Anxiety and Avoidance Explained | EP 350Anxiety and Avoidance Explained | EP 350
The Anxious Truth - A Panic, Anxiety, and Mental Health Podcast
Drew Linsalata explains how avoidance of discomfort, rather than specific fears, sustains anxiety disorders and related struggles. The episode clarifies the difference between anxiety content and process, offering a practical framework for changing long-standing habits of escape.
22:34•12 Aug 2026
Anxiety, Avoidance and Why Discomfort Isn’t the Enemy
Episode Overview
- Avoidance in anxiety is about escaping internal discomfort, not ignoring real-life problems.
- The content of anxious thoughts or sensations matters less than the repeated process of fear and avoidance.
- Safety behaviours, reassurance seeking and mental looping act as avoidance and keep anxiety disorders going.
- Anxiety themes and triggers can shift over time, but the underlying pattern of trying to control discomfort stays the same.
- Recovery involves practising non-engagement with thoughts and sensations and allowing discomfort to rise and fall without urgent "fixing".
“You are only trying to get away from the discomfort that that causes inside of you.”
What secrets to maintaining sobriety can be uncovered? While this episode focuses on anxiety rather than alcohol directly, anyone dealing with addiction or early recovery will recognise the familiar tug-of-war between fear, avoidance, and the urge to escape how you feel. Therapist and former anxiety sufferer Drew Linsalata breaks down why avoidance is at the heart of chronic anxiety, panic, OCD, and generalised anxiety disorder.
He explains that people often think they’re "ignoring the problem" when they try not to engage with scary thoughts or uncomfortable sensations. In his words, "You are only trying to get away from the discomfort that that causes inside of you." The real issue isn’t the specific thought – it’s the frantic attempt to stop feeling afraid.
You’ll hear Drew walk through the difference between the *content* of anxiety (health fears, relationship doubts, intrusive harm thoughts, terrifying body sensations) and the *process* (the repeated cycle of fear, avoidance, safety behaviours, and reassurance seeking). He makes the point that themes can change over time – from health anxiety to relationship worries to somatic symptoms – but the underlying habit of trying to control discomfort stays the same.
For anyone in recovery from alcohol or other substances, this will sound familiar: constantly trying to numb, fix, or outrun uncomfortable emotions. Drew argues that healing comes from dropping "experiential avoidance" and learning to let discomfort rise and fall without declaring an emergency, whether that’s anxiety, cravings, or shame. The tone is straight-talking yet compassionate, with a strong focus on practical understanding rather than quick fixes.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re avoiding a real problem or simply avoiding how you feel, this episode offers a clear framework to start untangling that knot and opens up a challenging but hopeful question: what might change if you stopped trying to escape your own discomfort?
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