Maintaining Momentum in Anxiety Recovery (Episode 032)
Disordered: Anxiety Help
Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata
4.9 • 665 Ratings
🗓️ 20 October 2023
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"How can I maintain momentum in recovery when I have a setback or I don't feel motivated?"
This is a very common question asked in our community so this week on Disordered we're addressing the topic of momentum in the anxiety recovery process. We relay some of our own experiences with recovery momentum and what it looked like for us, and we touch on some common issues related to momentum and motivation in recovery:
- There is no linear "perfect" recovery. It's OK to make mistakes. We need to make those mistakes in order to learn!
- Momentum is often about fully embracing a commitment to challenging anxiety and the thoughts, doubts, sensations, and inner criticism that come with it.
- REST is part of maintaining momentum! You're not going to break your recovery if you take time to rest and recharge when needed.
- Motivation is not required before acting. It's OK to feel unmotivated. Sometimes we have to act even when we feel that way. A feeling of motivation sometimes comes after the action.
- Being afraid to "lose progress" is a common reason why some people stop or stall in recovery.
- Thoughts about never getting better are still just thoughts. When we have those thoughts we must be mindful to not glue ourselves to them and let them dictate our actions.
As always we have a couple of "did it anyways" and we answer a question about anxiety that comes in "waves".
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Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts 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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It can be really easy for an anxious person to just, you know, wave the surrender flag and retreat and then take three weeks off in their recovery. |
| 0:08.8 | Momentum doesn't mean doing everything correctly. It means how much am I going to commit to this new attitude shift towards challenging my anxiety? |
| 0:18.0 | You can keep up momentum and continue your recovery even when you make, air quotes, mistakes. |
| 0:22.9 | There's no perfect recovery. |
| 0:24.5 | Keeping the positive stuff going, allowing space for the negative because you can't not |
| 0:28.3 | have it, but not allowing it to become the new primary narrative again. |
| 0:32.9 | It isn't going to be linear and some exposures and some efforts to step into uncertainty are going to suck. |
| 0:40.7 | It's not going to go how you want. |
| 0:42.3 | Please remember this. |
| 0:43.8 | And this is super important. |
| 0:45.4 | Rest and stopping is part of momentum. |
| 0:52.4 | Welcome to Disordid. |
| 0:59.0 | My name is Joshua Fletcher, also known as Anxiety Josh, and I'm a psychotherapist based in Manchester in the UK and a previous sufferer, also author of several books, and the co-host |
| 1:05.3 | of this podcast. And I am Drew Lin-Sillada. I am a graduate student in clinical mental health |
| 1:10.4 | counseling en route to be a licensed therapist here in New York in the US of A. Also a And I am Drew Lin Salada. I am a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling and |
| 1:11.1 | route to be a licensed therapist here in New York in the US of A. Also a former sufferer and an author |
| 1:16.2 | of multiple books and anxiety and anxiety disorders. And the other co-host of this podcast. |
| 1:21.7 | What are we talking about today, Josh? It's like you bought me off Wish. |
| 1:27.5 | Wish.com. Need a podcast partner. I got them for me off Wish. Wish.com. |
| 1:28.9 | Need a podcast partner. |
| 1:30.1 | I got her for like $500. |
| 1:31.6 | It was amazing. |
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