Send in a question or comment via text. End Stage Anxiety Recovery - What Does It Look Like? What does end stage recovery from an anxiety disorder look and feel like? How do you know when you're recovered? Is there a moment when things change? Will you automatically be happy and joyful? What will like look like as you get closer to the recovery "finish line". Lets talk about end stage anxiety recovery so you can have a bit of a road map to bring with you as you progress. It might help you stay o...
Jun 14, 2023•24 min
Send in a question or comment via text. If you love anxiety success stories, you're gonna love Jon Brandon Cruz (aka "Cruz'). Cruz went from stuck in his apartment, riddled with panic and afraid to leave, to back at work on a world tour to promote the Black Adam film with Dwayne The Rock Johnson.How did he do it? Cruz is an almost textbook case of how to apply the principles of recovery in a committed, tenacious way. Grab a beverage and listen to this one. Cruz is inspiring and his story will gi...
Jun 07, 2023•34 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I CAN'T STOP SCANNING FOR HOW I FEEL!!! This is a common issue for anxious people that leads to frustrating and a fear/scanning/fear cycle that seems like it never ends. This week we're talking about that cycle and answering the question, "How can I stop constantly scanning and checking how I feel?" For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/259 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Support The ...
May 31, 2023•17 min
Send in a question or comment via text. VALUING YOURSELF MEANS MORE THAN JUST SOOTHING AND SMOOTHING... This week we're examining the idea that in recovery we must value ourselves in such a way that we go beyond the common sense of soothing and smoothing to allow ourselves to struggle for a reason. There are lessons - critical lessons - in the recovery struggle. Allowing oneself to struggle is important. We must be mindful of either devaluing ourselves or accidentally coddling ourselves because ...
May 24, 2023•18 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This episode was recorded on a beach by myself in a spot where my cell/mobile phone gets no signal, where there were no people to save me if I needed to be saved, and where I was far from help. This is a place I would never have come by myself when I was struggling, but I don't even think about it now. This is part III in a series of podcasts where I'll take you to places that I was once terrified to go. I hope you find some hope or inspiration in this one...
May 17, 2023•15 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Distraction For Anxiety: Does It Work? "When I panic, I have to scroll through Instagram to distract myself!" Distraction is one of the most popular "techniques" for getting away from high anxiety, panic, and any thoughts or sensations that people hate or fear. It's talked about all the time. A quick look on social media would likely reveal many many posts about "tips for anxiety" that are based primarily on distraction techniques. Distraction - in the mom...
May 10, 2023•26 min
Send in a question or comment via text. I can't stop thinking, "What if it comes back?" This is one of the most common issues I hear almost daily from people traveling along the path toward anxiety recovery. This week on the podcast we look at why we often overlook a very important aspect of the recovery process that renders this question almost irrelevant. The important part is that YOU change in recovery. Anxiety doesn't change at all, and that makes your fear of it "coming back" far less impo...
May 03, 2023•20 min
Send in a question or comment via text. When I was struggling with anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia, I was terrified to go just 3 or 4 miles from my house the the business I owned. Anxiety made it really difficult for me to go there or stay there for any length of time.This is the second in a series of podcast episodes where I'll take you to places that anxiety, panic, and agoraphobia used to tell me I should never go. This week we're at my old office where I'll share what that experience ...
Apr 26, 2023•15 min
Send in a question or comment via text. For many in our community, addiction coexists alongside an anxiety disorder. Maybe one precluded the other, or maybe they developed concurrently. Regardless, this can often add additional shame and a sense of hopelessness. This is a topic we'll talk more about going forward so today my friend Adam Jablin stopped by to talk about his addiction story and how it related to his struggles with anxiety, both then and now. Adam speaks openly about his struggles w...
Apr 19, 2023•38 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This week I want to introduce you to a new anxiety and mental health resource. Disordered: Anxiety Help with me and Joshua Fletcher (aka "AnxietyJosh").Josh popped in to chat about why we started Disordered, what we hope to achieve with it, and why we think its a resource everyone should take advantage of. To learn more about Disordered, to contact us with questions or comments, and to hear all the episodes, visit us online at https://disordered.fm For ful...
Apr 12, 2023•12 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Trauma And Anxiety. Are There Conflicting Messages In Recovery? Trauma and anxiety often co-exist. That's not news. For many in this community, the lingering effects of traumatic experiences are real, and they can impact the anxiety recovery process. Today I want to take a look at something a little out of the ordinary. I want to talk about how some of the core principles of anxiety recovery might cause confusion and even conflict for those working to over...
Apr 05, 2023•19 min
Send in a question or comment via text. No new podcast this week, but we'll be back next week with episode 252. I asked my Facebook group which of the old podcast episodes they like the most and these are a few that came up often in the discussion: Episode 150: How Do I Talk TO My Anxiety Episode 51: Panic Attacks - The Critical Moment of Decision The Exposure Episodes: 13, 17, 192 and 226 Related to Exposure: Episode 116 - Are You Trying To Ignore Your Anxiety? I did a short series detailing my...
Mar 29, 2023•5 min
Send in a question or comment via text. WHY Did I Have A Panic Attack? I NEED To Know! "Why did I have a panic attack?" is a question asked many many times every day in the community surrounding this podcast. People early on in the anxiety journey labor under the assumption that in order to get better they must uncover and decode their panic triggers and understand WHY panic attacks are happening to them repeatedly. This might make sense at face value, but it's often quite unhelpful or even harm...
Mar 22, 2023•20 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Afraid During A Panic Attack ... Or Afraid OF Panic Attacks? This is one of those recovery concepts what will make you tilt your head and wonder what I'm talking about. But there is a difference between being afraid during a panic attack, and being afraid of panic attacks. That difference matters because it speaks to the mechanics of issues like panic disorder and agoraphobia. TL/DR: EVERYONE is afraid during a panic attack. That's normal. That's natural. ...
Mar 15, 2023•19 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Examining Body Dysmorphic Disorder Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition in which a person sees - and becomes excessively focused on - problems or "defects" in their appearance that nobody else sees. This can become overwhelming when the person with BDD starts to see themselves as completely defined by this problem that nobody else would call a problem. This week therapist, BDD and OCD specialist Robyn Stern dropped in to talk about body dysmorphic...
Mar 08, 2023•39 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Scary And Difficult Do Not Mean Ineffective Recovery by way of facing fear is scary and difficult. When people choose to recover by learning how to accept, tolerate, surrender to and move through anxiety panic and fear, sometimes they will declare that it doesn't work for them. They'll say that because they are afraid and they are challenged. They accidentally equate being afraid with recovery not working. They'll decide that being challenged means that th...
Mar 01, 2023•18 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Anticipatory anxiety - the anxiety you feel when you have an event or challenge coming up that you know will make you anxious and therefore fear - is a common type of anxiety that many struggle with. This week on the podcast two giants in the anxiety community, Martin Seif and Sally Winston joined me to explain in the ins-and-outs of anticipatory anxiety, worry, and what they call fear of fear of fear. This is a GREAT episode full of amazing information so...
Feb 22, 2023•40 min
Send in a question or comment via text. The state of mental health care - at least in the west - is such that many in our community have a difficult time either locating a therapist that specializes in treating anxiety disorders, or accessing professional mental health help for economic and other reasons. This leads many to ask, "Do I need a therapist to recover?" While the help of a trained, experienced professional is certainly helpful, we have to look at what happens when that isn't possible....
Feb 15, 2023•32 min
Send in a question or comment via text. How do you see your anxiety? Is anxiety a monster? Is anxiety like a storm or an invading army that comes to get you? Are you powerless over it? Do you feel that you can't resist, stop or control it no matter how hard you try? What if it wasn't a monster attacking from the outside? What if instead you could recognize that you are playing a role, that you have choice, and that you have power in the process? Abandoning the "monster" narrative can be a powerf...
Feb 08, 2023•23 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Do you see yourself as being OK "as long as" specific conditions are met? Or are you learning that you can be OK "even if" those conditions are not met? This can be a critical concept in recovery that can get us stuck in the dreaded, fragile acceptable bubble, or launched into a more complete and lasting recovery. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/244 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Su...
Feb 01, 2023•15 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Do you have to be a positive person to get better? Do you have to choose positivity? Eliminate the negative energy? Vibrate correctly? Manifest positive things? Accept only positive vibes? Develop a positive mindset? Are these things required in anxiety recovery? I think that developing a sense of competence and self-efficacy through action is WAY more impactful that trying to think or emote positivity. Let's talk about that in this week's episode of the p...
Jan 25, 2023•16 min
Send in a question or comment via text. In recovery we are sometimes dealing with more than one issue beyond just your panic, agoraphobia, health anxiety, or OCD. Maybe there is another phobia or phobias involved. Maybe you are dealing with tendencies toward perfectionism, people pleasing, or trying to control everything. Humans are complex. We have lots of facets! What happens when these other issues conflict with our recovery work. What happens when we try to serve multiple masters in recovery...
Jan 18, 2023•42 min
Send in a question or comment via text. When dealing with an anxiety disorder we often talk about why excessive reassurance seeking is counterproductive and can make things worse. But why is this? And is there any time where seeking assurance is OK? Let's answer these two questions, and look at ways to start breaking the cycle of reassurance seeking, in this week's podcast episode. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/241 --- My books, social, and other links: https:/...
Jan 11, 2023•25 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Anxious people focused on health issues often spend lots of time being checked, tested and examined by doctors. In recovery, I'm often asked if calling a doctor if never allowed, or if calling a doctor is wrong or indicates a setback of some kind. The short answer is, "No. It's not wrong." But there's more to it than that, so let's talk about it in this week's episode of the podcast. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/240 --- ...
Jan 04, 2023•21 min
Send in a question or comment via text. The Same Anxiety Symptons, But Different Reactions? Two people can have the same anxiety symptoms but different reactions to those symptoms. There can be common thoughts, fear themes, and bodily reactions, yet wide variations on how those things are interpreted and in the reactions they trigger. Let's talk about this, and what it can teach us about anxiety and recovery. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/239 --- My books, soci...
Dec 28, 2022•21 min
Send in a question or comment via text. For most people, the things they fear the most in relation to anxiety and panic fall into one of three common categories or themes. Let's look at these three themes: Death/ Physical Incapacitation Loss of control / Insanity Embarrassment / Shame Understanding these common themes can save you from digging deeply into each individual fear you have. It can help you see that you are NOT specially broken and without hope, and it can inform productive recovery a...
Dec 21, 2022•27 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Everyone wants to talk about the most common anxiety symptoms. I get it. Your symptoms feel important. They're scary and you see them as dangerous. In many many cases with it comes to anxiety disorders, the symptoms of anxiety become the source of the anxiety. Fear of fear is often based on fear of the most common anxiety symptoms - fear of your own body. Let's talk about that this week. This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book ....
Dec 14, 2022•25 min
Send in a question or comment via text. This week sleep physician Daniel Erichsen stopped by to talk about insomnia and a cognitive behavioral approach to the problem. If you're struggling with your sleep ... and struggling because you're struggling ... this episode is for you. Spoiler alert: The most helpful approach to sleep issues is going to sound very familiar to you. ;-) This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book . My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the s...
Dec 07, 2022•36 min
Send in a question or comment via text. When in the thick of the struggle, it can be easy to fall into the trap that makes anxiety a major part of your personal identity. UK psychotherapist and anxiety specialist Josh Fletcher is back this week to talk about this common problem and ways to separate yourself from anxiety so that it doesn't dominate your identity. This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book . My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the stories and memo...
Nov 30, 2022•43 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Can anxiety be cured? I know that if you look for an answer to this question you will find a very wide range of answers. This week on the podcast we'll look at why there's such a wide range of opinions on this and where the truth - if there is even a universal truth - lies. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/234 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxio...
Nov 23, 2022•26 min
