Anxiety Recovery: How Important Is Attention? (Episode 89)
Disordered: Anxiety Help
Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata
4.9 • 665 Ratings
🗓️ 6 December 2024
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How important is the concept of attention in driving an anxiety disorder and influencing the recovery process?
VERY important!
This week on Disordered we're up to our usual hijinks but also we're digging into the idea that attention - choosing to pay very close attention to how one feels and what one is thinking - is the primary driver of disordered anxiety. And if this is true - which we say it is - then working on moving your attention elsewhere even when that feels risky or unsafe or impossible would logically be a key component in the recovery process.
This episode is a great companion to our Shock Attention and Resistance episode (episode 78) so if you haven't heard that one, check it out first, then come back and have a listen to this one.
Naturally we're also sharing contributions from the community surrounding Disordered and tossing in some silly jokes and a healthy dose of understanding and compassion. Pull up a chair, or a pillow, or whatever, and join us for a while.
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Disordered Roundtables are here. Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, visit our homepage and get on our mailing list.
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Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolveable problems.
https://bit.ly/worryrumination
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Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So I think attention is possibly or near enough the entire problem with an anxiety disorder. |
| 0:07.0 | You're the person with an anxiety disorder at a party and your attention is on how you feel or on your thoughts. |
| 0:13.0 | If you can engage in the event, your attention goes to the event. |
| 0:16.0 | And that becomes at least as interesting as how you feel inside. |
| 0:20.0 | Isn't that ignoring the problem? |
| 0:22.5 | No, it's not engaging with the problem because there's no problem. |
| 0:26.3 | The attention part, that's the part where you see the impact operationally, functionally on people's lives. |
| 0:33.6 | My partner's running out of patience with me. |
| 0:35.6 | Because while they are enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with the family, you are much more attentive to what's happening inside of you. |
| 0:44.6 | Sometimes we do get in conversations with ourselves. |
| 0:46.8 | That's normal, but we don't spend all day long that way. |
| 0:53.5 | Welcome to Disordered. This is episode 89 of the podcast entitled How Important is Paying Attention. I am Drew Linzalata, one of the co-hosts of This Fine Podcast. I am a therapist practicing under supervision in 2024, specializing in anxiety and anxiety disorders in New York. I am a three-time author on the topic of anxiety and anxiety disorders, |
| 1:13.9 | a social media dude, an advocate, a former sufferer for many years, but better now. |
| 1:19.1 | And yeah, it's Thanksgiving morning in the U.S., |
| 1:21.7 | and I'm joined by my friend from the UK sitting next to me. |
| 1:25.7 | What up, Josh? |
| 1:27.0 | Who are you? |
| 1:30.0 | Hello. Yeah, good afternoon, |
| 1:36.9 | Drew. Happy Thanksgiving. I'm Joshua Fletcher, also known as Anxiety Josh, therapist, author, |
| 1:44.2 | podcaster, a guy. Just some guy. Just some guy from the UK. |
| 1:45.2 | Yeah. |
| 1:45.5 | Found him on the street. |
... |
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