The PurposeGirl Podcast Episode 090: Understanding and Managing Anxiety

A staggering number of people suffer from anxiety. For some it flares up at more stressful times in their lives, and for others it's a constant presence, a constant struggle. I've talked many times about my own challenges with anxiety over the years, as well as panic attacks that I've suffered, most recently the almost daily attacks that I dealt with for months after my second miscarriage.

In today's episode we're going to look at how we can handle anxiety in a healthy way and move through it to live a happy and flourishing life. This all starts with a solid understanding of anxiety, and I am so honored and excited to have with us a dear friend and a true expert in anxiety, Dr. Todd Pressman. Those of you who have been listening to this podcast for a while might realize that all my guests to this point have been women, so I thought it would be good to explain why I'm breaking with that: Anxiety is such an important topic, I myself have dealt with it for years, it's the number one issue in mental health, and I wanted to bring on the best possible expert for it.

In this episode, Todd discusses:

• How fear (Todd uses fear and anxiety interchangeably) is underneath all sources of suffering
• The importance of getting our mind around the one core fear underlying all our own suffering and how that can give us true power
• The five deceptions of fear
• How we can uncover our one core fear, using his process, Digging for Gold -- and Todd takes me through this exercise!
• His exercise, Flowchart for Your Life Journey
• Our chief defense that we've used throughout our lives to protect against our core fear
• The five categories of fear and their connection to our pursuit of fulfillment
• Exercises to help us work with our core fears and pursue our path on a daily basis (including The Alchemist, The Witness, and The Warrior's Stance)

To receive Todd's free e-book, "Quotes and Stories That Can Change Your Life!" please go to his website, https://www.toddpressman.com. Also at his website you can get a copy of his new book, Deconstructing Anxiety, at 30% off until December 31, 2019! You can also follow Todd on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DrToddPressman), Twitter (https://twitter.com/PressmanDr), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-pressman-51b904171), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/drtoddpressmanofficial).

This episode is brought to you by the EMPOWERED program, the four-month journey to becoming the truly empowered woman you were born to be. Learn more at purposegirl.com/empowered.

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May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

About Todd Pressman

Dr. Todd Pressman is a clinical psychologist and international seminar leader. He is widely known for his work with Transpersonal Breathwork and A Course in Miracles. He graduated with degrees in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and Saybrook Institute. His books Radical Joy: Awakening Your Potential For True Fulfillment and The Bicycle Repair Shop: A True Story Of Recovery From Multiple Personality Disorder have received high acclaim. In 1982, he traveled the world to study the great wisdom and healing traditions, including with a Zen master, a Jain family, a Zoroastrian high priest and a Sri Lankan firewalker. His education also includes an internship under Stanislav Grof, M.D. at the Esalen Institute.

With a background deeply rooted in tradition (he was groomed by a father whose teachers were taught by Sigmund Freud), he has integrated this wide- ranging experience into a new program of psychological development. His working model is based on Michelangelo's ideal: to release the statue from the stone, the authentic Self from the overlays of imposed identity, into the discovery of freedom, joy and fulfillment.