Want to discuss what you heard today with Drew, Josh Fletcher, and others that share your struggle and experience?

https://disordered.fm/community

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Overcoming an anxiety disorder comes with a TON of questions, so let's answer some!

Questions Answered in This Episode

• 03:45 — Why is it so hard to "just let the symptoms be"? I discuss why doing nothing in the face of fear is the biggest hurdle in recovery and why your struggle to do so is completely normal.
• 08:15 — Can you exercise your way out of anxiety? I explain why movement is a great health tool but not a "fix" for an anxiety disorder. We also look at exercise as a form of interoceptive exposure.
• 12:50 — The trap of "Compulsive Recovery" and Perfectionism. Many people become paralyzed by the fear of doing recovery "wrong." I explain why there is no such thing as an optimal or perfect recovery process.
• 19:05 — Why does anxiety feel like Stockholm Syndrome? We explore the fear of "normal" life and why some people feel protective of their anxiety or OCD, even while wanting to get better.
• 24:30 — "Pure O" and ruminative thoughts. I clarify the difference between "shutting the door" on thoughts and simply choosing not to interact with the "noisy room" of your mind.
• 28:10 — Should you push yourself on "good days"? I talk about whether you should bask in the comfort of a low-anxiety day or use that window to push your boundaries further.

Full Show Notes:

https://theanxioustruth.com/339

Resources Mentioned:

Disordered Podcast - https://disordered.fm

Why Does Exercise Make My Anxiety Worse (Past Episodes)

https://theanxioustruth.com/panic-anxiety-and-the-exercise-problem-part-i-tag019/

https://theanxioustruth.com/panic-anxiety-exercise-problem-part-2/

Interoceptive Exposure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sigXTV5QXik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygAi4MidIhM&t=5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2byXYrlDkZs

Send in a question or comment via text.

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own 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.

Want to discuss this episode with me and others that share your experience?

https://disordered.fm/community

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In this episode of The Anxious Truth, we look at why the lessons of floating, mindful acceptance, and exposure can feel out of reach. While the principles of recovery are simple, they are difficult to execute because they are counterintuitive and require facing the things you fear most. Beyond the initial fear, deeper obstacles rooted in background, culture, and personal experience often stop people from embracing a mindful approach.

I discuss two primary belief systems that keep people stuck in control-based strategies:

• The "Anxiety as Failure" Belief: The idea that being anxious means you have already failed. This leads to a harsh, self-critical view where having an anxiety disorder is seen as a structural or moral defect rather than a challenge to navigate.
• The "Managing Others' Emotions" Belief: The fear that fully feeling and showing your anxiety will ruin someone else's day or cause distress to those around you. This belief often stems from childhood environments where you were taught to stay neutral to avoid triggering a parent or caregiver.

If you hold these beliefs, you may be trapped in an endless cycle of trying to control your internal state because you feel that being "impacted" or "impaired" is not allowed. We talk about how to recognize these invisible rules and why recovery requires more than mechanical exposure—it requires challenging these long-held beliefs about your value and your responsibility for others' happiness.

Recovery takes time to work through these layers. If you have been struggling to "get it," this episode explains why.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/338

Listen to Disordered every Friday:

https://disordered.fm

Send in a question or comment via text.

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own 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.

Questions about what you've heard today? Want to interact with Drew and other listeners of this podcast? Check out the Disordered Community space.

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When compulsions are behavioral, like hand washing or door checking, they are easy to identify. But when they are mental in nature, things get much fuzzier. In this episode, I’m joined by OCD specialist Lauren Rosen to take the mystery out of mental compulsions and explain why your "problem-solving" brain is actually keeping you stuck.

We break down the critical difference between having an intrusive thought (the obsession) and what you intentionally dowith that thought (the compulsion). Whether you are struggling with OCD, panic disorder, or health anxiety, learning to recognize internal behaviors like mental review, rumination, and self-flagellation is a vital step toward psychological flexibility.

What We Discuss:

• Defining Mental Compulsions: Why internal behaviors like rumination, mental review, and rehearsing are active choices, not just "thoughts".
• The "No Equipment" Sport: How the ease and invisibility of mental compulsions make them particularly consuming and re-triggering.
• Thoughts vs. Thinking: Using the "square root of 17" analogy to identify when you have moved from a passive thought into an active mental behavior.
• The Identity Trap: Why we often mistake worrying and "thoughtfulness" for a core part of our identity or a tool for safety.
• Shifting Attention: How to stop compulsing without suppressing thoughts or getting into a perfectionistic battle with your own mind.

About Lauren Rosen:

Lauren is a licensed psychotherapist and the Director of The Center for the Obsessive Mind. She is the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD and co-host of the Purely OCD podcast.

Recovery is a journey of small, brave leaps of faith. You feel real fear, but you are not in real danger. Let’s get into it.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/337

Lauren's Instagram

Lauren's Website

The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD

Send in a question or comment via text.

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own 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.