Panicogenic Relaxation: Why You Feel Anxious When Feeling Calm
You're finally feeling better. The anxiety has lifted. You're relaxed and calm for the first time in months or even years. So why does that feel so weird? And why are you suddenly anxious about feeling calm?
In this episode, Drew and Josh explore "panicogenic relaxation". This is a common experience in anxiety disorder recovery where feeling normal, neutral, or relaxed can trigger concern or even high anxiety and panic. When you've been anxious for so long, that heightened state becomes your predictable default. The absence of anxiety can feel unfamiliar, strange, or even threatening.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why feeling calm or relaxed can feel uncomfortable or even scary during recovery
- How your brain's scanning mechanisms continue even when you're no longer anxious
- Why anxiety becomes a "predictable pillar" after long periods of struggle
- The importance of practicing being relaxed, not just practicing being anxious
- How the shock-attention-resistance cycle continues even when you're feeling better
- Why all emotional states - including calm - need to be permissible
- How to recognize when you're still checking and monitoring even during neutral states
We also share inspiring "Did It Anyway" stories from the community, including someone who kept pushing through fatigue to go to new places, and another who took their first step away from 13 years of self-medication.
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Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.
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