Send in a question or comment via text. If you can learn to slow down, while anxiety, fear, panic, and stress are telling you to speed up, good things will happen over time. On this podcast episode we take a look at the speed response that is baked into anxiety, fear, panic, and stress. When you are anxious or afraid, the odds are very high that you will automatically speed up. This is not helping. In fact, it is making things worse for you. This is why I wrote my new book Seven Percent Slower -...
Sep 15, 2021•18 min
Send in a question or comment via text. The magic of recovery lies in allowing and passing through fear, not for fun, but so that we can learn the lessons that reality hands us afterward. Specifically, " That was really hard and scary, but nothing bad happened. " Often, we make the mistake of refusing those lessons, choosing instead to follow the fear based, irrational lessons that anxiety tries to force onto us. Let's look at this problem and what we can do about it. For full show notes on this...
Sep 08, 2021•24 min
Send in a question or comment via text. At some point in recovery, every one of us faces unplanned exposures and challenges that life throws at us. This is just part of the deal, so we must accept that. In this episode we'll answer a very common question: "How do I handle an unplanned exposure that I can't practice for?" For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/17 1 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Aftergl...
Sep 01, 2021•29 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Today we have an anxiety success story that goes beyond just anxiety! My friend and frequent collaborator Dean Stott from the DLC Anxiety Worldwide platform stopped by to talk about his anxiety journey, how he created the DLC platform, and the state of the mental health community online. This was a really great chat that I know you're gonna like. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/170 Find Dean and the DLC Anxiety Community on...
Aug 25, 2021•32 min
Send in a question or comment via text. What happens AFTER a panic attack? Do you suffer from panic attack "hangover"? Does it impact you for hours, or even days after the attack ends? In this podcast episode we'll look at the panic attack hangover, what it is, and what to do about it. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/168 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) htt...
Aug 11, 2021•25 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Morning anxiety. It was a thing for me, and I know based on massive amounts of feedback on this topic that it's a thing for many others. In this episode of the podcast, we'll look at morning anxiety and how to approach it most effectively. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/167 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://be...
Aug 04, 2021•32 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Sometimes we take our inspiration and encouragement from outside the anxiety disorder realm. Sometimes we find someone that had been knocked down HARD, yet found a way to stand back up and get back into the game of life on good terms. Sometimes that person does it in creative and inspiring ways. Then we can use that story and apply it in our own recovery person. Today that person is my new friend Lora Plank Cheadle. Let's listen to Lora's story. She was to...
Jul 28, 2021•35 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Anxiety recovery is a strange war. You only win it when you stop fighting. In this episode we look at the need to stop being an anxiety warrior, and start being an anxiety student. Learning, not fighting, is the way to recovery. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/165 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic...
Jul 21, 2021•28 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This is part 2 of my conversation with my friend and social media collaborator Lily Bloomberg. In this episode Lily talks about the process of her recovery. There are twists in Lily's story that I found fascinating, and I hope you will too. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/164 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://b...
Jul 14, 2021•32 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I had the privilege of spending an hour with my friend and some-time collaborator Lily Bloomberg. Lily is a school psychologist and anxiety coach that has lived her own struggles with anxiety disorders and other mental health challenges. Today Lily speaks about her anxiety struggles and the time she spent trying to find solutions to her anxiety, panic, and other mental health issues through the years. This is part 1 of 2. Next week Lily returns to talk abo...
Jul 07, 2021•36 min
Send in a question or comment via text. In this episode I take questions from listeners. Some questions came in as voice messages on my Anchor podcast page. Others were submitted on Instagram. I wasn't able to answer all the questions because I only have 30 minutes or so for each episode, but I did my best to answer questions that were asked by multiple people. I hope you find it helpful.If you want to leave me voice messages on Anchor, you can follow this link.For full show notes on this episod...
Jun 30, 2021•36 min
Send in a question or comment via text. "What does it take to really recover?"Good question. I can tell you one thing it takes. It takes this.Calling out our habit of choosing temporary relief and comfort when we avoid and escape and run and refuse to face the scary stuff. This is the habit of making decisions rooted in fear and based on achieving short term comfort at the expense of long term progress and recovery. Confronting this habit and recognizing the reality of what this repeated choice ...
Jun 23, 2021•25 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This is a question I get asked literally every day. The answer may not be the one you want, but it's the one you need. In this episode we examine how we can learn to be sure (enough) that it really is just anxiety. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/160 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com Support T...
Jun 16, 2021•22 min
Send in a question or comment via text. SOCIAL ANXIETY - LET’S TALK ABOUT IT My guest today is Sadie Hall, creator and host of the Your Social Anxiety Bestie podcast and a lifelong social anxiety sufferer. Sadie was kind enough to spend some time with me to help bring some understanding of social anxiety to the podcast. This is a topic I have not covered nearly enough so I appreciate Sadie helping me to remedy that. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/159 -------- My...
Jun 09, 2021•44 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This is a theme that has come up now and then in the community surrounding the podcast. When I asked my Instagram community how many people felt that anxiety means they are being punished in some way, I was blown away by the magnitude of the response. Clearly, many people that suffer with anxiety and anxiety disorders see this problem at least to some degree as some form of punishment they are being subjected to. We need to talk about that, so let's do jus...
Jun 02, 2021•35 min
Send in a question or comment via text. ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AND OTHER FAMILY ISSUES Today we're joined by Dr. Jacque Bogdanov, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety and behavioral issues in children. Dr. Jacque is trained in using CBT and PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) and was kind enough to take the time to talk about anxiety issues in children and families in general. It's a good listen full of great info! For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth...
May 26, 2021•36 min
Send in a question or comment via text. RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE! Meg is a great example of someone that spirals into a full blown anxiety disorder, then works really hard to follow that spiral back out of the jam she was in. If you're not sure if you can recover, or that your anxiety is somehow special or worse than anyone else's, Meg's story will be encouraging and inspirational. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/156 -------- My books, website, and social media links...
May 19, 2021•37 min
Send in a question or comment via text. For many anxiety sufferers, an obsessive and consuming fear of death and existential issues becomes a real problem. Let's talk about it in this episode of the podcast. The most important thing to remember is that ALL humans struggle with thoughts and fears about death and existence from time to time. This is NORMAL! Your relationship with those thoughts and fears is just a bit off the rails right now! For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxious...
May 12, 2021•34 min
Send in a question or comment via text. In this issue I had the good fortune to chat with Tori Chavira about her journey through OCD and mental health issues while also handling the issues faced by a member of the LBGTQ+ community. Tori is a strong, positive voice in both the mental health and LGBTQ+ communities. I appreciate having her stop by to share her story and her insights. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/154 -------- My books, website, and social media li...
May 05, 2021•31 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I HATE MY INNER CRITIC! Everyone does! Your inner critic will say all kinds of horrible things to you. This builds obstacles along the path to recovery. In this episode I am joined again by UK psychotherapist Joshua Fletcher to examine the inner critic, where it comes from, and how to best react to it and ultimately silence it. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/153 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://t...
Apr 28, 2021•34 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Agoraphobia goes well beyond "can't leave the house". In this episode, let's examine the nature of agoraphobia. We'll talk about: What agoraphobia really is What it isn't How it develops The impacts of agoraphobia Recovering from agoraphobia For full show notes on this episode, visit https://theanxioustruth.com/152 -------- My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music credit: Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission) ht...
Apr 14, 2021•38 min
Send in a question or comment via text. A couple of months ago I did a "gender issues in recovery" episode with my friend Bridget Cooper. The response was good! ALL voices and experiences matter, so this week we chat with Dr. Lisa Cortez about anxiety and mental health issues in the Latinx community. Lisa and I discussed cultural, religious and gender issues that impact mental health treatment and anxiety recovery in the Latinx community. Dr. Lisa is a VERY BUSY practicing therapist in south Tex...
Apr 07, 2021•30 min
Send in a question or comment via text. How do I talk to my anxiety? This is a common question. In this episode we'll explore why and HOW you can "talk" to your anxiety as part of an effective recovery strategy. For full show notes on this episode visit https://theanxioustruth.com/150 THE HIGHLIGHTS: Why talk to your anxiety? Your amygdala does NOT understand words! You Can Only "Talk" To Anxiety With ACTIONS! My books, website, and social media links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Music cre...
Mar 31, 2021•27 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This is a topic that people have been asking me to talk about lately. In the last six months, I've developed much more an interest in health anxiety. If you had asked me a year ago about it, I would have told you, "I don't want to get into that!" But actually, I do want to get into that! So let's look at health anxiety. What it is, what it isn't, and how the principles of recovery we talk about all the time apply. Does my book apply to health anxiety? It d...
Mar 24, 2021•34 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I'm asked all the time ... "Does this recovery method apply to GAD?" The short answer is that it does, but there are extra wrinkles with GAD that we must be aware of. We must learn to relate in a new way to anxiety and the symptoms and thoughts that come with it. This is the same way we approach the other anxiety disorders. However, we also must be aware of the meta beliefs and thinking habits that drive anxiety. Knowing how your beliefs and habits fuel yo...
Mar 17, 2021•36 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I used Paxil between 1996 and 2005. This is part 3 of a 3 part series detailing my experience. My experience with SSRI withdrawal was difficult, to say the least. I’ve been asked to tell this story, so I did for those that want to hear it. Spoiler alert: I survived and it turned out OK! My experience with antidepressants and anxiety is mine. Yours may be different. Please keep this in mind. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/1...
Mar 10, 2021•41 min
Send in a question or comment via text. In this episode I finally discuss an issue so many people have been asking me to discuss for so long. My experience with anxiety medications. I used Paxil between 1996 and 2005. This is part 2 of a 3 part series detailing my experience. My experience on Paxil for 9 years was not a good one overall. In retrospect, the medication did its job, but there was a price to pay for that. My experience with antidepressants and anxiety is mine. Yours may be different...
Mar 03, 2021•28 min
Send in a question or comment via text. In this episode I finally discuss an issue so many people have been asking me to discuss for so long. My experience with anxiety medications. I used Paxil between 1996 and 2005. This is part 1 of a 3 part series detailing my experience. Today I talk about my position on medications, why I chose to use medication in 1996, what my and what my initial experience was. My experience with antidepressants and anxiety is mine. Yours may be different. Please keep t...
Feb 24, 2021•23 min
Send in a question or comment via text. On this episode I was able to spend 30 minutes or so chatting with Joshua Fletcher. Josh is a working therapist in the UK that runs a practice specializing in anxiety disorders. Josh is also the host of The Panic Pod podcast. We covered therapy issues, recovery in general, and we managed to tell a few joke along the way. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/144 Thanks to Josh for taking the time to share his knowledge and perspe...
Feb 17, 2021•29 min
Send in a question or comment via text. We often talk about starting recovery by taking small steps, but did you know that those small steps can often be taken right inside your "safe zone"? It's true! Odds are your home base - your safe zone - is chock full of hidden avoidance and anxiety inducing gems that you can uncover and use to start building the foundation of your recovery. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/143 My books, podcast, and social media links: htt...
Feb 10, 2021•27 min
