Understanding Anxiety and the Four States of Emotional and Behavioral Health

In the podcast episode, Dr. David Ross Marin discusses the four states of emotional and behavioral health: flourishing, languishing, distressed, and severely distressed. He emphasizes that the goal should not be to eliminate anxiety, but rather to thrive with it. People who are flourishing are successful and do not require professional help, but they still experience anxiety to some extent. Languishing individuals are not clinically distressed but may not be flourishing either. Dr. Marin suggests that learning to deal with anxiety can be beneficial for these individuals. Distressed and severely distressed individuals require varying levels of professional treatment. Overall, Dr. Marin highlights the importance of accepting anxiety as a normal part of life and using it as a catalyst for growth.