The Impact Of Chronic Stress with Dr. Cindy Tsai

Tanya Gill: 00:00:01

Welcome friends to the trifecta of joy, we are so glad that you are here. So if you are signing up your shoelaces, or just hopping out of the shower, or if you're finding yourself sipping a cup of tea and taking some downtime, I have a beautiful guest to share with you today, I have the privilege of sharing with you Dr. Cindy Tsai. And she is an award winning board certified physician. She's a TEDx speaker. She's a best selling author. And she is also a wellness life coach, that takes an integrative Mind Body Spirit approach to help accomplished women create aligned lives that feel healthy and meaningful and easy for them. So obviously, it was totally obvious to have you on the show. Cindy, thank you so much for being here.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:00:58

Thank you so much for the invitation. I'm happy to be here.

Tanya Gill: 00:01:01

You know, what I find so interesting is I, you and I met because I had an opportunity to hear you speak. And you spoke about a life changing experience you had you woke up one day, and you couldn't see.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:01:19

Yeah, it was terrifying.

Tanya Gill: 00:01:22

I can't even imagine what was happening in your life at that time.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:01:26

Yeah, so I share the full story and journey and my TEDx talk. And this happened maybe about 10 years ago, where I woke up one day not being able to see. And I will remember, always remember the room just looking dark and blurry and rubbing my eyes and just nothing changing. And this was when I was completing my medical residency. And so as a physician, I was trying to diagnose myself running through the diagnoses, what could it be all the things

Tanya Gill: 00:02:04

and the funny thing about it is, is whether you're a physician, or you're not, we all kind of reach for Dr. Google to

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:02:10

absolutely. And so I went to see doctors right away, and they ran tasks and my prescription increased three fold overnight. And the labs and all the other things all looks fine. And so it was so confusing. And the doctors, I will always remember just being like, well, this is interesting. I mean, you do not want to be interesting to a doctor in this way.

Tanya Gill: 00:02:43

Yeah, it means we don't have a clue.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:02:47

We and I think that for me, it really prompted me to slow down and to recognize that our body has its own intelligence. And it speaks to us. And a cube a couple days later, a week later, some other symptoms came up and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that impacted my eyes that could have led to full blindness. And it's one of those rare, like one in a million type of things, right where you only read about in textbooks until and you're like yeah, okay, cool. And then until it happens to you. And then you're like, Okay, well, I need to figure out what's wrong. I need to figure out what's going on. And, of course, I started on the serious medications like steroids, immunosuppressants, right, like I wanted to get better. But also really recognize that there were so many things going on, like, you know, with autoimmune conditions, it's usually a big part of it. A big part of the cause was inflammation. Right? And I had to slow down and ask myself, where was this inflammation coming from? And I really generally, it was very health conscious ever since I was young, like as a kid, I would be drinking water. And so it was just really odd to me. You know, I was like, checking off the boxes of right eating healthy exercising all those things. Yeah, there's so much inflammation. And I had to come to terms that I was working really hard in residency, I was working night shifts, and during the day, instead of sleeping and resting, I was still writing my hair. Do you know like volunteering and doing this and that and all those things right? Like, just never pausing, never resting and just slike always wanting to achieve and do more and more. And I think I was I was basically living this life of shoulds.

Tanya Gill: 00:05:10

Ah, the great life of shoulds

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:05:14

Yeah, you know, and like drinking caffeine and stay away, right during the day and then be so, so anxious and stressed, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. And of course, like that, totally. That's not that's not sustainable for anybody? No, no.

Tanya Gill: 00:05:29

And the interesting thing is, is that people it can, it can be something that we use to sustain in the short term. And then it can become a habit, or, or it can be like, well, this is just what I have to do. And when we get into that, that mindset of just what I have to do, you know, like, the trifecta of joy is about mind, body and spirit. It's about awareness, befriending your inner critic and raising your vibration. And, you know, when you're talking about that cycle that people can get themselves caught in, it's, it really becomes a question of, like, if you're caught in it, how do you start to even slow it down or ease it off? Or, and you know, sometimes it comes with like waking up, and not being able to see, no one wants to get to that point,

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:06:33

under percent. And I think you bring up a great point about how a lot of times along the way we actually do get messages. But it's a matter of our own awareness? And are we actually present enough to recognize these as signs and symptoms and messages, and that it's a nudge to do something to change, right? It's an opportunity. But I think with our current reality, and our world, and how we're always on the go, we're always plugged in, connected to our devices, right? It's where you get so much information coming at us at all times. It's really hard to like we live in a very noisy world right now.

Tanya Gill: 00:07:30

And probably, you know, and it's so interesting that you said that, because I had that conversation with one of my my children. And he was saying that, you know, he feels like cell phones are actually destroying society, because because they create so much noise all of the time. Right. Yeah. And that's, and that's, that's a 19 year old young man who's, who's identifying it, but also identifying that, in some ways, it's also inescapable. And so, you know, it really is about, like you said, the start is the awareness, the signs. When when people start to see signs, what would you suggest they do when they start to see those signs?

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:08:16

Yeah. So I think it's really important to see this as a process. Yes, yes. And a journey.

Tanya Gill: 00:08:28

There is no magic wand.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:08:31

Yes. And I think that, oftentimes, as I talked about, in my TEDx talk, we're always we're oftentimes looking and wanting that quick fix. And it's understandable, right? Like when you're in pain, and you know, when you're struggling, you don't want to be there. It's uncomfortable. And so of course, we want to just reach for that pill or, you know, whatever it is to make it go away. And I think absolutely, especially when you're in acute serious situations, like I want you to, you know, get that fixed, like whatever, so that you can be stable and be okay.

Tanya Gill: 00:09:09

But I think this is not Yeah, it's very important. You know, we're not suggesting people throw away their medication. Yes. You keep working with your physician on this. And, and, and there's more, right, absolutely.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:09:25

Yeah. And I think it's really about being open to introducing other ways to really get back to who you are. Right? And I think about for me and my healing journey, it's really when I found all these other modalities and brought them together, like integrative medicine, which is blending the best of all worlds, from conventional Western medicine medical treatments to two complementary, Eastern modalities, all these other things. And really, it's knowing that you have options to attain your best state of health.

Tanya Gill: 00:10:12

Yes. And making and the options offer choices, right? So the choices around, you know, when we have those, those signs coming along the way, you know, starting to see what options align for us, and what choices we can make that align for us. And, and really being able to step into saying, and this is the hard part for a lot of people stepping in to saying this, is I'm not living my best life right now. And I deserve to. So how am I going to do that, and a lot of that is, in reality, a healing journey.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:10:56

It really is. And I think that it can be, it can feel daunting, and overwhelming. And I think it's, it causes people to not want to do it at all. And so I always like to say what my clients always love when I work with them is that I make things super simple. And I break it down. And it's like, if you don't know how to speak French, and you want to learn, don't sign up for advanced French. Let's start with beginner French, learn the foundations, like work your way up there. But I think sometimes there's this belief that it's going to take a long time, but it's a lot of work. And then that on top of all of your current life demands. Like who wants to do that? Nobody wants to do that. Right? Like, it's much easier to just sit around on the couch, watch Netflix, eat cookies, you know?

Tanya Gill: 00:12:00

Absolutely. Absolutely. Or zone out or zone out on your phone for 20 minutes watching cat tick talks or whatever. Right. And and so it is it you know, it is that it is the idea of how do we write? Because and we as a collective as a humanity as individuals who who want to live with more joy with more wholeness with more goodness in our lives? How do we make those little shifts? Right, I call them 1% changes? How do we make those little shifts? So they don't feel so daunting? And like you said, like, keep it simple. So So what is the strategy, for example, that you share with some of your clients that that helps keep things simple?

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:12:54

Yeah, well, I think one very important skill that we often forget, that helps tremendously with stress, overall, is breathing. Breathing intentionally and mindfully. And so a very simple breathing technique I always like to share is called the Cleansing Breath. Okay. And this is where you take an inhale through your nose, let's do it. And exhale through an open mouth, sigh. Again, inhale, filling your chest expand, and exhale, releasing any stress or tension you're holding on to. And you can take a few more at your own pace, that it literally takes a few seconds. And it just helps you round and release. Anything that's not serving you. And it helps you get into that present moment, to remind yourself that you're okay right now. It may feel like things are total chaos. But in this moment, connecting to your breath, reminding yourself, hey, I'm okay. I have my breath, I can ground and reset. Knowing that I can handle this

Tanya Gill: 00:14:32

that is the power of presence, right? That is is the power of presence and how our monkey minds are amazing. Our monkey minds tell us you know, all the stories of the past and all the worries of the future. And then we feel them in our body. And and so I love that that that that grounding breath can be something that can just bring you to the present in the moment. And I have to tell you, like, I talk about breathing in my programs as well. And one of the things that that one of my clients said is, I breathe all the damn time. Like I'm breathing, I'm breathing all the time. And, and so it's really about the shift to the intention of it. Right? It's because yeah, we're lucky that we don't have to think to breathe. But sometimes, wouldn't it be nice if we did have to think to breathe, because we'd be a hell of a lot more present,

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:15:32

for sure. And I think that's the beauty of breathing, because there are so many different techniques that can really help. And we know that from looking at the science, that when you're taking intentional slow breaths, what happens in your body is that you're activating the parasympathetic relaxation response. And so that system basically helps to calm down your nervous system, you might have heard of the fight or flight response, where basically when we're stressed out and anxious, we get activated heart rate races, palms get sweaty, you know, your muscles tighten. And it's because your body is preparing you for possible stress and danger, like you might need to fight or flight right from what's going on. And when you are able to pause and take that intentional deep breath, you're activating a different part of your body, a nerve called the vagus nerve. And that helps to essentially turn off that other Simpsons system, so that you can get back into a more calm and grounded state.

Tanya Gill: 00:16:50

And so we know there's science behind it. We feel it in our bodies as we do it. And, and I think it's really important that we recognize that it is a practice, like this is this is the other thing, like this is not something you do at once when you're stressed, and then you let it go, right. The thing, the thing that's most critical in any kind of change, or growth, and really self care and self compassion, is is that the process of the practice? Right? It's, it's really about saying, Okay, I love myself enough to take a couple of cleansing breaths and ground myself enough to be able to do whatever's next.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:17:44

Yes, and letting this really getting back to hell. This is a process. And this is a skill that you can develop. And I always like to tell people that every little bit counts. Okay? Like you want to actually be doing this practice regularly, when things are good. So that when things are not going so well, you're not freaking out, because you're like, oh, wait, let me just take my couple cleansing breaths, because I've been doing it every single day. You know what I mean? That's actually the key.

Tanya Gill: 00:18:19

Well, that is absolutely the key. And like I say, it's like going to the dentist, you don't go to the dentist only when your teeth are rotting out of your face. You you go because it is a it is a way of maintaining your health, right. It's like you don't just go to therapy, when your life is falling apart. You go to maintain your mental wellness, you don't just have a coach, when you're undergoing massive change. You can have a coach that guides you through the goodness of your life to keep building more. Rest is the same way the practice of breath and building that skill. And using it all of the time then becomes a part of just who you are and your growth process.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:19:12

Absolutely. I love that.

Tanya Gill: 00:19:16

That is awesome. That is so awesome. So Cindy, this has been such an incredible conversation and I know that that you offer so much in the way of integrative health and understanding that that mind body spirit connection from both an eastern and western perspective. And, and your TEDx is absolutely awesome. So I will make sure that there's a link to your TEDx in in the show notes for sure. If there was one parting message you wanted to leave with our guests today? What What would you say to them as they're finishing off their walk? or as they're finishing their cup of tea? What would you say to them to? Or if they're finishing scrubbing the tub? What would you say to them as they're listening? And to inspire them to move forward?

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:20:15

Yeah, I think that really learning that this is a process, and to be kind and patient with yourself. And a lot of times patience comes up. And I like to say that patience is not the ability

Tanya Gill: 00:20:37

to wait.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:20:40

Patients is the attitude you have, while you are waiting.

Tanya Gill: 00:20:47

Oh, patience is the attitude you have while you are waiting.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:20:56

And I think so beautiful. Yeah. And I think so often, especially as women who wear a lot of different hats, and we have our expectations of how things should be and all of that. And part of it is recognizing that there's reality. And then, you know, there's our expectations, and that sometimes there's a difference and a gap that can be really challenging. And so we really want to learn to practice that self compassion and being kind to ourselves, and also really understanding patients in this way, so that it's not just like, you're looking at the clock being like, Okay, well, why hasn't it happened yet? Right. But bringing that lens of openness of curiosity, of being an observer, and really learning to lean in and take care of yourself, first and foremost.

Tanya Gill: 00:21:52

Thank you so much for that I know that is going to land on the hearts of so many of our listeners. Cindy, thank you so much for sharing yourself with us. Thank you so much for your heart, your kindness, and your story of of realizing that you know, that that we can push to a limit to the point where we actually don't even get to see what is around us. And also then move through a healing process that allows for a space to be present and healthy and mindful. So important. Cindy, thank you so much for being here.

Dr. Cindy Tsai: 00:22:37

Thank you for the conversation.