The A to Z English Podcast

A to Z Quick Chat 97 | Are you good in stressful situations or do you freak out?

Oct 3, 2023

15:21

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss the following question: Are you good in stressful situations or do you freak out?

Transcript:

00:00:01

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast, where Jack and Social take you on a journey from learning the basics to mastering the nuances of the English language. Our podcast is designed for non-native speakers who are looking to improve their English skills in a fun and interactive way. Each episode covers a wide range of topics.

00:00:23

Jack

From grammar and vocabulary to slang and culture to help you navigate the English speaking world with ease.

00:00:35

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I am one of the hosts of the podcast and I'm here with my co-host, social and today we're going to do a question and we'll answer the question for you. The question is, are you good in stressful situations or do you?

00:00:54

Jack

Freak out and social. Why don't you define freak out for our listeners out there in case they don't know what that means?

00:01:02

Xochitl

Speak out is like completely start panicking and lose your ability to think things through rationally and you kind of become a liability for yourself.

00:01:14

Xochitl

And everyone around.

00:01:15

Xochitl

You in a special.

00:01:18

Jack

Yeah, if you freak out, just lose your lose, your cool. We say in English, right. You kind of, you kind of go crazy, you freak out.

00:01:28

Jack

Let me see here. Are you good in stressful situations or do you do?

00:01:32

Jack

You usually freak out.

00:01:35

Xochitl

I was just thinking about this the other day because I was watching a Netflix show where like their plane crashes into a lake or some like huge lake in Alaska and like.

00:01:47

Xochitl

The guy starts freaking out and ends up like.

00:01:51

Xochitl

Ruining everything by opening the plane door and like the water, all rushes in and like girls, like really feel like she's had her head on straight.

00:02:01

Xochitl

And keeps thinking rationally and and me personally, I think it probably is going to depend on the situation, but I tend to. I don't like freeze. I tend to go into action and I was trained that way from an early age because my parents only said.

00:02:23

Xochitl

No one else is gonna. You have to assume that no one else will do anything, so you have to. If you see someone bus or head open on the sidewalk or something, you have to assume that no one else is going to call the ambulance. You need to call the ambulance like you need to get it together. So because my parents kind of really put that in my head.

00:02:36

Jack

Right.

00:02:44

Xochitl

From an early age, I feel.

00:02:46

Xochitl

I it really stuck and I do kind of always like react quickly in a bystander situation or like a personal crisis.

00:02:56

Xochitl

Yeah. I appreciate my parents for that because I learned about the bystander effect in psychology and.

00:03:01

Xochitl

A lot of people.

00:03:01

Xochitl

Will literally just stand by and stare and not do anything.

00:03:04

Jack

Right. What is the? How would you describe the bystander effect? I think that's a good, good one for our listeners to learn.

00:03:12

Xochitl

Bystander effect is like, let's say that you see a car crash and the person stumbles out of the car and it's like bleeding everywhere and there's a big group of people all staring, but no one is calling the ambulance. No one.

00:03:24

Xochitl

Is coming in.

00:03:24

Xochitl

To help, and the reason for that is because.

00:03:28

Xochitl

We all like there's a psychological principle.

00:03:30

Xochitl

Where we think someone.

00:03:31

Xochitl

Else is doing it or is going to.

00:03:33

Xochitl

Do it so we kind of freeze collectively.

00:03:37

Jack

Right. Because I think the guy next to me is going to call 911. He thinks I'm going to call 911.

00:03:42

Jack

Or 119 whatever.

00:03:44

Jack

Your country, you're in and.

00:03:45

Jack

Nobody does it. So it's like you got.

00:03:47

Xochitl

Yes. And then in two weeks, so they're all.

00:03:49

Jack

A whole group of people, yeah.

00:03:51

Xochitl

Waiting for someone.

00:03:51

Xochitl

Else to do it, yeah.

00:03:52

Xochitl

Yeah. Hope you're just standing around.

00:03:54

Xochitl

So how about you, Jack?

00:03:55

Xochitl

Are you good in stressful situations?

00:03:57

Xochitl

Or do you tend to panic?

00:03:58

Jack

I think so. I think I'm. I think I'm pretty good in, in stressful situations. The funny thing is I do suffer from panic. I get panic. I have panic disorder.

00:04:10

Jack

And I I don't mind sharing that with the the listeners out there. It started, yeah, it started in 2006, but they it never happens in stressful situations. It only happens in like normal situations where we have this.

00:04:13

Xochitl

You get like panic attacks.

00:04:27

Jack

This this expression in English or or condition or whatever we call it fight or flight right? It's like when you feel actually it's there's three right it's fight freeze or flight.

00:04:39

Jack

And so, in a stressful situation, do you fight, do you, or do you take action? Do you freeze?

00:04:45

Jack

Or do you run away?

00:04:47

Jack

And me, I would get into these, you know, because I I have this condition, I would feel that.

00:04:57

Jack

Fear the the the fight, the the, the fear feeling of the feeling of fear. But it would be just in a normal situation. So. But The funny thing is it's it's very odd.

00:05:09

Jack

Or ironic? Is that in really stressful situations?

00:05:15

Jack

I'm actually pretty cool.

00:05:17

Jack

I'm pretty chill. I don't freak out. Uh, I had a a pretty.

00:05:22

Jack

Big car accident a few years ago.

00:05:25

Jack

And I remember.

00:05:27

Jack

Losing complete control of my car on the freeway, I was hit by a truck.

00:05:32

Jack

And I went.

00:05:33

Jack

All the way across the freeway, sideways and smashed into the retaining wall totaled my car.

00:05:42

발표자

I was pretty.

00:05:44

Jack

Kind of. Just like in shock, but I I I didn't start screaming or yelling or jump out of my car or run around. I was just very much like, OK, let's do an assessment. Wear arms and legs. Do I have my arms? Do I have my legs? Yes. Am I in pain? No, I'm not. Dude, I have my seat belt, you know, saved my life.

00:06:04

Jack

All those things I was able to.

00:06:06

Jack

Kind of in that.

00:06:08

Jack

Do an assessment and see where I was and I was actually thinking very clearly. I think maybe it has to do with the adrenaline in your body is it's kind of allows you to to to it. It's like a it's like a shot of energy. And so in that situation I thought I played it pretty cool and so.

00:06:28

Jack

It wasn't until maybe like one or two hours later, when I kind of freaked out a little bit, but in the moment of stress, I'm actually pretty good. I'm pretty dependable and I take.

00:06:40

Xochitl

Jack, I have kind of a theory and a question related to that theory. Did you grow up like around a lot of stress or like stressful situations and stuff like that? Like, did you?

00:06:54

Jack

Ohh that's a good question. Uhm, no, actually, you know.

00:06:57

Jack

I grew up in a pretty.

00:07:00

Jack

I'm trying to think like.

00:07:02

Jack

Did I have a lot of stressful situations?

00:07:05

Jack

No, no. I would say I grew up in a pretty sheltered, you know, pretty, pretty, you know, pretty sheltered existence. You know, with the caring parents, you know, they were they they were watching out for us, but they were giving us enough.

00:07:21

Jack

You know, room to invent, you know, find adventure and and have fun. So I didn't really experience a lot of stress as a young person.

00:07:31

Xochitl

That's interesting. I definitely feel I experienced like a lot of stress and trauma in my younger years.

00:07:39

Xochitl

And I think that that is why.

00:07:43

Xochitl

I'm like, chill in high stress situations, but kind of also suffer from like anxiety and soul part. And just like normal everyday situations. Because I feel that my brain was primed to see like stress.

00:08:03

Xochitl

And intense situations as normal.

00:08:10

Xochitl

Then whenever I'm in a relaxed, calm environment for too long, I get like really anxious because I think it's like my brain's like, OK, where's what's?

00:08:20

Xochitl

The danger here?

00:08:22

Xochitl

I think that's weird.

00:08:22

Jack

That's funny. I'm the same.

00:08:24

Jack

Way. I'm like we in English. We say I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's like nothing is scarier for me than no crises occurring at any moment. If I'm crisis free.

00:08:38

Jack

Then I'm just in a state of waiting for the next horrible thing to happen, and I'm just waiting. Always, like, OK, what's things are too good right now? They're too good. Something bad needs to happen, and it's it's just such a like it's it's such a a kind of negative way of.

00:08:58

Jack

You know, we just talked about the power of positive thinking.

00:09:00

Jack

I think that's like the.

00:09:01

Xochitl

Right.

00:09:03

Xochitl

Power of negative thinking and the fact that.

00:09:04

Jack

The power of negative thinking.

00:09:05

Jack

Yeah, like that's it, it does. It's just like it's it and my brain is just, you know, I can't change it. I'm just, I'm just that way. And so yeah, very simple situations. I'm like, I I have panic. And yet in the most stressful situation, I'm.

00:09:14

Xochitl

Right.

00:09:23

Jack

Cool as a cucumber.

00:09:24

Xochitl

Yeah, it's like you were expecting that to happen. Yeah. I think there's, like, a lot that goes into it. I think it can either be that we grew up in a in an environment that was very like tumultuous, which for our listeners who don't know, it's like a really chaotic or intense environment.

00:09:42

Xochitl

And I think another thing is that for our survival.

00:09:46

Xochitl

We have, like you know, Caveman brain. Those our brain in a.

00:09:51

Xochitl

Way like we have evolved and developed.

00:09:55

Xochitl

Over hundreds and thousands of years, but at the same time, I think there's still parts of our brain that are primed to.

00:10:06

Xochitl

Search for danger because we did not always have the kind of comfort that we do now, like the kind of comfortable life or safety that is so widespread these days.

00:10:16

Jack

Yeah. When we lived in the forest or on the Savannah, you know where there were large cats and things like that. You know, our ancient ancestors, it was good to be always on alert. Cause you're like lying cheetah, you know, like a wild boar.

00:10:35

Jack

We we were the.

00:10:36

Jack

Ones that survived.

00:10:37

Jack

You know, and the the, I think the problem is that we we're we're we're very much like attuned our brains are attuned for a hunter gatherer kind of lifestyle.

00:10:50

Jack

Yeah. And we, but we live in a mode.

00:10:53

Jack

And, you know, comforts, you know, we live in the modern comforts of of modern society. And so.

00:11:01

Xochitl

And I I do.

00:11:02

Xochitl

Think that a lot.

00:11:03

Xochitl

Of the way that our society is structured now, just like leads our anxiety to get worse in a lot of ways because we're a lot more isolated than previous generations. We have a way more hectic work.

00:11:20

Xochitl

Schedule and life.

00:11:21

Xochitl

Work life balance and previous generations did.

00:11:24

Xochitl

And we exist in a society where we're all connected to social media constantly, and I'm not one of those social media haters. Oh my God, I don't like.

00:11:33

Xochitl

People like that, I do.

00:11:35

Jack

Umm, no, I I use it. It's very.

00:11:37

Jack

Useful for our podcast, you know.

00:11:38

Xochitl

Yes, awareness of all the bad things happening all the time through social media is something that.

00:11:47

Xochitl

Is not good for mental health.

00:11:49

Jack

Yeah, no, I we're inundated with like, sorry, I'm using big words here. Inundated means we are our minds are filled with images and headlines of all the tragedies across the entire world of which there are many. And I don't think that's a healthy thing that we're. I don't think we.

00:12:09

Jack

Were supposed to.

00:12:11

Jack

Know everything.

00:12:13

Jack

Everywhere, all at once. You know, it was when I was a kid, it was like, you know, my neighborhood news. That's what I would get, you know, the newspaper, the local news. Now we just get, like, I can if there's something bad happens, you know, on the other side of the globe, you know, I hear about it. The.

00:12:33

Jack

Ice caps are are melting the UM, you know, the sea level is rising. There was an earthquake here and a tsunami over there, and a tornado over.

00:12:43

Jack

Here and a hurricane.

00:12:44

Jack

And over there, and it just feels like the world is collapsing and it's just like maybe it's always been that way. But there's we're just getting more information, and I'm not a climate change denier. I certainly accept climate change here. I just want to make that clear. But I just think that we're not meant to know everything.

00:13:04

Jack

All at one time.

00:13:05

Xochitl

It can be too stressful, especially when we don't really have anything we.

00:13:08

Xochitl

Can directly do about it.

00:13:10

Jack

Right.

00:13:10

Xochitl

Yeah, it does get overwhelming.

00:13:14

Xochitl

So yeah, let us know, Jack, what was the?

00:13:19

Jack

No. Yeah, yeah, I'll. I'll help you. OK. Our website, our website is A-Z, englishpodcast.com.

00:13:26

Xochitl

No, no, no. What's the ending? The.

00:13:30

Xochitl

To let us know whether you're.

00:13:32

Jack

Ohh let us know.

00:13:33

Jack

What you think on our uh, on our our website?

00:13:38

Jack

Is that what you mean?

00:13:38

Xochitl

No, they they what was the original topic?

00:13:44

Jack

Oh, oh, yeah, yeah.

00:13:46

Jack

Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, OK?

00:13:48

Jack

Oh, yes, so let me help you with that, OK.

00:13:52

Jack

OK.

00:13:53

Xochitl

So funny, you should almost leave. This is funny.

00:13:56

Jack

Well, maybe I will. OK. Yeah. We forgot our topic cause soch and I are, we'd love to chat. Are you good in stressful situations or do you freak out?

00:14:00

Xochitl

Ladies with sloopers?

00:14:06

Xochitl

We both forgot the topic. All right, let's. Yeah, I'm really laughing, OK?

00:14:08

Jack

You're freaking out now.

00:14:14

Xochitl

Let us know.

00:14:15

Xochitl

In a comment at A-Z englishpodcast.com.

00:14:19

Xochitl

Shoot us an e-mail or join our WhatsApp group and shoot us an e-mail at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com and let us know whether you are good in stressful situation or whether you tend to freak out. See you guys.

00:14:30

Xochitl

Next time, bye bye.

Podcast Website:

https://atozenglishpodcast.com/a-to-z-quick-chat-97-are-you-good-in-stressful-situations-or-do-you-freak-out/

Social Media:

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/

Tik Tok:

@atozenglish1

Instagram:

@atozenglish22