The Anxious Truth - A Panic, Anxiety, and Mental Health Podcast

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Unlock the secret to mastering your mental well-being by embracing the art of doing nothing. Join us as we explore this transformative concept with the insightful Joanna Hardis, an OCD and anxiety specialist from Cleveland. We delve into concepts  rooted in Taoism and Buddhism that challenge the relentless drive for constant activity in Western cultures. Learn how surrendering to anxiety and panic attacks, without the urge to fix or solve, can lead to a more harmonious relationship with your mental health.

Joanna and I shatter the misconceptions surrounding "doing nothing".  Instead of avoidance or inactivity, this practice encourages stepping back to achieve clarity and presence, especially crucial for those grappling with anxiety disorders. Through personal anecdotes, we unravel how societal pressures and our own mental doing modes—like incessant planning and judging—can cloud our mental space. Discover how being present and accepting the moment can significantly boost your mental well-being.

Our conversation takes a deep dive into mindfulness, spotlighting everyday practices such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and attention training. We examine the challenges of integrating mindfulness into daily life, emphasizing the need for patience and openness. By becoming more aware of mundane activities, we illustrate how mindfulness can be a powerful tool in stress reduction and overall well-being. Whether it's learning to navigate unfavorable circumstances or making mindful choices amidst societal pressures, this episode is a heartfelt guide on how to embrace stillness in a bustling world.

For more on Joanna Hardis:
https://joannahardis.com

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/305

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Why is learning to trust your body again so difficult in the face of chronic or disordered anxiety? What if chronic anxiety could make you feel as disconnected from your body as a chronic illness might? 

Discover the surprising parallels between the two as we unravel the complex relationship anxiety sufferers have with their physical selves. This week on The Anxious Truth we're talking about how anxious people learn to fear their bodies, and lose trust in their bodies. This can have a huge negative impact on life in general and if we're not careful, we can wind up feeling powerles, hopeless, and generally depressed.

We're going to talk about how this happens, and a few pathways to re-building trust in your body through action. We'll talk about exposure therapy, interoceptive exposures, purposeful exercise, and even gentle movement in the form of yoga, or Tai-Chi. We don't have to climb mountains to rebuild trust in our bodies. Any experience that shows us that we're not fragile or easily breakable can help get that job done.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/304

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Resisting the reality of anxiety - the fact that it does exist in your life even when you are trying really hard to escape it or make it stop - means clinging to "feel good" expectations that are rarely met. This mismatch between expectations, demands, and reality can make overcoming chronic or disordered anxiety even harder than it already is.

Let's take a look at how expectations and demands can get in the way of learning valuable acceptance and capability lessons that form the core of anxiety disorder recovery. We'll drag some neuroscience and cognitive science into the discussion, relying on predictive processing models of experience to conceptualize why hanging on so tightly and fighting against anxiety that exists without a corresponding real world threat can keep us stuck.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/303

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Journaling can be a useful tool in anxiety recovery, but how do you ensure it works for you and not against you? This episode challenges traditional journaling methods, especially when grappling with chronic or disordered anxiety, by offering a fresh perspective on how to modify these practices to align with your recovery goals. Beware of falling into the trap of rumination and learn how to use journaling as a constructive tool that supports your healing journey.

The discussion centers on four foundational elements that can elevate your journaling practice: event description, response detailing, outcome assessment, and pattern identification. Maintaining objectivity is key, as subjective interpretations can lead to catastrophic thinking. By recognizing and recording trigger-response patterns, you create a structured framework that helps challenge anxious thoughts and highlights progress. This episode offers a roadmap for adapting journaling techniques to effectively address  anxiety and track your recovery progress over time.

As recovery progresses, so does the way you journal. Traditional journaling might regain its appeal as you become less reactive to emotions. This episode highlights the evolution of journaling styles to suit different stages of recovery, addressing potential criticisms and clarifying the unique needs of those dealing with chronic anxiety. Find a journaling approach that resonates with your current stage, and embrace the changes that come with recovery.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/302

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Can you transform your relationship with anxiety by letting go and dropping your resistance?

Well, the most effective acceptance-based treatments for chronic and disordered anxiety are based on this exact principle. The concepts are simple and the theory is sound, yet most anxious people struggle with fully letting to and engaging in mindful acceptance of anxiety, fear, panic, uncertainty, and other difficult internal experiences.

Of course they struggle!  Choosing to fully allow these scary feelings is a big ask. It's not easy. It requires a leap of faith in the underlying principles and a healthy dose of courage to allow anxiety and fear to "do their worst" without trying to save oneself or be rescued. But difficult as this might be, its a worthwhile ability to cultivate as it forms the foundation of effective and lasting anxiety recovery while also becoming a valuable life skill that lasts forever.

This week we're doing a guided mindful acceptance exercise designed to help you sit with anxiety instead of battling it, a practice that teaches you to observe your feelings without trying to control or diminish them. This approach isn't suitable for those overwhelmed by traumatic memories or flashbacks (without professional help), but it provides valuable lessons for anyone looking to understand and ultimately overcome lifestyle restrictions imposed by chronic or disordered anxiety.

This is about 15 minutes of theory, rationale, and basic instruction followed by 10-15 minutes of guided/coached mindful acceptance. There's more speaking, instruction and coaching here than you might find when doing guided mindfulness exercises, but this particular exercise is designed to provide a sound introduction to the practice as a way to get started or work through initial resistance.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/301

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Can skipping a daily calming ritual or delaying bedtime slightly really aid in anxiety recovery? Discover how these seemingly insignificant acts can accumulate into substantial progress on your journey to overcoming anxiety. This week on The Anxious Truth, we’re breaking down the concept of micro exposures—those small, yet powerful steps designed to help you face and manage your anxiety. By starting with these tiny, manageable experiments, you'll gradually learn to experience anxiety without resistance, laying the groundwork for long-term mental health and stress management.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/300

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Are you struggling to identify whether your behaviors are forms of avoidance in your anxiety recovery journey? This episode of The Anxious Truth addresses the often murky and uncertain nature of avoidance habits, emphasizing that nobody navigates these waters flawlessly. We'll share insights on how distinguishing between necessary avoidance for safety and avoidance driven by anxiety can help you better understand your reactions and improve your recovery process.

This episode looks at key avoidance concepts based on:

Intent
Motivation
Emotion
Feelings of Urgency

We'll also break down the difference between macro and micro avoidance patterns and uncover how even subtle avoidance habits can silently hinder your progress. Through manageable exposure work and by learning from your experiences, this episode offers practical advice for building tolerance and resilience.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/299

Relevant podcast episodes:

The Anxious Truth Episode 266
https://theanxioustruth.com/266

The Anxious Truth Episode 284
https://theanxioustruth.com/284

The Anxious Truth Episode 287
https://theanxioustruth.com/287

Disordered Episode 59
https://disordered.fm/59

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Is it possible to conquer an anxiety disorder without doing exposure?

Well ... there are plenty of non-exposure concepts and techniques that can really help. No doubt about that. But in the end, thinking and feeling is rarely if ever all we need to change beliefs in a way that really makes a difference.  Behavior and experience are almost always a part of this puzzle in some way, which means that like it or not, there's gonna be some exposure involved in recovery in some way.

Let's look at the the intricacies of exposure beyond its traditional role. We'll discover how modern techniques have revolutionized outcomes, providing more durable relief from anxiety symptoms. We'll also address the elephants in the room: the high dropout rates and accusations of trauma, and how proper preparation can transform these potential pitfalls into powerful therapeutic tools.

We'll also be debunking some persistent myths that cloud the effectiveness of exposure. We need to understand the difference between discomfort and trauma, and why it’s vital to make this distinction. We examine why some therapists shy away from these methods and how social media trends influence therapy choices. Plus, we emphasize the crucial role of maintaining realistic expectations throughout the journey.

By the end of this episode, you'll gain invaluable perspectives that could reshape your approach to overcoming anxiety, underscoring why exposure of some kind and at some level remains an essential pillar in effective treatment.

For full show notes on this episode (including research references):
https://theanxioustruth.com/298

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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

The Internet is packed with anxiety and mental health advice, but not all of it is useful or helpful.  Some of it can be harmful.

This week I'm joined by Emma McAdam, the therapist behind the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube channel, to dissect the often misleading and sometimes dangerous information circulating online about conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. Emma shares her professional expertise as a practicing therapist, helping us distinguish between credible advice and harmful myths.

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For Full Show Notes On This Episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/297
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We tackle the critical issue of consuming mental health content passively without taking actionable steps to improve well-being. Emma and I discuss proactive strategies like exposure therapy and lifestyle adjustments that can make a real difference. We also examine the pitfalls of "therapy speak" and the overuse of psychological labels such as narcissism in everyday conflicts. With social media often promoting extreme solutions to relationship problems, we advocate for a more balanced and thoughtful approach.

Finally, we delve into the ethical considerations therapists must navigate when guiding clients through difficult relationships. Through Emma’s insights, we underscore the importance of allowing clients to come to their own conclusions while being mindful of the manipulative nature of social media platforms. We stress the necessity for personalized and context-specific mental health guidance that social media simply cannot provide. Tune in to arm yourself with the knowledge to make informed decisions about your mental health and avoid the pitfalls of online advice.

Find Emma and her Therapy In A Nutshell channel at
https://therapyinanutshell.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.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Healing from chronic or disordered anxiety. How do we do it?  Do we do it at all?  This week on The Anxious Truth we’re talking about  healing from anxiety because this is a topic so many people want to hear more about!

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/296

If you are going to scroll through any of mental health social media today, you WILL see content that includes the word “heal”.  Is that bad?  Well, not necessarily.  I’m not here today to be the anxiety word police, but given that our use of language and ability to think symbolically is one of the things that gets us into anxiety trouble to begin with, its is worth looking at the words and terms we use from time to time.

Disclaimer. If you love the word heal because it strikes a chord or feels like it really applies in your situation, then I am here to support you on that. Keep using it. Heal all day long.  Heal like nobody’s business. Go for it. Everyone gets to use whatever language they want to use, and we all get to respect those choices. 

But that being said, if you have been working like a dog to heal from anxiety and can’t seem to get anywhere with any kind of consistency, then maybe we need to take a look at that healing target. The words we use create the rules we feel we must follow. Our words create our internal algorithms and those algorithms do influence how we see ourselves, and the world, and they do influence how we behave. Since behavior change is really the tip of the spear when overcoming an anxiety disorder, we should probably look at this.

We all want to heal when injured or wounded.  That’s not even a question. But when we are working on overcoming chronic or disordered anxiety, is healing what we’re trying to do?  There are three primary issues with the word heal that I want to throw out there today for you to chew on.  

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.