I'm Anxious About - A Humorous Podcast About Anxiety

IAA 49: I'm Anxious About Naps

If you think these two podcast hosts are the kind of people who can unwind and settle into a peaceful midday nap, it's probably your first time listening (in which case, hi!).

Indeed, Chris & Allison are pathologically incapable of napping, and the sheer thought of it is enough to invoke a nervous tailspin or two. In this episode, they break down what it is about naps that make them so antsy and restless and give a few tips for other people who are constitutionally unable to relax.

For the show notes and transcript, check out: https://imanxiousabout.com/anxious-about-naps/

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will enjoy our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 48: I'm Anxious About Flying

If there's one thing that Allison and Chris have done a lot of, it's flying. And, as you well know, anything that anxious people do a lot of - they end of feeling strongly about. 

In this episode, they talk through the entire flight process, from boarding, to taking off, to being in the air, to landing. And they share their feelings on it all, while speaking from experience. Of course, they also offer some tips and tricks along the way, and share a few laughs and poorly timed jokes. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will enjoy our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 47: I'm Anxious About Energy Levels

Allison and Chris first ensure that listeners know that they're talking about "energy levels," as it relates to human beings, and not the energy sector, and then dive into the complicated world of maintaining a baseline of energy as someone with anxiety. 

The truth is that, with anxiety, sometimes our best laid plans are flipped on their head when we wake up and realize that, unfortunately, it feels as if we've been tranquilized. They talk in-depth about the important of accepting ourselves as we are, as opposed to as we wish we were - and how, truthfully, they fail at that more than they'd like. 

Allison also kind of becomes a farmer, or at least uses quite a bit of farm imagery. You'll see what we mean. 

You can find our transcript and show notes for the episode here: https://imanxiousabout.com/anxious-about-energy-levels/

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will enjoy our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 46: I'm Anxious About Closets

We know what you're thinking... "you're anxious about closets, really, guys?" Well, we won't deny that it's ridiculous (especially Allison's fear of literal closet demons -- don't let a 9-year-old watch whatever horror movies they want, or this is what you'll get), but we will say that we think this episode is a lot of fun and goes to surprisingly deep places at times.

 

Chris & Allison discuss their non-metaphorical relationships with their closets, touching upon topics such as body image, self-identity, minimalism, organization, spending, and yes, actual demons.

 

You can find our transcript and show notes for the episode here: https://imanxiousabout.com/anxious-about-closets/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will enjoy our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 45: I'm Anxious About Change

By now, you've probably realized that Chris & Allison can never resist any chance to get a little meta, and this episode is no exception. In this episode, Allison discusses her recent big change of moving back to the United States and the many identity crises that present along with it.

 

Chris & Allison speak at length about the relationship between anxiety and change, particularly how we tend to ruminate on change for a long time before finally feeling secure to make it, and how we cope when change we weren't expecting is thrown our way. It's a little heavier than usual, but Allison's jet lag means things never veer too serious.

 

For the transcript, show notes, and other information, find it all here: https://imanxiousabout.com/anxious-about-change/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will enjoy our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 44: I'm Anxious About Hobbies

If you thought either of us could relax with a nice bit of knitting or cross-stitching, well, I guess this is probably your first time listening to this podcast! In this week's episode, we tackle the paradox of why hobbies actually make us anxious. Allison's anxious because she has a deep-seated fear of being dull and uninteresting; also, she gets anxious being a beginner at things... even low-stakes hobbies. Meanwhile, Chris is anxious because he turns every hobby into a goal and tracks it frantically, even when it makes him act like a loon. Both discuss the pitfalls of the "cult of the side hustle" and the danger of making your hobbies your profession. Turns out it doesn't work quite as well as you'd think. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please join us over on our Facebook group, We're Anxious About, or share it with a friend who you think will get a kick out of our show.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 43: I'm Anxious About Birthdays

Can we have just one nice, anxiety-free day on our birthdays? Nope? All righty then. Chris and Allison blow out the candles on their anxiety-iced cakes and dive into what it is about birthdays that makes them spin out.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for longtime listeners, Chris gets philosophical and slightly melancholy about the aging process, but wags his tail at the prospect of seeing all his friends gathered together at once so he can make eye contact and tell everyone how much they mean to him. Meanwhile, Allison cowers in social anxiety central (in a party of no more than six people) and kind of wants you to forget it's her birthday so she won't be the center of attention... but she also still kind of wants presents.

Chris referenced this article from Refinery 29, as well as this article in Thought Catalog. 

Remember that we've got a Facebook group, We're Anxious About, where you're invited to our non-birthday party!

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 42: I'm Anxious About Zoom

Coming up on a year into the coronavirus pandemic, there's one thing we're all feeling: Zoom fatigue. In this episode, Chris and Allison dive into why Zoom (or any kind of video call) is a particularly difficult medium for people with anxiety.

 From anticipatory stress about speaking up in a large meeting room to the overstimulation of video calls to the pandemic-flavored ennui that has us wondering why this all couldn't just be an email, Zoom is a part of pandemic life whether we like it or not. We might as well dive into it and make ourselves laugh a bit in the process!

The articles discussed in the episode include "Zoom fatigue is taxing the brain" by National Geographic and "The struggle with Zoom fatigue is real" on the Daily Aztec.

If you'd like to join our Facebook Group, which we promise is infinitely less soul-sucking than a 50-person Zoom call, you can find us at "We're Anxious About" on Facebook. 

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 41: I'm Anxious About Losing Things

Chris and Allison expected this episode to be fun and lighthearted but, looking back, they're kind of happy things got a little deeper than they expected. 

Like all human beings, Allison and Chris have experienced loss, but the anxious brain, as you well may know, can experience (or obsess over) loss in different ways. 

The laughs and lightheartedness are here, don't you worry, but they'd also like to think something more is in this episode. Your co-hosts are criminally biased, but they feel this may just be the best episode yet. 

Here's a link to the article on how Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects memory.

And here's a link to the (spoiler!) poem that Allison reads at the end. 

Remember that we've got a Facebook group, We're Anxious About, where we're happy to welcome you with open arms. 

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive

IAA 40: I'm Anxious About Driving

Windows down, hair blowing in the wind, wheels on the road, nothing to worry about, right? Uhh, not if you're Chris and Allison. These two anxious co-hosts share all their worries about hitting the open road, from Allison's traumatic solo Iceland road trip woes to Chris's propensity to throw a very unnecessary, wildly preemptive middle finger. Allison shares her deep dark secret about being the world's worst backseat driver and her coping mechanisms for dealing with anxiety about lack of control as a passenger, and Chris vows to never road trip with Allison literally anywhere, but especially in a manual car. 

 

If you'd like to hop in our super-fun, not-at-all-cripplingly-anxious road trip, you can join us on our Facebook group for listeners, We're Anxious About.

Theme music: "I'm Not Nervous" by Square People, used under a CC BY 3.0 license, via the Free Music Archive