The 18 Minutes Podcast

Today's episode is all about my favorite fear trap: avoidance. It feels like coping, but isn't actually helping us the way we think it is. In this episode I walk through six ways avoidance can be keeping you stuck (often without your realizing it). Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@a...

This week we're flipping the script on fear. Fear is not just the enemy we've been treating it as for years. In this episode of The 18 Minutes podcast I walk through the reframes that helped me come to love this work, including how fear builds your tolerance for discomfort, what it actually takes to move through fear (instead of around it), and how fear shows us what really matters to us...

This episode is the heart of everything I talk about on the show: the path from fear to freedom. I share some of my own story and then walk you through the four shifts that made all the difference for me: learning that we can actually change, that we are more capable than we've been told, what real bravery actually looks like, and how confidence and feeling empowered get built. If you've...

If you're doing the work and feel like your exposure practice isn't paying off, this one's for you! I walk through what I think are some of the most reasons facing your fears might not be moving you forward. Plus a couple of reminders most of us need to hear (recovery is measured by what you're doing with your life, not by how anxious you feel doing it!). Most "stuck"...

Some of the most common "healthy" habits in the wellness and anxiety recovery world (breathing exercises, grounding techniques, meditation) can actually be the thing keeping you stuck. In this episode I walk through five of them, the genuine pros of each one, the trap each one falls into when it turns into a safety behavior, and the simple way to tell whether a habit is helping you or ho...

What's left when the anxiety finally subsides? In this episode I talk about a part of recovery I LOVE: when anxiety has been part of you for years, you get to actually rediscover who you are without it. I share how anxiety became the center of my own identity, why losing it can feel disorienting, and the practical work of reclaiming the person underneath the fear. Plus - a few things I discov...

What do you actually do when anxiety comes back after you thought you'd put it behind you? In this episode I talk about why recovery was never a straight line to zero, and why I measured my own recovery by "widening the gaps" between panic attacks instead. I get into why a single anxious moment usually isn't the "setback" you think it is (and what a real setback actua...

If you love someone with disordered anxiety, your most loving instincts are often what's keeping their disordered anxiety alive. I unpack the research on family accommodation, why reassurance is a long-term harm even when it feels kind in the moment, and the caregiver burden conversation we shy away from. Includes real examples from my own recovery and how my partner showed up alongside me. I...

Has your world been gradually getting smaller? Fewer places you'll go, more cancellations, a mental map of where it feels safe and where it doesn't? You might be dealing with agoraphobia. In this episode I unpack the real definition (it's not "fear of open spaces"), the panic-and-avoidance loop that builds it, a little entry-level neuroscience on what your amygdala and sym...

Overpreparing might be the most socially acceptable safety behavior there is. It doesn't always look like anxiety, it looks like being responsible! In this episode I unpack what overpreparing actually is, why our brains love it so much, and the mental and physical cost we pay for it. Then we talk about how to gradually let go of it without flipping your whole life upside down, and what life l...

You're probably going to have another panic attack. Sorry!! But what if you could prepare for it in a way that actually moves your recovery forward? In this episode, I walk through the mindset shift that changed my own recovery, the neuroscience of why you can't think your way through panic in real time, and a practical toolkit for setting yourself up before the next adrenaline surge hit...

 Ever wake up at 2am in panic mode? This episode is for you! Today I'm talking all about nighttime anxiety. How to recognize it, why it happens, and practical steps to move past it. Thanks for listening!  FREE Recovery Guide: https://the18minutes.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the18minutes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the18minutes/ Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   Ti...

On this episode of The 18 Minutes I get into the science behind why it feels IMPOSSIBLE to calm down during an episode of intense anxiety or panic, and what we can do about it. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

Today's episode is a list of things that you might be doing that are keeping you stuck with disordered anxiety. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

Today's episode is all about travel anxiety. I'm a nervous traveler, and in this episode I lay out my best tips for making travel fun! I cover how to manage anticipatory anxiety, feeling stuck, social anxiety, the fear of flying, and separation anxiety (and, of course, how to use the fear to overcome our anxiety disorders). Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @he...

As overly anxious people, we CLING to anything we can control, often to our own detriment. In this quick chat-style podcast I cover the topic of control, and why reaching for it could be hindering our recovery. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

Mindfulness! You may have used this practice as a means of escaping your anxious feelings, but it can be used more effectively to help you overcome disordered anxiety altogether. In today's episode I share my experience using mindfulness while driving, and I give some tips on how you can practice mindfulness without giving into safety behaviors that are you keeping you stuck. Thanks for being...

My how-to guide for overcoming disordered anxiety! In this episode I lay out what I would do to recover from an anxiety disorder if I were starting from the beginning. I cover 6 detailed steps to recovery, and explain how you can customize them to be effective tools for your own journey. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube:...

DP/DR is a very real, very common experience for people who suffer from disordered anxiety. If you can relate, this episode is for you! Today I cover my own experience with derealization and depersonalization, the survival mechanism behind it, and how we can work to accept it and move through it.  Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay...

If you are a nervous or phobic flyer, this one's for you! Jenny Matthews is a licensed therapist, and specializes in treating the fear of flying. In this episode we cover what fears the fear of flying is made up of, why it's such a common experience, and practical steps you can take to start working toward recovery. Enjoy!  Jenny's Therapy Practice: https://stateofmindtherapy.com/  ...

Reassurance-seeking is a common, unhelpful behavior in the context of disordered anxiety. Today's episode is all about what it is, how to recognize it in yourself, and some alternative behaviors to help you in your journey to recovery. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

Intrusive thoughts can be completely debilitating - but they don't have to be! In today's episode I cover common experiences, stigmatized experiences, why you're not broken, and how you might find relief. I'd love your feedback - send me a message! amanda@the18minutes.com   Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay You...

 Did you know you could be afraid of fear itself? Today's episode is a deep dive on why it's important to understand the fear of fear, and why it's important to work towards overcoming it. This one could change your life!!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

 Ever had a panic attack in the car? This episode is for you! I cover why driving anxiety happens, why it's not dangerous, and how to overcome it and reclaim that piece of your life back from disordered anxiety. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com 

Ever wondered how to have an amazing panic attack? Now you can find out. Today's episode is all about how to have a panic attack that moves you toward better mental health. Enjoy!  Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here !   TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com