The Panic Pod: Anxiety Help

In this episode of The Panic Pod we look at health anxiety. It is extremely common and often driven by doubt, especially in people with obsessive and compulsive traits. Health anxiety tends to pull people into cycles of checking, researching symptoms, consulting Dr Google, seeking reassurance from AI or loved ones, and going down repeated research holes.We unpack these compulsive behaviours and explain how they keep the threat response switched on, even when the intention is to feel safer. We also mention our book on the subject, The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety by Disordered Press, available on Amazon.

In this episode, we talk about anxiety and intrusive thoughts, including what is often referred to as Pure O OCD. We explore why intrusive thoughts feel so distressing, why they latch onto what matters most, and how anxiety keeps them active. Drawing on my experience as a therapist and as someone who has been there, we begin to separate thoughts from threat and make sense of why the mind behaves this way under anxiety.

In this episode of The Panic Pod, I break down the anxiety symptoms that tend to scare people the most. Heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, and the strange shifts in perception often called derealization and depersonalization. I talk through why these sensations show up, why they feel so alarming, and what helped me when I went through them myself. If you experience these symptoms and want a clearer understanding of what they mean, this episode will guide you through it with practical, grounded advice.

In this episode we talk about wiring the brain so that we get the credit for anxiety passing. Distress tolerance teaches the brain that we can cope and don't need "saving". It's part of wilful tolerance - an essential skill.

This episode is for people frustrated with their anxiety and have tried everything.