173: Worry Less Now with Gigi Langer

Published: March 21, 2022, 10 a.m.

b'Anxiety and worry are things we all can struggle with at times and the core of those feelings is fear. But at some point, we have to realize we have our own loving power that\\u2019s bigger than our fear. And we need to claim that to free ourselves from the bondage of pain and lack of self-worth. The body sometimes knows how much you can handle \\u2013 and if you\'re open enough, it\'ll give you what you need to keep growing.\\nOn this episode, Duane talks to Gigi Langer about her award-winning book \\u201c50 Ways to Worry Less Now.\\u201d She takes us through her own recovery story, how worry and fear were a major part of it, and how she learned to overcome it and create the life that she loves and thrives in.\\xa0\\nGrowing up in a family with an alcoholic in the family, Gigi chose to be the "good girl." At 40, she was completing her Ph.D. at Stanford and was under a lot of stress and pressure. She had a lot of crash and burn relationships and had divorced twice by the time she was in her doctoral program. She discovered marijuana, which somehow softened the blow of all her disappointments from all the tension and failed relationships. She thought her achievements and romance were going to take care of her feelings, but those didn\'t work obviously.\\nGigi practically lived a double life, being the good girl as the assistant professor at Stanford, and also living a life of promiscuity and in the early stages of alcoholism. She then proved to herself over the next six months that she could not predict what behavior she would display even if she only had one drink.\\nEventually, her third husband went to an Al-Anon meeting and Gigi went to AA. She stuck with the program and therapy. She got divorced after a year of all the therapy, this time, in a responsible way. The following year, she met her husband whom she has been married to for over 30 years now \\u2013 happy and fulfilled.\\nIn this episode, you will hear:\\n\\nGigi\\u2019s addiction and recovery journey\\n\\nThe healing of the old patterns\\n\\nThe whispered lies we tell ourselves\\n\\nClaiming your true self or loving power, bigger than your own fear\\n\\nHer desire to write a book\\n\\nThe unconditional positive regard\\n\\nThe biggest worry-buster and anxiety-buster technique\\n\\nConnecting with your authentic self\\n\\nKey Quotes:\\n[11:57] - "The true self or loving power... we have to be honest and we have to claim some kind of power bigger than our own fear.\\u201d\\n[13:37] - "I was afraid that if I ripped the band-aid off and started getting honest, all the feelings would come out and just completely destroy me. And that was not my experience. It still felt scary when those things came up. But I could handle them."\\n[18:57] - "We think what our minds are producing is real and that our feelings are 100% real\\u2026 but it is a story that our minds have made up based on our past."\\n[19:33] - \\u201cThe lies that we tell ourselves have nothing to do with who we are at base.\\u201d\\n[25:41] - "Most of the things that are advertised and glorified are things that numb us away from our true selves\\u2026 if we\'re numbing our feelings out with any habitual behavior, our chance of becoming happy is almost nil because we won\'t be able to get honest and own what\'s going on with us."\\n[28:26] - "Scary things scare us. That\'s never going to stop. It\'s what happens once I notice I\'m scared... Call someone, reach out for help, pray, meditate, and use some of the tools. Enter the process of working with it."\\nIf you really enjoyed this episode, we\\u2019ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com\\xa0to download it.\\nSupporting Resources:\\nwww.gigilanger.com\\n50 Ways to Worry Less Now by Gigi Langer\\nA Return to Love by Marianne Williamson\\nEpisode Credits\\nIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'