Disordered is the podcast that delivers real, evidence-based, actionable talk about anxiety and anxiety and anxiety recovery in a kind, compassionate, community-oriented environment. Josh Fletcher is a qualified psychotherapist in the UK. Drew Linsalata is a graduate student and therapist-in-training in the US. They're both bestselling authors in the anxiety and mental health space. Josh and Drew are funny, friendly, and they have a knack for combining lived experience, formal training, and professional experience in an encouraging, inspiring, and compassionate mental health message.
Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata
The Disordered: Anxiety Help podcast is a game-changer for anyone struggling with anxiety. Hosted by Andrew and Josh, who both have personal experience with anxiety disorders, this podcast provides invaluable insights and practical tools for managing anxiety. The way they break down the complexities of anxiety and explain why it's not dangerous is incredibly helpful. They create a sense of community and make listeners feel seen and understood, which is especially important for those who often feel like outsiders because of their condition. Overall, The Disordered: Anxiety Help podcast is a gift to the anxiety and OCD community.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is how relatable and personable Andrew and Josh are. As previous sufferers themselves, they understand the nuances of anxiety in a way that many therapists may not fully grasp. This makes their discussions about symptoms and experiences incredibly helpful and relatable. They provide valuable insights that go beyond what traditional therapy sessions offer. Additionally, the duo's chemistry and rapport make the delivery of information smooth and often highly amusing.
On the downside, some listeners may find it hard to wean off the podcast because it resonates so deeply with them. While it's great to find comfort in The Disordered: Anxiety Help podcast, it's also important to develop independence from external sources of support. However, this is more a reflection on how impactful the podcast is rather than a criticism.
In conclusion, The Disordered: Anxiety Help podcast is a lifeline for individuals struggling with anxiety and panic disorders. Andrew and Josh's genuine empathy, expertise, and relatability make this podcast an invaluable resource for understanding anxiety and finding hope in recovery. With their guidance, listeners can gain a deeper understanding of their condition while learning practical tools for managing anxiety on their journey towards recovery.
This week on Disordered we're discussing the all too common narrative in wellness circles that demands that we ascribe all anxiety or suffering of any kind to unhealed or unprocessed trauma. And while its certainly a good thing that we are more concerned with life experiences than structural defects now, this narrative can be unhelpful or even harmful in the context of anxiety disorders.All humans experiences crises. Some of those crises remain unresolved and create trauma. In some of those cases that trauma appears as functional impairment long after the traumatizing experiences are over. Some anxious people struggle with this. BUT NOT ALL. It's not automatic. The word "some" is the most important word in this discussion.When there is trauma in the mix - and not all difficult things in life need to be called trauma - that makes anxiety recovery more layered and even more tricky in some cases, but it doesn't make things impossible. And when there is no lasting functional impact due to "trauma", insisting that anxiety disorders are an unhealed / unprocessed pain problem is a really bad strategy.Whatever your experiences in life with crisis, trauma, or anxiety may be, this episode is worth a listen. ---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
"Help! I started doing exposures and trying to accept my anxiety and its getting worse!"This is a very common experience in anxiety disorder recovery. Its been spoken about at great length in the community surrounding the Disordered podcast. This week we're tackling the "worse before better" issue.When you stop running, hiding, avoiding, escaping, distracting, and otherwise drowning out your anxious thoughts, fears, and sensations, you will find yourself in a situation where you feel them more fully. This is natural, normal, to be expected, and part of the recovery process as designed. However, it can be easy for many reasons to interpret this as things getting "worse".Tune in to this episode as the guys are talking about how this interpretation is created, why feeling more does not equal getting worse, and how fully experiencing the things that disturb and bother us is a required part of the recovery equation. If you're adopting acceptance, tolerance, or non-resistance and feel like this is "making you worse", this episode is for you.---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
When we struggle with chronic or disordered anxiety, we regularly experience powerful emotions that tend to look like fear or tension. We may experience intense feelings of being vulnerable, or doomed. We talk about these things all the time. But what about when you have emotions about having those emotions? Struggling to overcome an anxiety problem that is creating disruption in your life is going to trigger actual emotions beyond just fear. Many feel:Frustrated - because they can't seem to get better fast enough or make steady progressAngry - because they feel stuck in the anxiety loopGuilty - because anxiety is keeping them from living the life they want to liveSad - for the time they may have lost to anxietyThis is just a partial list. The emotions that come along with the struggle are real, valid, and must be acknowledged and addressed. Expressing them is important! This week Josh and Drew are talking about these often confusing and hard to handle emotions.Have a listen. The conversation touches on the validity of all emotions, learning to be OK with all states of your humanity, why doing hard things is going to bring other parts of your life into the process, and how declaring catastrophe over how you're feeling NOW is a trap.---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
"Hey ChatGPT. Please tell me how I'll know if I'm accepting my anxiety or avoiding it.""Hey ChatGPT. When I get anxious my vision gets weird. Can anxiety do that? ""Hello Reddit. Does anyone else feel like ...."The guys are back after a short break to talk about the use of ChatGPT, AI, Reddit, Google, and the Internet in general in the context of anxiety and mental health issues.There's no doubt that large language models - software that aggregates extremely large amounts of information found on the Internet and in libraries and huge databases - are here to stay. But while AI bots and engines like ChatGPT are sometimes quite impressive and can even present themselves as human, we do have to be mindful of how we're using these new tools as we work toward overcoming chronic and disordered forms of anxiety. This episode includesA look at how compulsive reassurance seeking, analysis, problem solving, and resources gathering can turn AI or online tools into counterproductive habitsHow the Internet can't ever really know your specific situation or the real details of who you are, and therefore can't answer your recovery questions with any degree of certainty or even safety in many cases. How AI engines are being used to create mental health and wellness content targeting engagement, growth, and influence rather than accuracy or usefulness.General guidelines we might lean on when trying to use tools like ChatGPT or Reddit to help us in recovery.If you want to use AI or online tools to help you get better, this episode is probably worth a listen.----Drew's Substack Is Herehttps://theanxioustruth.substack.com---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
We're taking a short two week break, so no new episode of Disordered for April 18 or April 25. We'll be back again on May 2!In the meanwhile, head over to disordered.fm and check out our back catalog of episodes. We've done some cool (and fun) stuff over the last two years so check it out. Thank you for all your support. We really appreciate all of you guys! ---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
When working on anxiety recovery, sometimes we're DOING. Other times we have to focus on NOT doing. How confusing is that!?This week Drew and Josh are chatting about how DOING things specific to anxiety recovery and NOT DOING things specific to anxiety recovery are related and how these two concepts work together. In a nutshell, doing is about activating and engaging in behavior that anxiety says you should avoid. On the flip side, not doing is about refraining from the actions (including mental actions like rumination) that anxiety and fear will insist are good ideas.This is subtle and nuanced, and will look a bit different from one person to the next. Things may change from day to day. So if you are confused by this - especially if you are dealing with GAD or health anxiety and want to know what you're "exposures" should be - this episode may help clear things up for you.As usual the episode celebrates some wins from your peers - others struggling with the same issues you may be struggling with - and a healthy dose of humor and compassion. So listening is a good DOING thing. On the other hand, judging Josh and Drew for their continued insistence on talking about bologna sandwiches is definitely a NOT DOING thing. ;-) ---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
Emetophobia - an intense fear of vomiting and any thoughts or sensations associated with vomiting - is a more common struggle among anxious people than anyone might initial think. But Emetophobia can make its way into virtually every aspect of life, often resulting in a highly restricted lifestyle and a dramatic decrease in the ability to function.This week Dara Lovitz and Dr. David Yusko join Drew and Josh to talk about emetophobia. Dara suffered for over 30 years before finally overcoming emetophobia through exposure based treatment with Dr. Yusko. Now they're sharing this experience with others in need of help, which is pretty awesome.If your anxiety is driven by an intense fear of vomiting, this episode is absolutely worth a listen. ---Dara Lovitz is an attorney working for a legal nonprofit organization, adjunct professor of animal law at two law schools in the Philadelphia area, and an author. She is a recovered emetophobe and co-wrote her fourth book, Gag Reflections: Conquering a Fear of Vomit Through Exposure Therapy, with her therapist Dr. David Yusko. With Dr. Yusko, she also co-founded Emetophobia Institute, which is the premier online resource for individuals struggling with emetophobia as well as therapists of all experience levels who wish to learn how to help their clients conquer emetophobia.Dr. David Yusko is a licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania and is the co-founder of the Center for Anxiety & Behavior Therapy. He received his Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Upon completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Yusko joined The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the University of Pennsylvania where his expertise in anxiety disorders broadly speaking was developed and refined. Under the mentorship of Dr. Edna Foa, Dr. Yusko focused his career on providing clients, and teaching other mental health professionals, evidence based treatments for anxiety related disorders (e.g. OCD, panic disorder, social phobia, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific phobias).---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
One of the perfect storms in the anxiety disorder world is the combination of existential related anxiety with the sensations/experiences of depersonalization and derealization. Unfortunately for many, this is a common combination and it can be so difficult to understand and address that it seemed an episode dedicated to this issue was in order.As you might expect, the overall message in this episode is that while this is a very scary combination that be difficult to accept without fighting or resisting, in the end having existentially based thoughts/fears alongside this common anxiety symptom (DP/DR) is safe. It really is OK - though difficult - to take an acceptance based approach in this situation too.The discussion touches on how anxiety can turn curiosity and wonder into dread, how an anxious mind will try very hard to answer un-answerable questions, and how DP/DR might seem to confirm the important/dangerous nature of existential thoughts and fears (but it really doesn't confirm anything except the fact that you are afraid and anxious).As usual, the guys share some of their own experience, add clinical experience and expertise, and sprinkle a dash of humor and a helping of kindness and understanding into the discussion.If you feel like DP/DR alongside existential anxiety is a deal breaker or show-stopper for you .... tune in. This one might be helpful.---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
Do you feel like you've "mostly" overcome your chronic or disordered anxiety issues but there are still challenges that linger? Maybe you've felt fully recovered once before, or even several times before, but you keep finding yourself back in the thick of it or unable to overcome a few specific challenges.If this is you, then tune in as Josh and Drew talk about the concept of "incomplete" anxiety disorder recovery. We're looking at the red zone concept - that set of triggers or circumstances that you may still deem unapproachable or too triggering to fully face. We'll look at the very definition of what recovery means and why sometimes that word itself can be problematic.There's some discussion of how earlier recovery can sometimes accidentally hinge on learning to do things without being triggered rather than working through triggered states.And as usual, there's a healthy dose of understanding and a few laughs along the way!---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
When working to overcome an anxiety disorder, the biggest challenge many in our community can identify is flying. For chronically anxious people, the idea of getting on a plane, being trapped for hours, and being terrified or out of control for that long seems like something they will never be able to.Even for people that are well on the way to recovery, flying can still feel like the "ultimate test" of recovery. The fear that they will crumble and be in a totally uncontrollable, inconsolable state while in the air can be powerful. It leads some to avoid travel completely.This week Drew and Josh had a chat with Dr. David Carbonell about the intersection of anxiety disorders and flying. Dave is well known in the anxiety disorder community and brings us not only a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, but also a healthy dose of understanding and much needed humor. We're covering all the usual issues:anticipatory anxietystruggling to decide if you should get on the plane or notthe worry over losing control or being in a full panic for hours while at 35,000 feetstorming the cockpittrying to get out of the aircraft while its in the aircausing a scene and/or needing to be restrained in some wayexperiencing a psychotic breakpanic that leads to a medical emergencyIf you're struggling with disordered anxiety and terrified at the thought of flying not because you fear a crash but because you fear your own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, tune in. This episode is for you.For more on Dr. David Carbonell visit his website:https://anxietycoach.com---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
How can I learn to self-soothe when I get anxious and I'm terrified of my body or my thoughts?Well ... while it might seem like launching into a soothing technique designed to control the fight or flight response is a good idea, this week Josh and Drew are talking about why the concept of self-soothing doesn't automatically make sense in the context of anxiety disorders.Self-soothing, supporting yourself while you naturally work through difficult moments and experiences, is awesome. There are a few excellent examples in this episode of what that might look like (including a reference to Josh in a cozy onesie), but when we feel like we must immediately escape from feelings inside us because we are in what feels like an urgent situation, self-soothing can be counterproductive.If you're struggling with the idea that you should be learning how to forcibly soothe your anxiety and frustrated because you can't find ways to reliably or consistently do this on demand, this episode is worth a listen ... even if it took us almost 30 minutes to mention crying, which is one of the greatest organic natural soothing responses of all time. ---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
Breathing anxiety! This is such a common issue in the Disordered community. Breathing or breath focused anxiety often involves a few key concepts:"I feel like I can't get a deep enough breath!""When I get really anxious it feels like I can't breathe.""I'm super focused on my breath all day long and I hate it!"Today we're joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Amy Janzen-Claude to chat about breathing and breath-focused anxiety, and the most effective ways to approach and address this common struggle.Of particular note is the discussion about how while acceptance and tolerance concepts are universal, how we apply them can be very individual and might look different from one person to the next. In the end ... as expected ... approaching breathing anxiety isn't much different than approaching anxiety focused on any other somatic experience or core fear. You might feel like this a very special and super important issue, but that is your brain insisting that it must keep you safe ... while you ARE safe and always have been. Thanks to Dr. Janzen-Claude for getting up early to join us today!To find Dr. Amy Janzen-Claude online:https://www.instagram.com/drjanzenclaude/---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
To celebrate the 100th episode (and over a million downloads) of Disordered, we thought celebrating listener and community wins would be a great way to mark the occasion!Disordered would not exist without you, and when you guys do brave things, face your fear, learn lessons from that, and rise to meet challenges you previously thought impossible to meet, that needs to be acknowledged.If you find inspiration and encouragement in the victories of others that share your struggle, tune in for this one. It's full of that stuff.And thank you so much for supporting Disordered for the last two years. We appreciate you more than you can imagine. ---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
What is existence? What is the point of all this? Do I even really exist? The universe is so insanely huge! What even is time? What happens when we die?These are questions all humans ask - and have been asking since we developed language. They are normal. They can even be fun questions to ask. An entire section of the human race dedicates itself to studying and pondering these questions.But for people struggling with OCD and other anxiety disorders ... these questions can be huge triggers that create an intense state of anxiety and dread.This week Drew and Josh are examining existential anxiety and dread within the context of anxiety and anxiety disorders. So if you are afraid to look at the sky because it makes you worry about your place in the universe, or if you ever worry about the nature of time or existence, pop in and have a listen.---Disordered Roundtables are here! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled,visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.---Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.https://bit.ly/worryrumination-----Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web:https://disordered.fm
When Drew and Josh form a band, they will call it "Willful Tolerance and the Sensitized State". Kinda like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble .... but way cooler. But before then, they're releasing this episode of Disordered, which takes a look at the relationship between a sensitized state - where everything seems scary and triggering and you feel stuck - and the principle of willful tolerance (acceptance, surrender, non-resistance, etc.). This episode is especially useful for anxious people that are declaring themselves to be in a setback, or experiencing a relapse, and wondering what they're doing wrong and why they aren't fully recovered and not anxious. So if you are confused about how you're supposed to accept or tolerate things that feel so raw and so strong, pop in and join us for 39 minutes or so. We promise, at no point in the episode will you have to hear the guys playing instruments or singing. But we can't promise that will never happen. Just saying. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
If being anxious means you are less than, defective, doing it wrong, or that you are at fault for not being able to control or stop your anxiety, you may be struggling to move forward in recovery. If you feel that being an anxious person is proof that you are unworthy or defective, or if you feel that you are bringing it all on yourself because you do not deserve a better life, you may be struggling with self-compassion. This is one of the primary obstacles to improvement when addressing an anxiety disorder. The inability to treat oneself with kindness or access feelings of self worth or self love really gets in the way of learning the lessons that facing our fears bring us. It leaves many in our community feeling stuck - and feeling even less worthy or capable! Dr. Elaine Beaumont is one of the leading voices in the field of Compassion Focused Therapy. We were fortunate to have her stop by and chat with us about the role of compassion self-compassion in the recovery process. If you see yourself in a negative light and that's getting in the way of your recovery, this episode might be for you. --- Dr Elaine Beaumont is a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, compassion focused therapist and Europe-approved eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing practitioner. She is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Salford and co-author of the bestselling books: The Kindness Workbook: Compassionate and Creative Ways to Boost Your Wellbeing https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindness-Workbook-Compassionate-Creative-Wellbeing/dp/1472143272/ The Compassionate Mind Workbook: A step-by-step guide to developing your compassionate self, which has helped tens of thousands of people to learn how to develop greater compassion for themselves and others. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compassionate-Mind-Workbook-step-step/dp/1472135903 Elaine is co-author of The Self-Compassion app which is the first app to focus on the principles of Compassion Focused Therapy. https://www.selfcompassion.me/ Fine Dr. Beaumont online at: https://beaumontpsychotherapy.co.uk/ --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
I hate anxiety and panic. I hate my intrusive scary thoughts. I fear them. Why does everyone keep talking about "not judging". I MUST judge them! When addressing anxiety disorders, most modern, empirically validated effective treatments involve elements of mindfulness and acceptance. This means learning to experience anxiety without judgment or evaluation. That's difficult, isn't it! This week the guys are talking about "anxiety without judgment" and what that might look like in common scenarios. Learning to not judge doesn't mean you have to like or want anxiety or fear. It mostly means becoming more aware of the fact that you automatically judge, evaluate, and assess the feelings you experience. If you can see yourself doing that, you have a chance to change that script! Since this is an episode about judgment, we're also joined by the one and only, Judge Dredd! Well not really. Just highly questionable amateur audio engineering skills and some old movie clips featuring Sylvester Stallone, but maybe a little Stallone is exactly what you need today, right?
BUT THIS REALLY HAPPENED! You have an event in your past that you just can't stop thinking about and ruminating on, and the feelings you are getting about that event are incredibly intense and feel overpowering. Those feelings might include guilt, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, or worry about your status as a good person. But no matter how much you replay the event in your head or seek reassurance that it wasn't' as bad as you think, that never lasts and the cycle continues. Welcome to Real Event OCD. This OCD variant is particularly stubborn because when we are struggling with REOCD your anxious mind will insist that all the most effective approaches to OCD are not applicable because "it really happened!" This week we're talking about Real Event OCD. While it is true that the event you are fixated on really did happen, that does not change the rules of engagement .... or more accurately non-engagement. Sometimes things happen that aren't what we want. Sometimes events occur that make us afraid, unsure, worried, or very uncomfortable. In this episode we're chatting about this, and why the path through REOCD is to recognize that you're trying to solve a feeling that can't be - and doesn't need to be - solved. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
This week on Disordered we're having a good old anxiety Q&A session, except the people answering the questions are legends in the area of anxiety disorders! Drs Sally Winston and Marty Seif are here this week to take questions from our listeners and to share some of the insights they gained over years of working with anxiety disorders. There's a reason why Sally and Marty are looked up to by so many in this field (including us!) so tune in to learn from two of most well informed and experienced anxiety experts on the planet today. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
"I MUST BE CALM OR ALL BETS ARE OFF!" If this feels like a rule you're living by, you may find that you're chasing calm all the time, looking for ways to force your way into the coveted parasympathetic "rest and digest" state. Anxious people tend to work very hard to create calm and to maintain it at all costs. This week on Disordered the guys are talking about "rest and digest" or the state of neutral calm that an anxious person would pay a large sum of money to achieve. What is rest and digest? How does one get into that parasympathetic state we hear about from all the wellness gurus online? There must be some way to calm and regulate your nervous system to get to that place, right? Well, as usual, we're looking at a paradox here. An anxious person chasing calm - trying to force "rest and digest" - is not terribly likely to achieve or maintain that desired state. Great. So are you and your anxiety stuck forever? Not really. Tune in and give this episode a listen for more on why demanding calm is generally a bad plan, and why its safe to stop doing that, even if you're really anxious! --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
There is a default thought that stands as thread that weaves itself throughout the life of a person struggling with disordered or chronic anxiety. "How do I feel?" This week Josh and Drew are looking at this default thought and the impact it has on an anxious person. All living humans will ask this question probably every day in some form, but anxious humans ask it as their default appraisal and monitoring strategy. It becomes inflated and twisted and takes over life at a level that is not in alignment with actual safety. An anxious person has no room to act in accordance with their true selves or what they value because the default thought keeps bringing everything back to anxiety and discomfort all day long. If you're struggling with anxiety and find yourself on a default thought hamster wheel that you can't seem to get off, if you spend all day long checking in on how you feel, and if every situation you find yourself in always comes back to how you feel or might feel ... you're not alone in that and this episode is for you. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
"When I am ill, my anxiety goes through the roof!" Does this sound familiar? Many people struggling with disordered anxiety will say that if they get sick or feel unwell (i.e. a cold, a sore throat, the flu, etc.) they find that they are extremely anxious. If you experience this struggle, its not just you. This week Drew and Josh are examining the mechanics behind your over-productive threat monitoring system and why being sick or unwell can often push you into high alert mode with your anxious mind constantly scanning, measuring, evaluating, and worrying about how you feel moment to moment. Anxious people are generally terrible at tolerating discomfort and uncertainty, and that nasty sinus infection that has you down is probably also doing a good job of triggering both of those things. Here's a spoiler alert (but listen anyway) ... choosing to actively involve yourself in persistent worry and body scanning and evaluating your safety when sick is not keeping you any safer or making you feel any better. Get the medical support you might need of course, but once you have your plan and you've DONE all you can do ... its time to practice tolerating that feeling of discomfort, the fear, and the uncertainty. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
"Spiraling" is one of the terms heard quite often in the community of people struggling with anxiety disorders. There's a trigger like a thought or a sensation, then in short order you feel completely out of control, being dragged down into the pit of fear where you thrash about trying to make it stop but failing and just feeling worse and worse. This week on Disordered we're taking a closer look at what it really means to spiral. Is it a spiral, or an endless loop? Are you really out of control? What makes it feel that way? How do our old friends shock, attention, and resistance factor in here? If you find yourself often triggered into "spiraling", this might be the episode for you. Check it out! --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
How important is the concept of attention in driving an anxiety disorder and influencing the recovery process? VERY important! This week on Disordered we're up to our usual hijinks but also we're digging into the idea that attention - choosing to pay very close attention to how one feels and what one is thinking - is the primary driver of disordered anxiety. And if this is true - which we say it is - then working on moving your attention elsewhere even when that feels risky or unsafe or impossible would logically be a key component in the recovery process. This episode is a great companion to our Shock Attention and Resistance episode (episode 78) so if you haven't heard that one, check it out first, then come back and have a listen to this one. Naturally we're also sharing contributions from the community surrounding Disordered and tossing in some silly jokes and a healthy dose of understanding and compassion. Pull up a chair, or a pillow, or whatever, and join us for a while. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
The struggle in an anxiety disorder is seen in two almost automatic responses to anxiety - we either obey it and do what it tells us we must do, or we resist it by trying to fight it, argue with it, and wish it away over and over. This week on Disordered Dr. Russ Harris - one of the world's leading advocates for Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT) - is here to chat about the principles of ACT, how we get hooked by anxiety, fear, and anxious thoughts, and how this can lead to a smaller and smaller life over time. We're even using some of Josh's personal experiences with anxiety as a mini case-study viewed the the ACT lens. And as usual, the episode is sprinkled with healthy doses of light-hearted humor and kind acknowledgement of what is an almost universal struggle for humans around the world. Thank you to Russ Harris for making time for us! To find out more about Russ and ACT: https://thehappinesstrap.com If you are a therapist or clinician interested in being trained in ACT: https://psychwire.com --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
How can you tell if you're getting better? How do you measure or at least see progress when working on recovery from an anxiety disorder? What happens if you're "doing it anyway" but not seeing progress? This week on Disordered we're looking at the "green flags" of anxiety recovery. What are the signs that tell you that you're making progress even when you might feel like you're not? How much of recovery is found in just doing it anyway? What if you're already doing it anyway and don't feel like you're making progress? Josh and Drew are answering some of these questions with reminders about the real targets of recovery, shifting attitudes, willingness to come into contact with difficult internal experiences, and steering clear of Craig the Critic when he insists that you're doing it all wrong and never getting better. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
Do you have to give up coffee, tea, wine, pizza and cake to recover from an anxiety disorder? Well ... if you ask the Internet and consult general wellness influencers this question you're going to get answers that tend to collide with best practices among well trained therapists and counselors. No, you do not have to give up your favorite foods and drinks to get better. You may choose to structure your diet and your lifestyle around making overall healthy choices that align with your values and belief. That's always a good thing. But if you are avoiding things you generally like or enjoy in an effort to micro-manage your body or totally avoid experiencing natural thoughts, emotions, and sensations because you fear them ... this episode of Disordered is for you. It is in fact possible to fully recover from your anxiety disorder while also eating cheeseburgers and drinking wine. These things are not mutually exclusive! --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
This week on Disordered we're starting with the assertion that all anxiety disorders are obsessive and compulsive in at least some way. Then we make our way through all the "usual suspects" Panic disorder Health anxiety Social anxiety GAD OCD (obviously) We're looking at the obsessional components of each anxiety flavor, and the corresponding common compulsions or rituals designed to easy anxiety and discomfort. If you're worried because you think you have one type of anxiety ... and also OCD ... don't worry. While the usual "we're all a little OCD" thing is really awful and should be banned forever, within the context of anxiety disorders there are always obsessive and compulsive tendencies at play. Also, shout out to selective mutism, which is officially an anxiety disorder according to the DSM-5 but has never been mentioned on this podcast before. Spoiler alert: neither Drew nor Josh had anything constructive to say in that moment because neither has any experience with that presentation. Sorry, selective mutism. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
This week Josh and Drew are answering questions from Disordered listeners. How to deal with the shame associated with anxiety and recovery when a partner or spouse isn't terribly supportive. How do re-gain confidence in oneself? What happens if you don't remember what non-anxious you was like? What about flushing, feeling hot, and getting goosebumps when anxious? I'm an introvert. What do I do when I want to go home to re-charge? Is that avoidance? What about when you're facing possible medical issues and it triggers anxiety? What about anxiety symptoms that are disruptive and I don't know how to manage them or stop them? What is that? If its a panic attack, how do I stop it? As always, this episode includes some wins from the community, and healthy helpings of humor and compassion. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
This week Drew and Josh are talking about secondary fear. When triggered into an anxious state by thoughts, sensations, or anything else, we ALL experience a jolt of fear or discomfort. This is primary fear and its simply part of being human. Overcoming an anxiety disorder is not about removing this natural, healthy response to possible threats. People struggling with anxiety disorders will often make the mistake of trying to turn off the primary fear response to feel better. But if you want to overcome disordered and chronic states of anxiety, you want to work on turning down the secondary fear response. This is the response that makes you afraid ... or being afraid. Secondary fear is what we call it when you misinterpret primary fear as itself dangerous and begin to take evasive action to get away from, manage, stop, or prevent this internal experience. Secondary fear - and acting to keep secondary fear alive - is what really drives the disordered state. Tune in to hear a discussion about how to play charades with your amygdala and how to respond to its "call to perform" in a way that lets you slowly turn down that secondary fear response bit by bit over time. As usual, we're adding some humor and a dose of patience and kindness as is needed in any process that involves doing scary, difficult things on purpose. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
Everyone that develops an anxiety disorder wants to know why that happened. Why do some people develop disorders while others are anxious and stressed all the time without ever developing a disorder issue? Excellent question, and one that nobody would blame you for asking. This week on Disordered we're exploring the origins of anxiety disorders, why they develop, what makes us more vulnerable to this, why symptoms and scary thoughts happen, and the relationship between stress (inevitable in life) and disordered anxiety. We're also looking at how there can be many contributing factors that might trigger development of an anxiety disorder, but paradoxically directly addressing those factors is not usually the way to get out of the state you find yourself in. First we "turn off the tap" (tune in for more on this) and learn to stand up on our own, then addressing contributing factors and working on overall wellness and good relapse prevention strategies and skills can - and often do - become part of the plan. --- Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
Anxious people in recovery from chronic or disordered anxiety can find themselves bored ... and this is often a problem. This week on Disordered we're talking about learning to be bored. Yes, we have to learn how to be bored, which can be challenging if anxiety is a problem for you, but this is a skill well worth learning and practicing. Allowing yourself to sit quietly or to engage in random activities that may or may not have any purpose at all is a real thing. Not everything needs to be analyzed and evaluated in the context of anxiety recovery. Its perfectly OK to "not recover" for a while and to allow yourself to be bored, or idle. Might you experience thoughts or even sensations that you still fear a little? Yes! But this is normal. Bring those things with you into your boredom. Don't be tricked into thinking that idle time or boredom are dangerous or damaging in some way. Of note in this episode is a discussion of how reclaiming boredom and idle time without engaging in constant movement, distraction, or consumption of content is a good idea for ALL humans, not just anxious people. If you're finding yourself bored, or with idle time on your hands, this can be a good sign in your recovery. But if you find this disturbing - if boredom is itself anxiety producing - this episode may prove helpful. Give it a listen. --- Disordered Roundtable is coming! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
"I want to get back into dating but I'm still struggling with anxiety. What should I do?" "It's been going well with this new person and I'm afraid to tell them about my anxiety problem. Any tips?" "Do I need to recover fully before I start dating again?" "What if I start to like this person then then drop me because of my anxiety?" This week on Disordered we're examining the topic of dating ... with an anxiety disorder. Life doesn't stop because you are struggling with panic disorder or OCD or some other form of chronic or disordered anxiety. Anxious people also value connection, companionship, and intimacy. So how can you approach dating and building new intimate relationships while you're still in the thick of an anxiety problem and/or working on recovery? Two guys that know very little about dating ... but a whole lot about anxiety disorders ... are here to provide some insight on what it might look like when dating and anxiety disorders collide. The usual "rules" will still apply in this context, but we're also looking at sources of shame or negative self-image outside of anxiety, cognitive distortions and catastrophic thinking that can sabotage dating and new relationships, and why even non-anxious people struggle when looking for romantic partners. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Your anxiety narrative is the way you conceptualize your anxiety issues alongside how you see yourself, the world, your life in general, and how you may think your anxiety disorder developed or was triggered. Your personal narrative is important because nobody knows more about you than you! When seeking help with an anxiety problem, your narrative is the place a good helper will start. Helpers do not get to tell you your own story or impose their stories upon you. They should start with your conceptualization - your narrative - and work to incorporate that into the theories or modalities they use that work best in the context of your primary issue. This week Josh and Drew will explore why there is often confusion, conflict, and even debate about anxiety related narratives and how sometimes it can be difficult to conceptualize your own story when bombarded with so many varying messages on busy social platforms. In the end, you are always the expert on you. Taking time to work out your anxiety narrative, including how it may change as you go through the recovery process, is a process well worth engaging in. Just remember that this can be unclear, confusing, or even frustrating at times so beware of the perfection of "doing it right" traps. Your anxiety narrative is organic. It lives and breathes and changes and that's OK. There is no wrong way to address your own story! --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Three things start and drive disordered states of anxiety: Shock, Attention, and Resistance Shock is what we experience when anxiety levels skyrocket for what seems like no reason. We experience scary and disturbing physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions all at the same time. It is ... shocking! Attention drives disordered anxiety when our internal states become the most important and interesting thing in the room all the time. We focus all our attention on how we feel all the time and cannot even imagine doing otherwise. Resistance drives disordered anxiety when we fight our reality. We are anxious. We have symptoms. We have scary thoughts. We feel emotions. This is our reality in any given moment. We wear ourselves down, increase our sense of powerlessness and hopelessness, get more and more confused, and feel more and more lost and out of control when we resist this reality and try to control it rather than working WITH it. This week on Disordered we're looking at the Shock / Attention / Resistance cycle that ignites and maintains a disordered state of anxiety. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Somatic Hyper Focus - That thing where an anxious person becomes hyper aware and hyper fixated on specific bodily sensations or bodily functions. This is a common issue seen in health anxiety, OCD, and panic disorder. This week Drew and Josh are going into detail on somatic hyper focus. What does it look like? How do anxious people get stuck in this loop? What are the mechanisms at play? What tricks does the anxious mind (our friend the amygdala) employ to get us to remain focused and convinced that closely monitoring our bodies is a good idea? We're talking about hyper focus on heartbeat, breathing, muscle twitches, stomach sensations, aches and pains, and a slew of other common somatic fixation targets. We're also talking about a way to conceptualize this issue that might help you turn away from it and learn through behavioral change and experience that its OK to not urgently analyze the results every time your frightened mind scans your body for signs of danger. Of course, there's the usual dose of humor and silly music and sound effects to round out the discussion, along with a reminder that overcoming somatic hyper focus takes time and requires patience and self-compassion. Nobody fixes this problem overnight, so tune in, take what you can from this episode, and be nice to yourself as you address this disruptive and unwanted habit. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
What do you do when you're working on recovery from an anxiety disorder and your techniques stop working? How do you handle those hard days when you can't make it stop or go away? Well ... this is one reason why in the Disordered community we rarely if ever talk about tips, techniques, tricks, hacks, or steps for calming down, preventing anxiety, or managing anxiety or symptoms. This week Josh and Drew are talking about what happens when we try to use calming, relaxation, or wellness techniques to make disordered anxiety go away. There will be surprises here ... the number one technique we use in anxiety disorder recovery is to not try to use any techniques. The most valuable lesson we can learn is that even without taking special steps, our internal experiences come and go and are not worthy of changing our lives over, even when they are highly uncomfortable or scary. This episode also touches on the use of calming, relaxation, and stress management techniques as important parts of overall wellness outside the context of an anxiety disorder. Not everything is an exposure and acceptance problem in life. There are times when engaging in good wellness and stress management practices can be very helpful! The bottom line this week is that trying to use techniques to directly control how you feel and what you think in an urgent or frantic way is generally a bad plan. Applying techniques to teach us how to better handle stressors and move THROUGH our uncomfortable experiences is probably a better way to go. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
This week Drew and Josh are looking at the social impacts of anxiety. What happens when panic attacks, anxiety waves, or a flood of scary intrusive thoughts happens in public or while in social situations or when interacting with friends, family members, co-workers, or relationship partners? If your past experiences in life or past relationships have contributed to developing self-beliefs or persistent worries about being rejected, excluded, or being exposed as being "less than", you may be tempted to insist that being anxious in social settings can't possibly be OK and that there must be some special way to approach this issue. The short answer is that there really is no special way, and the same principles will apply. Its always helpful to be able to identify reasons why your threat response has latched onto themes like rejection, exclusion, or being unworthy or less than. Even then the path forward is THROUGH. In this episode we're talking about identifying and challenging core beliefs focused on social fears, and learning two valuable lessons : 1. The worst case often does not happen 2. Even if it does, you are capable of handling the feelings that come with that --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Humans will often make the mistake of trying to apply our analytical and problem solving skills in areas where they do not belong. Anxious people - people struggling with anxiety disorders - do this all the time. Are you trying to fix how you feel? Are you trying to solve your anxiety and figure it out? Are you in the habit of trying to control how you feel, engineering away bad feelings and trying to manufacture only good feelings? Are you always on the lookout for more tools, tips, techniques, and instructions on what's good "for anxiety?" These are hints that you might be a fixer or a perfectionist or both, and that you might be trying to fix or solve your anxiety .... perfectly. If this is you, tune in to this episode of Disordered for more on the fixing trap and how what seems like a good idea can often backfire and make things worse. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Let's do an old-fashioned anxiety question and answer session! This week Josh and Drew are answering questions sent in by members of the Disordered podcast community. Listen in for answers to the following questions: Are we supposed to challenge our beliefs in recovery? What about dizziness? How do you do recovery when real life happens? My health anxiety is "different". Can I use going to the doctor as an exposure? I'm very anxious when reminded of a past event that I'm not proud of. Any tips? How can I do more so I can be more recovered and not feel anxiety? How can be compassionate toward ourselves ... and really mean it? Of course we also have a few "did it anyways" in this episode to inspire and encourage. Thank you to everyone that sends in questions, shares victories both big and small, or just listens to the podcast every week. Your presence and participation are always greatly appreciated! --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Fight ... flight ... or freeze. But what about the fawn response? This week on Disordered, Drew and Josh explore the fawn response and people pleasing. While this may not be a response we see directly like we do with fight, flight, or freeze, the fawn response that leads to habitual and almost automatic people pleasing can get in the way of the recovery process. It's not exactly easy to choose to do difficult scary things to get better when you may have been conditioned by past experiences to keep yourself under wraps and not rock the boat or risk rejection or harm. We're examining some common experiences that can deal to developing and fawn or people pleasing response and looking at how the fawn response can impact family relationships friendships, intimate and romantic relationships, and even career or social group performance. One item of note. It's perfectly OK to be shy. Being considerate of others and trying to be a good person is not a problem. We're not trying to erase these parts of our personalities. Overcoming the fawn response and excessive people pleasing is not about becoming hyper-independent or insensitive. This is always about bringing behaviors and beliefs back into a healthy, beneficial place in one's life. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
An anxious state can be at least partially fueled by the act of metacognition. That's thinking and feeling ... about thinking and feeling. When meta-beliefs tell us that thinking, rumination, worry, and mental problem solving is a good way to fix our internal experiences (like big emotions, scary thoughts, or anxiety), things can go off the rails. What seems like a good idea - thinking to fix how you feel - suddenly feels like a bad idea after you can't accomplish your goal and wonder why you can't stop engaging in overthinking, worry, and rumination. This week Josh and Drew are joined by Rhiannon Wilcox, a qualified UK therapist that's been trained and certified in Metacognitive Therapy, a treatment that's been studied and validated when used to address chronic and disordered anxiety problems. Come learn more about thinking and feeling about thinking and feeling, and why those thinking habits might be leading you astray, even as they promise to lead you to recovery. To find Rhiannon Wilcox online: https://instagram.com/rhiannonwilcoxtherapy --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Even when you understand that changing your reaction to anxious thoughts, feelings, and sensations is the way out ... you may feel that this is impossible because those thoughts, those sensations, and your reactions feel completely automatic and unchangeable. This is a common concern for almost anyone struggling with anxiety disorder recovery so this week Drew and Josh are talking about how anxiety, anxious thoughts, symptoms, and reactions can feel - and really are - automatic. But even when things happen automatically, there is a choice point in every anxious situation where we are aware of what is happening. That awareness gives us power to choose a different path, even when that path is a difficult one to choose. It is critical to practice self-compassion in this context because it can be easy to fall into the trap of declaring failure or setback when you can't "control" automatic things. Remember that we're not trying to control automatic things, we're working on building awareness of our automatic thoughts, sensations, and reactions, so that the NEXT actions we take after that can be intentional and directed at recovery rather than retreat. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
If you've ever listened to an episode of Disordered and felt the need to ask "Yes, but what about when ...?", then this episode is for you. A common struggle among people trying to overcome chronic and disordered anxiety is gaining the ability to generalize the principles of recovery and apply them in an individual context. Anxious people will often hear advice aimed at different types of anxious presentations, then ask for specific advice aimed at their specific fears or thoughts or symptoms. That's a reasonable thing to ask of course, but what if the advice you're hearing for panic attacks also applies to GAD or OCD or health anxiety? Can you see how the principles of eliminating avoidance and doing the opposite of what your fear wants to you do might apply in your situation? Recovery isn't necessarily about learning how to eradicate your specific symptom or worry. It's about learning that avoiding and struggling against your internal experiences is making things worse instead of better. This general principle is applicable regardless of the specific struggle in any given moment. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Summer has arrived in the US and the UK, so let's talk about anxiety based on the heat. Summertime is often a difficult time for people struggling with anxiety disorders because the seasonal change in temperature becomes an anxiety trigger. Today the guys are talking about: How heat is just uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable in any way is often unacceptable for people with anxiety disorders. Heat may trigger feelings that resemble panic attacks or that might remind you of times in the past when you've had scary or difficult experiences that you've attributed to high temperatures. How anxiety disorders will argue irrationally about the danger or risk posed by summer temperatures, often totally discounting the ability of humans to exist quite safely in a very wide range of even extreme climates. Typical exposure ideas that target heat centric anxiety. Why working on your heat anxiety means you're also working on other triggered because heat anxiety is just another expression of the single core fear that comes with things like panic disorder or OCD - that thoughts, feelings, and sensations will be too much. As usual there are questions from the community and a few "did it anyways" to provide encouragement and inspiration. --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
We're back in business this week with both Josh and Drew in studio again chatting about the role of food and eating in the anxiety recovery process. Everyone eats, and for people struggling with anxiety disorders, food and the process of eating can become deeply connected to recovery and/or attempting to manage anxiety, symptoms, thoughts, or emotions. As usual the guys share from their own experiences while covering some of the key points to consider when identifying how food and eating can be part of your recovery plans. A few important points: Eating to be healthy is never a bad idea. But eating as a way to try to manage anxiety symptoms, prevent panic, or to micromanage physical processes that were never designed to be micromanaged can backfire on us. Eating can become a safety or avoidance behavior when we tie our diets and eating habits to our anxious fears. Be mindful of less than well-informed advice found on the Internet and in other places that promises to cure your anxiety with special diets - especially extreme or highly restrictive diets. Don't make the mistake of eating like your body is fragile and can only exist inside a narrow dietary range. In the absence of medical/physical issues that demand dietary limitations, a varied diet has physical benefits while also teaching vital lessons about psychological flexibility that matters so much in the recovery process. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible (though we would not suggest this if you can help it) so fully recover from an anxiety disorder - being afraid of being afraid - being anxious about being anxious - while consuming only junk food. Treating your body well is a better idea of course and certainly supportive, but it is not generally helpful to place food and diet on a pedestal as a cornerstone of recovery. Food can change how your body feels. This is 100% true. But remember that being afraid of your body is an entirely different situation. This matters in the recovery process. This episode was sparked by a question from a listener. Thanks, Nick! Want to participate in a future episode of Disordered by sending in a did it anyway or asking a question? Visit disordered.fm and let's hear what's on your mind! --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
The principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are heard in every episode of disordered. Whenever you hear Drew or Josh talk about acceptance or allowing or surrendering and moving THROUGH anxiety rather than resisting it ... you are hearing elements of ACT. This week we're a bit banged up - Josh is traveling and Drew has the flu, but fear not. Not only are we going to talk about ACT today, but we're talking about it with the guy that literally invented it - Dr. Steven C Hayes. If you want to explore the foundations of ACT and what it's all about, you can't pick a better person to talk to than Dr. Hayes so we are thrilled about this one. Surprises in this episode include Dr. Hayes talking about how he's a former sufferer of panic disorder, and framing anxiety as part of the "gift of emotion". Does that seem ridiculous to you? Keep listening. It makes sense when you work it through and aligns perfectly with what we're always talking about here. To learn more about Dr Hayes, ACT, and the work he's done, check out his website at https://stevenchayes.com --- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Mindfulness is good for anxiety, right? Isn't this what everyone says? Mindfulness fixes anxiety and makes you happier? Isn't that it? Well ... not really. This week Drew and Josh are taking a look at the practical applications of things like meditation and mindfulness practice in the context of anxiety disorders and anxiety recovery. A few key points: Mindfulness is paying attention to what you want to pay attention to without judgment or evaluation of your ability to pay attention. PRACTICE is the key. The practice of training one's attention is where the win is. This is something we do. A process. It's not a state we achieve or a skill to perfect. Expecting calmness, happiness, or perfection in meditation or mindfulness is not a good approach. Mindfulness and meditation are NOT calming tools or anxiety shields in this context. Please do your best to steer clear of trying to use these concepts to escape from your anxious state. That usually leads to frustration and a much more fragile state of recovery. Mindfulness and meditation apps are great! General wellness advice on how to use mindfulness and meditation is great. Just be careful about trying to apply general advice to the specific context of disordered anxiety and recovery. --- The book we talked about in this episode is Drew's "Seven Percent Slower" which is a short, friendly read on how to use the principle of slowing down to help navigate more mindfully through anxiety, fear and stress. Learn more here. ---- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
Everyone talks about the fight or flight response. But what about the freeze and fawn responses, which are also found in the anxiety disorder community? This week Josh and Drew dig into the freeze response to anxiety, panic, and perceived threat. What is the freeze response? What does it look like? Does the freeze response mean being literally frozen and completely immobilized? Do we need special instructions or rules for how to "fix" the freeze state when anxious or experiencing panic? Along the way, the guys also touch on the fawn response, which also doesn't get enough discussion in this community. We'll be doing a dedicated fawn response episode next week. ---- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm
When working through the process of chronic or disordered anxiety recovery many will find that at some point they are fixated on or have become a bit obsessed with monitoring and evaluating their mood. This week on Disordered Drew and Josh take a look at why recovering and anxious people tend to get stuck in "mood monitoring mode". Generally speaking, the issue here is the belief that mood is an important indicator of recovery progress or status, or that mod is a predictor of doom or certain downward spiral. Little room is allowed for the natural ebb and flow of mood that all humans experience organically every day. If you find that you're always monitoring your mood to check to see if you're feeling "right" or if you're OK, this episode may shed some useful light on the topic for you, so tune in. As always, some successes are shared by members of the community, and the guys answer a question about compulsively consuming anxiety and mental health content and seeking the "miracle cure" for an extended period of time. ---- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your 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.
How does one approach recovery from chronic or disordered anxiety when grief is part of the picture? Do the same principles apply? Do we use concepts like acceptance, surrender, or willful tolerance when handling grief? Grief is a powerful thing that will almost certainly impact not just anxiety recovery but all aspects of life and even daily functioning at times. In this episode Josh and Drew explore the relationship between anxiety, anxiety recovery, grief, and the grieving process. This can get complicated and as always there are subtle details and nuances so tune in. We hope you find this episode helpful. ---- Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems. https://bit.ly/worryrumination ----- Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Visit us on the web at https://disordered.fm Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your 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.
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