016 — Floating Down the River Cortisol on the Isle of Freakout — anxiety, phobia, panic, Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is what happens when your nerves give the finger to your sense of logic.

Somehow that felt profound to me, during the editing process. I don’t know. I spent more time with this episode — living it, then overthinking it, then editing, blah blah — than any previous one. I’m losing perspective.

But I know just how common, just how pervasive, just how absolutely miserable anxiety is, and in this episode, many of my friends, fellow podcasters and listeners chimed in to prove it. I opted not to share anyone’s name, because somehow that sense of anonymity felt more profound, too. Feel free to identify yourself, if so inclined. I’m not opposed to it, I just wanted to be able to share everyone’s story in the same way. (Except for the last guest. That’s my husband. Isn’t he a sweetheart?)

I was heading up to face my biggest, nastiest, snarliest, scariest fear — the dentist, because while I do take it the extra mile, I couldn’t be bothered to find a unique or uncommon phobia — and I asked people to share their anxieties, too. And almost 20 people were brave and open enough to do so. Freaking badass.

So, settle in, and listen to what happens to create anxiety, what makes people anxious, and what we can maybe do (plus what we shouldn’t bother doing) to make it better.

Promos by Trace Evidence and Go Postal. Art by Emily.