Disordered: Anxiety Help

What about all this "neuropathways" talk? What does it mean in anxiety recovery? Funny that you asked! This week on Disordered Josh and Drew are talking about neuropathways, anxious habits, and how the concept of "building new neuropathways" applies in the context of anxiety disorders and anxiety recovery. Let's start by acknowledging that even counterproductive anxious habits are built atop pathways in the brain designed to make things easier for us. We can learn good habits and develop responses and behaviors that almost feel automatic because that's metabolically efficient and frees our thinking brains up to concentrate on more important things. But sometimes, this amazing mechanism is accidentally used to create anxious or avoidant responses and habits based on a misfiring of our threat detection systems. Are there neuropathways beneath habits designed to avoid or escape anxiety triggers? Yes, there are. But the good news is that we can play an active role in building new neuropathways. New behavioral choices and new experiences can re-wire our brains, even in the case where we might be terrified of our own bodies and minds. The guys use a bunch of analogies (some clever, some not so clever) to illustrate how making new choices in responding to anxious thoughts and anxious sensations triggers the process of creating new neuropathways. The conversation also touches on the need for commitment and repetition in building these new pathways that support new behaviors, new habits, and a new relationship with anxiety and fear. Tune in for this, the usual "did it anyways", questions from the community, and maybe even a surprise for Josh and his now trademark screaming American eagle sound effect. ;-) --- Interested in Josh's new book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

Discusses re-triggering of anxiety in recovery, re-sensitization to anxious thoughts, importance of allowing, accepting, and surrendering to de-sensitize internal state. Emphasizes reframing feelings as part of the journey, managing anxiety like a snow globe, and facing fears to enjoy time with horses. Explores managing intrusive thoughts, battling OCD against core values, and using gratitude for support in overcoming OCD.

Drew and Josh discuss the concept of burnout and how anxiety can amplify the fear of burning out. They explore signs of burnout, offer tips on avoiding it, and share personal experiences. Listeners can benefit from their small group recovery support program and gain insights on self-care and managing expectations.

Are you using wellness concepts, techniques, programs, and principles as a way to resist feelings of anxiety? There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking care of oneself and wanting to be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. But in a large community of people struggling with disordered and chronic states of anxiety, compulsively seeking, chasing, and engaging in wellness rituals as a way to desperately stomp out any possibility of feeling anxious or uncomfortable can become a problem. This week on Disordered we're looking at compulsive wellness, characterized by the assertion that one must be perfectly healthy, manage or micro-manage bodily functions and systems, and always be perfectly stable, optimized, and fully prepared to minimize the chances of being triggered into an anxious state. Especially in a social media climate jam-packed with body-centric and often less-than-reputable anxiety management or cure programs, it can be easy to be drawn into the compulsive wellness cycle. If you find yourself there and trying to break out, know that you're not doing anything wrong, its OK to want to feel better, and even if you stop desperately chasing every wellness hack you come across, you can still be OK. --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

The default state for most humans - to varying degrees - is for the brain to launch into inward thinking and inner dialogue when there's nothing else to pay attention to. If you're struggling with chronic or disordered anxiety, this can become a real issue and a major struggle. This week we're looking at the inward compulsion. That fear-driven habit of not only having thoughts, but answering them, engaging with them, checking in on them, and inviting them in for lengthy conversations that go on endlessly and drive anxiety and more discomfort. Can you stop the inward compulsion? Well, that's complicated. You can't stop your brain from making thoughts. That's just what brains do. But you can work on building a new relationship with those thoughts and refusing to engage with them or feel them with the attention they so crave when your brain thinks it needs to keep you safe. Over time, the inward compulsion stops being a compulsion and your regular, non-anxious relationship with your thoughts and inner dialogue (which will vary from person to person) goes back to a "regular" state where even a highly active inner dialogue simply exists without posing an obstacle in your life or causing significant struggle or disruption. --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

"Is it normal for my symptoms, or thoughts, or my anxiety to get worse when I start engaging in recovery?" Even Dr. Claire Weekes acknowledged this experience when writing about recovery many years ago. This week on Disordered we're talking about feeling MORE when you stop hiding from anxiety. This is often misinterpreted as "getting worse" but feeling more doesn't mean your anxiety, your symptoms, or your thoughts are getting worse. It's OK to feel things. The recovery process is about learning how to get better at feeling things. You can feel all the things and still be safe. xx --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

"What does anxiety therapy look like?" "What goes on in a session with an anxiety specialist?" "How can I find the right therapist for me?" This week Drew and Josh address these questions, including a really interesting 12-minute mock therapy session to start the episode. Josh plays the therapist while Drew is the client struggling with panic and extreme levels of anxiety. It's role play, but it does give a reasonable idea of what a first session with an anxiety specialist might look and sound like. The guys also talk about different modalities in therapy (treatment styles or methods), the value of being able to bring different therapy concepts to bear on different problems, and the need to have at least some level of connection and relationship with a therapist to get the most from the endeavor. --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

But what about hormonal issues, perimenopause, and menopause???!!! This is a question that we are asked all the time, and rightfully so. This week we're joined by Helen Bennett, a qualified UK psychotherapist specializing in supporting people who are dealing with fertility challenges and struggling with the menopause transition. This episode is chock full of excellent information about the experience of menopause and how it can so closely mirror chronic anxiety and the symptoms of an anxiety disorder. We also chat about how these things can and often do overlap, strategies for getting a handle on how or if hormonal changes are impacting your mental health, and ways to approach this natural but often highly challenging part of life. Thanks so much to Helen for taking the time to chat with us about this important issue. We needed some expert help on this one, and Helen was kind enough to come through for us. We'll have her back on for more in the future for sure. To find Helen online, visit her website: https://www.themenopausetherapist.com/ Check her out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MenopauseTherapy/ Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themenopausetherapist/ To find The Counsellor's Staff Room (mentioned in the episode as a resource for therapists and counselors in the UK): https://www.counsellors-staffroom.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/counsellors.staffroom Other links mentioned in this episode: Balance website for information on menopause and HRT: https://www.balance-menopause.com/ Balance app for recording symptoms: https://www.balance-menopause.com/balance-app/ Current NICE Guidelines:  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23 New NICE Guidelines currently under consultation (anyone can review and comment):  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10241/consultation/html-content-2 NHS information on menopause:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/ --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.

The podcast explores the anxiety of not feeling anxious and the struggle to adjust to a new state of mind. It also discusses different perspectives on anxiety, decision paralysis, and the challenge of transitioning out of 'Meerkat mode.' Additionally, they mention a book about being an anxiety therapist and encourage pre-orders.

"Healing" is a VERY popular word in self-help, mental health, and wellness circles. For many, this word resonates. For our friends struggling to overcome chronic and disordered anxiety, it can sure feel like there's healing to do. But what if recovery wasn't all about healing? What if there was as much learning as there is healing in the process? Or what if the healing part doesn't always look the way you think healing looks and feels? This week Josh and Drew are deconstructing the idea of "healing" in anxiety recovery. Are we saying that healing isn't a thing? Of course not! Everyone gets to pick the syntax and the words that resonate most for them. Surely there is some healing happening in some way. But when healing fuels and drives compulsive or ritualized recovery, or drives one into an endless loop of demanding to feel "properly healed", things can go off the rails quickly. This episode is designed to make you think a bit about the roles of healing and learning in recovery, and how you might be glued to words that aren't always serving you well. As always, a healthy dose of flexibility and patience is required as part of this discussion and as part of the recovery process as a whole. Never forget that these questions can be confusing, there isn't always a definite answer to be had, and in the absence of patience and self-compassion this kind of thing can accidentally make you feel like you're doing it wrong or that you have to work harder to achieve "perfect" recovery. Beware of that trap at all times! --- Want to pre-order Josh’s book, “And How Does That Make You Feel?”  ⁠⁠⁠https://geni.us/JoshFletcher⁠⁠⁠ ---- If you love Disordered and think you might benefit from spending 30 full days in an everyday intensive small group recovery support group led by Josh and Drew,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Disordered Boost at https://disordered.fm/boost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- 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.