184: Stop Running From Anxiety - How to Tell Normal Stress from Unhealthy Anxiety and Find Peace Over Panic

The Best of You

Dr. Alison Cook

Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 959 Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We spend so much energy trying to silence anxiety. But what if it isn’t an enemy to defeat—what if it’s a signal to understand? This week, Dr. Alison talks with Dr. Bethany Teachman, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Virginia and director of the PACT Lab, about what healthy anxiety looks like, why it’s actually useful, and how to stop letting it run your life. Dr. Teachman explains how to know when anxiety is becoming a problem and shares practical ways to calm anxious thoughts, build resilience, and approach your fears with curiosity instead of control. She says, “Anxiety is uncomfortable, but it’s not dangerous, when you stop treating it like a threat, it loses its power over you.” You'll learn: The difference between healthy anxiety and unhealthy anxiety How to recognize when your threat response doesn’t match the situation Why trying to “get rid” of anxiety often makes it worse How reframing challenges as opportunities builds resilience Why doom-scrolling keeps us trapped in fear Check out more free resources on anxiety: TYDE (Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment) — A University of Virginia initiative co-directed by Dr. Teachman focused on youth, technology, and mental health. MindTrails — A suite of digital and mobile interventions designed to help people manage anxiety and increase access to care, including. If you liked this episode, you’ll love: Episode 129: Understanding Your Anxiety Episode 54: Can I Pray My Anxiety Away? 📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here 💬 Got a question? Call 307-429-2525 and leave a message for a future episode. Thanks to our Sponsors! Go to ⁠Quince.com/bestofyou⁠ for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! If you’re looking for a Bible that helps you live the Word, not just read it, then grab this beautiful one I’m currently using at NIVapplicationbible.com. Head to moshlife.com/BESTOFYOU to save 20% off plus FREE shipping *Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍ © 2025 Alison Cook. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Please do not copy or share the contents of this webpage or transcript without permission from the author. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you ever wondered what a sandwich sounds like?
0:03.0	Not much to it, is there?
0:06.0	Unless, of course, it's a walker's sandwich.
0:10.0	Mmm, that is good.
0:13.0	Now that's what Asani should sound like.
0:15.0	Go all crisp in with walkers.
0:18.0	Delicious.
0:20.0	What is a healthy understanding of anxiety?
0:22.9	And at what point does anxiety become a problem?
0:26.1	Anxiety is uncomfortable but not dangerous.
0:28.8	The level of danger is not matching our threat response and our anxiety response.
0:34.5	We can learn to recognize that things can be challenges rather than threats.
0:39.3	It completely shifts how we respond to them.
0:50.4	Hey everyone and welcome back to this week's episode of The Best of You. Today we have an incredible
0:56.3	conversation with a renowned expert on anxiety, Dr. Bethany Teachman. She's a leading researcher
1:03.5	whose work sits right at the intersection of psychology, technology, and emotional health. She's a
1:09.5	professor of clinical psychology at the University of
1:12.4	Virginia, where Bethany directs the program for anxiety, cognition, and treatment. It's called
1:17.5	the Pact Lab. And today, you're going to hear just her take on what anxiety is, how it affects
1:25.4	all of us, how we learn to regulate anxiety and understand the difference
1:31.6	between normal healthy anxiety and the kind of anxiety that begins to debilitate us and take
1:38.3	over our lives. She talks about the thoughts and feelings that happen beneath our conscious awareness and how we can
	...

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