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

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If you're struggling with anxiety disorders and constantly being told you need a positive mindset, stronger beliefs, and better motivation to recover, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down why these three concepts are tragically misunderstood and misapplied in anxiety recovery—and why they might actually be keeping you stuck.

What You'll Learn:

• Why you can't just "decide" to believe in yourself or adopt a positive mindset
• The counterproductive fantasy that words will change how you think and feel
• Why motivation follows action, not the other way around
• How to work with your current negative beliefs instead of fighting them
• The only "mindset" that actually matters in recovery
• Why it's normal (and okay) to doubt yourself and lack motivation

Episode Timestamps:

[0:00 - 3:30] Introduction and why belief, mindset, and motivation advice often backfires

[3:30 - 6:00] The fantasy that words will fix us and why we want to avoid difficult action

[6:00 - 9:30] Where bad advice comes from and why helpers sometimes rely on oversimplified approaches

[9:30 - 12:30] Why you can't manufacture beliefs, mindset, or motivation on demand

[12:30 - 16:30] The reality: action comes before belief change, not after

[16:30 - 19:00] The only mindset that matters: awareness over positivity

[19:00 - 23:00] Why it's normal and okay to have negative beliefs and lack motivation

[23:00 - 27:00] Challenging helpers who rely on "you just need to want it more"

[27:00 - 29:30] Final thoughts and permission to be where you are right now

Key Takeaways:

You don't need to wake up believing you're a warrior who can vanquish anxiety. You don't need a positive mindset or perfect motivation. What you need is willingness to take small risks and experiment with new behaviors, even when everything inside you is saying "don't do that." Recovery happens when you act anyway—despite doubt, fear, and negative beliefs.

Remember: if you're struggling to "just think positive" or get motivated, that's not a character flaw. You're encountering advice that doesn't match how humans actually change and recover from anxiety disorders.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/324

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.

Exposure for anxiety is the gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders, but most people get it wrong, especially when trying to use exposure without professional help. In this episode, we're breaking down why so many people struggle with exposure for anxiety and how to avoid the common traps that lead to frustration and giving up.

If you've ever tried exposure therapy for panic disorder, agoraphobia, OCD, social anxiety, or health anxiety and felt like it wasn't working, this episode is for you. Learn the real science behind exposure, why it's supposed to be scary, and how to apply these principles correctly in your anxiety recovery journey.

Key Topics & Timestamps:

• [02:57] What exposure for anxiety really is (and what it's not)
• [05:02] The internal experience vs. external triggers - why this matters
• [06:42] How exposure actually works: habituation vs. inhibitory learning
• [10:40] The foundational truth that makes exposure possible
• [14:00] Why exposure for anxiety is supposed to be scary
• [16:07] The control trap: why trying to manage fear during exposure backfires
• [20:30] Doing vs. not doing: different types of exposure for different anxiety disorders
• [24:10] Why knowledge matters when applying exposure principles
• [26:20] Working with therapists vs. self-directed exposure

Perfect for listeners dealing with:

• Panic disorder and agoraphobia
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
• Social anxiety disorder
• Health anxiety/illness anxiety
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Fear of exposure therapy
• Feeling stuck in anxiety recovery

Resources mentioned:

• Exposure Explained Workshop (September 4, 2025)
• The Anxious Truth website: theanxioustruth.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.

For 25 years of my life, I struggled with panic disorder, agoraphobia, OCD, and depression. I was so anxious that I couldn't leave my house or be alone for more than a few minutes at a time. But last week, I finally did something I've wanted to do since I was 9 years old.

In this episode, I share a personal story - not as a blueprint for your recovery, but as encouragement that anxiety recovery is possible. When I was in elementary school, a trip to the planetarium showed me what the night sky really looks like without light pollution. For decades, I dreamed of seeing that sky for real, but anxiety, fear, and often just being "too busy" (this is dumb) kept from doing that.

Last week, I drove seven hours from Long Island to an international dark sky site in Pennsylvania. For someone who once couldn't drive 60 seconds without having a panic attack, this was significant. I went into the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone service, to finally see what I'd been dreaming about since childhood.

This episode explores what anxiety recovery actually looks like - not learning that you're "okay," but learning you never needed to ask that if you're OK in the first place.

If you're struggling right now and feel like you'll never get better, I want you to know that I felt the same way - and I was wrong. People do get better from anxiety disorders. Maybe you just need to hear a story like this one today. So here it is. I hope it helps.

Resources mentioned:

Free book "An Anxiety Story" available:

https://theanxioustruth.com/an-anxiety-story/

YouTube version with photos and video footage

https://youtu.be/ALxOy-7XRus

The Disordered Podcast (co-hosted weekly show)

https://disordered.fm

The Anxious Truth is a podcast focused on evidence-based anxiety recovery using acceptance and mindfulness-based approaches. New episodes every two weeks.

Subscribe, rate, and review to help others find the show!

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.

This week on The Anxious Truth, we're talking about what happens when a problem solving mind sees itself as a problem to solve.

Your mind is an incredible problem-solving machine - it's what sets humans apart and has helped us thrive for thousands of years. But when that same problem-solving ability turns inward and starts trying to "fix" your own thoughts, emotions, and internal experiences, things can go very wrong very quickly.

If you're stuck in cycles of overthinking, constantly trying to figure out your anxiety, or exhausting yourself attempting to solve feelings that aren't meant to be solved, this episode is for you. We'll explore how the same mental abilities that help us navigate the world can trap us when they're aimed at our own internal experiences.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction - When problem solving becomes the problem
01:54 How the mind forms relationships and connections between experiences
03:09 When problem solving leads to anxiety, overthinking, and control issues
04:26 What happens when problem solving turns inward on our feelings
06:47 The spectacular failure of trying to solve internal experiences
09:02 Understanding the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS)
10:42 Experiential avoidance and the cost of feeling better now
12:58 How fear generalizes through mental connections
14:58 Shifting from content focus to process awareness
16:09 Real examples: panic responses vs. healthier approaches to triggers
18:03 Practical principles for recognizing when problem solving goes wrong
19:29 Moving toward values while feeling uncomfortable - psychological flexibility

Key takeaway: Your thoughts and emotions are experiences to have, not problems to solve.

Whether you're dealing with panic disorder, agoraphobia, OCD, health anxiety, or generalized anxiety, learning to recognize when your problem-solving mind is making things worse can be a crucial step in your recovery journey.

This episode explores evidence-based concepts from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Metacognitive Therapy in accessible, practical terms. Remember: recovery isn't about finding quick fixes or magical solutions - it's about learning to relate differently to your internal experiences.

Resources mentioned:

• My Substack
• Full Show Notes For This Episode

If you found this episode helpful, please leave a rating and review - it helps other people find the podcast and get the help they need.

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.

I get asked about medication every single day. Can you get better without it? Is it necessary? What's the best one? Is it cheating to take medication?

Today I'm explaining why I don't answer these questions - and why you should be cautious about content creators who do.

In this episode, I cover:

• The three main reasons mental health content creators shouldn't give medication advice
• Why personal beliefs and autonomy matter more than you might think
• The countless variables that make medication decisions incredibly complex
• Why your recovery journey changes over time (and so do your needs)
• What qualifications actually matter when it comes to psychiatric medications
• A better approach to getting the medication support you need

The reality is this: There are too many personal, medical, cultural, and lifestyle factors that go into medication decisions for any podcaster, YouTuber, or social media creator to give you meaningful advice. Even as a therapist specializing in anxiety disorders, there are clear boundaries I must respect.

This doesn't mean your questions aren't valid - they absolutely are. It means you deserve qualified, ongoing professional support for these important decisions, not one-size-fits-all answers from someone who doesn't know your specific situation.

Whether you use medication or not, the principles of anxiety recovery remain the same. You can't make a wrong choice because you can always change course as you learn and grow.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/320

My medication story:

https://theanxioustruth.com/145

https://theanxioustruth.com/146

https://theanxioustruth.com/147

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.

How do real anxiety therapists apply mindfulness principles when working with real anxiety clients in real therapy sessions? Let's check out part two of my chat with therapists Lauren Rosen and Joanna Hardis. We all make heavy use of the principles of mindfulness in our practices, and in our daily lives.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "being present" isn't about feeling calm or peaceful
• The concept of being "aggressively present" when anxiety strikes
• How mindfulness is really attention training, not relaxation training
• Why meditation for anxiety is like going to the gym for your attention
• The difference between facts and the meaning we make of facts
• Practical ways to interrupt anxiety spirals in the moment
• Why you can't just decide to be mindful only during panic attacks

Key takeaways:

• Mindfulness in anxiety treatment isn't gentle - it's about slamming on the brakes when your mind races toward catastrophic conclusions
• The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety, but to develop a different relationship with it
• You have to practice attention skills during calm moments to access them during triggered moments
• Recovery means feeling real fear but knowing you're not in real danger

If you missed part one (episode 318), go back and listen to that first for the complete conversation.

This episode offers a practical, no-nonsense look at how mindfulness actually works in anxiety recovery - not the soft-focus version you might expect, but the real-world application that helps people move forward in their recovery journey.

Resources mentioned:

• Lauren Rosen: theobsessivemind.com
• Joanna Hardis: joannahardis.com
• More resources at theanxioustruth.com

Remember: there are no small moves in recovery, only valuable ones. Keep at it - you can do this.

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.

What happens when three anxiety specialists get together to talk practically about how they use mindfulness in anxiety treatment? This week on The Anxious Truth, we find out.

I'm joined by Lauren Rosen, who practices in Los Angeles specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders, and Joanna Hardis from Cleveland, also an expert in treating OCD, anxiety, and anxiety disorders. Together, we break down how mindfulness in anxiety treatment actually works in real therapy sessions - not the Instagram version, but the practical, sometimes messy reality of applying these principles with actual anxious clients.

We tackle the biggest misconceptions about mindfulness (spoiler: it's not about achieving a quiet mind), discuss why it's often the "hardest sell" in therapy despite being incredibly effective, and demonstrate real techniques through live role-play. You'll hear us work through the difference between being "neck up" versus "neck down," learn about the labeling practice that creates a "speed bump" between sensation and catastrophe, and understand why non-judgmental awareness is a skill that requires genuine practice.

Lauren and Joanna take different approaches to applying mindfulness in anxiety treatment, and you'll hear both perspectives as we explore everything from the campfire analogy (anxiety doesn't have to become a wildfire) to the practical challenge of teaching clients to observe their thoughts without getting dragged along by them.

Whether you're dealing with panic attacks, social anxiety, OCD, or generalized anxiety, the principles we discuss apply across all anxiety presentations. This isn't about quick fixes or magic solutions - it's about developing psychological flexibility and learning to relate differently to your internal experiences.

Fair warning: we got so deep into this conversation that we had to split it into two parts. This is part one, and part two drops in episode 319.

If you're tired of surface-level advice about mindfulness and want to understand how it actually works in anxiety recovery, this episode delivers the real deal from three therapists who use these techniques every day with anxious clients.

Resources mentioned:

• Lauren Rosen: theobsessivemind.com
• Joanna Hardis: joannahardis.com

For Full Show Notes On This Episode: theanxioustruth.com/318

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.

If you've reached the point of declaring "I've tried everything and nothing works for my anxiety," this episode is specifically for you. Many anxiety sufferers fall into this trap and conclude they're uniquely broken or have a special form of anxiety that's resistant to recovery.

As both a therapist and someone who personally recovered from panic disorder and agoraphobia, I'll explain why this frustrating experience happens. You'll discover why commonly-tried control and avoidance strategies can provide temporary relief but ultimately strengthen anxiety's grip on your life.

I'll break down the fundamental flaw in these approaches using a simple sailing metaphor: if you're trying to reach London from New York by sailing west, the problem isn't your sailing technique—it's your direction.

This episode offers a shift in perspective about what actually gives you a fighting chance at lasting recovery. Instead of searching for more control techniques, learn why changing your entire approach might be the key you've been missing.

No quick fixes or miracle cures here—just straight talk about why certain approaches fail and what direction might actually lead to meaningful change. Small steps in a new direction still count as progress, and recognizing what doesn't work is valuable learning on the path to reclaiming your life from anxiety.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Full show notes: https://theanxioustruth.com/317
• The Disordered Podcast: https://disordered.fm

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.

Do you find yourself running from difficult emotions or trying desperately to control them? Many people with anxiety disorders develop a deep fear of their own emotions, believing they're too intense or unbearable to experience fully. In this episode of The Anxious Truth, Drew is joined by therapist Joanna Hardis to explore the concept of "emotional allowability" – learning to coexist with our emotions rather than fighting against them.

They discuss why trying to control emotions is ultimately futile, how the stories we tell ourselves about emotions cause more suffering than the emotions themselves, and practical steps for becoming more comfortable with the full range of emotional experiences. Whether you struggle with panic, anxiety, OCD, or simply find yourself fearing emotions, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on what it means to be human and how to free yourself from the exhausting cycle of emotional resistance.

No quick fixes or magic solutions here—just honest conversation about the reality of emotional experiences and how to move toward greater psychological flexibility. If you've ever wondered why your emotions feel so threatening or what might happen if you actually allowed yourself to feel them, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Joanna and her work at joannahardis.com

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/316

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.

Navigating driving anxiety with exposure therapy—but not how you might think. 

In this episode, Drew Linsalata (therapist, author, and former anxiety sufferer) challenges common misconceptions about addressing driving anxiety. 

Learn why the feeling is the exposure, not the driving itself, and discover how interoceptive and imaginal exposures can help without ever starting your car. 

Drew explains why pulling over or listening to music isn't avoidance if you're still experiencing anxiety, clarifies what true avoidance looks like, and emphasizes that recovery is about learning from each experience, not just driving farther. 

Whether you experience anxiety holding your keys, sitting in your driveway, or on the highway, this episode offers a practical, acceptance-based approach to driving anxiety that breaks down exactly what exposure therapy means in this context. 

You'll learn why small steps count, what constitutes real progress, and how to shift your focus from controlling anxiety to building a different relationship with uncomfortable feelings while driving. 

Based on empirically supported approaches to treating anxiety and anxiety disorders, this episode provides realistic strategies for living alongside anxiety rather than attempting to eliminate it.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/315

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.