32 | When Anxiety Feels Like Depression: 3 Ways to Break the Fall Slump

Around this time of year, something shifts.

You might feel your anxiety climb, your energy crash, and your emotions spiral between motivation and exhaustion. If you’ve found yourself wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” — you’re not alone.

In this episode, Jessica Davis, licensed therapist and creator of The C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method, breaks down the connection between anxiety and depression — especially how seasonal changes, school stress, and life transitions can make both feel heavier. You’ll learn three research-backed ways to reset your mind, re-engage with life, and rediscover a sense of control even when everything feels overwhelming.

 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How anxiety can disguise itself as depression (and why that’s more common than you think)
• The difference between consuming and creating — and how tiny acts of creation rebuild motivation
• A practical “effort + reward” strategy to retrain your brain’s motivation system
• Why your expectations shape how you experience life — and how to adjust them to reduce pressure
• The one mindset shift that helps you feel capable again, even when you feel stuck

Takeaway:
You don’t have to wait for motivation to start; you create it. Every small act of courage, even when life feels heavy, is proof that you’re still moving forward.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Dr. Scott Eilers – on the link between purpose and depression
• Steve Bartlett – “The Diary of a CEO” on expectations and happiness

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

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🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:07):
Around this time of year, something shifts.
If you're like many of myclients, you might feel your
anxiety climb, your energycrash, and your emotions may
feel like a roller coaster thatyou didn't sign up for.
One day you're buzzing withexcitement about your plans, and

(00:28):
the next you can't even pullyourself out of bed.
And it's not because you'reweak.
Anxiety that goes untreatedoften snowballs into depression.
Seasonal changes, school stress,and for us here in the Midwest,
the unpredictability of theweather, goodness, it all adds

(00:50):
up.
If right now you feel out ofcontrol, anxious, or weighted
down by sadness, this episode isfor you.
But research shows there is away to get some control back,
even when life feels completelychaotic.

(01:14):
Hi, and welcome to Block Out theNoise, a space for teens and
young adults who are ready toquiet the noise of anxiety,
self-doubt, and overthinking,and start building a life filled
with confidence, courage, andpurpose.
I'm Jessica Davis, a licensedtherapist, mindset coach, and
the creator of the CourageMethod.

(01:35):
I specialize in helping teensand young adults with anxiety,
overthinking, and lowself-esteem.
If you want practical tools tohelp you in this fight, download
the free anxiety survivaltoolkit.
You can find the link in theshow notes.
Also, before we dive in,remember, this podcast is here
to support and guide you, but itis not a replacement for talking

(01:58):
to someone in real life.
If you're struggling with yourmental health, please reach out
to a therapist.
And if you're in crisis, contactemergency services or a local
helpline.
You don't have to go through italone.
Today I'm sharing threeevidence-based proven ways to
beat the anxiety and depressionslump that often shows up this

(02:20):
time of year.
All right, let's cut through thenoise and get started.
The past couple of weeks in mysessions, I've noticed this
pattern.
Clients who were managing anddoing well in August are
suddenly sinking.
The anxiety that they've beenpushing down is starting to look
like depression, low motivation,hopelessness, thoughts that are

(02:44):
spiraling hard and fast.
Someone recently said to me, I'mtrying my best and it's just not
good enough.
My stomach sinks, and honestly,my heart aches when people feel
this way.
That's how depression,masquerading as anxiety, feels.
Almost like you're running on atreadmill that keeps speeding

(03:07):
up, but you feel as if you'regetting nowhere and yet you're
completely exhausted by the end.

Here's the truth (03:14):
every fight you take on, every time you
challenge your thoughts insteadof giving in, you're teaching
your brain that you are strongerthan the storm.
That fight, those small dailywins is where control starts to
come back.
And I'm not trying to sugarcoatthis.
It's hard to fight when youreally feel like you're

(03:36):
constantly losing, but you canget better.
Even when it feels like there'sno hope, there's always a way
through.
In fact, I've been listening topsychologist Dr.
Scott Eilers talk about howdepression often isn't just
about distorted thinking, it'sabout living in a way that

(03:57):
drains your sense of purpose.
When you're only consuming, hesaid, like scrolling, watching,
even hiding, we lose our senseof impact and start to feel
invisible.
But the opposite is also true.
Tiny acts of creation, evensmall ones, can begin to flip

(04:19):
that switch.
You don't need a huge project,you need a spark.
That's what we're going to talkabout today.
How to start finding that spark,even when it feels like it's
gone.
Let's jump into threeevidence-backed tools you can
use today, even if you'reexhausted, even when you feel
like there's no point.

(04:40):
This isn't about trying to fixeverything overnight.
It's about helping you to takeone real step forward when you
feel stuck.
When you're overwhelmed, yourbrain lies to you.
It says you don't have energy,nothing you do will matter.
Better to stay in bed, stay onyour phone, and wait it out.

(05:04):
That's the consumption spiral.
Creation breaks it.
Why?
Because even the smallest app,like writing one line, making a
snack, or doodling, proves I canstill make something happen.
And that little reminder, itchips away at the feeling of

(05:26):
being powerless.
But let's try and make thispractical.
Here's what to do when you'refeeling overwhelmed step by
step.
Shrink it down.
Don't think about it in theproject.
Think about it as a way ofsetting yourself a timer for 30
seconds or even a minute.
And that time you can write onesentence in a journal.

(05:49):
Today feels heavy, but I dot dotdot dot dot fill in the blank.
Or draw one silly doodle on apiece of paper.
Make yourself toast and putpeanut butter on it.
Yes, that is a creation.
Don't challenge me on this.
Or record a 10-second voice memoabout how you feel.

(06:10):
You don't even have to share it.
Next, anchor it to somethingyou're already doing.
If you're lying in bed, taketime to open your notes app and
journal or do a voice memo toyourself.
If you're sitting at a desk,draw something that brings joy.
If you're about to make a snack,take an extra minute to plate it

(06:32):
in a way that feels fun.
The point isn't to add a wholenew task.
It's to turn tiny everydaymoments into proof that you can
still create.
And celebrate the smallest win.
It doesn't matter if no one seesit.
The goal isn't to create toimpress someone.

(06:55):
It's to remind yourself you canput something out into this
world, not just take everythingin.
When you're anxious ordepressed, one of the hardest
parts is the numbness.
Nothing feels fun, nothing feelsrewarding.
Your brain says, why even try?
It won't make a difference.

But here's the secret (07:15):
you don't wait for motivation to show up.
You create it.
And I know you're thinking,you're using create a lot right
now, but hang with me, I'll getthere.
One of the best ways is to paira tiny effort with an immediate
reward.

So here's how it works (07:32):
Step one, do one small effort, make
your bed, walk to go get themail for your parents, or
stretch your arms for 30seconds, review what homework
assignment you have to do.
Step two, immediately follow itwith something you enjoy.
It could be getting or eating afavorite snack.

(07:55):
I know people who are dieticiansare probably gonna not like that
statement, but food helps.
Play your favorite song or watcha funny TikTok clip.
Whatever will feel like a rewardfor you.
Why this works.
Depression and untreated anxietythrow off your brain's reward

(08:18):
system.
By stacking effort and reward,you retrain your brain to notice
when I do something, I getsomething.
That creates a feedback loop.
So think of it this way don'twait to earn big rewards with
big effort.

(08:38):
Make the bar low, really low.
Then give yourself permission tocelebrate it.
Think of it like rewiring yourbrain to remember that life
isn't just heavy work, it can beeffort followed by relief, even
joy.
The effort cracks the numbness.

(08:59):
The reward reminds you why theeffort matters.
If you've been listening andthinking, okay, Jessica, these
tools sound great, but I knowmyself.
I'll forget them the second Ineed them.
That's exactly why you have theanxiety survival toolkit.
It's a free download with go-totools written out.
So when your brain goes blank inthe middle of a spiral, you

(09:22):
don't have to think.
It's right there, step by step.
Grab it in the show notes andkeep it on your phone.
Trust me, you'll thank yourselfthe next time your anxiety hits.
One of the hardest things aboutanxiety is the expectations we
put on ourselves.
It's not just fear of what couldgo wrong, it's also the pressure

(09:47):
about what we think shouldhappen.
Steve Bartlett shared this storyon a diary of a CEO.
I think it was like behind thescenes, but I felt compelled to
share this because I feel likeit was such a great example of
expectations.
He said he was sitting in firstclass on a plane.
And I really hope I have thatexperience one day.

(10:08):
I hope you do too.
But he said that he wasfrustrated because the Wi-Fi
wasn't working.
And next to him was a woman whowas on her honeymoon.
And she was absolutely justsuper thrilled to be in first
class, right?
She's checking everything andshe's asking questions and she's

(10:29):
just really excited about theexperience.
And in that moment, he realizedsomething.
They were sitting in the samesection on the same plane, going
to the same destination, butthey were having two completely
different experiences.
And what was different?
Their expectations.
And that really hit me because Isee it in my clients as well.

(10:52):
Take school, for example.
Let's say Rachel walks in theclass thinking, I have to get an
A on everything.
And then you've got Marcus whowalks in the class and he's just
thinking, I'm showing up.
And that's enough.
And let's say they both get a Bplus on the test.
Rachel is frustrated.
Marcus is excited and he keepsmoving forward, right?

(11:14):
They got the same grade, butthey have a totally different
emotional reaction because oftheir expectations.

So here's the real tool (11:22):
check the story you're telling
yourself before you even stepinto the situation.
Instead of asking, how do I makethis perfect?
How do I make this a thousandtimes better than what it is?
Ask yourself, what's theexperience I actually want to
have here?
Right.
If you're going out on a dateand your expectation is I, you

(11:46):
know, have to impress her,you're putting a lot of stress
on yourself.
But if you go into the datesaying, I just want to get to
know her, that's a completelydifferent expectation.
And you're going to go in itdifferently.
You're going to communicatedifferently.
Now, here's the part that I loveabout this when you put it all
together.
When you lower the unrealisticpressure, the unrealistic

(12:11):
expectation, you don't loweryour effort.
You're actually freeing yourselfup to focus, to create, to have
fun, to grow.
Like Dr.
Scott Eiler says, depression andhopelessness grow when all we do
is consume.
But when you shift yourexpectations, you give yourself

(12:33):
space to create again, to act,to try, to be part of the world
instead of stuck in your head.
If you take anything from today,let it be this anxiety and
depression don't mean you'rebroken.
Most of the time, they're justsignals, signals that your
expectations are crushing you,or that you've been stuck

(12:55):
consuming instead of creating,or that you've been waiting for
the perfect moment instead ofjust starting.
But you don't have to fixeverything overnight, and you
can't fix everything overnight.
You just need to take one shakystep.
Maybe that's sending a textmessage, maybe that's journaling
for five minutes, or it could beshifting the story you tell

(13:18):
yourself about what good enoughlooks like.
So be gentle with yourself.
Show up in small ways and knowthis you're not alone in this
fight.
And you're far stronger than thenoise in your head wants you to
believe.
Thank you so much for listening.
Until next time, keep movingforward, trust yourself, and

(13:40):
never forget you have what ittakes to block out the noise.