Anxiety about Anxiety -What to do about fear of anxiety- Break the Anxiety Cycle 12/30

00:00 Intro
03:01 How Anxiety About Anxiety Looks Like
06:02 What’s The Opposite?

Click the link below to access the transcript:

In our culture we have this myth that anxiety is super dangerous for you. That there’s an epidemic of anxiety. That Anxiety itself, the feeling, is a threat, that having that feeling is dangerous, it’s harmful, and that it’s worse than it’s ever been before. This is fueled by cultural messaging that screams - If you’re not happy all the time, something’s wrong with you! (And you should probably buy what we’re selling to fix it!) and it’s also fueled by modern media which profits off of scaring people. Literally.
I googled the anxiety epidemic and got 35 Million results. I mean, there are actually good reasons to have anxiety, if you look you can find that trouble abounds. But as far as actual dangers, we’re safer than ever.
So now instead of having a real threat to face, fight off or escape from, we’re sitting around navel gazing, getting anxiety about our anxiety. We are afraid of our feelings. We feel we must escape from them, or force them to change.
The truth is that yes, more people have disordered anxiety than ever, but the narrative that the feeling of anxiety will harm you is a lot like the idea that cauliflower is a suitable substitute for rice: a straight up lie.. Chronic stress, and chronic anxiety (which is what causes chronic stress) can cause physical illnesses. But, those are treatable, they aren’t inevitable. Feeling anxiety won’t harm you. Your body is wired to feel anxiety. It’s supposed to. You can handle it.
But when we become afraid of our feelings, then suddenly we get stuck in a super unhelpful spiral. We start struggling against them, trying to force ourselves to calm down with “deep breathing or meditation” anything to make the anxiety go away.
But this just makes things worse.
We pile anxiety onto our anxiety.
Anxiety about anxiety looks like
-Fear of losing control
-Anticipatory Anxiety:
-Feeling anxious about your anxious thoughts. Oh no! I’m catastrophizing again! This will ruin everything!

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

[foxc]

My anxiety has significantly decreased no more severe panic attacks but I watch these videos to keep it from falling backwards

[justquiet]

Emma, as a mental health therapist myself, I want to thank you for the amazing content you put out. I’ve recommended several of your videos to my own clients because I believe you provide so much valuable information in an easy to digest format. Thanks again!

[koira]

this is something i am working with so hard right now. Accepting that I feel anxious and that it is okay. I have this fear that I will relapse, that my dissosiation will comeback stronger than ever, that i will be scared of the world again... All because I felt exhausted after a busy day.
it's funny, I do meditation not to get rid of the original anxiety, but to calm my brain to be able to accept that "Okay, I feel anxious. Sure, it is uncomfortable, sure I might have to take today a bit slower, but it is okay". And then suddenly my original anxiety goes away on its own.
its a slow process to rewire years of certain type of tought patterns, but slowly forward.

[Faith_First]

Jesus had so much anxiety he swear blood. Yeah it’s serious. But as she says there is always something you can do. I worked my bum off to change and ya know what happened-I changed!

Obviously when you’re in it, you know it sucks, but taking that first step to do something that gives you a little anxiety and overcoming it, well that’s an immeasurable blessing and you feel superb after.

I’m not saying it is easy. Nope. But I’m a definite example to show you can change.

Also, Christ is Lord. He is the real one who helps. He wants us to make the choice sometimes I think.

Thanks for all the help! You are awesome!

[SjorsHoukes]

I’m stuck in anxiety 24/7 (except some rare moments) for almost 2 months now, and on a daily basis I can only accept it for so long before I start looking for relief. I used to do breathing exercises, including superventilation, but they have stopped working for the most part. I can’t distract myself with work or things I want to do, because I can’t focus and can’t enjoy much. The combination with depression is toxic.

I am living day by day, trying to accept and relax, and hope I will get some relief soon. Watching your videos helps a tiny bit, thank you.

[anandsharma]

In OCD, don't accept the outcome you fear, but accept the fact that you are afraid, which means that you are not on the wrong track, you have a heart and you are on the right track.
For normal anxiety as well as for OCD, pat yourself on the back and say "there, there, you're alive and nobody's attacking you", "there's no danger right now, we'll face it later" or simply just "ok, duly noted" on repeat. Take away attention to something else. Distract yourself by keeping busy with something all day. Distractions work, especially for mindless nonsense anxiety, anxiety which is not real, or which is distant.

[richardwilsonavena]

If there were an award to be given for best therapy channel, it would be this one. Emma is providing cutting edge, proven insights and techniques for our various issues that could only be received by going to a good therapist who many unfortunately we cant afford.

[thefrenchsaint]

the fact that this is free, and that this video has helped me more than 1 year of seeing a therapist is absolutely crazy. Thank YOU <3

[lililucena]

That was the issue for me during the past 4 years. I started getting severe panick attacks after a traumatic experience and ended up getting stuck in the cycle of being constantly afraid of having attacks, which led me to have them often. Anxiety and panick attacks turned into my worst fear in my whole life. I was taking a lot of medications, but I was resistant to therapy and didn't believe anything could help me but the meds (that didn't actually work 100%). Then a few months ago I got pregnant and had to stop all my pills and had to face anxiety. Took me months, but I finally got to understand that I am indeed the one who can stop it. Your videos helped me a lot! I am so thankful to have found this channel. Now I'm 3 months anxiety free and even if I feel anxious sometimes, I won't let it take over me, so it's always under control.

[ryno_]

One of the first anxieties I had when I found out I had anxiety was getting anxiety about getting anxiety

[dobavobid]

anxiety about anxiety is an adaptation that confers advantage on survival in a world that is trying to kill me. my response to this is, anxiety is no longer necessary if i accept the truth that Im already dead, as stated by Lt Spears in the series Band of Brothers. I don’t mean to trivialize anxiety (which I have struggled with) but rather to encourage the view that death is inevitable so perhaps its better to not waste my life worrying about it and instead venture forth beyond my comfort zones and create good memories that prove my anxiety is not necessary or desirable and in fact is counterproductive to my interests in living well.

[Tonito]

For me, it’s that anxiety can potentially lead to physical health issues that makes me anxious of having anxiety it freaking sucks.

[DeenForEver]

For the benefit of everyone reading this, aerobic physical activity is one of the most useful things against stress/anxiety, try to engage in running for at least 30 minutes five times a week, i even came across some researches stating physical activity is even more effective than psychotherapy or medications.

[cassiewalker]

I always felt situations were scarier because I knew id be anxious and that it’d affect my behavior. I started being more scared of how id feel about myself after than what others thought which is a trip. Thanks for covering this topic 🙌

[GoldfishTherapy]

18 years with anxiety disorder. In all my years of suffering, I’ve never heard this technique before and it really makes sense. Thanks so much for the work you put into helping others with their mental health. I listen to your videos everyday and find comfort and help from them. Blessings

[Bri-wcib]

Your videos are seriously having SUCH a PROFOUND impact on my lifelong anxiety. I've tried so many things and talked to so many professionals over the years but still struggled. Somehow your videos just CLICK in my mind and I am making such huge progress in how I think, feel, and act in regards to my anxiety!! I cannot thank you enough!!! ❤ Your videos are so empowering and encouraging and enlightening and comforting!!

[Halcyon-]

I’ve read rumination is a form of anxiety, catching yourself ruminating that can be difficult especially when mull over the same old should haves and could haves you try stopping yourself but… keep the great work Emma

[MagicalImaginings]

Emma, I’ve been watching your videos about anxiety for several hours. They are so incredibly helpful and comforting. I’ve been going through hell for weeks with endless anxiety and panic attacks. Lost a of sleep over it. Felt like I was gonna die in the car on the way to a doctor’s appointment. I think this might be the worst I’ve ever felt, honestly.

“Can’t be anxious if I refuse to think” 😂 that really made me laugh. I don’t think I’ve done that in a while. Yikes, lol.

Thank you so much for all these videos. I did some of the exercises you instructed, and they’ve definitely helped. ❤

[magueysunset]

One of the best things I've learned, especially from the book called 30 Days to Reduce Stress by Harper Daniels, is to not fight anxiety. I use to be so afraid of the next panic attack or anxiety inducing trigger, and then I would try to preemptively manage the experience by struggling. Learning to let go and give anxiety space to do its thing and pass is hard, but it's helped a lot. I just try to give it space and allow myself to feel the anxiety, it's strange but it seems to help.

[EddieCarreteroSaborit]

After years of struggling with anxiety symptoms without any professional help, I finally started seeing a therapist regularly and it's been a really tough month, opening up about past experiences and working towards changing the way my mind works. However, your videos have been immensely helpful at understanding all these new concepts and resources and I just wanted to say thank you. You've made things easier for me and I'm sure for lots of other people as well. Again, thanks ❤❤❤