Block Out the Noise: Helping Teens and Young Adults Overcome Anxiety

73 | 7 Things That Feel Safe But Make Anxiety Worse

* Why does relief never last? * What habits keep anxiety in control? * What if feeling safe is keeping you stuck? In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down seven habits that can feel safe in the moment but quietly make anxiety stronger over time. These patterns often look like being kind, helpful, flexible, thoughtful, or easy to be around, but underneath them, anxiety may be running the show. Jessica explains how keeping the peace, saying yes too often, overexplaining, asking for constant input, going with the flow, apologizing first, and perfecting your words can all become safety habits. You’ll learn why these patterns give short-term relief, how they weaken your self-trust over time, and why small boundaries help you start showing up as the real version of yourself. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: * Why short-term relief can keep anxiety alive * How keeping the peace can cost you your voice * Why being the reliable one can lead to burnout * How overexplaining turns your choices into negotiations * Why going with the flow can make you disappear * How over-apologizing weakens your confidence * Why small boundaries help you rebuild self-trust Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435908/fan_mail/new] RESOURCES: Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/] to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming! JOIN our NEWSLETTER [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome]! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety! 📱 Follow Us: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@blockoutthenoisepodcast]  🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health [https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com], offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients. Links:  Anxiety Survival Toolkit: https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/ Newsletter: https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome Davis-Smith Mental Health: https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/ 1:1 Confidence Coaching [https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching]: https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching ⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical stra...

72 | Why Your Brain Always Assumes the Worst

* Why does your brain jump to the worst case? * Why do small things feel so big? * What if your thoughts are not the real problem? In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why catastrophic thinking keeps coming back, even when you journal, use positive self-talk, or tell yourself to stop spiraling. The problem is not that you are too negative or irrational. It is that your brain is acting like a fire alarm, trying to protect you from danger, even when the threat is not actually an emergency. Jessica explains how catastrophic thinking is often driven by an overactive alarm system, perfectionism, negativity bias, high-alert mode, and the relief trap. You’ll learn why reassurance, overpreparing, researching, and avoiding may calm anxiety for a moment, but keep the loop going over time. This episode will help you understand what is happening underneath the spiral and how to start turning down the alarm. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: * Why catastrophic thinking feels so hard to stop * How your brain acts like a fire alarm * Why perfectionism can become emotional armor * How negativity bias keeps worst-case thoughts loud * Why reassurance and overpreparing feed the relief trap * How to remind yourself of the whole truth, not just the worst moment Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435908/fan_mail/new] RESOURCES: Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/] to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming! JOIN our NEWSLETTER [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome]! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety! 📱 Follow Us: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@blockoutthenoisepodcast]  🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health [https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com], offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients. Links:  Anxiety Survival Toolkit: https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/ Newsletter: https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome Davis-Smith Mental Health: https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/ 1:1 Confidence Coaching [https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching]: https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching ⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical stra...

71 | I Thought I'd Be Somewhere Else By Now

*  What dream still hurts to think about? * Why does letting go feel like grief? * What if the dream did not fail, but changed you? In this episode, Jessica Davis talks about the grief that comes when a dream does not become what you hoped it would. Whether it was a sport, career, relationship, creative goal, or version of yourself you thought you would be by now, losing a dream can feel like losing part of who you were becoming. Jessica shares how anxiety, fear, regret, and self-doubt can make that loss feel heavier, especially when you look around and feel like everyone else is moving forward. This episode helps you name the grief, rethink the story you have been telling yourself, and ask whether the dream still fits who you are today. You will learn how to carry the lesson without letting regret write the rest of your story. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: * Why losing a dream can feel like grief * How regret keeps you stuck in the past * Why your dream may still hold meaning * How fear can shrink what you believe is possible * Why small wins help rebuild momentum * How to decide if a dream still fits who you are now  Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435908/fan_mail/new] RESOURCES: Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/] to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming! JOIN our NEWSLETTER [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome]! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety! 📱 Follow Us: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@blockoutthenoisepodcast]  🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health [https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com], offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients. Links:  Anxiety Survival Toolkit: https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/ Newsletter: https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome Davis-Smith Mental Health: https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/ 1:1 Confidence Coaching [https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching]: https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching ⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical stra...

70 | When Anxiety Looks Exactly Like Depression

* Why do you feel stuck, not sad? * Why does everything feel too heavy to start? * What if anxiety is the real root? In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down why anxiety can sometimes look exactly like depression. Not showering, falling behind, avoiding messages, staying in bed, and wondering what the point is can all look like depression from the outside. But sometimes, underneath that fog is untreated anxiety that has become so overwhelming your nervous system froze. Jessica explains the difference between being stuck and being frozen, why self-attack makes the freeze worse, and how small body-based steps help you start moving again. You’ll learn a simple three-step reset to regulate your body, get outside, and bring your mind back to your own life instead of comparing your pace to everyone else’s. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: * Why anxiety can look like depression * How freeze is different from laziness * Why self-criticism keeps you stuck * How small wins help rebuild momentum * Why regulating your body comes before mindset work * How comparison makes the freeze feel worse * Why the goal is to shorten the freeze, not never feel it again Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435908/fan_mail/new] RESOURCES: Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/] to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming! JOIN our NEWSLETTER [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome]! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety! 📱 Follow Us: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@blockoutthenoisepodcast]  🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health [https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com], offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients. Links:  Anxiety Survival Toolkit: https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/ Newsletter: https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome Davis-Smith Mental Health: https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/ 1:1 Confidence Coaching [https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching]: https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching ⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical stra...

69 | 8 Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety You Think Are Normal

* Why do you look fine but feel exhausted? * Why does rest make you feel guilty? * What if pressure is not helping you, but draining you? In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down eight signs of high-functioning anxiety that often get mistaken for being responsible, driven, helpful, or high-achieving. You might be keeping up with classes, work, deadlines, and relationships, while still feeling like you are one mistake away from falling apart. Jessica explains how high-functioning anxiety is not an official diagnosis but a pattern where anxiety speeds you up instead of slowing you down. From the double life and the reliable kid tax to the invisible finish line and the fear of asking for help, this episode helps you recognize the hidden cost of looking okay when your mind and body are running on overdrive. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: * Why high-functioning anxiety can look like success * How pressure keeps your brain running in the background * Why being reliable can become emotionally exhausting * How rest guilt and the sprint-crash loop keep anxiety active * Why your body may show anxiety before you say it out loud * How asking for help is not failing, but finding a new route Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435908/fan_mail/new] RESOURCES: Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/] to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming! JOIN our NEWSLETTER [https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome]! Get weekly emails about upcoming podcasts, but also how to fight against anxiety! 📱 Follow Us: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/blockoutthenoisepodcast/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@blockoutthenoisepodcast]  🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health [https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com], offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients. Links:  Anxiety Survival Toolkit: https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/ Newsletter: https://blockoutthenoisepodcast.substack.com/welcome Davis-Smith Mental Health: https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/ 1:1 Confidence Coaching [https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching]: https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching ⚠️ Disclaimer:  Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical stra...