Generalized Anxiety Disorder - GAD (Episode 038)

This week we're discussing GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. GAD generates the most confusion in the community around Disordered, so we took some time to address a few important issues:

• What is GAD and what isn't it?
• Does being anxious all day mean you have GAD?
• What are some of the underlying processes that drive GAD?
• What about worry and rumination?

In the end, much of GAD is driven by excessive worry and rumination that creates an anxious state when it is directed at problems that can't be solved or don't need to be solved. GAD will demand that you ask questions that don't need to be asked, or engage in overplanning, worrying, and ruminating that you might think you shouldn't or can't walk away from.

Overcoming GAD is about recognizing some of these thinking and behavioral habits, then taking "risks" by leaving worries unanswered, questions unasked, things unfinished or open-ended, and problems unsolved. Sound hard? It is! But hard and impossible are not the same things.

Special thanks to Batman and Bane for pitching in on our opening, and to our friend Elizabeth Lyons for making a cameo appearance as the "Someone call the Ruminator!" woman. Top-notch acting right there.

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Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast?

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Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

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Disordered Roundtable is coming! Think of it as "Disordered Live", a way for members of our audience to spend time with us in an intimate virtual setting (attendance is limited) to engage in real time sharing and discussion on specific anxiety disorder and recovery topics. To be notified when new Disordered Roundtable sessions are scheduled, sign up for our email list using the form on this page.