Anxiety—and the 'worry bully'Anxiety—and the 'worry bully'
All In The Mind
Anxiety is an essential human emotion—it kicks in to protect us from threats—but sometimes those threats are only perceived. When worries start to become overwhelming, approximately 25 per cent of us experience clinical anxiety. But it is highly treatable. A ten-year-old girl and a 30-year-old man share their anxious thoughts and their strategies to manage them.
29:16•15 Sept 2019
Anxiety, The ‘Worry Bully’ and Simple Tools That Help
Episode Overview
- Anxiety stems from our survival-based threat system and becomes a disorder when fear and avoidance dominate daily life.
- Digital technology and social media fuel comparison, disconnection and sleep problems that can heighten anxiety in adults and children.
- Safety behaviours such as procrastination, avoidance and using alcohol or drugs may soothe feelings short term but reinforce anxiety long term.
- Externalising worry through ideas like the "worry bully", breathing exercises and tools like a worry diary can weaken anxious thoughts over time.
- Seeking professional help is framed as a courageous step, with anxiety described as common, highly treatable and nothing to be ashamed of.
“The worry bully is, everyone has it. It's this thing inside your head that keeps on telling you worries and worries and worries. And the more you listen to it, the stronger it gets.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety and mental health? This All In The Mind episode focuses on anxiety, why it shows up, and how a ten-year-old and a 30-year-old are learning to stand up to their "worry bully". The tone is warm, honest and practical. Psychologist Dr Jodie Lowinger explains how anxiety is linked to our primitive fight-or-flight response, and how perceived threats can turn everyday worry into clinical anxiety.
She points to rising anxiety in children and adults, fuelled by social media, comparison culture and constant digital connection that "is its connection, but it's disconnection". You’ll hear from ten-year-old Willow Freer, who talks about friendship struggles, teasing at school and sleepless nights after moving countries. Her mum, Miriam Heatherich, shares the strain of being "an anxious mum and an anxious child" without tools to help, and the relief of finally finding practical support.
Willow’s therapy at The Sydney Anxiety Clinic includes playful but powerful tools: "put the book on the shelf" to park repetitive worries, "breathe in the air, breathe out the fog" to clear her mind, and drawing her "worry bully" on a paper bag to externalise anxious thoughts. Adult guest Peter Leipnick describes physical symptoms like dizziness and exhaustion that turned out to be driven by anxiety.
He talks about procrastination as "possibly the worst thing that you can do for your worries", the pressure of being constantly reachable by phone, and learning to keep a "worry diary" so he can see that most fears never turn into real problems. Throughout, the episode stresses that anxiety is common and highly treatable, and that asking for help is a sign of courage, not weakness.
If anxiety has ever felt like it’s running the show, could these simple strategies be a starting point for changing that?
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