Do I Really Have To Sit With My Anxiety? (Podcast Ep 295)
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 07. 2024
- What if you could transform your relationship with anxiety simply by changing your approach? This week on the Anxious Truth, we tackle the misunderstood phrase "sitting with anxiety" and reveal how it doesn't mean you have to be physically still. We'll break down the true essence of this concept, emphasizing the importance of allowing yourself to experience anxiety without trying to escape or fix it. Whether you're at work, running errands, or simply relaxing, the key is to let anxiety be present without interference, tailoring your approach to fit your unique circumstances.
Discover how embracing anxiety in the midst of your daily routine can actually empower you. We’ll share insights on how to navigate anxiety during meetings, phone calls, or even in bustling environments like a busy mall. By engaging with your life and tasks at hand, even when anxious, you’ll learn to manage these feelings without them dictating your actions. Tune in for a discussion that shifts the focus from achieving calm to accepting the experience of anxiety, ultimately leading to a reduction in fear over time. This episode promises to reshape your understanding and management of anxiety in a way you might have never considered before.
For full show notes on this episode:
theanxioustruth.com/295
--
🎓 ANXIETY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
learn.theanxioustruth.com
📚 MY BOOKS:
theanxioustruth.com/books
🔗 ALL MY SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER LINKS:
theanxioustruth.com/links
💜 SUPPORT MY WORK - BOOKS, WORKSHOPS, COURSES, AND MERCHANDISE:
theanxioustruth.com/support
ℹ️ WHO AM I?
theanxioustruth.com/about
❓ WANT TO ASK ME A QUESTION?
theanxioustruth.com/ask/
🎵 Music Used on My Podcast: AfterGlow by Ben Drake (with permission)
bendrakemusic.com
Drew,, you mischaracterize a couple of Weeke's points in your book: 1 by the word "accept" she did not mean to like it, she meant to not resist it, not deny that it is there, which ultimately means surrender 2 By float she meant cognitive defusion.
I’m having a hard time. I’m back to where I feel literally sick. I’m trying to “sit with it”…my problem is all the sensations that come with this. Sitting with them feels overwhelming. I am spending too much time asking ..why? Why am I feeling this sick again, why is it so bad again. Ugh….it’s constant again and I’m very sad…I need to stop running and just keep going. I got through it before, I will get through it again. I appreciate your videos Drew.
I believe in you. You can do it!
Hang in there ❤
Same here 😞
What sensations are you feeling? My sensations happen immediately upon waking it feels like there’s a hole in the middle of my chest that’s being sucked by a vacuum even when I’m not particularly anxious mentally physically it’s awful.
Thank you. You have a gift for what you do.
Awww I appreciate this comment. Very kind words. Thank you!
If you want to sit with anxiety to make it go away then go for a walk instead.
If you want to go for a walk to make anxiety go away then sit with it instead.
George Costanza that shit
@@jp2726 amen
THIS! Excellent comment, primarily because George is really never wrong. ;-)
❤ty so much I'm going to find help focusing on ur video
Thank you, Drew. I have a related question about intense feelings that I often get stuck on - when we experience intense feelings, should we 1) take more of a passive approach where we allow the feelings to be there and do their while we are present/open or is it more of 2) a active approach where we put our full attention in the part of the body where we feel the feelings? I think what Claire Weekes teaches is more aligned with the first approach but was wondering your thoughts on it. Thank you.
So to be clear bc i wonder about this. Is the main goal to completely shift your attention away from it 24/7. Essentially completely ignore it. Bc what I do remember from the “before anxiety” me, is that I would get anxiety but there was like a scary ignore switch I could just flip and focus my attention completely outward on life. But now I don’t have that. Always a background monitoring. During exposures your supposed to face it which I’ve done plenty of times but I think where I’m messing up is I still check and worry about it. And it gets to be a cycle of getting better then worse again over and over with no real progress that I don’t regress from.
That's how it's always been for me. Is I'm constantly "scanning " for an issue or problem until one eventually arises in the form of a short chest pain or what have you. Until it sends me into a full blown panic attack
Thank you so much for another video🙏👏👏
You're welcome! Thanks for the feedback. :-)
Thanks so much! ❤
You are quite welcome. 🙂
Thank u.❤
You're welcome 😊
Just wanted to ask is it normal to feel apathy, emotionaly numb after you mostly recover? Is this like a little aftermath depreession? If so what can i do about it?
Excellent question! I most often hear this described as "anxiety leaving a hole" after it mostly leaves. I felt lost, unsure of what to do next, and not really remembering who I was or what I liked to do. It's a really common experience that sometimes itself gets interpreted as a problem or disorder. Sometimes we have to start trying things again when we find ourselves facing that hole that anxiety used to fill. Experiment with life. We find things we don't like, and things we like. It's like learning now to just be again.
@@TheAnxiousTruth thank you. I was afraid another diagnosis just waiting to be labeled...
My anxiety is constant. How do I sit with that?
If it's constant, then you have more time to practice. You'll figure it out. One baby step at a time.
@@R31613 thank you for
Your answer. But I don’t see a beginning or an end to my symptoms. I went through an anxiety period in my early Thirties and I fully recovered, and had no anxiety for over a decade!
I recovered with minimal information at the time, so I think these days we are bombarde with too much useless information and we tend to get lost in what it should be a basic and simple method of recovery.
Most anxious people experience constant anxiety. People with panic disorder are anxious between panic attacks. People with OCD are anxious between triggering thoughts or situations. People with GAD are sometimes anxious all day long because they can't figure out why they're anxious all day long. This is a big topic, but I can tell you that one first step is to challenge the assertion that you can't possibly handle this anxiety unless you figure it out and find a way to stop it. Because that assertion tends to contribute to the kind of situation you're describing. I can't be totally sure that this response fits your exact situation but it is something I hear from many chronically anxious people.
It’s very difficult to sit with it when you’re trembling and shaking with panic on the highway.😩
I spend a significant amount of time repeating the fact that is is difficult. No lie there! But ... if we only return to how hard it is and never open up to the possibility that we can do hard things, we can fall into a trap.
I have a question for you my friend!! I have Graves Disease
AND NOBODY ever talks about how to handle anxiety with a physiological cause. Even when they say your labs are within range, they are not optimal and therefore anxiety and in my case panic disorder persists. Can you speak to this!!! I’m desperately trying to put my life back together. I was a hospice nurse prior to my diagnosis, I would like to find something that I am passionate about but the challenge of Graves remains. Thanks for any help you can provide!!❤
Panic disorder is what we call it when we experience panic attacks and develop an intense fear of the next attack that drives us into lifestyle impacting avoidance rituals. Panic attacks are ... panic attacks. They are not the same thing. So usually the "but I have a medical issue" question is answered by reminding the questioner that I'm not trying to teach people how to not be anxious. I'm teaching people how to get better at being anxious. Of course your physiology adds to this already challenging approach. No doubt about it. But start with asking yourself what you're hoping I would say about your situation. Are you hoping to hear how to be less anxious about being anxious?
@@TheAnxiousTruth Thanks Drew for your reply.. I guess what is the most frustrating about Graves is that I need to hit the sweet spot as far as hormonal balance goes.. I was REALLY hyper and the medication makes me hypo.. I’m been at this game for almost 6 years…. Hypo is not ideal, even methimazole (an anti thyroid med) has anxiety listed as a side effect .. It’s such a shitshow.. constantly having to push myself against severe fatigue, body pain and unbelievable panic disorder.. yet I soldier on.. anyway, have a wonderful day!!❤️
@@barbaralee9564I am you. Graves Disease diagnosed about 18 months ago now… started off as post partum and never went away. I had my first panic attack ever 2 days ago. Are you taking propranolol? It helps with palpitations as well as anxiety if doses right.. and it does help. I stopped taking the meds a few months ago and it turned out to be a big mistake. My labs have been normal about 4 months now but I am still have the hot flashes, palpitations and the anxiety that follows.
Hi I wanted to ask. I saw an older video of yours where you say we’re doing this to ourselves , how is that when the symptoms are uncontrollable? Also you say you can stop , how when dealing with symptoms & intrusive thoughts all day?
We are not ever trying to control symptoms. You'll notice I never talk about doing that or offer tips or techniques for stopping or controlling symptoms or thoughts. We participate in turning an anxiety fire into a raging all-consuming inferno when we fight against it, try to control it, and run from it. The symptoms are automatic to a great extent. That is correct. But what we do with them is something we have a say in, even when that is difficult. Check out episode 70 of the Disordered podcast for more on this. We address "automatic" specifically in that episode.
disordered.fm/71
Argh. Sorry if this is a duplicate reply. CZcams is being flaky this morning! You'll notice that I never talk about how to control, stop, prevent, or manage symptoms or thoughts. That's because we generally can't with any consistency and trying to hard to stop or prevent those things usually backfires and makes things worse. The part where "we do this to ourselves" is the part where we fight against the anxiety, try to run from it, and demand to be saved from it. That's what turns an anxiety fire into a raging inferno that you will say consumes you. We play a role in that, which is a powerful concept. It's not controlling symptoms or thoughts, it's working on how we respond to those things. We do have a say in that. For more on "Automatic" symptoms, you might check out episode 70 of Disordered:
disordered.fm/70
How do I know If I'm "sitting" with it and not resisting/avoiding? And If I'm surrendering to it or not?
Intent is usually the key, and it can be very nuanced so do not worry about not always knowing perfectly. Are you trying to stop the feelings, make them go away, prevent them, run away from them, drown them out, or be saved from them? Those intentions generally indicate avoidance. Are you willing to feel them and bring them with you while you engage with your life as best you can (do not expect to be perfect)? Then you're likely in acceptance mode.
@@TheAnxiousTruth thank you for your answer. This was easy for me to understand now!
Hi drew. Listened to allmost all your podcasts and ordered your books.
Im doing the exposures, but i feel shit afrerwards like i shouldnt have done that. What am i supposed to change?
Exposures are designed to be triggering. They're meant to teach us that we can feel the things we are afraid to feel and still handle that. Be careful about trying to do exposures without being triggered or while trying to only feel OK. Remember that the feelings are the exposure, not the task or the place.
What if I literally sit with panic attacks because they happen a lot in the middle of the night, would doing breathing exercises to lower the heart rate be avoiding it?
No. That will help you focus and clear your mind and perhaps focus on allowing it to pass.
@@NoobSimmerKPthank you for the message