The 18 Minutes Podcast

Επεισόδια

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  Using AI When You're Feeling Anxious 24.07.2026 24λ

  We've all done it. Waking up anxious at 2am and pulling up ChatGPT to ask it our burning questions. Are we ok? What can we do to calm down? How do we keep this from happening again? Today I'm talking about my own AI use and what I learned from it. I cover the limitations and risks of using chatbots as therapists, and how we can use it thoughtfully to help us grow. Enjoy! Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube:...
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  The Fear of Dizziness 17.07.2026 17λ

  If you struggle with the fear of dizziness, this episode is for you! Today I talk about why it's such a common fear among sufferers of disordered anxiety, what the causes are, and what we can do to overcome it. Enjoy! SOURCES: https://birchgrovementalhealth.com/would-anxiety-cause-dizziness/ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/6422-dizziness Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay E...
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  How Avoidance Keeps Us Stuck 10.07.2026 18λ

  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@amandaklay.com
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  Fear Is Good For You 03.07.2026 21λ

  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. Plus a quick update on how the very first RECLAIM cohort is going (spoiler: incredible). Enjoy! Get...
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  Moving From Fear to Freedom 26.06.2026 19λ

  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 been peering around every corner and prioritizing comfort and you want a change, this one's for you. &nbsp...
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  Why Facing Your Fears Isn't Working 19.06.2026 23λ

  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" exposure routines just need a small adjustment, and this is where to start. Plus: sign-ups are open for the RECLAIM cohort kic...
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  Healthy Anxiety Habits Gone Wrong 12.06.2026 20λ

  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 holding you in place. The line is almost never the habit itself, it's your intention. Get your FREE Fea...
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  Who Are You Without The Anxiety? 05.06.2026 18λ

  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 discovered I love on the other side of the fear. If you've ever wondered who you'd be without anxiety making...
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  What To Do When Anxiety Comes Back 29.05.2026 25λ

  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 actually is), the science of why anxiety can resurface even years later, and a story from a trip well into my recovery when panic sh...
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  What Partners of Anxious People Need to Know 22.05.2026 24λ

  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. If you're an anxious person who has been trying to figure out how to talk to your partner about all thi...
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  Agoraphobia 101: What It Is and How To Recover 15.05.2026 23λ

  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 sympathetic nervous system are doing along the way, and exactly how recovery works using a four-phase framework I created for...
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  Overpreparing Is Making You Anxious 08.05.2026 22λ

  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 looks like on the other side. If you're tired of running the worst-case version of every situation in y...
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  How To Prepare For a Panic Attack 01.05.2026 22λ

  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 hits, including how to talk to the people closest to you, why language matters, and what to actually do in the...
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  Why Anxiety Feels Worse at Night (and what to do about it!) 24.04.2026 17λ

  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! TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: ama...
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  Why Can't I Calm Down?! 17.04.2026 11λ

  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
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  What Not To Do During Panic 03.04.2026 13λ

  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
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  Travel Anxiety Tips 27.03.2026 17λ

  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: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyamandaklay YouTube: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com&nb...
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  Anxiety & The Illusion of Control 20.03.2026 13λ

  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
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  Disordered Anxiety: Mindfulness vs. Avoidance 13.03.2026 23λ

  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 here! Get your FREE Fear to Freedom Guide here! TikTok: @heyamandaklay Instagram: @heyama...
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  Beyond Coping: How To Overcome Disordered Anxiety 06.03.2026 18λ

  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: @heyamandaklay Email: amanda@amandaklay.com