Disordered: Anxiety Help Have You Learned How To Panic Yet? (Episode 122)
In this episode, Josh and Drew tackle one of the most counterintuitive concepts in overcoming panic attacks: learning how to panic better, rather than trying to avoid panic altogether.
When facing a new job triggers familiar panic patterns, many people focus on preventing anxiety rather than developing a healthier relationship with it. Drew and Josh explore why "learning how to panic" is often the key to breaking free from panic disorder and agoraphobia.
Josh and Drew discuss the difference between panic attacks (the physical experience) and panic disorder (how we modify our lives to avoid those attacks). They challenge the common belief that panic attacks are disasters that must be prevented at all costs, instead suggesting that true recovery comes from accepting that panic might happen—and discovering that we can handle it.
- Why avoiding panic attacks keeps you stuck in the cycle
- The difference between learning "how to not panic" vs. "how to panic"
- Setting the right intention before challenging situations
- How catastrophic thinking creates unrealistic disaster scenarios
- The role of willful tolerance in anxiety recovery
- Addressing deeper fears about judgment and rejection at work
[03:45] - Josh and Drew introduce the concept: "This isn't about learning how to not panic. This is about getting better at panicking."
[11:30] - Drew challenges the core belief: "What would happen if I was wrong about that? What would happen if I'm wrong and I can actually handle having a panic attack at work?"
[18:30] - Josh on setting intentions: "I'm going to go and do this thing and see how well I can do whilst panicking."
[25:00] - Community win featuring someone who practiced "doing it anyway" during difficult existential thoughts
[30:10] - Success story: Concert attendance despite anxiety, demonstrating attention redirection techniques
[33:50] - Driving breakthrough story: Overcoming agoraphobia through gradual exposure and value-based action
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The Exposure Explained workshop Drew mentioned in the episode:
https://learn.theanxioustruth.com/exposure-explained
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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.
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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.
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