Monkey MindMonkey Mind
All In The Mind
Do you have a monkey mind? New Yorker Daniel Smith does. He says chronic anxiety is the only mental disorder which can be both excruciatingly painful and funny at the same time.
28:49•21 Apr 2013
Monkey Mind: Anxiety, Humour and the Fight to Take Back Your Thoughts
Episode Overview
- Chronic anxiety can dominate every part of daily life, turning ordinary situations and choices into sources of intense fear and doubt.
- Anxiety often has roots in a mix of genetic vulnerability, personality traits such as perfectionism and ongoing life pressures.
- Severe anxiety can seriously damage relationships, as constant inward focus and fear can block the ability to truly see and love another person.
- Cognitive behaviour therapy helps by identifying anxious thoughts, testing how realistic they are and gradually building new mental pathways.
- Short‑term medication and simple tools like humour, joyful films and mindful awareness can give temporary relief, but longer‑term change usually needs therapy and practice.
““Anxiety prevents love. It prevents you from seeing another human being.””
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? While this episode focuses on anxiety rather than alcohol directly, anyone in recovery will recognise the same racing thoughts, body jitters and late‑night catastrophising described here. Host Lynne Malcolm chats with New Yorker Daniel Smith, author of *Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety*, who paints a vivid picture of a mind swinging “like excitable monkeys in the jungle”.
He talks about his lifelong, almost 24/7 anxiety, the physical symptoms that feel “particularly hellish”, and the way worry can latch onto anything – from a sandwich to a relationship – until everything feels like a threat. Daniel shares how anxiety can wreck intimacy, saying, “anxiety prevents love. It prevents you from seeing another human being,” a line that will hit home for anyone who’s ever tried to maintain relationships while battling panic or cravings.
He also talks frankly about trying different therapists before finding cognitive behaviour therapy, which helped him track his thoughts like “mental bombs” and challenge them step by step. Psychologist Dr Paul Morgan joins to explain why some people are more prone to anxiety, mixing genetic sensitivity, personality traits like perfectionism and the pressure of modern life.
He describes anxiety as a stuck internal panic button, and discusses short‑term use of medications such as benzodiazepines, stressing that therapy is usually the better long‑term answer. There’s humour too. Daniel compares his anxiety to classic Woody Allen neuroses and shares how films like *Singin’ in the Rain* can act like “two hours of the greatest psychiatric drug you can watch”.
You’ll come away with relatable stories, practical ideas like CBT and mindfulness, and a reminder that laughter can sometimes punch anxiety “in the jaw”. If your own mind feels a bit like a troop of monkeys on espresso, could these experiences and strategies give you a fresh way to look at your anxiety and your recovery?
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