Core recovery concept number four, and I think a fitting way to sign off in the final edition/episode of The Anxious Morning:

You can handle it. You always do ...

Core principle number three I want to pass along as we wrap up The Anxious Morning is that when in doubt, doing the opposite can be a really useful guideline.

Sometimes this hits people like some kind of genius lightning bolt. Other times I get funny looks and head scratches. If you’re scratching your head and looking at me funny now, let me explain.

Most people will ask, “The opposite of what?” ...

When I am asked for one thing I might say to anxious Drew if I could go back in time and talk to him, it would probably be this.

“Listen brother, everything is temporary. You just have to allow it to be.”

This is one of those core recovery principles that spills over into life too. Everything in the universe is transient and temporary. This includes the physical and/or emotional state of any person. It’s a pretty important feature in terms of the overall design of the universe, but we often overlook it and wind up fighting against it when we are struggling in recovery.

I do believe the very first thing I ever posted on Instagram was this statement:

You can be afraid and safe at the same time.

Today I want to remind you that it is possible to be afraid and safe at the same time. Why am I including it as a core principle? ...

“BUT HOW CAN I NOT CARE ABOUT THIS?!”

This is a question that I get asked again and again and again because I often say that I simply do not care if I panic now. Let me clarify and refine that statement. I do care. The difference between now and then - when I was at my worst - is that now I only care for a few seconds ...

If you were listening to The Anxious Truth or following along with me on social media in 2016 you would have likely heard me use the letters C-B-T quite often. I would reference traditional CBT techniques like fact checking and thought challenging. Those are good things. I still dig them. But now you hear me saying slightly different things. I don’t talk about those more traditional techniques that often and when I do, it’s in a different context. You hear me talk more about psychological flexibility, acceptance, and tolerance of uncertainty far more these days. Why is this?

Well, things change. Research happens. Treatment types evolve. I’m often asked about what it means when I say “old school CBT” or “third wave” CBT. I thought today would be a good day to briefly go through the progression from “first wave” to “third wave” treatments when it comes to the problems we’re addressing together.

You guys know that I’m a total nerd when it comes to these things, and I’ve been asked to address this a surprising number of times, so let’s look at how Stoic philosophy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are connected. You really can draw a line from Zeno of City to Aaron Beck if you take a few minutes...