If you have ever stayed quiet so you would not stand out, downplayed your accomplishments, or held yourself back because you did not want to make anyone uncomfortable, this episode is for you. Anxiety convinces you that shrinking is safer, but playing small comes at a cost. It keeps you from opportunities, relationships, and the version of you that wants to grow.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, breaks down why anxious teens and young adults dim their light and how to stop letting fear make your decisions. You will learn why shining bright is not arrogance, how other people’s insecurities shape your confidence, and how to reclaim the parts of you that you buried to feel safe.

✨ In This Episode, You Will Learn:
• Why anxiety convinces you to stay small
• How fear of judgment leads to shrinking
• Why other people’s insecurities impact your confidence
• What it actually means to shine bright
• How to stop apologizing for your strengths
• How to notice when you are dimming your light
• How to rebuild identity when you feel like you have lost yourself
• Why vulnerability is the foundation of real confidence

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Holidays are supposed to feel joyful, but for many, they bring pressure, anxiety, and guilt. You want to keep the peace, but you also want to protect your mental health. You want to show up, but not lose yourself in the process.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, breaks down the hidden emotional labor behind family gatherings, why people pleasing is a survival response, and how to set boundaries without feeling like the bad guy. You’ll learn how to manage family expectations, calm anxiety before it spirals, and show up with confidence instead of fear.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why holiday anxiety starts weeks before family gatherings
• The hidden reason people pleasing feels “safer”
• How to recognize the signs of emotional burnout around family
• Five practical tools for handling family pressure
• Simple boundary phrases to protect your peace
• How to show up as yourself without guilt or shame

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

You’re sitting on your couch, minding your business, when your heart starts racing and your chest feels tight. There’s no test, no fight, no deadline. Just anxiety that appears out of nowhere.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, explains why anxiety doesn’t need a reason to show up and what’s actually happening in your brain when it does. She breaks down how to calm your body when your mind feels hijacked, why your brain thinks it’s protecting you, and what to do when you can’t find the “why” behind your anxiety.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why anxiety can hit even when nothing is wrong
• What your amygdala does and how it tricks your brain into panic
• The hidden triggers that cause anxiety to feel random
• Why anxiety isn’t the enemy, but a poor communicator
• What your body needs to calm down when your brain spirals
• Three grounding tools to stop the panic cycle and regain control

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

If you find yourself constantly asking, “Are you sure?” or replaying conversations to make sure you didn’t say something wrong, you’re not alone. When anxiety takes over, it convinces you that you can’t trust your own judgment. You end up depending on reassurance from others to feel safe or certain, only to realize the comfort never lasts.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, breaks down why reassurance-seeking becomes such a powerful habit for anxious minds and how to break free from it. You’ll learn practical ways to rebuild self-trust, calm the constant “what ifs,” and find confidence in your own decisions again.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why reassurance feels good in the moment but fuels long-term anxiety
• How anxiety tricks you into believing certainty equals safety
• The hidden link between people-pleasing, perfectionism, and constant seeking of approval
• Tools to help you stop second-guessing yourself and start trusting your instincts
• How to handle the urge to text, ask, or over-explain when fear takes over
• What it really means to feel secure from within, rather than relying on others to validate you

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Have you ever sat down to study and realized you’ve read the same sentence five times and still have no idea what it says? Your heart’s racing, your mind’s jumping between “I need to focus” and “I can’t do this right now.”

If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, dives deep into how to handle test anxiety when you’re exhausted, anxious, and running on empty. Instead of pushing harder, this episode teaches you how to protect your energy, calm your body, and finish strong without burning out.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why exhaustion can look like failure and how to tell the difference
• What’s actually happening in your brain when stress peaks before exams
• How short, focused study sessions improve memory and reduce anxiety
• Simple ways to reset your nervous system and calm your body fast
• How to rest without guilt and let go of the “I should be studying” voice
• The importance of self-compassion when perfectionism takes over
• Why sleep is one of the most powerful study tools you have

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

You tell yourself you’ll just check one thing, but suddenly, it’s an hour later. Your heart feels heavy, your mind feels cluttered, and instead of feeling calm, you feel worse. This episode isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness, understanding how your phone quietly feeds your anxiety, and how to take your power back one small step at a time.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, shares why constant notifications and scrolling leave you overstimulated and disconnected, along with five realistic ways to reset your relationship with your phone.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How your phone and social media quietly activate your anxiety
• The real science behind notifications, dopamine, and overstimulation
• Why awareness, not restriction, is the first step to calm
• Simple strategies to reduce screen time without guilt
• The power of stillness and how boredom actually helps you reconnect
• A 15-minute daily challenge to help you regain focus and peace

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Ever feel like you’re changing too much or maybe not enough? Like you’re losing the version of yourself everyone once knew? You’re not alone.

In this episode, Jessica Davis (licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method) breaks down what’s really happening when your identity starts to shift and why change isn’t proof that you’re lost, it’s proof that you’re growing.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected, uncertain, or misunderstood, this conversation will help you make peace with change, reconnect with your values, and start trusting the version of you that’s still unfolding.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why identity shifts are normal and not a sign you’re lost
• How holding onto old versions of yourself keeps you stuck
• The truth about “losing yourself” and why it’s really growth
• How to use your values as anchors when everything feels uncertain
• The power of letting go when others don’t understand your growth
• A simple self-reflection exercise to realign your choices with your values

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Ever walk into a room and instantly feel like all eyes are on you — where you sit, how you sit, whether people are judging you? Your chest tightens, your mind goes blank, and suddenly, speaking up feels impossible. That’s social anxiety. And if you’ve ever felt stuck behind that invisible wall, this episode is for you.

In this special Q&A episode, Jessica Davis (licensed therapist and creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method) answers three powerful listener questions about fear, judgment, and speaking up when anxiety takes over. You’ll learn what’s actually happening in your brain during these moments, how to calm your body when panic sets in, and why courage — not confidence — is what helps you break free.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to handle the fear of being judged every time you speak up or participate in class
• Micro-courage: the small steps that retrain your brain to feel safe in social moments
• What to do when presentations trigger full-body panic (and how to reframe nerves into energy)
• Simple grounding tools to help you stay calm when anxiety spikes
• The truth about control: why you don’t need to control anxiety to take control of your life
• The single question that helps you take back your power: What’s one thing fear doesn’t get to decide today?

💬 Listener Q&A:
1️⃣ How do I deal with the fear of being judged?
2️⃣ How do I calm down before and during presentations?
3️⃣ How do I stop anxiety from running my life?

💡 Key Takeaway:
Confidence doesn’t come from being fearless — it comes from choosing courage when fear is loud.

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.