Overcoming Anxiety: The Role of Attention (Episode 144)

Feb 13, 2026

Discussion of how attention shapes anxiety and recovery. Stories about tolerating adrenaline by choosing where to focus. Why internal checking and calming tricks can keep fear alive. Practical attention-training examples like grounding, walks, and holding fear then shifting focus. Metaphors and listener wins showing practice builds confidence in moving attention.

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ADVICE

Train Your Attention Like A Muscle

Practice moving your attention even when anxious by shifting to external targets like sights, sounds, or conversation.
Use repeated practice to build an 'attention muscle' you can rely on during high fear.

INSIGHT

Attention, Not Activity, Predicts Calm

Anxiety becomes the 'most important thing' when you give it your attention, even during pleasant activities.
The single variable that often predicts calming is where attention is placed, not the activity itself.

ADVICE

Avoid The Checking-State Trap

Avoid 'checking state' techniques that make you monitor whether a strategy worked.
Use attention exercises as training, not as tools to measure immediate symptom change.

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Questions about this episode? Want to interact with Drew, Josh, and other members of the Disordered audience? Check out the Disordered Community Space!

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This episode of Disordered explores the vital role of attention in anxiety recovery. Josh and Drew discuss the core skill of moving your attention while feeling high levels of fear.

Many people struggling with anxiety disorders feel their attention is glued to symptoms or intrusive thoughts. Josh describes this as "threat-induced attention," which is a survival mechanism where the brain locks onto perceived danger. You always have agency over your attention. Recovery involves building an "attention muscle" to acknowledge the fear and choose a different focus.

Confidence in Attention: Josh shares a personal breakthrough where he felt a massive adrenaline rush on a bus but chose to read a newspaper anyway. This desensitization happened because he trusted his ability to move his attention despite the discomfort.
The "Checking State" Trap: Drew explains that many common calming techniques backfire. If you use them to force anxiety away, you end up hyper-focusing on your internal state to see if they worked. This keeps you trapped in the threat cycle.
Facing the "Bear": Using a metaphor of a bear in a campsite, the hosts explain that looking away from the anxiety tells the brain the emergency is over. Staring at the anxiety only confirms to your nervous system that you are still under threat.
Practical Application: Whether going to the dentist or taking a train, the goal is to move attention toward meaningful tasks rather than internal monitoring.

"The only way to show the brain and the amygdala that this isn't a threat is to show it with our attention... that this isn't important." — Josh

"We cannot operate directly on your anxiety... we can only operate on the way you interact with it." — Drew

Building confidence in your attention is a gradual process rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Metacognitive Therapy. It requires bravery to look away from the fear to find the path to long-term psychological flexibility.