The Anxious Truth - A Panic, Anxiety, and Mental Health Podcast
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EP 0105 - Highway/Freeway Driving With Anxiety and Panic
29 april 2020 · 30 min
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For many, the fear of driving on the freeway, highway, or motorway is a big problem. Often I am told that this seems and impossible task. A typical person facing this challenge will insist that driving at high speed on a congested highway, involves real danger. They are convinces that disaster is imminent.
This is not true, and represents yet another fear driven distortion, courtesy of our old friend anxiety. While highway driving is in fact more risky for every driver (regardless of anxiety), experiencing anxiety does not instantly rob you of the ability to operate a vehicle. If you are reading this, you have survived every instance where you have experienced anxiety or panic while on a highway. You didn't "almost crash" or "almost die" or "almost pass out". You controlled your car, even when afraid and uncomfortable, and did what needed to be done to remain safe.
What you thought was going to happen did not happen, so you must learn to stop judging the situation based on the fear driven story you have in your head about certain disaster. Instead, judge the situation based on your actual experiences and the positive outcomes you've had.
Thank you to my friend Jay for both suggesting the topic, and for recording this one with me. This is the audio portion of a live video we did in my Facebook group, so you'll hear us discuss the topic, then take questions from group members that were watching while we chatted.
My Links
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music : Afterglow by Ben Drake (https://facebook.com/BenDrakeMusic)
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcom…
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EP 0104 - Health Anxiety and Uncertainty With Dr. Ingvard Wilhemsen
23 april 2020 · 30 min
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Today I was fortunate to have spent 25 minutes on a Zoom call with Dr. Ingvard Wilhemsen, a respected expert in the field of health anxiety and hypochondriasis from the University of Bergen in Norway. We discussed the basis of health anxiety, what drives it, the underlying principles of uncertainty and safety, and some of the effective methods he uses when treating patients with health anxiety.
Dr Willhemsen has been kind enough to offer to do a follow-up episode with us, so if you have questions or comments, please follow the links to any of my social media channels. Feel free to reach out with whatever questions you might have and I'll do my best to get them answered in a coming episode.
To learn more about Dr. Wilhelmsen or any of his work, you can Google him here.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0103 - You Don't Have to Feel OK To Be OK
15 april 2020 · 26 min
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Inspired by a post I made on Instagram, here's 25 minutes or so on the difference between feeling OK and actually being OK. The highlights:
Your anxiety disorder has you in the bad habit of scanning and evaluating your state all the time
Your anxiety disorder has you interpreting how you feel through a distorted lens of fear and misguided threat assessment
You then make the mistake of nailing your assessment of how you FEEL, so your assessment of what you are capable of doing
You do not have to feel OK, to be OK. You must be aware of the scanning and evaluating habit, and you must be aware of the mistake of equating how you feel to what you are capable of doing. You must ACT even when feeling less than OK. You must show yourself through experience that thinking that you are not OK is incorrect, and that you are able to manage and live a normal day even when feeling badly. The experience of doing this repeatedly will help eliminate the mistake you have been making and break the scanning/evaluating habit you have formed.
Remember, action is required. You cannot simply choose to believe that you are OK, you must ACT to show yourself that you are really OK regardless of how you feel.
Going through this process will teach you lessons about tolerating and managing the distress that are bound to impact every one of us from time to time. These are lessons that go far beyond anxiety recovery and will serve you will forever.
My Links:
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music:
"Afterglow" by Ben Drake (https://facebook.com/BenDrakeMusic)
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome …
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EP 0102 - Fear Of Insanity Or Going Crazy
1 april 2020 · 34 min
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For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/102
One of the two most common fears of anxiety and panic sufferers is the fear of going insane. Losing one's mind. Going crazy. Many worry that they will "lose it", or "snap" when at the height of panic or extreme anxiety. This is a difficult fear to face, but it remains an irrational fear that never comes true.
The fear of going insane or losing one's mind is no different than the fear of dying, or passing out, or vomiting, or anything else. The fear that you may lose your mind because of anxiety and panic is just another in the long line of irrational, distorted, magnified fears that come along with anxiety disorders. Your catastrophe (going insane) is not special and does not warrant any special approach or technique to address.
Episode Topics:
There Is No "Sanity Control" To Worry About
Anxiety and Panic Are Not Equal To Severe Trauma
You Have Not Kept Yourself Sane
Let Go. Surrender To The Worst.
Fear of Underlying Mental Illness
Is There A "Breaking Point"?
DP/DR - It's Not Special Or More Important
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForum
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your me…
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EP 0101 - The Selfish Nature of Anxiety and Fear
25 maart 2020 · 28 min
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For full show notes on this episode, go to https://theanxiousgroup.com/101
Anxiety disorders are selfish disorders. Anxiety and fear are self-centered and will push their way to the front of the line at all times. When struggling with an anxiety disorder, the selfish nature of the disorder often makes you look selfish and self-centered. The disorder is selfish. You are not. Anxiety and fear drive self-centered behaviors in three ways:
Disruption Based on Avoidance
Anxiety causes you to spend your time scanning for threats. Every situation is evaluated based on how it may make you feel. Decisions are made based on the drive to avoid the feelings and thoughts that you hate and fear. When your anxiety drives you to cancel engagements, avoid places and situations, and flee from discomfort, the change in your lifestyle impacts the people around you ....
Becoming The Center of The Universe
Anxiety and fear will drive you focus on yourself continuously. In any given situation, anxiety will demand the lion’s share of your attention. While those around you are focused on solving a problem, resolving a conflict, or enjoying a social gathering, you likely found yourself occupied primarily with how you are feeling. While the world asks, “What shall we do now?”, you will ask, “How will this impact ME?!” ....
Feeding The Beast On Down Low
When anxiety and fear have the door slammed on them, then get creative. You may have been told by friends and family – or even your therapist – that talking about how you feel and seeking constant soothing and reassurance is no longer going to be tolerated. Your anxiety disorder does not like that news. Often it will compel you to find “sneaky” ways of making itself seen and heard ....
What Can I Do About This?
First, work on being aware of when anxiety is driving self-centered behavior. Then, get to work. You can't really fix the self-centered stuff without working on full recovery anyway, so t…
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EP 0100 - Learning To Believe In Yourself
18 maart 2020 · 35 min
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My friend Kendra Beavis has an amazing story. This is a story about making major life changes, solving life problems, and become a better version of yourself. So much of this is based on belief. Belief in yourself, and belief in your ability to do hard things and make changes.
We can't just choose change. We can't just decide to believe in ourselves and be instantly confident. Often we must take action to make the changes we want in our life even before we are confident taking action. Meaningful progress and change isn't something you may believe you are capable right now, but that's OK.
You don't get to be confident, and you don't get to believe in yourself by waving a magic wand. Belief and confidence are things we learn through action and experience. Belief and confidence are earned by doing the hard or scary things you might not think you can do. When we make the choice to move ahead even though you don't feel ready, amazing things can happen.
Amazing things happened for Kendra. I'm grateful that she took the time to share it with us today.
You can find Kendra and her two podcasts on her website at kendrabeavis.com.
Join The Facebook Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGFourm
My Links
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeduca…
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EP 0099 - The Habit Of Words
11 maart 2020 · 38 min
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For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/99
We naturally develop habits with respect to the way we talk about, think about, and write about our anxiety problems. This is the habit of words, and it matters. Identifying unhealthy and counterproductive habits of words, then working to replace them with more recovery-focused habits is well worth the effort.
The most common habit of words is the habit of constantly saying how you feel, what you're afraid of, and how much you hate it all. This is the habit that most people in the grips of an anxiety disorder naturally develop. This is a bad habit. Constantly talking about, thinking about, and writing about what you feel is a form of safety and reassurance seeking. This is bad because it reinforces the mistaken cognitive connection between discomfort and fear. If you are spending an inordinate amount of time telling people what you're feeling and experiencing in a passive way, you are hoping to both comforted and saved from your anxiety and its symptoms. This sends the wrong signal to your brain. This tells your brain that anxiety is a problem that requires evasive action and rescue. You are inadvertently reinforcing the foundation of the disorder.
You may understand why seeking safety or engaging in avoidance is a bad thing, however you may wonder why its wrong to want to be soothed or comforted when afraid. Aside from the reinforcement of the disorder we discussed, asking other people to make you feel better is giving away the power you have to make yourself feel better over time. YOU are capable of driving the recovery bus. When you rely on others to comfort and soothe you all the time, you are handing the keys to them. You are asking them to drive the bus. They may want to, but nobody can drive your recovery bus but you. Nobody else can drive you to recovery land.
If constantly telling everyone (including yourself) how you feel is a bad habit, then w…
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EP 0098 - STOP Checking In With Yourself!
4 maart 2020 · 26 min
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Full show notes for this episode are at https://theanxioustruth.com/98
Telling someone in the grips of a raging anxiety disorder to "check in with themselves" is a TERRIBLE bit of advice. If you are in the grips of a ranging anxiety disorder - finding it near impossible to STOP thinking about how you feel all the time - it's OK to reject this advice.
While in the grips of raging disorders like OCD, health anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia, specifically making time to focus inward on how one is feeling is like pouring gasoline on a fire. A person that is desperate to STOP paying constant attention to how they feel and what they think does not need to turn inward to see what they need. What they need is to stop focusing inward. The inward focus is driving their problem. Telling this person that they need to check in with themselves to see how they're feeling is like telling an inmate to escape from prison by running back into the cell block. It's just terrible advice in this context. Sorry, but it is.
Sometimes part of the anxiety problem is compulsion to think about one's state. Engaging in inner dialogue with fear driven distorted and disordered thoughts becomes a dysfunctional game that the sufferer is powerless to resist. Every waking moment is spend scanning one's own body and mind for threats to sanity, life, and limb. Inward focus and self-examination can become a literal torture chamber. This is a fact for many wrestling with anxiety problems.
Website and Social Links
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to …
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EP 0097 - Anxiety and Abusive/Controlling Relationships (w/Long Island Against Domestic Violence)
26 februari 2020 · 30 min
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Full show notes for this episode can be found at https://theanxioustruth.com/97
Being in an abusive or controlling relationship is difficult for anyone. Struggling with an anxiety disorder complicates things, making the situation even more difficult to handle. Statistics show that 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, will be involved in an abusive relationship at one point in their lives. This is a problem in the general population. My experience in the anxiety disorders community leads be to believe that it is even more prevalent among people suffering from anxiety problems. Today I was joined by Colleen Merlo and Wendy Linsalata of Long Island Against Domestic Violence. Colleen and Wendy were kind enough to give their time to discuss the problem and answer questions posed in my Facebook group.
Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline (United States): 1-800-799-7233
National Domestic Violence Hotline web site: https://thehotline.org
Long Island Against Domestic Violence: 631-666-8833
Long Island Against Domestic Violence web site: https://liadv.org
Join The Discussion Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForumMy Links (social media, podcasts, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/linksSupport The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions abou…
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EP 0096 - Addressing Perfectionism w/Dr Tara Sanderson
19 februari 2020 · 28 min
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For full show notes on this episode, visit https://theanxioustruth.com/96
Perfectionism. It's a label I hear frequently self-applied by many going through the process of recovering from an anxiety disorder. Labeling oneself as a perfectionist results in challenges that make recovery more difficult than it has to be.
Today I was able to spend time with Dr. Tara Sanderson, a licensed doctoral level psychologist practicing in Oregon. Tara not only specializes in behaviorally oriented therapies for anxiety issues, but she has experienced the "curse" of perfectionism in her own life and has written a book on the topic.
Changing and challenging perfectionism requires an understanding of why you may be labeling yourself that way and attempting to make everything right and perfect in the world. Are you bolstering your self-image by wearing perfectionism as a badge of honor? Are you convinced that making everything perfect will make life better or easier? In both cases, accepting the reality of a life where neither of those motivations is serving you is the first step toward changing things.
Join The Discussion Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForumMy Links (social media, podcasts, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/linksFind Tara On Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and on her practice website.
Find Tara's book, Too Much Not Enough on her book website.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeuti…
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EP 0095: Anxiety Success Story - Martine Changes Direction
12 februari 2020 · 21 min
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For full show notes on this episode, visit https://theanxioustruth.com/95
Just six months ago, Martine was experimenting with medication, housebound most of the time, and considering hospitalization to deal with her anxiety problem. Today she is working, participating with her family, living a normal life, and looking forward to what comes next. Today Martine took some time to chat with me about how she changed direction and took control of the situation. Where once Martine has no direction and no plan for recovery, everything changed when she decided to start doing things she was afraid to do. Through repetition and incremental progress, everything changed.
Her message? “Don’t give up. It will get better!”
Truer words were never spoken. Thanks, Martine, for taking the time so share your story.
Join my Facebook group and get involved in the discussion:
https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForum
My website and all social links:
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro and outro music - “Afterglow” by Ben Drake (with permission)
https://facebook.com/BenDrakeMusic
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately fo…
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EP 0093 - Dizziness and Unsteadiness Due To Anxiety
29 januari 2020 · 21 min
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For the full show notes on this episode including a link to the diaphragmatic breathing video I mentioned:
https://theanxioustruth.com/93
For many people, feeling dizzy or unsteady is one of the most enduring and difficult to deal with anxiety symptoms. If you are
There are two main steps in dealing with dizziness and unsteadiness:
1. Change the way you think about and talk about this sensation. This isn't true physically debilitating dizziness that makes you literally unable to stand upright. This sensation is simply a feeling of visual and physical discomfort when moving through space. You are uncomfortable when moving, but you are still able to move through space and function without impairment. Being uncomfortable isn't ideal, but start to embrace the difference between incapacitated and uncomfortable. They are not equal. You are unsteady, which is uncomfortable for you, and you are likely reacting in fear to that discomfort. When think about this issue, this is how you must frame it. When you talk about it, you must change the narrative.
"I'm so dizzy I cant do anything."
becomes
"I feel unsteady and its uncomfortable and scary, but I'm still capable of living life".
2. Change the way you react to this sensation. Rather than stopping, retreating, avoiding, bracing and fighting, you must accept and fully surrender to the feeling of dizziness and unsteadiness. Rather than sitting down, leaving to go back to your safe zone, or "going to ground" (a term I hear all the time, you will relax your body, breathe slowly into your belly, and train your focus on your breath or some other point of your choosing rather than on the sensation and accompanying thoughts. You can slow down and continue doing whatever it is you were doing or want to do, remaining physically relaxed, breathing properly (to avoid the over breathing/hyperventilation that makes the sensation worse), and and focused on the task at hand. Let the sensatio…
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EP 0092 - Monophobia (Fear Of Being Alone)
22 januari 2020 · 21 min
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Monophobia - the fear of being alone - is a common component of the panic, anxiety and agoraphobia complex. When left unchecked, panic disorder leads to agoraphobia. When this happens, monophobia often develops at the same time. If your coping mechanisms rely heavily on a "safe" person, or safe people, then you are more likely to develop monophobia. Monophobics expend a great deal of effort and energy in an attempt to never be alone. This can be VERY disruptive and impactful when it comes to daily life, and relationships with those people designated as safe or rescue people.
Monophobia is not a different or special kind of problem. It's simply your fear of anxiety and related symptoms expressed in a given context - being alone and out of reach of your safe or rescue people. This is simply the mistaken belief that you need someone to safe you from panic and its related sensations. When deprived of that rescuer or rescuers, the monophobic perceives an even greater danger and reacts accordingly. This is why monophobics often say they have no safe place. In monophobia, safe places are replaced by safe people.
Overcoming monophobia is handled the same way we handle everything else we discuss here. Moving toward the fear and exposing oneself systematically and incrementally to those fearful sensations and thoughts without reacting to them. This can be done by working on other situations - driving, shopping, going to work, going for a walk - or by attacking the "alone" context directly via systematic and incremental periods spent alone, confronting the fear and the associated sensations and symptoms.
Repeated experiences with positive outcomes - afraid but still safe and OK - will break the connection between fear and danger. Once the monophobic person is no longer afraid of his or her own body and mind in any situation, they no longer require rescue and therefore no longer fear being alone.
Show notes for this episode can be f…
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EP 0091 - Worry and Worrying
15 januari 2020 · 26 min
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Worry and worrying are problems that many people struggle with along road to recovering from an anxiety disorder. I'm asked to cover this topic again and again. So ... a few words about worry and worrying.
Full notes for this episode can be found at https://theanxioustruth.com/91
Worry is simply thinking. Thinking by itself has absolutely no impact on the real world. Worry, therefore is not protective, predictive or proactive. Worry does not keep you safe from disaster. It does not keep bad things from happening. It does not prepare you for when they do. Worry is just thinking, and its not terribly useful.
Worry is related to planning. Planning is thinking accompanied by action. When planning, we take our thoughts and transform them into real world actions required to respond to and react to real world events. Planning is useful. Planning is helpful. We all plan in some way. Worry, on the other hand, is thinking WITHOUT action. Worry is half a plan and has no worth or purpose.
Worry is not a life sentence. Being a "worrier" isn't your fate for the rest of your life. You can change this.
Being a "worrier" is often a self-applied label that we secretly wear as a badge of honor. This is also not helpful. Worry is not a substitute for love and caring, nor does it prove that you are loving or caring. Worry matters only to the person worrying. No matter how much you worry about someone, that person can never experience it because worry exists only in your head. You can love and care for someone without engaging in worry about them. You can drop the "worrier" label and still be a kind, loving and caring person.
We can get off the worry train two ways:
1. Some worries can be transformed into actual plans. By adding action, we can convert a worry into a plan. Once you've created a plan, you can remove this item from your worry bucket and move along. This sometimes involve recognizing that you are simply skipping the action par…
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EP 0090 - What If It Comes Back? Examining The "Acceptable Bubble"
8 januari 2020 · 23 min
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One of the common worries while recovering from an anxiety disorder is the fear that it might "come back" after recovery. This is something I hear from many many people. It's also pretty common in the community surrounding the podcast to see people arrive that have been through these issues before. They thought had it all solved, but find themselves back in the grips of panic, anxiety and associated nastiness.
The Acceptable Bubble - What Is It?
This is closely related to what I've been calling the "acceptable bubble". This is the bubble we build when we do the "recovery things", but we engineer them to do them without anxiety. Often this means that someone has found a panic-free way to do all the required basic life things, then kinda stopped doing the work. The hallmark of the "acceptable bubble" is the existence of limits and limitations in one's life.
What Are The Signs Of An Acceptable Bubble?
If you feel like you've recovered, but you still "can't" do things that outside your normal daily experiences, you may be in an acceptable bubble. When are rely on safe people or safety mechanisms to get the bigger tasks done, there's a chance that you're in an acceptable bubble. If you are enduring your days, pushing through anxiety and trying desperately to just get through, you've built an acceptable bubble.
The REAL Goal of Recovery
When we build a panic free acceptable bubble, we never reach the ultimate goal of recovery. The real end game of recovery is to learn to not be afraid of our own bodies and minds. We must learn to experience fear and discomfort without being afraid of being afraid. This is what recovery is all about. Going to work, or the supermarket, or on a family vacation are the happy results of achieving this goal. They are not the goal itself.
Avoiding The Acceptable Bubble - Getting The Job Done For Good!
In the end, avoiding the dreaded acceptable bubble is a personal thing. You must be able to look…
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EP 0089 - Breath and Breathing Centered Anxiety
1 januari 2020 · 29 min
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"What if I forget how to breathe?"
"What if I just stop breathing?"
"I can't get enough air in my lungs."
"I can't take a deep breath."
Breath and breathing focused anxiety is quite common among people that suffer from anxiety disorders like panic disorder and agoraphobia. In this episode I discuss the two most common forms of this anxiety.
For full show notes: https://theanxioustruth.com/89
[1:30] "I Am Afraid That I Will Forget How To Breathe"
The first is an obsession with the thought that you have to actively, manually breathe, or your body will somehow forget to breathe or you will stop breathing. This obsessive, irrational thought may grip you during every waking moment, tricking you into thinking that you must stay involved in the process of breathing to avoid some horrible fate.
[12:19] "It Feels Like I Can't Breathe. I Can't Take a Deep Breath!"
This is the second common form of breath and breathing focused anxiety. You may walk around all day suffering from "air hunger", feeling like you can't breathe or that you can't get a deep enough breath. You may feel like there is a tight band around your chest, which causes you to attempt to expand your ribcage and "fill" your lungs to maximum capacity to relieve that sensation.
Join The Discussion Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForumMy Links (social media, podcasts, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/linksIntro and outro music - Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission)
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy …
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EP 0088 - Anxiety Success Stories : Joyce Gets Angry ... And Gets Better!
26 december 2019 · 25 min
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My friend Joyce joined me to talk about her slide into severe panic disorder and agoraphobia, which was followed by an aggressive recovery and rebuilding of her life. Listen to Joyce describe her journey from being frozen in fear on her sofa to being back at work and feeling limitless. Of particular note is the way Joyce used anger and frustration to fuel her recovery efforts. For many, this can be an excellent strategy and I really appreciate Joyce being so open and honest about how she was feeling and how it helped to propel her forward. As always, comments and questions are welcomed. I will do my best to relay any questions or messages to Joyce as they are asked.
My Links (website, podcast, social. mailing list, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0087 - Being Yourself Again : Hope and Help For Your Nerves Chapter 9
23 december 2019 · 54 min
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Holly and I discuss chapter 9 of Claire Weekes' "Hope And Help For Your Nerves". This chapter discusses the nature of recovery and the road to being yourself again. Some of the highlights:
Your symptoms will not immediately go away, and may even worsen during recovery.
You cannot simply decide to not be afraid. You must LEARN to not be afraid.
We discuss the use of medication in conjunction with recovery.
Keeping occupied - not being wholly consumed at all times with recovery - is essential.
Quick recovery is possible and does happen for some people.
A big part of recovery is understanding that what you think is keeping you stuck.
Setbacks can and likely will happen, but they're not really setbacks if you frame them properly and learn from them.
You can buy Hope and Help From Your Nerves by following the Amazon links from my website:
https://theanxioustruth.com/shop/
Join The Discussion Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForumMy Links (social media, podcasts, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/linksSupport The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0086 - Stop Arguing With Your Anxiety and Trauma (w/Joe Ryan)
14 december 2019 · 40 min
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When confronted with uncomfortable and scary feelings of anxiety, panic or emotions based on past trauma, the immediate response is to "talk yourself down". Trying convince yourself that you are OK using words, phrases and thoughts often does not work. When this happens, you are at a fork in the road. You can enlist the aid of your support system to argue with your anxiety or trauma for you, or you can resign yourself to just feel everything without resistance to let it pass through you and end naturally.
Spoiler alert ... you want option two. Facing and accepting anxiety, panic, and feelings based on your past is harder, but its the path that leads to long term change and lasting recovery. Continuing to argue, or using your support team to argue by proxy for you, may be an attractive option because it's the "easier" option and may seem like the fast path to feeling better in the moment, but there's no learning or changing to found there.
Joe and I speak about this process, the need to face and feel what's in front of you, and how this leads to a deeper understanding of the reality of being capable, competent and safe. This is the direction you want to go. Trust us.
Thanks to Joe for taking the time to chat!
Comments and questions are always welcomed.
Join The Discussion Group
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https://facebook.com/groups/TAGForumMy Links (social media, podcasts, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/linksFind Joe at https://joeryan.com or on Instagram at @joeryan.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is…
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EP 0085 - Heart Anxiety Issues and Interoceptive Exposure
6 december 2019 · 33 min
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If you are a regular listener of the podcast, odds are that you've had anxiety, worry and fear focused on your heart at least once or twice. This is quite common. Heart-centered anxiety generally involves being afraid of a rapid, strong, or irregular (flutters/palpitations) heartbeat. This is either due to an underlying fear that something is wrong with your heart or will go wrong, or due to the link between a rapid/strong heartbeat and a panic attack. In either case, the way out, as always, is through. We can use interoceptive exposure techniques to intentionally create the rapid or strong heartbeat we fear in order to desensitize and learn that there is no reason to fear your heartbeat. Yes, this involves intentionally experiencing that which you fear, but this is almost always the case when solving these problems.
Comments and questions always welcomed.
Find this episode on my website:
https://theanxioustruth.com/85
My Links:
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Music - Afterglow by Ben Drake (with permission)
https://facebook.com/BenDrakeMusic
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person …
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EP 0084 - Anxiety and Autism/Neurodiversity Issues w/Christa Holmans
26 november 2019 · 39 min
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Today I chatted with Christa Holmans about some of the overlapping issues found in both anxiety disorders and autism and other neurodivesity conditions such as ADHD. Christa had so much excellent insight on how autism influences how one may deal with anxiety issues! I really enjoyed this discussion and I hope you will too!
My Links (Website, podcast, social media, etc.)
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Find Christa Online
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https://neurodivergentrebel.com
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0083 - Intrusive, Unwanted, Obsessive Thoughts - w/Dr. Martin Seif
16 november 2019 · 35 min
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Today I was fortunate to spend about 30 minutes with Dr. Martin Seif, a psychologist and author specializing in anxiety disorders. Dr. Seif and I talked about intrusive, obsessive and unwanted thoughts. What are they? How do they become so troublesome? How should we approach this problem?
For the full notes on this episode and all links, go to https://theanxioustruth.com/83
Find all my links at https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Find Dr. Martin Seif at http://drmartinseif.com
Find the Anxiety And Depression Association of America at https://aada.org
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0082 - Stop Reading. Start Doing.
28 oktober 2019 · 9 min
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Reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, and otherwise educating yourself about your anxiety disorder is a good idea ...until its becomes a safety and avoidance behavior Ultimately, overcoming an anxiety disorder only happens by DOING, not by reading. So after you've read the book for the fifth time, or you've read 10 anxiety books and want to read an 11th, you must realize that its time to actually put what you've learned into action. There is no lasting progress without action. There's hard, scary stuff to do here, but its so worth doing, so put down the book and lets actually do the things you've been reading about!
My Links
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https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0080 - Anxiety Success : How Raven Got It All Together
20 september 2019 · 34 min
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How my friend Raven went from homebound agoraphobic, crippled with panic and intrusive thoughts and fears, to living her life, not being afraid of anxiety, and making plans for her future. If there was every an uplifting story from a lovely human being, it would be this one. If you think you can't, here's 30 minutes that will show you that you CAN! Thank you Raven, for taking the time to share with us!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0079 - Dealing With Emotions And Anxiety At The Same Time (w/Joe Ryan)
16 september 2019 · 24 min
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One of the most common issues that seems to pop up for people doing the work to overcome an anxiety disorder is emotions and how to deal with them while in the recovery. What do I do when I feel sad, or angry, or generally upset? Is that wrong? Is this a setback in my recovery? Its it OK to cry or otherwise express my emotions when they come up? My friend Joe Ryan and I talk about how its perfectly OK and normal to experience emotions, and how its healthy and productive to express them whenever and however you need to. We answer common questions, address common concerns, and point out potential pitfalls when dealing with those emotional times.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Joe's Links
https://joeryan.com
https://instagram.com/joeryan
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0078 - Anxiety Recovery - What Should You Do When You "Fail"?
19 augustus 2019 · 48 min
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Recorded from YouTube Live August 19, 2019
What do you do when you “fail” at an exposure, or when you have a particularly difficult anxiety day and wind up escaping back to your “safe zone”? I can tell you what you should NOT do. You should NOT just sit home and recount the story of how horrible it was and how you failed and how upset you are. That is sending the wrong story and signals to you brain.
Think objectively.
Realize what you did wrong.
Think about what would have been a better course of action.
GET UP
DO. IT. AGAIN. IMMEDIATELY.
Turning a “fail” into a “win” is easier than you think. Do not miss the opportunity to turn things around because you CAN and it will matter in the overall scheme of your recovery progress.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0077 - Anxiety Recovery - Common Exposure Misconceptions And Mistakes
15 augustus 2019 · 33 min
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Today I'm joined by my friend Holly to talk about common misconceptions and mistakes surrounding exposure. Many people are unaware of the true nature of exposure and how it actually works as part of the anxiety recovery process. Lets clear up a few things.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0076 - I Feel OK ... And I'm Not Sure What To Do Now (w/Joe Ryan)
7 augustus 2019 · 32 min
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You've been doing the work. You've been working the process. You're facing your fears and learning not to be afraid of how you feel. You're no longer crippled by panic, fear and anxiety. One day you find that that familiar fear and anxiety is missing. Is this what it feels like to feel OK? What am I supposed to do with this? Where's the anxiety? Should I be happy now? What if it comes back and puts me back to square one?
These are questions I hear all the time from people that have reached the point where they're having anxiety free moments. Today my friend Joe and I discuss this issue and how he's dealing with it. We talk about not continually scanning and assessing your state, why you can't go back to square one if you've gone THROUGH the fear, and what feeling "OK" looks like in the real world. Thanks again to Joe for taking the time.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Find Joe Online
https://instagram.com/joeryan
https://joeryan.com
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reac…
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EP 0075 - Issues of Competence, Confidence and Self-Esteem in Anxiety Recovery (w/Joe Ryan)
5 augustus 2019 · 25 min
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Often, issues of self-esteem, confidence and competence can get in the way when recovering from anxiety and panic issues. If you've ever been made to feel like you're not good enough, not capable, or not competent, my old friend Joe Ryan shares how he has dealt with this on his own journey. Thanks to Joe for spending more time with us today!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Find Joe Online
https://instagram.com/joeryan
https://joeryan.com
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0074 - How Trauma And Pain Do NOT Have To Ruin Your Day (w/Joe Ryan)
31 juli 2019 · 28 min
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Its possible to work through anxiety, panic, trauma and pain without having it ruin every day. Today I'm joined by my old friend Joe Ryan. Joe has spent years working this process and offers some great insight on how to deal with anxiety, panic and even past trauma without being crushed by every memory, thought or sensation. Thanks to Joe for spending time with us today!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Find Joe Online
https://instagram.com/joeryan
https://joeryan.com
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0073 - Sunday Night Anxiety Q&A - July 7, 2019
8 juli 2019 · 20 min
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Q&A from my Facebook group including questions about dizziness, driving, doctor visits, airports, neck spasms, anticipatory anxiety and exposure mechanics. Thanks to Jay, Connie, Charli, Julie, Clay and Marie-Anne for calling in!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0072 - Dealing With Anticipatory Anxiety
5 juli 2019 · 14 min
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Anticipatory anxiety isn't a special or different kind of anxiety. It's not a mysterious external force over which you have no control. Let's define it, break it down, and look at ways of moving through anticipatory anxiety so you can get to the work that really needs to be done.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0068 - Dealing With OCD and Obsessive Thoughts (w/Kimberly Quinlan (LMFT))
5 april 2019 · 36 min
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Today I had a chat with Kimberley Quinlan (LMFT) about OCD, obsessive/intrusive thoughts, and how to deal with them effectively. Lots of good information and resources in this one, along with a bunch of concepts you'll find very familiar if you've been following me for any length of time. Thanks to Kim for sharing her time with us!
Find Kim on Instagram: @kimberleyquinlan or on her website http://cbtschool.com
Find the International OCD Foundation at https://iocdf.org/
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0067 - How Should You Talk About Your Anxiety?
4 april 2019 · 16 min
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The way you talk about your anxiety matters. More than you think. Are you always speaking passively and just describing how you feel? Are you worried about what people will think about your anxiety? Do you fear that you are boring them, alienating them, or pushing them away when you discuss your anxiety? Are you ready to adopt a more constructive active voice that reflects ongoing recovery?
This is a great question that came up in the Facebook group a few days ago, so I thought it was worth 15 minutes or so to talk about it.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0066 - Anxiety Success : How Sarah Overcame Her Health Anxiety
5 februari 2019 · 40 min
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If you’re suffering with health anxiety – no matter how severe – Sarah’s story will inspire you and give you hope. Join me as we look at Sarah’s journey into completely out of control health anxiety, then back out to a place of calm and peace when it comes to her health and her state of being. Thank you so much to Sarah for taking the time to share her story!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0065 - Anxiety Success : How Andrew Is Taking His Life Back
31 januari 2019 · 54 min
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My friend Andrew has gone from "contented agoraphobic" to well down the path to full recovery and was nice enough to take some time to share his story. We talk about how he got to where he is today, what the future holds, and we we answer some questions asked in our Facebook discussion group. Thank you Andrew!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0064 - Near Panic On-Air and More Viewer Questions (w/Billy from Anxiety United_
27 januari 2019 · 1 uur 36 min
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"Drew, are you cured? Do you ever have panic attacks?" I get this question all the time. The answer is ... I can still experience a panic attack now and then. So come listen to me experience near panic on-air in this episode. Then Billy and I answer more questions from the Facebook forum.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Anxiety United
https://youtube.com/anxietyunited
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0063 - Dealing With Stress (W/Billy from Anxiety United)
26 januari 2019 · 1 uur 30 min
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Billy and I discuss the relationship between stress and anxiety and why stress doesn’t have to automatically become anxiety and fear. Afterward we answer a slew of great questions from the Facebook discussion group. This is a long one so grab your favorite beverage and make some time to listen. :-)
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Anxiety United
https://youtube.com/anxietyunited
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0062 - Part 2 : Someone I Care About Has Anxiety Problems - How Can I Help?
16 januari 2019 · 51 min
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If you have someone in your life that you care about that’s dealing with serious anxiety issues to the point where they can’t leave home, or be alone, or work, or attend school, etc … then this episode is aimed at you. Holly and I talk about the nature of anxiety disorders like panic disorder and agoraphobia, what they are and are not, and the general course of action required to overcome these problems.A good primer if you have a friend, partner or family member that suffers with one of these problems. Be sure to check out part 1 too!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0061 - Part 1 : Someone I Care About Has Anxiety Problems. How Can I Help?
15 januari 2019 · 29 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Lees meer
If you have someone in your life that you care about that’s dealing with serious anxiety issues to the point where they can’t leave home, or be alone, or work, or attend school, etc … then this episode is aimed at you. Holly and I talk about the nature of anxiety disorders like panic disorder and agoraphobia, what they are and are not, and the general course of action required to overcome these problems.
A good primer if you have a friend, partner or family member that suffers with one of these problems. Be sure to check out part 2 for specific discussion of what you can do to help!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0060 - Making An Anxiety Recovery Plan (w/Billy from Anxiety United)
5 januari 2019 · 1 uur 14 min
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Overcoming anxiety problems means making a good recovery plan and executing it. In this episode I'm joined by my friend Billy from Anxiety United. We discuss the basics of a good recovery plan including breaking things into small steps, the importance of repetition, and changing how you think and talk about your anxiety problems. We also answer questions from the Facebook group.
Comments and questions always welcomed.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Anxiety United
https://youtube.com/AnxietyUnited
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0059 - Anxiety, Sex and Relationship Issues (With Leslie Gustafson)
4 januari 2019 · 24 min
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A discussion of how anxiety disorders can impact sex, intimacy and relationships in general with licensed therapist and certified sex therapist Leslie Gustafson. Leslie and I talk about the general approach to this problem, some of the nuances, and – surprise – we talk about how action oriented behavioral therapies are so effective in addressing not only the sex problem, but the anxiety disorders themselves. Thanks to Leslie for taking the time to help out!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Find Leslie online here:
http://authenticandtrue.com
http://amazingintimacybox.com
http://instagram.com/lesliegusafson1
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0058 - Overcoming Anxiety : Taking A Leap Of Faith
18 december 2018 · 36 min
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At some point in this process, you MUST take a leap of faith. All the talking and questioning and reading and learning must give way to actually leaping off that cliff - fully surrendering to and accepting your anxiety symptoms. Its terrifying, we know, but in this episode Holly and I talk about how we MUST leap to finally learn that we will be OK. Without the leap of faith, real progress will be hard to come by.
Comments and questions welcomed as always!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0056 - Anxiety and Dining Out / Social Situations (w/Billy from Anxiety United)
27 november 2018 · 37 min
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Billy and I discuss anxiety and panic related to dining out, restaurants, bars, pubs and social situations. We talk about how to approach it, steps that can be taken to overcome this problem, and how learning cognitive techniques for thought changing can be so helpful with this problem.
Comments, questions and topic suggestions are always welcomed!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0055 - Overcoming The Fear of Panic While Driving - With Billy from Anxiety United
25 november 2018 · 46 min
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In this episode Billy and I discuss driving anxiety, the fear of having a panic attack while driving, and what to do about it. We talk about specific steps that can be taken to address this fear and overcome it through exposure and cognitive restructuring.
Comments and questions welcomed as always!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0054 - Anxiety vs Anxiety Disorders : Clarification and Different Approaches
12 november 2018 · 9 min
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Lets to clarify the focus of my content on anxiety disorders as opposed to just being anxious about things. A quick chat about the difference and why my approach is what it is. I briefly discuss different classes of therapies and how they apply to each situation.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0053 - Anxiety and Why Positive Self-Talk is Bullsh*t
22 oktober 2018 · 13 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Lees meer
One of the tools I hear people talk about often is “positive self talk”. Let me tell you why this is not a good thing when you’re dealing with high anxiety and panic. As usual, there’s no sugar coating in this one. :-)
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0052 - Anxiety Sucess Stories : How Jackie Got Her Mojo Back
20 augustus 2018 · 31 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Lees meer
Jackie suffered from panic attacks and anxiety for years until she had a “lightbulb moment” and turned the corner. Join me as I chat with Jackie about how she went from the depths of anxiety to a normal life. Thanks for sharing, Jackie!
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0051 - The BIGGEST Panic/Anxiety Decision You MUST Make - What Nobody Wants To Hear
3 augustus 2018 · 16 min
Send in a question or comment via text. Lees meer
This is what nobody wants to hear when it comes to overcoming anxiety and panic related problems, because its the hard part. There’s a large scale commitment/decision you MUST make before you can start making real lasting forward progress. If you can’t make this choice at the macro level, you’ll struggle with consistently making good choices day-by-day as you handle your anxiety problems.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
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EP 0050 - Dealing With Panic : The Critical Moment of Decision
31 juli 2018 · 17 min
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When panic strikes, we have a critical moment of decision. What will you do? How will you handle it? What is your plan? The decision we make at that moment is impactful in so many ways both short and long term. Accept how you feel and panic productively and its over quickly so you can get on with your day and your life in general. React in fear and the outcome will be completely different. Which way do you want to go with your panic?
This episode was inspired by experiencing some panic while out on a bike ride this morning. Yes, I still experience panic now and then. I just don't care when it happens.
My Links
https://theanxioustruth.com/links
Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com.
Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!
Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.
Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.