When Coping Skills for Anxiety Go Wrong | EP 332

Send in a question or comment via text. Anxious people love coping skills and coping strategies. Everybody loves to cope. But today we're going to talk about how coping can go off the rails and become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. When you're dealing with chronic anxiety or an anxiety disorder, coping strategies can actually backfire. Every time you frantically reach for your grounding techniques or breathing exercises because you desperately need to calm down, you might be reinforcing the belief that your internal state is dangerous and must be controlled at all costs. If you've been stuck in the trigger-cope-trigger-cope cycle for months or years and you're still terrified of the next episode, something isn't working. This episode breaks down the difference between internally and externally generated anxiety, and why that matters when we talk about coping. We'll look at how coping can create conditional okayness that shrinks your life, and we'll explore what it might look like to use coping techniques as brave experiments instead of frightened control attempts. This is a challenging topic, but if you've been wondering why all your coping skills don't seem to be moving you forward, this episode might help you understand what's actually happening. For full show notes on this episode: https://theanxioustruth.com/332 Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website . None of this is never required, but always appreciated! Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link . Disclaimer : The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests 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.