implementing AE practices in their work – and we were excited to connect with them and learn about the great work they’re doing in the community! El Programa began in 1982 when a small group of outreach workers from Catholic Family Services, now Catholic Charities of Oregon, conducted outreach to Latine migrant farmworkers in East Multnomah County.

The organization provides culturally-specific services to Multnomah County’s Latine community in the areas of education, community wellness, economic sustainability and domestic violence & sexual assault survivor support. In 2015, El Programa became an independent 501(c)3 organization. Their work has had an incredible impact - in 2022 alone, El Programa supported 2248 participants with case management, held 205 outreach events, enrolled 716 students in activities, responded to 2242 crisis calls, and had 8230 participants requesting their services!

Upcoming Virtual Training Opportunities

October Training is Full!

Day 1 Tuesday, October 24th, 9am - 3pm
Day 2 Thursday, October 26th, 9am - 3pm
Day 3 Tuesday, October 31st, 9am - 3pm
Day 4 Thursday, November 2nd, 9am - 3pm

November Virtual Training Dates

Day 1 Tuesday, November 7th, 9am - 3pm
Day 2 Thursday, November 9th, 9am - 3pm
Day 3 Tuesday, November 14th, 9am - 3pm
Day 4 Thursday, November 16th, 9am - 3pm

Our video modules are now in the editing process and we are developing the skills practice sessions.

Stay tuned to this newsletter for video release information!

An illustration with three people. The person on the left has brown skin, short dark hair in a bob cut, yellow overalls and orange shirt and is looking off in the distance holding a magnifying lens. The person in the center has tan skin, a dark green dress, white bun and is looking straight ahead through binoculars. The erson on the right has light skin, yellow shirt and orange pants and short brown hair and is looking off into the distance with a hand to their brow.

Have a story or thoughts to share? Email us: aeinfo@multco.us !

Question of the Month

What is something that previously put you in your Danger Zone that now is in your Challenge Zone or Comfort Zone?

How did you move from panic to practice?

September Polls