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

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

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

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

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

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

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. This is never required, but always appreciated!

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

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What if you could transform your relationship with anxiety simply by changing your approach? This week on the Anxious Truth, we tackle the misunderstood phrase "sitting with anxiety" and reveal how it doesn't mean you have to be physically still. We'll break down the true essence of this concept, emphasizing the importance of allowing yourself to experience anxiety without trying to escape or fix it. Whether you're at work, running errands, or simply relaxing, the key is to let anxiety be present without interference, tailoring your approach to fit your unique circumstances.

Discover how embracing anxiety in the midst of your daily routine can actually empower you. We’ll share insights on how to navigate anxiety during meetings, phone calls, or even in bustling environments like a busy mall. By engaging with your life and tasks at hand, even when anxious, you’ll learn to manage these feelings without them dictating your actions. Tune in for a discussion that shifts the focus from achieving calm to accepting the experience of anxiety, ultimately leading to a reduction in fear over time. This episode promises to reshape your understanding and management of anxiety in a way you might have never considered before.

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/295

For more anxiety and recovery resources:
https://theanxioustruth.com

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. This is never required, but always appreciated!

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

HELP! My panic attacks come totally out of the blue! I don't know how to handle that!

For an anxious person struggling with the process of anxiety disorder recovery, it can sometimes seem like panic attacks strike completely randomly and "out of the blue", where no clear source of anxiety can be identified as triggering the attack. This can be frustrating, especially if you've been working overtime to manage your anxiety and prevent panic from happening.

But there is no such thing as an "out of the blue" panic attack. In the context of disordered forms of anxiety, it is the resistance to panic and the urgent attempts to manage and prevent it that become the precipitating factors leading to future panic attacks. Trying hard to guarantee that you won't panic any more? Paradoxically, this is going to have the opposite effect, almost guaranteeing that you will likely experience more panic down the road.

When one is anxious about being anxious, or afraid of being afraid, the trigger for the most recent "out of the blue" panic attack can be found in all the panic attacks that came previously. The hidden trigger is in the checking, scanning, evaluating, and guarding against panic that allows a single sensation, thought, or feeling to trigger a rapid sequence of events that creates what appears to be a random, unexplainable instant panic attack.

It's actually good news that there are no true "random" panic attacks. We can use that information to make adjustments and change direction toward where we want be in recovery and in life.

For full show notes on this episode and other anxiety/recovery resources:
https://theanxioustruth.com/294

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. This is never required, but always appreciated!

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.