Good Life Project

Navigating Anxiety: What’s Normal, What’s Not & What Helps | Dr. Tracey Marks

February 23, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Anxiety is a normal, fear-based emotion serving self-preservation, but it becomes pathological when it is persistent, excessive beyond the trigger, and causes functional impairment in life. 
  • The goal in managing anxiety is not complete elimination, which can be counterproductive, but rather changing one's relationship with it to achieve a tolerable level of feeling. 
  • Anxiety can have a genetic component, but it can also be learned behaviorally, and physical tools like exercise and attention to gut health can help regulate the nervous system from the body up. 

Segments

Defining Normal vs. Disordered Anxiety
Copied to clipboard!
(00:04:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Normal anxiety is an emotional reaction to fear or threat, while disordered anxiety is persistent, present without a specific threat, and interferes with life quality.
  • Summary: Anxiety is categorized into the normal emotional experience, which is a self-preservation reaction, and the disorder range, which is persistent and interferes with life quality. Pathological anxiety is often fear-based, stemming from the amygdala’s response to perceived threats. Healthy anxiety motivates protective action, such as being cautious when walking through a dark parking lot.
Identifying Pathological Anxiety
Copied to clipboard!
(00:10:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Disordered anxiety is characterized by persistence, lack of linkage to an immediate stressor, and the presence of catastrophizing or excessive worry.
  • Summary: Pathological anxiety is identified when the behavior is persistent and not linked to a specific, immediate stressor, often manifesting as catastrophizing (assuming the worst-case scenario). Functional impairment in occupational, personal, or social areas is a key diagnostic criterion for anxiety disorders. A person with disordered anxiety may avoid necessary activities and suffer physical symptoms like nausea or headaches afterward, unlike someone who tolerates discomfort and recovers.
Medication Use and Expectations
Copied to clipboard!
(00:29:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Daily anxiety is typically treated with daily antidepressants, while sedative-type medications are best reserved for as-needed use due to dependency risks.
  • Summary: Antidepressants are the recommended daily medication for chronic anxiety, while benzodiazepines (like Xanax) offer immediate relief but carry dependency risks and are best used situationally, such as before flying. Medication use can be episodic, with individuals coming on and off treatment as life stressors change, but debilitating daily anxiety may require lifelong management.
Behavioral Tools: Desensitization
Copied to clipboard!
(00:42:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Gradual desensitization involves breaking down a feared situation into tiny, tolerable steps to overcome avoidance, accepting a tolerable level of anxiety along the way.
  • Summary: For phobic avoidance, gradual desensitization exposes the individual to steps leading up to the feared situation, starting with the most accessible step. The goal is not zero anxiety but reaching a tolerable level of anxiety that allows the person to proceed without avoidance. Avoiding feared situations causes the fear to grow larger, making re-exposure therapy essential for overcoming obstacles.
Mindfulness and Present Moment Focus
Copied to clipboard!
(00:47:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Mindfulness counters anxiety by intentionally anchoring attention to the present moment using all senses, which is calming because the present moment is generally safe.
  • Summary: Worry and rumination pull the mind away from the present, which is mentally draining; mindfulness intentionally brings focus back to the current experience. Engaging senses—like noticing water temperature while washing dishes—takes the burden off executive functions and slows mental processing. Resisting the urge to check devices during small gaps, like waiting in line, allows one to notice and appreciate the immediate environment.
Body-Based Anxiety Tools
Copied to clipboard!
(00:53:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Physical activity reduces anxiety by releasing endocannabinoids, and deep touch pressure from weighted blankets mimics swaddling to send calming signals to the brain.
  • Summary: Exercise promotes neuroplasticity and brain health through the release of compounds like endocannabinoids, which are linked to anxiety reduction. Gut health is also critical, as a diet rich in whole foods sends healthier signals to the brain via the vagus nerve. Weighted blankets utilize deep touch pressure to activate calming responses, similar to how swaddling soothes infants.