No new podcast this week, but we'll be back next week with episode 252.  I asked my Facebook group which of the old podcast episodes they like the most and these are a few that came up often in the discussion: Episode 150: How Do I Talk TO My Anxiety Episode 51: Panic Attacks - The Critical Moment of Decision The Exposure Episodes: 13, 17, 192 and 226 Related to Exposure: Episode 116 - Are You Trying To Ignore Your Anxiety? I did a short series detailing my personal experience with medication in episodes 145 through 147, and Jenn Swantowski stopped by to share her experience with benzo withdrawal on episode 223. Finally, the success story episodes are popular.  Search "success story" on my website, on my YouTube channel, or in your podcast app to find those. And ... check out the new podcast with Joshua Fletcher at https://disordered.fm I'll see you next week!  :-)

WHY Did I Have A Panic Attack? I NEED To Know! "Why did I have a panic attack?" is a question asked many many times every day in the community surrounding this podcast.  People early on in the anxiety journey labor under the assumption that in order to get better they must uncover and decode their panic triggers and understand WHY panic attacks are happening to them repeatedly. This might make sense at face value, but it's often quite unhelpful or even harmful. People down the road to recovery might go a long time between panic attacks, then experience once, then immediately get dragged down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out why it happened and what it means. Again, not terribly helpful and not necessary.  Let's look at why. While we're at it, let's do the first in my mini-series visiting places that I used to be terrified to go, starting with the end of my own driveway.  True story.  I was afraid to go that far from my front door at one time. That's why this episode was recorded there. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/251 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Afraid During A Panic Attack ... Or Afraid OF Panic Attacks? This is one of those recovery concepts what will make you tilt your head and wonder what I'm talking about.  But there is a difference between being afraid during a panic attack, and being afraid of panic attacks. That difference matters because it speaks to the mechanics of issues like panic disorder and agoraphobia. TL/DR: EVERYONE is afraid during a panic attack. That's normal.  That's natural.  You can't get rid of that.  The problem is the fear that persists BETWEEN panic attacks, where you're afraid of the next one.  That's the part we're working on in recovery. See how that can be subtle, but important? For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/250 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Examining Body Dysmorphic Disorder Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition in which a person sees - and becomes excessively focused on - problems or "defects" in their appearance that nobody else sees. This can become overwhelming when the person with BDD starts to see themselves as completely defined by this problem that nobody else would call a problem. This week therapist, BDD and OCD specialist Robyn Stern dropped in to talk about body dysmorphic disorder and how it can exist alongside conditions like OCD and other anxiety disorders. I learned so much in this conversation, and I'm hopeful that you will too! For full show notes on this week's episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/249 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Scary And Difficult Do Not Mean Ineffective Recovery by way of facing fear is scary and difficult. When people choose to recover by learning how to accept, tolerate, surrender to and move through anxiety panic and fear, sometimes they will declare that it doesn't work for them.  They'll say that because they are afraid and they are challenged. They accidentally equate being afraid with recovery not working.  They'll decide that being challenged means that they're not getting better or can't get better this way. These are logical errors. Today lets talk about how recovering in this manner means you WILL be scared and you WILL be challenged, but that neither of those facts means that this doesn't work. Let's talk about accidentally selling yourself short and abandoning hope simply because you are afraid or encountering difficulties. For full show notes on this week's episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/248 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Anticipatory anxiety - the anxiety you feel when you have an event or challenge coming up that you know will make you anxious and therefore fear - is a common type of anxiety that many struggle with. This week on the podcast two giants in the anxiety community, Martin Seif and Sally Winston joined me to explain in the ins-and-outs of anticipatory anxiety, worry, and what they call fear of fear of fear.    This is a GREAT episode full of amazing information so check it out! Show notes for this episode:  https://theanxioustruth.com/247 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

The state of mental health care - at least in the west - is such that many in our community have a difficult time either locating a therapist that specializes in treating anxiety disorders, or accessing professional mental health help for economic and other reasons.  This leads many to ask, "Do I need a therapist to recover?" While the help of a trained, experienced professional is certainly helpful, we have to look at what happens when that isn't possible.  Lauren Rosen and Kelley Franke from the Purely OCD podcast join me this week to talk about this problem and to explore options, alternatives and possibly helpful strategies for when accessing professional therapy proves difficult. Disclaimer: In this podcast episode we attempted to address a problem we all know exists and to be realistic in our assessment of what options there may be for someone that has to "do recovery" on their own.  We simply cannot provide you with a definitive answer as to if you need a therapist or not. That answer is based on so many individual variables that without knowing you there's just no way to provide black and white answers to that question.  What you read, hear, and see in this episode is meant as general guidance and for informational purposes.  Only you can judge what is right for you in the end. For full show notes on this week's episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/246 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

How do you see your anxiety?  Is anxiety a monster?  Is anxiety like a storm or an invading army that comes to get you?  Are you powerless over it?  Do you feel that you can't resist, stop or control it no matter how hard you try? What if it wasn't a monster attacking from the outside?  What if instead you could recognize that you are playing a role, that you have choice, and that you have power in the process?  Abandoning the "monster" narrative can be a powerful thing that informs a shift in the way we react to anxiety and fear. For full show notes on this week's episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/245 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Do you see yourself as being OK "as long as" specific conditions are met?  Or are you learning that you can be OK "even if" those conditions are not met?  This can be a critical concept in recovery that can get us stuck in the dreaded, fragile acceptable bubble, or launched into a more complete and lasting recovery. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/244 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Do you have to be a positive person to get better?  Do you have to choose positivity?  Eliminate the negative energy?  Vibrate correctly?  Manifest positive things?  Accept only positive vibes? Develop a positive mindset?  Are these things required in anxiety recovery? I think that developing a sense of competence and self-efficacy through action is WAY more impactful that trying to think or emote positivity.  Let's talk about that in this week's episode of the podcast. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/243 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

In recovery we are sometimes dealing with more than one issue beyond just your panic, agoraphobia, health anxiety, or OCD. Maybe there is another phobia or phobias involved.  Maybe you are dealing with tendencies toward perfectionism, people pleasing, or trying to control everything.  Humans are complex.  We have lots of facets!  What happens when these other issues conflict with our recovery work.  What happens when we try to serve multiple masters in recovery? Josh Fletcher (School of Anxiety) and Kimberley Quinlan (Your Anxiety Toolkit) joined me today to talk about this. It's worth a listen. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/242 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

When dealing with an anxiety disorder we often talk about why excessive reassurance seeking is counterproductive and can make things worse.  But why is this?  And is there any time where seeking assurance is OK?  Let's answer these two questions, and look at ways to start breaking the cycle of reassurance seeking, in this week's podcast episode.   For full show notes on this episode:  https://theanxioustruth.com/241 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Anxious people focused on health issues often spend lots of time being checked, tested and examined by doctors.  In recovery, I'm often asked if calling a doctor if never allowed, or if calling a doctor is wrong or indicates a setback of some kind.  The short answer is, "No.  It's not wrong."  But there's more to it than that, so let's talk about it in this week's episode of the podcast. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/240 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

The Same Anxiety Symptons, But Different Reactions?   Two people can have the same anxiety symptoms but different reactions to those symptoms. There can be common thoughts, fear themes, and bodily reactions, yet wide variations on how those things are interpreted and in the reactions they trigger.  Let's talk about this, and what it can teach us about anxiety and recovery.   For full show notes on this episode:  https://theanxioustruth.com/239 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

For most people, the things they fear the most in relation to anxiety and panic fall into one of three common categories or themes.  Let's look at these three themes:   Death/ Physical Incapacitation  Loss of control / Insanity  Embarrassment / Shame   Understanding these common themes can save you from digging deeply into each individual fear you have.  It can help you see that you are NOT specially broken and without hope, and it can inform productive recovery actions and choices.   This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book.  My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the stories and memories of our loved ones.  The service helps a cherished member of your family tell their story, ultimately compiling their memories and experiences in a beautiful hardbound book that can be passed down through the generations.  For more on My Life In A Book, visit mylifeinabook.com . Use discount code TAT22 for $10 off your order. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/238 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Everyone wants to talk about the most common anxiety symptoms.  I get it.  Your symptoms feel important.  They're scary and you see them as dangerous.  In many many cases with it comes to anxiety disorders, the symptoms of anxiety become the source of the anxiety. Fear of fear is often based on fear of the most common anxiety symptoms - fear of your own body.  Let's talk about that this week. This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book.  My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the stories and memories of our loved ones.  The service helps a cherished member of your family tell their story, ultimately compiling their memories and experiences in a beautiful hardbound book that can be passed down through the generations.  For more on My Life In A Book, visit mylifeinabook.com . Use discount code TAT22 for $10 off your order. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/237 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

This week sleep physician Daniel Erichsen stopped by to talk about insomnia and a cognitive behavioral approach to the problem. If you're struggling with your sleep ... and struggling because you're struggling ... this episode is for you.  Spoiler alert: The most helpful approach to sleep issues is going to sound very familiar to you.  ;-)   This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book.  My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the stories and memories of our loved ones.  The service helps a cherished member of your family tell their story, ultimately compiling their memories and experiences in a beautiful hardbound book that can be passed down through the generations.  For more on My Life In A Book, visit mylifeinabook.com . Use discount code TAT22 for $10 off your order. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/236 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

When in the thick of the struggle, it can be easy to fall into the trap that makes anxiety a major part of your personal identity.  UK psychotherapist and anxiety specialist Josh Fletcher is back this week to talk about this common problem and ways to separate yourself from anxiety so that it doesn't dominate your identity. This episode of The Anxious Truth is sponsored by My Life In A Book.  My Life In A Book is a great way to preserve the stories and memories of our loved ones.  The service helps a cherished member of your family tell their story, ultimately compiling their memories and experiences in a beautiful hardbound book that can be passed down through the generations.  For more on My Life In A Book, visit mylifeinabook.com . Use discount code TAT22 for $10 off your order. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/235 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Can anxiety be cured? I know that if you look for an answer to this question you will find a very wide range of answers.  This week on the podcast we'll look at why there's such a wide range of opinions on this and where the truth - if there is even a universal truth - lies. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/234 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com

Real events that you witness or stories you see on social media or in the news show us the power of suggestion at work when it comes to triggering anxiety.  Today an old friend popped in to relay his experience with being "triggered" by the death of a celebrity and how he navigated through that as mostly recovered person.  It's a great chat.  I can't thank my friend Jay Floyd for stopping in to share with us. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/233 --- My books, social, and other links: https://theanxioustruth.com/links  Support The Anxious Truth: https://theanxioustruth.com/support  Music Credit: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission) https://bendrakemusic.com