Disordered: Anxiety Help

BRAIN FOG!?!?!

One of the most common symptoms of anxiety reported in the community surrounding this podcast is "brain fog". That thing where your brain just isn't working the way you'd expect it to work. Maybe you're slow, have memory issues, or struggle to find proper words or names. Maybe you just feel "out of it" or like you're in a dissociated state. Brain fog is very common, very subjective, difficult to describe, and often disruptive.

But as with any anxiety symptom, brain fog is not dangerous, not indicative of some horrible brain injury, and not worthy of special tips, tricks, or methods to make it go away or stop it from happening. The way out of brain fog ... as usual ... is through it. Today Josh and Drew talk about how being patient with yourself, kind to yourself, and resisting the urge to hit the panic button when you feel foggy, is the best way to learn how to tolerate and function even when feeling this way.

Yes, this means that the way out is learning through practice and experience that you might not be functioning in an optimal state, but you're still functioning and that's OK.

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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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.

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, 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.

Anxiety And The Fear of Losing Control (Episode 035) Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Fear of losing control - and suffering some horrible consequence - is one of the top five core fears found in anxiety disorders. This week Drew and Josh delve into the fear that you may lose control and why this fear seems important and very real but isn't any different than any other expression of a misguided and misfiring threat response.

We look at different OCD themes that focus on the loss of control, how fear of losing control fuels monophobia (fear of being alone), and what horrible disasters anxious brains attach to losing control. Of particular note is a discussion about how even when you are sure you are out of control or are about to lose all control, you still have agency and the ability to make choices.

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome/GI Issues w/Dr. Sula Windgassen (Ep 034) Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

When anxious, stressed, or afraid, the gut and GI tract are almost instantly impacted. This is true for a huge number of people, anxious or not. This week Josh and Drew are joined by health psychologist Dr. Sula Windgassen to talk about anxiety and IBS. Dr. Sula specializes in a cognitive behavioral approach to supporting people struggling with IBS, Crohn's, colitis, other GI issues, and other chronic illnesses.

In this episode we're talking about:

The real nature of the gut-brain connection
Validating the fact that anxiety can and often does have a real physical impact on the GI tract
How anxiety can not only trigger these issues but can also make them worse than they have to be based on magnified fears surrounding these physical responses
How a cognitive-behavioral approach is beneficial when struggling to get a grip on the intersection of anxiety and IBS/gut issues.

Find Dr. Sula online:

Instagram (@the_health_psychologist_)

All Dr. Sula's Links

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Sound Sensitivity and Misophonia w/Dr Jane Gregory (Ep 033) Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

https://instagram.com/drjanegregory

Extreme sensitivity to sound and misophonia (yes, it has a name) is a topic that doesn't get nearly enough attention in the mental health community so this week on Disordered we were lucky enough to have Dr. Jane Gregory stop by to talk about this often under-represented challenge.

Dr. Jane has struggled with misophonia since childhood so not only is she academically and professionally well-versed in the topic, she's lived this experience herself. Dr. Jane has immersed herself in misophonia research which is revealing some amazing insights into this issue and how it can be addressed by clinicians, and has even written a book on the topic ("Sounds Like Misophonia").

Today's discussion touches on not just anxiety triggered by sound, but also on the emotional, social, familial, and cultural impacts of this issue. People struggling with misophonia can often find themselves feeling isolated, and questioning themselves when triggered. Misophonia sufferers may find themselves confused as to why it feels like there are misophonia and non-misophonia versions of themselves.

Even if you do not struggle with misophonia or extreme sound sensitivity, this episode is worth a listen because it is chock-full of great information applicable across many of the topics we cover on Disordered.

Oh, and apologies for the fact that Josh was out rubbing elbows on celebrity podcasts rather than recording, and for the absence of the now traditional screaming American eagle sound effect in this one. I'm sure he'll bring it back next week. ;-)

Find Dr. Jane Gregory online:

https://instagram.com/soundslikemiso

https://soundslikemisophonia.com

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Maintaining Momentum in Anxiety Recovery (Episode 032) Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

"How can I maintain momentum in recovery when I have a setback or I don't feel motivated?"

This is a very common question asked in our community so this week on Disordered we're addressing the topic of momentum in the anxiety recovery process. We relay some of our own experiences with recovery momentum and what it looked like for us, and we touch on some common issues related to momentum and motivation in recovery:

There is no linear "perfect" recovery. It's OK to make mistakes. We need to make those mistakes in order to learn!
Momentum is often about fully embracing a commitment to challenging anxiety and the thoughts, doubts, sensations, and inner criticism that come with it.
REST is part of maintaining momentum! You're not going to break your recovery if you take time to rest and recharge when needed.
Motivation is not required before acting. It's OK to feel unmotivated. Sometimes we have to act even when we feel that way. A feeling of motivation sometimes comes after the action.
Being afraid to "lose progress" is a common reason why some people stop or stall in recovery.
Thoughts about never getting better are still just thoughts. When we have those thoughts we must be mindful to not glue ourselves to them and let them dictate our actions.

As always we have a couple of "did it anyways" and we answer a question about anxiety that comes in "waves".

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Social Anxiety (Episode 031) Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

This week we're taking a look at social anxiety, which is the anxiety disorder that belongs in that classification, but also kinda doesn't because it can often be more complex than related forms of chronic and disordered anxiety.

Social anxiety is often misunderstood as "extreme shyness" or "fear of being judged", but there can be much more to it so join us as we explore some of the more common broad-brush themes associated with social anxiety. We can't crack the code of everyone's social anxiety in a podcast episode, but if you struggle in situations where you have to be around others or interact with others, this episode can be helpful in explaining what may be happening "under the hood" of your anxious response.

This episode also references two episodes of Drew's podcast, "The Anxious Truth". You can find them here:

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Does The Body Keep The Score In Anxiety Disorders? (Episode 030) Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

This week on Disordered we examine the somatic trauma narrative in relation to anxiety disorders.

This is a tricky topic. We ALWAYS want to validate and support our friends who are struggling to work through trauma. That struggle is real and cannot be minimized or dismissed. In the right context for someone working through trauma, somatic conceptualizations can be highly impactful in a really positive way. No doubt!

At the same time, we must also acknowledge that while somatic conceptualizations of trauma applied to anxiety disorders can be informative and empowering, they just shouldn't be seen as universally applicable, especially when interacting with highly suggestible and vulnerable individuals in a sensitized state for whom those narratives simply may not apply.

Trauma survivors are deserving of representation and advocacy in the mental health community, but so are members of the anxiety disorder community who are sometimes harmed by misapplied and overgeneralized somatics narratives. This week we've done our best to provide a balanced look at this issue that we hope sheds some light on the topic for anyone confused by this issue.

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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I Have Anxiety and I'm Afraid To Be Alone! (Monophobia) (Episode 029) Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

This week Josh and Drew tackle "monophobia" - the fear of being alone. This is VERY common among people with panic disorder and agoraphobia. It presents most often as an intense fear and avoidance of being left home alone without safe people nearby or as always needing safe people with you before you can do exposures or go into areas where your anxiety might be triggered.

This fear is not a special or "another" fear that you have to overcome. Monophobia is what we call it when you are sure that you cannot tolerate or handle the experience of anxiety while alone and will need to be rescued or saved from that experience. It's another expression of the same fear .... the fear of fear.

In this episode, we talk about the fear of being alone (monophobia) and discuss ways to address it as part of your overall recovery strategy.

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Sleep Anxiety. I'm Anxious About My Sleep!!!! (Episode 028) Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

I'm having problems with my sleep and I'm super anxious about it. HELP!

Anxiety focused on sleep and sleep problems is one of the most common complaints in the Disordered community. Often, anxious people experience sleep disturbances or even periods of insomnia and wind up extremely anxious and afraid over this issue. Lack of sleep gets attached to fears about being even more anxious, never being able to recover, not being strong enough to resist anxious thoughts, or doing some actual physical or mental damage.

This week on Disordered, Josh and Drew explore sleep and sleep-focused anxiety to ease some common misconceptions about sleep anxiety. The guys examine the usual suspects (resistance, avoidance, and compulsive problem-solving) as keys when approaching sleep-related anxiety.

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.

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Anxiety and Self-Compassion w/Kimberley Quinlan (Episode 027) Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

https://kimberleyquinlan-lmft.com

This week we have our first official guest on Disordered! Our friend and highly respected anxiety/OCD expert Kimberley Quinlan is here to help us explore and understand the role of self-compassion in the anxiety recovery process.

Kim literally wrote the book on self-compassion when it comes to OCD recovery. There's nobody we know that speaks more knowledgeably and eloquently on this topic. Give this one a listen. There's a ton of good stuff in here you can use in your journey.

Find Kimberley online at:

https://cbtschool.com

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Want to talk about this episode, interact with us, and communicate with others that are sharing your experience? We're hanging out in the Disordered Community Space

⁠https://www.disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-anxiety/⁠

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:

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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.