Today I want to introduce you to a single concept. It's called externalization. In my view, learning externalization techniques can set you on a new path. One that leads far, far away from high anxiety. See, when you have really bad anxiety it's common to assume that you and your anxiety are one and the same. For example, people often say things like "I'm such an anxious person." If this is the narrative that you have adopted then over time it becomes hard to tell where you start and where anxiety ends. It makes anxiety feel embedded. This is
The Problem With Modern Psychotherapy
Over the past 100 years clinicians and researchers have worked hard to improve what we call psychotherapy. Many of those improvements have led to standardization and improved outcomes. Nowadays, everything is "evidenced based" which is, of course, a good thing. Yet there remains a huge problem in mental health, and it isn't the hundreds of models of therapy that are now available. Rather, it's the large proportion of people delivering these interventions that suck at their job. Now, to be fair, there are many talented people providing mental
The Power of Anxious Thinking
If there's one thing that anxious people need, it's constant reminding. This isn't because they don't understand what's happening to them, rather it's because anxiety is distracting. Feelings of anxiety, physical symptoms, and worry take attention away from solutions and keep you focused on potential danger instead. Anxiety is good at that, but it's not exactly helpful to stay problem focused, right? That's why this week I want to review a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Anxious thinking. I've discussed this issue several times
How I Conquered 7 of My Greatest Fears in One Week
I never hide the fact that I still get anxious sometimes. Despite not having the overt symptoms that I used to have, there are days when my skills get put to the test. Case in point: My recent vacation to Cozumel. After years of feeling pretty Yoda like, I figured this vacation would be no big deal. That is, of course, until I started to think about all the various things I'd have to overcome to make this vacation happen. Suddenly I was faced with 7 of my greatest fears. Sure, I know a lot about anxiety and anxiety reduction, but the truth
Health Anxiety, Guilt Trips, and Tropical Vacations
Hey Guys, I hope all is well. I've been pretty swamped lately but starting tomorrow I'll finally get a chance to chill out a bit. I'll be traveling to Cancun tonight and staying there for about a week. I won't be working while I'm there, so I thought it would be a good time to post a new podcast. Lately I've been receiving a ton of email about various issues related to health anxiety. So I thought it would be helpful to revisit this issue but also provide more detail about the different kinds of health anxiety that people struggle with. Like
Two Proven Methods to Help Reprogram Your Anxious Brain
When you become an anxious person one of the first things to go out the window is your ability to tame fearful thoughts. This, of course, makes total sense. When you become sensitized by anxiety you literally make contact with the dark side of your mind and come to be over-focused on death and derangement. In your mind these two things aren't just likely outcomes of your ordeal, but imminent threats that need to be warded off. However, what's interesting is that if you want to get better you have to do the opposite of fight or escape.
Can Yoga Lower Abnormal Anxiety and Help You Find Your Soul Mate?
To start, let me just say that I do believe yoga can help decrease anxiety. After all, any time you combine deep breathing, stretching, and meditation good things are bound to happen. But can it also help you find your soul mate? That's what author and unconventional Yogi Vish Iyer claims in his book Yoga and Love. In a recent interview with Valerie Murphy, Vish shared that there are specific yoga techniques that can be used to attract the right person into your life. Given that I'm married though, I took particular interest in Vish's views
Paul Answers Listener Email
In this week's episode of the AG Show I shift gears a bit and just answer a few emails. Actually, this wasn't even my idea. An AG Show listener suggested it a few weeks back and I thought it would be a nice change of pace. I chose 6 or 7 emails that cover a wide range of issues to help sharpen your anti-anxiety skills, or help you fall asleep, it really depends on how soothing you think my voice is. Perhaps the most interesting part of this week's podcast was the opportunity to hear just how many different ways anxiety can impact a person's
This Is Why Anxious People Catastrophize
No, it's not because you're doing something wrong. All anxious people tend to blow their problems out of proportion to at least some extent. Sure, some people do it more than others, but the reality is that if you feel anxious you tend to view minor problems as potential nightmares. The question is why? Why do otherwise rational human beings torture themselves like this? To my mind, much of this has to do with the fundamental nature of anxiety itself. We can use many words to describe what that is, but most basically it boils down to
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