Block Out the Noise: Anxiety Doesn't Get to Define You

• Why does therapy feel stuck?
• What if therapy is not the problem?
• What if you need a clearer direction?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down five reasons anxiety therapy can start to feel like it is not working. If you have tried therapy, switched therapists, or keep showing up every week without feeling much change, this episode helps you look at what might be getting in the way before deciding therapy has failed you.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why therapy cannot create change without your participation
• How readiness affects progress in anxiety therapy
• Why therapist fit matters more than people realize
• How venting can keep sessions from moving deeper
• Why therapy goals help you measure progress
• How to bring an honest conversation into your next session

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

•  Why does one sensation take over?
• Why does checking never feel like enough?
• What if reassurance is keeping fear alive?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down the health anxiety loop that happens when a body sensation shows up and your mind immediately asks, “Is this anxiety or is something wrong with me?” Even when you have been checked, reassured, or told you are okay, the sensation still feels real in the moment, which pulls you back into checking, searching, and asking for reassurance.

Jessica explains how health anxiety gets learned, why fear makes body sensations feel louder, and how checking teaches your brain that safety has to be checked. You’ll learn the difference between getting appropriate medical care and feeding the reassurance loop, plus two small ways to respond when familiar, previously assessed sensations show up again.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why health anxiety makes body sensations feel urgent
• How checking keeps the fear loop alive
• Why reassurance helps briefly but does not last
• How health anxiety shrinks your life over time
• Why pausing before checking helps create a gap
• How to ask for support without asking for certainty 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

• Are you preparing or avoiding?
• What are you waiting to feel ready for?
• What if overthinking is fear with a to-do list?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down how overthinking can look like preparation when it is really fear keeping you stuck. If you keep researching, planning, tweaking, comparing, and waiting for the perfect moment, this episode will help you ask whether you are being thorough or avoiding the thing that scares you.

Jessica explains why perfectionism makes every option feel unsafe, why planning can become an escape, and why waiting for readiness can keep you stagnant. You’ll learn how to define “thorough enough,” get real feedback, stop hiding in private preparation, and take action before anxiety convinces you to wait longer.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why overthinking can feel productive but keep you stuck
• How perfectionism makes “good enough” feel unsafe
• How to tell when being thorough turns into avoidance
• Why planning can become a way to hide from action
• How feedback helps more than private overthinking
• Why ready is a decision, not a feeling

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

• Why does anxiety feel so hard to let go of?
• What if worry feels safer than calm?
• Who would you be without anxiety?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why anxiety can start to feel like a toxic friend you never chose but somehow learned to live with. Anxiety can show up in every part of life, from job interviews and relationships to late-night overthinking, and then convince you it is keeping you safe.

Jessica explains why anxiety starts to feel necessary, how avoidance slowly shrinks your choices, and why fear can make calm feel unfamiliar. You’ll learn how anxiety gets built over time, why pushing through is not always the right answer, and how making the fear smaller helps your brain collect evidence that you can handle more than anxiety said you could.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why anxiety can start to feel like a toxic friend
• How worry tricks your brain into feeling protected
• Why avoidance makes your world smaller over time
• Why calm can feel scary when anxiety feels familiar
• How anxiety builds when too many stressors stack up
• How small steps help you stop feeding the fear story 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

• Why does positive thinking feel fake?
• Why does gratitude sometimes make anxiety worse?
• What if neutral is the better place to start?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why positive thinking can backfire when anxiety, self-doubt, or low self-worth are already loud. If you have tried affirmations, gratitude lists, or telling yourself to “just think positive” and felt worse instead of better, this episode explains why.

Jessica explains the difference between noticing what is true and forcing yourself to feel something you do not believe yet. You’ll learn why your brain argues with big positive statements, how anxiety deletes good moments before they can land, and how one simple question can help you practice honesty without pretending everything is fine.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why forced positivity can make anxiety worse
• How gratitude turns into pressure when you expect it to fix your mood
• Why believable thoughts work better than big affirmations
• How neutral thinking gives anxiety less control
• Why good moments can sit beside hard feelings
• How to use one true thing as a daily practice 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

• Why do you change in every room?
• What if “being yourself” feels confusing?
• What if anxiety is making you mask?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why you might feel like a different person around different people. If your voice changes, you laugh at the right moment instead of the real one, agree before you think, or replay everything later in the car, you may be masking.

Jessica explains what masking really means, when adjusting yourself is normal, and when it starts costing you your voice. You’ll learn how anxiety turns your attention inward, why you may feel like you are watching yourself from the outside, and how post-event overthinking can make being yourself feel harder at first. This episode helps you start finding small moments where you feel like yourself again.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why masking does not mean you are fake
• How to tell when adjusting yourself becomes costly
• Why anxiety makes you watch yourself from the outside
• How masking can make it harder to know what you want
• Why different versions of you can feel exhausting
• How one small practice helps you collect proof of who you are 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

• Does everyone have anxiety?
• What does anxiety mean now?
• How do you know when worry needs support?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down the difference between feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a word people use everywhere now, from social media to school to everyday conversations, but that does not mean every anxious feeling is the same thing.

Jessica explains how everyday worry differs from clinical anxiety, why the word "anxiety" has become more common, and why younger generations are hearing about it more than ever. This episode helps you understand the signs that anxiety might need support without getting stuck in labels, comparison, or wondering whether your struggle “counts.”

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why feeling anxious is different from having anxiety
• How worry shows up in your body, sleep, and focus
• Why anxiety becomes serious when it starts costing you something
• How phones, social media, parenting, and avoidance shape anxiety patterns
• Why wondering "Does mine count?” may be anxiety talking
• Why you do not need a diagnosis to deserve support 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

•  Why do you keep avoiding it?
• What if you are not lazy?
• What if starting feels too risky?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why what looks like laziness may actually be fear of failure. When something matters to you, starting can feel scary because trying means you might find out whether it works, whether you are good enough, or whether the dream is possible.

Jessica explains how fear hides behind procrastination, planning, scrolling, avoidance, and shame. You’ll learn why not trying does not protect you from failure, why motivation comes after movement, and how to make the task small enough that it cannot prove anything about your worth.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why avoidance can look like laziness
• How fear of failure keeps you from starting
• Why not trying becomes its own outcome
• How shame makes the next step harder
• Why naming the exact task makes it smaller
• How one small start builds new evidence about who you are 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

•  Why does a short text feel personal?
• Why do old mistakes still haunt you?
• What if the thought feels true, but is not true?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down eight oddly specific thoughts anxiety puts in your head. Not the obvious signs of anxiety, but the private thoughts people often feel too embarrassed to say out loud. The ones that make you replay old memories, assume people are upset, feel like a burden, or question who you are.

Jessica explains why anxiety makes these thoughts feel urgent and true, even when they are not facts. You’ll learn how anxiety turns your own thoughts into threats, why fighting the thoughts often makes them louder, and how small reset tools help you interrupt the spiral before it takes over.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why anxiety makes small moments feel personal
• How old memories turn into shame spirals
• Why good moments can feel unsafe
• How anxiety convinces you that you are a burden
• Why intrusive thoughts are not proof of who you are
• How to interrupt anxious thoughts without arguing with them 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...

•  Why is leaving someone so hard?
• What if it is not love keeping you there?
• What if anxiety is making the choice for you?

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down how anxiety keeps people stuck in relationships they already know do not feel right. Sometimes the wrong person is not a bad person. They might be kind, loyal, and loved by your family, which makes it even harder to admit the relationship is draining you.

Jessica explains the three ways anxiety keeps you attached: making their feelings your job, weighing their pain while ignoring yours, and selling you hope through the good moments. This episode helps you ask a better question than “Are they a bad person?” and start telling the truth without forcing yourself to make every decision today.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Why anxiety makes leaving feel impossible
• How caring for their feelings becomes your job
• Why your pain matters too
• How hope keeps you attached to the good moments
• Why a good person may still be wrong for you
• How one honest sentence breaks the silence 

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

JOIN our NEWSLETTER! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads 

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links: 
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Newsletter:
https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional men...