Your Mind Is Lying to You

Your Mind Is Lying to You

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when their own thoughts keep shouting that something’s wrong? This Addict II Athlete session with Coach Blu Robinson zooms in on anxiety – how it works in your brain and body, and why it so often feels like you’re broken when you’re actually just overwhelmed. Speaking as a therapist and addiction counsellor, Coach Blu explains that "you are not your anxiety, you are one who notices it".

Drawing on Stoic thinkers like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, plus Carl Rogers, Carl Jung and modern CBT, he breaks down the difference between who you are and what your mind is doing. Anxiety, he says, is a loud, persistent alarm – but it isn’t your identity.

You’ll hear a clear walk-through of how the nervous system is wired for survival, why it can’t tell the difference between a real threat and a remembered one, and how that leads to racing hearts, tight chests and thought spirals. Instead of trying to crush those sensations, Blu talks about working *with* your body: box breathing, grounding in the present, and shifting from “I’m anxious” to “I’m noticing some anxiety”.

He also unpacks worry, panic and avoidance in very practical terms. Worry feels like preparation, but as he puts it, it’s "a mental rehearsal without resolution". Panic gets reframed as a surge that rises and falls, not as proof you’re losing control. Avoidance might bring short-term relief, but it slowly shrinks your life; gentle, planned exposure and small acts of courage are offered as the way back to freedom.

If your mind keeps telling you terrifying stories – about addiction, relapse, relationships or just getting through the day – this episode lays out a kinder, more realistic way to respond. What would change for you if you stopped believing every anxious thought your mind throws at you?