I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies! So much so that I usually know the upcoming release dates and try to make it to theaters as soon as possible.  Like I did catching the latest two films, Black Panther and Infinity Wars.

I hadn’t initially considered the connection to the character, The Hulk, and anxiety, until I was listening to a podcast (The Drew McClure Podcast episode 20: Fear, Anxiety, and Depression) where he interviewed Dr. Jerome Lubbe, who is a Chiropractic Neurologist in Atlanta.

Bruce Banner and The Hulk are the same person; however, when Banner is in intense situations, he becomes The Hulk. We see in the second movie of the Avengers series in particular that the other Avengers aren’t able to rationally convince The Hulk to become Banner.

They must distract him and allow his breathing to normalize. The same is true for us when we are hit with anxious thoughts. Many times, we have fear-based responses (in the context of a dangerous situation or non-dangerous situation), and we can’t talk ourselves out of being anxious.

Similarly, some of the best resources for us to become less “Hulk-like” with our anxiety include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness (there are awesome apps like Headspace, available on Android and Apple), engagement of our five senses, the act of counting backwards by 7 from 200, and calm-place activities.

Realizing we all have our own abilities to “Hulk-out,” we strive to serve our clients by teaching skills for relaxation and recognizing our own triggers through counseling.

Kim DeRamus, LPC