<p>Have you ever felt anxious about admitting you&#39;re doing better? Like saying &quot;I&#39;m okay&quot; out loud might somehow jinx your progress or tempt fate?</p><p>In this episode, Drew and Josh explore that uncomfortable feeling when someone asks &quot;How are you doing?&quot; and you&#39;re caught between wanting to acknowledge improvement and being afraid that talking about it will make everything fall apart again.</p><p><strong>What we discuss:</strong></p><ul><li>Why the question &quot;How are you?&quot; can feel triggering when you&#39;re recovering from an anxiety disorder</li><li>The superstition around &quot;tempting fate&quot; and what&#39;s really happening beneath it</li><li>How different contexts change what we mean by &quot;doing okay&quot; (spoiler: anxiety can be present while you&#39;re still doing okay)</li><li>The authenticity trap - feeling like you&#39;re lying either way</li><li>Why &quot;I&#39;m doing okay at the moment&quot; might be the most honest answer you can give</li><li>How this fear shows up in OCD, health anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia</li><li>The difference between attention-driven fear and superstitious fear</li><li>Why letting go of control can feel like tempting fate (and why that&#39;s exactly the practice)</li></ul><p><strong>Featured segments:</strong></p><ul><li>Community &quot;Did It Anyway&quot; stories highlighting real progress without promising outcomes</li><li>Discussion of how exposures work when they feel risky or reckless</li><li>Practical suggestions for navigating social questions about your wellbeing</li></ul><p>This episode may be helpful for anyone struggling with the fear of acknowledging improvement, or who finds themselves avoiding conversations about their anxiety recovery.</p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p>The <a href="https://disordered.fm/bluebook">Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety</a> is now available. If you&#39;re struggling with health anxiety, this book is for you.</p><p>---</p><p>Want a way to ask questions about this episode or interact with other Disordered listeners?  The Disordered app is nearing release! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.disordered.fm/">Visit our home page and get on our mailing list for more information.</a>.</p><p>---</p><p>Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can&#39;t stop or control? <a href="https://learn.theanxioustruth.com/worry-and-rumination-explained">Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Worry and Rumination Explained</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.</p><p><br></p>