One on One With Coach Blu: Anxiety and DivorceOne on One With Coach Blu: Anxiety and Divorce
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu and Marisa answer live questions about crippling anxiety and marital strain, linking practical coping tools to recovery and mental health. They discuss medication risks, therapeutic options and communication patterns that can either damage or repair relationships.
1:00:12•8 Jul 2021
Anxiety, Marriage Strain and Knowing When It’s Time to Get Help
Episode Overview
- Anxiety is a normal stress response, but becomes a problem when it never turns off and begins to control everyday life.
- Relying on benzodiazepines for long-term anxiety relief can be dangerous and numbing; non-addictive medications and therapy-based approaches are safer options.
- Exercise, yoga, correct breathing, grounding skills and even cold exposure can significantly reduce anxiety symptoms.
- Therapies like CBT and EMDR help identify the roots of anxiety and trauma, changing unhelpful thought patterns and emotional reactions.
- In relationships, persistent criticism, contempt, stonewalling and defensiveness are strong warning signs, and should be addressed early through honest communication and shared responsibility.
“There’s really not anything that is unmanageable that can’t be addressed and can’t be fixed.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober while life keeps throwing anxiety and relationship strain at them? This episode of Addict II Athlete takes that question head-on as Coach Blu Robinson and Athletic Director Marisa Robinson answer live questions about crippling anxiety and the pain of a struggling marriage. The first half centres on anxiety that feels like it comes from nowhere and shuts life down.
Coach Blu breaks anxiety into everyday, normal stress responses versus the kind that never switches off, likening it to a snowball rolling down a mountain that grows bigger and faster if it’s ignored. He talks through different types of anxiety, why benzodiazepines can be “the devil’s drug”, and how substance use can hide emotions until they come back "fast and furious" in early recovery.
Instead of quick fixes, they talk about practical tools: exercise, yoga, cold exposure, breathing through the nose instead of mouth, grounding skills, and therapies like CBT and EMDR. Marisa adds a recreational therapist’s angle, stressing that coping skills are just as important as talking therapy, and that sometimes the bravest step is simply asking for help.
The conversation then shifts to marriage strain and the painful question: "How do I know if it’s time for divorce?" Coach Blu refuses to give a yes-or-no answer, but walks through red flags like constant self-doubt, lack of effort, dead bedrooms, stonewalling, and a steady erosion of respect.
Drawing on John Gottman’s work, they describe the “four horsemen” of criticism, contempt, stonewalling and defensiveness, and how small changes—like real pillow talk, honest breaks during arguments and daily appreciation—can make a big difference. Throughout, the episode speaks directly to people in recovery, their partners, and anyone feeling overwhelmed by anxiety or a troubled relationship. It asks a simple, challenging question: are you willing to get help before the snowball gets too big?
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