The 18 Minutes

If you love someone with disordered anxiety, your most loving instincts are often what's keeping their disordered anxiety alive. I unpack the research on family accommodation, why reassurance is a long-term harm even when it feels kind in the moment, and the caregiver burden conversation we shy away from. Includes real examples from my own recovery and how my partner showed up alongside me. If you're an anxious person who has been trying to figure out how to talk to your partner about all this, send them this one! 

SOURCES:
-Spouse and Partner Help - Anxiety & Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/finding-help/helping-others/spouse-or-partner
-Measuring Family Accommodation of Childhood Anxiety: Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Validity, and Reliability of the Family Accommodation Scale - Anxiety: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6881529/
-Subjective caregiver burden and anxiety in informal caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysishttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247143 

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Has your world been gradually getting smaller? Fewer places you'll go, more cancellations, a mental map of where it feels safe and where it doesn't? You might be dealing with agoraphobia. In this episode I unpack the real definition (it's not "fear of open spaces"), the panic-and-avoidance loop that builds it, a little entry-level neuroscience on what your amygdala and sympathetic nervous system are doing along the way, and exactly how recovery works using a four-phase framework I created for you. Plus, specific exposure ideas you can actually use. Enjoy! 

Sources:

 -https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/agoraphobia
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554387/

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

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Overpreparing might be the most socially acceptable safety behavior there is. It doesn't always look like anxiety, it looks like being responsible! In this episode I unpack what overpreparing actually is, why our brains love it so much, and the mental and physical cost we pay for it. Then we talk about how to gradually let go of it without flipping your whole life upside down, and what life looks like on the other side. If you're tired of running the worst-case version of every situation in your head before it happens, this one is for you!!

SOURCES: 

- LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2019). [Exposing Worry's Deceit: Percentage of Untrue Worries in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatment](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32044024/). *Behavior Therapy*.
- Companion episodes referenced: "Safety Behaviors," "Reassurance-Seeking," and "How To Practice Acceptance" — The 18 Minutes Podcast.

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

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You're probably going to have another panic attack. Sorry!! But what if you could prepare for it in a way that actually moves your recovery forward? In this episode, I walk through the mindset shift that changed my own recovery, the neuroscience of why you can't think your way through panic in real time, and a practical toolkit for setting yourself up before the next adrenaline surge hits, including how to talk to the people closest to you, why language matters, and what to actually do in the moment. If panic attacks have been running your life, this is your starting point!

Sources:

• Heart Attack or Panic Attack | American Heart Association
• How to tell the difference between a heart attack and panic attack | American Heart Association
• Heart Attack vs. Panic Attack: Key Differences | Cleveland Clinic
• Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | Cleveland Clinic
• Mayo Clinic Q and A: Panic attack isn't life-threatening, but can be frightening experience
• P.S. Thank you Jenny Matthews from State of Mind Therapy for the term "adrenaline surge"! 

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

Instagram: @heyamandaklay

YouTube: @heyamandaklay

Email: [email protected] 

 Ever wake up at 2am in panic mode? This episode is for you! Today I'm talking all about nighttime anxiety. How to recognize it, why it happens, and practical steps to move past it. Thanks for listening! 

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Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

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YouTube: @heyamandaklay

Email: [email protected] 

On this episode of The 18 Minutes I get into the science behind why it feels IMPOSSIBLE to calm down during an episode of intense anxiety or panic, and what we can do about it. Enjoy! 

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

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Today's episode is a list of things that you might be doing that are keeping you stuck with disordered anxiety. Enjoy! 

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Today's episode is all about travel anxiety. I'm a nervous traveler, and in this episode I lay out my best tips for making travel fun! I cover how to manage anticipatory anxiety, feeling stuck, social anxiety, the fear of flying, and separation anxiety (and, of course, how to use the fear to overcome our anxiety disorders). Enjoy! 

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

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Email: [email protected] 

As overly anxious people, we CLING to anything we can control, often to our own detriment. In this quick chat-style podcast I cover the topic of control, and why reaching for it could be hindering our recovery. Enjoy! 

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

Instagram: @heyamandaklay

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Email: [email protected] 

Mindfulness! You may have used this practice as a means of escaping your anxious feelings, but it can be used more effectively to help you overcome disordered anxiety altogether. In today's episode I share my experience using mindfulness while driving, and I give some tips on how you can practice mindfulness without giving into safety behaviors that are you keeping you stuck. Thanks for being here!

Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! 

 TikTok: @heyamandaklay

Instagram: @heyamandaklay

YouTube: @heyamandaklay

Email: [email protected]