1237: Why Anxiety Feels Stuck And The Subtle Patterns That Keep It Going
The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
Gina Ryan
4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2026
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's episode Gina discusses feeling stuck with anxiety and how to keep this feeling from creating a self-fulfilling feedback loop. Remember, expending effort trying to avoid the anxiety will not help. Understanding that anxiety is not an enemy to be feared but may be accepted as a companion will help loosen the anxiety's grip on our minds and bodies and let the adverse bodily sensations and mental states pass more quickly. Listen in for a guide on how to allow this process to happen!
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Quote:
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-Jon Kabat-Zinn
Chapters
0:26 Introduction to Anxiety Exploration
1:04 Understanding Why Anxiety Feels Stuck
5:24 The Dangers of Avoidance
6:48 Living in Fix-It Mode
9:55 You Are Not Your Anxiety
10:39 Shifting Your Relationship with Anxiety
13:02 Embracing Allowance Over Control
15:24 Discomfort Does Not Equal Danger
17:34 Inspiring Closing Quote
Long Summary
In this episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, I delve into the pervasive feeling of anxiety that many individuals experience, particularly the sensation of anxiety feeling stuck and unyielding. We start with a crucial acknowledgment: if your anxiety feels like it’s lingering despite your efforts to manage it, this doesn’t signify failure. In fact, it is often your nervous system attempting to protect you, illustrating the paradox where the intense effort to eliminate anxiety can sometimes make it feel more prominent.
I explore the significant role of attention in this dynamic. When we focus on our anxiety to work through it, we inadvertently give it more power. This creates a feedback loop where the more we try to dispel these feelings, the more they manifest, leading to greater anxiety. I explain how anticipatory fear can exacerbate the situation—by worrying about experiencing uncomfortable sensations, we only fuel the anxiety. In this episode, I stress the importance of understanding our reactions and how the body learns to associate certain sensations with danger, prompting hyper-vigilance that keeps us trapped in an anxious state.
The discussion shifts to the topic of avoidance, a natural response to discomfort that can provide short-term relief but ultimately leads to long-term challenges. I articulate how avoiding uncomfortable situations or sensations can narrow our tolerance and lead to an amplified perception of anxiety. This avoidance creates a vicious cycle where the anxiety not only persists but grows in intensity over time. I emphasize that while it’s essential to find immediate safety, this reliance on avoidance can constrict our emotional range and overall ability to engage fully in life.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Are you the type of person who, when I say in conclusion, no one knows or be suspicious of your |
| 0:06.6 | certainty, you just take a little breath of fresh air? Or maybe you feel like this describes your |
| 0:12.7 | faith journey. I'm Aaron Moon, one of the hosts and resident Bible scholar over at Faith Adjacent, |
| 0:18.2 | the podcast that is unwavering in its pursuit to have spiritually |
| 0:22.8 | abutting conversations that straddle the line between sacred and sacrilege. |
| 0:27.1 | New Faith Adjacent episodes drop every Thursday, and you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, |
| 0:31.8 | or wherever you listen. |
| 0:47.1 | Welcome to the anxiety coaches podcast, a relaxing and informative show where we explore anxiety, panic, and PTSD, sharing how you can overcome them for life. |
| 0:57.3 | Aloha. Welcome back to the Anxiety Coaches podcast. |
| 1:01.8 | I'm your host and coach, Gina Ryan, and I am so happy to be with you again today |
| 1:08.3 | as together we can consider the many ways to bring your mind and body |
| 1:13.6 | back to its natural peace and calm. Over the last couple of episodes, we've been gently exploring |
| 1:21.6 | anxiety from a different angle. First, we looked at what might be making anxiety worse. And then I turned toward what actually |
| 1:32.7 | helps, small supportive shifts that can really help to calm and anchor the nervous system. |
| 1:40.1 | And today, I want to talk about something that so many people quietly wonder, why does anxiety feel so |
| 1:48.8 | stuck? Why does it seem to linger, even when you're trying so hard to feel better? And I want to |
| 1:58.4 | begin by saying this very clearly. |
| 2:02.4 | Nothing has gone wrong. |
| 2:05.1 | If anxiety, your anxiety, feels stuck, it doesn't mean you're failing. |
| 2:12.1 | Often it means that your system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Protect you. This is like a paradox of trying to get |
| 2:23.0 | rid of anxiety, right? We try so hard that we dig ourselves deeper and deeper. So let's start with |
| 2:31.9 | something that can feel surprising. |
... |
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