The Panic Pod: Anxiety Help

In Episode 21, Somatic OCD, we explore the experience of becoming hyper-focused on physical sensations, bodily symptoms, and automatic processes such as breathing, swallowing, blinking, or heartbeat awareness. We look at why these sensations can begin to feel intrusive and distressing, and how attention and monitoring magnify the obsession over time.

In this episode, I explain the role of compulsions in somatic OCD, including checking, analysing, reassurance seeking, and attempts to force or control bodily sensations. We also explore why the more attention we give these sensations, the more prominent and threatening they can begin to feel.

Drawing from both professional experience and lived experience with anxiety, this episode is designed to help people better understand the cycle behind somatic obsessions and begin stepping out of it.

Keywords:
somatic OCD, sensorimotor OCD, bodily sensations anxiety, breathing OCD, swallowing OCD, hyperawareness anxiety, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, Pure O, anxiety disorder, anxiety therapist, anxiety podcast, compulsions, threat response, somatic obsessions

In Episode 20, we explore perfectionism in anxiety recovery and why trying to recover “perfectly” can keep you stuck. Many people approach desensitisation with rigid rules, constant self-monitoring, and pressure to get every step right. Ironically, that perfectionistic mindset often strengthens anxiety rather than weakens it.

In this episode, I look at how perfectionism can show up in recovery behaviours, why mistakes and setbacks are part of the process, and how real progress often comes from flexibility rather than flawless execution.

Drawing on both my work as a therapist and my own experience with anxiety, this episode helps you step away from recovery perfectionism and focus on what actually moves the needle.

Keywords:
perfectionism anxiety, anxiety recovery, panic attacks, exposure therapy, desensitisation, overthinking, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, Pure O, anxiety therapist, anxiety podcast, fear of failure, recovery setbacks, anxiety perfectionism

In Episode 19, we look at sleep anxiety and the question of how to fall asleep when you feel anxious. Many people with anxiety disorders become preoccupied with sleep, trying to optimise it, worrying about not getting enough, or fearing that poor sleep will make anxiety worse.

In this episode, I explore how this fixation can become part of the problem. We look at the role of attention, the urge to force sleep, and how these patterns can turn into subtle compulsions. I also touch on the shift required in the body’s state for sleep to occur, and why trying to control this often backfires.

Drawing on both professional insight and personal experience, this episode aims to change your relationship with sleep rather than give another set of rules to follow.

Keywords:
sleep anxiety, insomnia anxiety, how to fall asleep, anxiety at night, panic attacks at night, overthinking at night, anxiety disorder, threat response, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, Pure O, anxiety therapist, anxiety podcast, sleep and anxiety, forcing sleep, night anxiety

In Episode 18, The Best Technique for Anxiety, we look at why many popular techniques from the wellness space or general therapy approaches can become unhelpful when applied to anxiety disorders. What often starts as a tool can quickly turn into a compulsion or a quick fix behaviour that keeps the cycle going.

This episode is for anyone searching for the one technique that will take anxiety away. I explain why that search can become part of the problem, and how recovery begins when you recognise that you are the coping technique. You get the credit, not the tool.

I share this from both a clinical perspective and lived experience, helping you shift away from chasing relief and towards building real, lasting change.

Keywords:
anxiety disorder, anxiety recovery, panic attacks, anxiety techniques, overthinking, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, Pure O, anxiety therapist, anxiety podcast, quick fix anxiety, anxiety tools, compulsions, reassurance seeking, coping with anxiety

Episode 17 of The Panic Pod is called The Fastest Way to Calm Anxiety.This episode isn’t what you might expect. There are no quick fixes, no hacks, and no step-by-step techniques. Instead, we look at what actually calms anxiety at its core.We explore the role of resistance, how trying to fight or get rid of anxiety often keeps it going, and how your attention shapes the intensity of what you feel. Drawing on psychoeducation and real therapeutic insight, this episode points to a counterintuitive truth: the fastest way to calm anxiety is not through control, but through changing your relationship with it.If you’ve been stuck trying to fix anxiety and getting nowhere, this episode will help you understand why.