The Real Reason You're Anxious—That No One Is Talking About

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever wondered why anxiety is so hard to get rid of, even when you feel like you’re doing everything right? Maybe you’ve been meditating, breathing, journaling, and it still keeps coming up. Turns out, there's a reason for that, that I haven’t heard anyone else talk about. Owen O'Kane is a psychotherapist, three-time Sunday Times bestselling author, and former NHS Mental Health Lead who has spent 30 years at the intersection of physical and mental health, including a decade in palliative care. In this conversation, Owen shares how anxiety is not an enemy to be defeated but a scared part of you that's desperate to be heard, and we get into exactly how to finally change your relationship with it. 🎧 What you'll learn: Why anxiety is addictive, and the psychological mechanism that makes it almost impossible to let go of, even when it feels like it’s ruining your life The reason most anxiety treatments don't fully work (and what’'s almost always missing) What "positive beliefs about worry" are and how they might be sabotaging your recovery Why anxiety can suddenly appear out of nowhere in adulthood, even if you had a seemingly normal childhood The single most important question to ask yourself if you want your relationship with anxiety to actually change Why all your breathwork, supplements, and wellness practices might be making things worse The one question Owen asks every new client before they do anything else, and why he won't move forward until they can answer it honestly If you liked this episode, check out this one: Feel Less Anxious Now: Solutions To YOUR Top Qs For more from Owen O’Kane: Instagram: @owenokaneten Website: https://www.owenokane.com/ Addicted to Anxiety, https://read.macmillan.com/lp/addicted-to-anxiety-9781250439970/ Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome.Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: LMNT: head to DrinkLMNT.com/Liz to get a FREE 8-count sample pack with any order. IQBAR: Text LIZ to 64000 for 20% off all IQBar products plus free shipping. Fatty15: Go to fatty15.com/LIZMOODY or by using code LIZMOODY at checkout for 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit Goodles: Available nationwide at major grocery stores, Target, and Walmart or visit goodles.com The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 414. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What if I told you that you're addicted to your anxiety?
0:02.7	I had such a visceral negative reaction to this idea when I first heard it as a person who's
0:07.9	dealt with anxiety for years and years and years.
0:11.2	But then I read more and I realized that this might be the missing piece, the thing that
0:16.2	nobody is talking about that's keeping all of us stuck in these anxious states. But the good news is
0:23.2	there are ways to change that. So today, you are going to learn why your brain is hooked on the
0:29.4	feeling of being afraid and how to finally stop being at war with yourself. My guest today is
0:35.1	O&O.K. And a UK-based psychotherapist. He grew up in a literal,
0:39.5	like literal war zone, which we will get into later in the episode. So he comes from a place
0:45.2	of knowing what anxiety really feels like. And he spent years working with people who are dying,
0:51.1	which helped him learn how we can get the most out of our one wild and precious life.
0:56.4	We're going to talk about that, do not worry.
0:58.6	He's also probably the therapist of a few of your favorite celebrities, and he's the author of
1:03.5	many bestselling books, including most recently addicted to anxiety.
1:08.3	Today, he is sharing his game-changing approach to anxiety. He views it completely
1:13.9	differently than anybody that I have ever talked to. And that gives him a completely unique
1:19.3	approach to treating it. This is going to be an episode that you're going to think about for a while.
1:24.0	It's going to be one that you're going to want to share with anyone in your life who is
1:27.2	dealing with anxiety. Welcome to the Liz Moody podcast where we skip past the BS and get you
1:32.9	actual solutions to your real problems so that you can feel as good as possible every single day.
1:38.4	We're not going to be like, yeah, you can do it. We believe in you. We're going to tell you exactly how. Oh, and welcome to the podcast.
1:46.8	Thank you, Liz. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I feel like this is a bit of a paradigm shift in our approach to anxiety.
	...

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