Failing and Bailing on Anxiety Exposures? (Episode 149)

Failing and Bailing on Anxiety Exposures? (Episode 149)

From Disordered: Anxiety Help by Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata

March 27, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

Josh and Drew discuss the misconceptions around anxiety exposures and the importance of self-compassion during anxiety recovery.

Want to talk about what you hear on this episode? Join us in the Disordered community space: https://disordered.fm/community --- In this episode, Josh and Drew tackle a common hurdle in anxiety recovery: what happens when an exposure feels like a "failure" or when you choose to "bail." An exposure is the deliberate act of evoking an anxious response. It is a way to rewire the brain by intentionally lighting up the threat response and practicing response prevention . The goal is to teach your brain that you are safe even when you feel scared, rather than trying to force yourself to feel calm. Many people believe that feeling high levels of anxiety during an exposure means they have failed. This is a misconception. The exposure is designed to make you feel anxious; therefore, feeling those symptoms is exactly what is supposed to happen. "Failure" is often a label generated by your Inner Critic based on perfectionist expectations. True growth comes from being willing to experience the discomfort, even if the execution feels "messy". Bailing occurs when the discomfort becomes overwhelming and you choose to retreat. While this can feel like a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Josh Fletcher, Drew Linsalata

Topics covered

  • anxiety recovery
  • exposure therapy
  • self-compassion
  • mental health
  • inner critic

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • exposure
  • failure
  • self-compassion
  • mental health
  • discomfort
  • inner critic

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