Understanding Anxiety: Embracing Discomfort

Anxiety is typically thought of as a disease or a disorder. My guest has a very different way of looking at it, and says that rather than being a burden, anxiety can actually become a benefit, and even a strength.

Dr. David Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, the founder of the Center for Anxiety, and the author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You. Today on the show, David explains why the prevalence of anxiety has risen while the reasons to feel anxious have fallen, and what the increase in anxiety has to do with our growing intolerance for uncertainty and uncontrollability. We discuss how the perception of anxiety is a big part of the problem that has made anxiety a problem, and how you can change your relationship with anxiety, transforming it from something that hinders your life, to something that helps you develop greater self-awareness, reach your goals, make needed changes, connect better with others, and build your overall resilience.

Resources Related to the Episode

• AoM Podcast #497: The Meaning, Manifestations, and Treatments for Anxiety
• AoM Podcast #614: Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (With Steven Hayes) 
• AoM Podcast #782: Anxiety Is a Habit — Here’s How to Break It
• AoM Podcast #868: Escape the Happiness Trap
• AoM series on developing resilience 
• AoM Article: Just Go to Sleep
• AoM Article: 5 Tools for Thriving in Uncertainty
• AoM Article: The Best Books to Read in Uncertain Times

Connect With David Rosmarin

• David's website