The Anatomy of Anxiety w/Dr. Ellen Vora

How are you? How's summer treating you so far? Sunscreen, sweat, and late summer nights are all a *thing* over here, and I'm loving it. I went for years craving the fall and winter months; there's something so cozy about that time of year. But I tell ya what: these days, there's something about the brightness and vibrancy of summer that brings me alive in another way. And I'm here for it. I'm curious to hear how it's feeling for you... This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​ we're going to explore a metaphor that I hope will really bring your nervous system into color in a whole new way: we're talking about ​anxiety as an alarm​. I know many of us treat anxiety like an emergency; if we're feeling remotely anxious it means Something Has Gone Wrong. But I want to challenge that this week with a mental image that I hope will stick with you and help you reconsider the messaging behind anxiety when it shows up. Sneak peek: are the curtains on fire? Or are we dealing with burnt toast? ​Join me for this week's episode to hear what I mean​... Full shownotes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/221  Text PODCAST to (816) 354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time to time...

It seems like if we know something, we should act accordingly, right? If you know what you want or should do, then...do it! I mean, according to the 80's G.I. Joe cartoon, "knowing is half the battle" so it only makes sense that if we *know* what we want to do, we will *do* it. And yet... ...we don't. Turns out knowing is knowing and doing is doing, and the knowing actually has very little to do with the doing. 🤷‍♀️ This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to explore this tricky little reality...the chasm between knowing and doing. There's science behind this, good reasons why we don't just DO what we KNOW we want for ourselves, and an important link between this chasm and anxiety. Join me for this week's episode and let's talk about it. Text PODCAST to (816) 354-1279 and I’ll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time-to-time… Full shownotes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/220 

Are you a control freak? Are you a *secret* control freak and don't want to admit it? Are you surrounded by control freaks and feeling the pressure of complying with their wishes? I'm going to guess: yes, yes, and yes. Why do we seek to control? How come control freaks get such a bum rap? What can we do instead of plugging down the same old, ill-fated, control-grabbing path? On this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to talk about control, being a "control freak," and how to re-think this approach to life. Let's hear it for the control freaks. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/219 

Over the last few years, I've found a handful of things that are true when they're put in action, but don't SEEM like they'd be true when you find yourself in a situation that you're not sure how to get out of, how to take care of, or how to navigate. So I pulled together this motley crew of practices and we're going to talk about it today on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. Today, we're talking about counterintuitive things. Things that really don't make much sense on paper, but when you live it? Makes all the difference. And these practices are things that will support you: If you're feeling anxious When you don't have enough time If you need help at work, at home, or with your family and friends When you're not okay Join me for this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast and let's talk about counterintuitive things...and how you can use these ironic practices to uplevel your day-to-day life. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/218 

So, a while back, my therapist called me a "people-pleaser." Which, to be honest, I thought was totally rude. 🙃 It's just a term I've never personally identified with and the idea that some under current of making everyone happy was yanking me around didn't feel great. But I got curious... What if I AM a people-pleaser? So I started researching. How do people-pleasing behaviors show up? What are the symptoms and signs of people-pleasing? Aaaand it made things pretty clear. I'm bringing my findings to you on this week's episode of  The Transforming Anxiety Podcast . Are you a people-pleaser? Do you, like me, not think you are, but maybe you kinda sorta not-so-secretly are?  Join me for this conversation (and my totally dumb riff on that old *you might be a redneck, if...* sketch). And hey: wanna dig into your own people-pleasing tendencies and start cleaning that up? CLICK HERE and let's talk. Full show notes located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/217 

I have another interview for you this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast; this week, I'm talking to author, long-distance hiker, and community-creator, Nicole Antoinette, about her new book How To Be Alone . Nicole hiked all 800 miles of the Arizona Trail from the Utah border to Mexico...alone. She camped and rationed water in the desert and dealt with all the wildlife one imagines coming across, all while dealing with the thoughts, feelings, and discomfort that are an inevitable part of the human experience...especially if you're alone and confronted with 800 miles of your own mental chatter and meaning-making. This is a powerful conversation that covers everything from people-pleasing to the reality of change to hiking gear to sobriety to divorce. We didn't leave much out. And hey: whether you're interested in hiking or not, think of the trail as a microcosm of LIFE. Everything she confronts on the AZT directly relates to the work we do around here: transforming anxiety, tree by tree by tree (you'll see what I mean in the episode). If you'd like to catch the video version of our conversation, just CLICK HERE. I can't wait for you to hear this one... To find out more about Nicole, visit www.nicoleantoinette.com and you can find her on Instagram @nic.antoinette  Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/216 

Today on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to do an exercise in awareness...and we're going to use the vehicle of complaining to practice. We all complain. It's a very socially-acceptable way of relating and conversing with others. I'm pretty sure it's some peoples' love language (SO FUN!). What is complaining? Why do we go there so often? Does it get us anywhere? This isn't a conversation about trying to convince the people around you to not complain. It's not a how-to fix-it guide for solving the so-called problem of complaining. It IS an investigation into the act of complaining and an invitation to bring awareness in. Which is sometimes all we need. Join me for this week's episode and let's take a look at complaining... Full show notes located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/215 

A few weeks ago I did a podcast about your daily routine and I heard from a lot of you that it was helpful and gave you a new way to think about and set up your day. And then I got a great question: what about the WEEKEND? And it made a lot of sense to me; after all, there's a completely different vibe to the weekends than there is to the regular ol' work day. And we still want to feel productive, sure. But our days off from work and school also invite a sense of joy, connection, and rest that maybe doesn't seem as accessible during the week. So...let's take a look at it together. Join me for this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast and let's explore your daily routine: the weekend edition. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/214 

You know I like to come at anxiety from all angles and I want to consider something that we haven't talked about on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast yet: victim mentality. This is different from being the victim of a crime, of a natural disaster, of random violence or an accident or disease or some other action or event. Those are real and traumatic and difficult and that is NOT what we're discussing. I'm talking about: Blaming other people for things that happen in your life Not taking responsibility for your words or actions Having big reactions to small things Believing everyone has it easier / better than you These are mindsets that can completely sabotage you...and they all lead straight to spinning out in anxiety. Join me for this week's episode and just *consider* how this one shows up for you. Spoiler alert: we all do it. This isn't something you're immune to. But you can cultivate more self-awareness and self-compassion and take yourself off this hook. Full show notes located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/213 

This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to explore how you talk to yourself in a really specific way: we're going to find your story. We all have one. A story that we tell about ourselves, our circumstances, our experiences, our LIVES. And this story isn't true, in a real sense. It's "true" only because we tell it over and over and over again...until we absolutely completely totally believe it. And then we go to work to create a reality based on that story. In this week's episode I'm going to share a couple ways you can start to unearth your story + what that story really means...and why you want to see all of this with fresh perspective. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/212