Episode 20: Stress and calming techniques with Talya Feldman

This year hasn't been easy. And we're still in a pandemic, folks. Fortunately, there are researchers who are trying to learn how we can become more resilient while dealing with COVID-19 related stresses for frontline workers and families. 

In this episode, researcher Talya Feldman shares about the challenges we're still facing during the pandemic and how we can learn and grow from them. Sleep and support are just two of the essential ingredients to maintaining our resilience—tune in to learn more!

Learn some practical ways to gain resilience. Her research team has created a protocol for helping deal with the pandemic related stresses. She gives us a tool box full of tips and tricks we can use at home. She explains some practical ways we can learn to recenter and calm ourselves, even when the world around us may seem a little hectic.  

Key takeaways

A little about her, her background, and the work she’s doingWhat it means to have second trauma and what it can lead toSome of the factors that predict the development of PTSDWhat good sleep looks like and why it’s importantWhat resilience is and how it relates to first respondersWhat her new COVID-19 related project isMain problems she sees affecting frontline workersTherapies that are availableSome skills she’s using from behavioral therapies to help frontline workersTools and practices people can use at homeTechniques people can use to fill their cupsProblem-solving tools you have but don’t acknowledgeWhat “dropping anchor” is all aboutWhat S.M.A.R.T. goals stands forHow people can get ahold of her

Bio:
Talya is a 4th year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University. She works with Dr. Caryn Carlson and Dr. Bob Josephs on research examining PTSD, stress, and resilience in first responders. Prior to graduate school she served as the Senior Director of Operations for IsraAID-US, a global humanitarian aid organization, and worked on psychosocial support interventions in refugee camps around the world. In particular, she worked in Lesvos, Greece with refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.