How to Overcome Anxiety, Solved

How to Overcome Anxiety, Solved

From SOLVED with Mark Manson by Mark Manson

May 6, 2026 · 2h 18m

About this episode

The episode discusses the ineffective quick fixes for anxiety and emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes for overcoming it.

Here's the uncomfortable truth about anxiety: most of what people reach for to fix it was chosen because it feels easy, not because it works. The supplement that went viral on TikTok, the CBD gummy, the glass of wine after a hard week... they range from doing nothing to actively making things worse. We ranked 17 of the most popular anti-anxiety interventions from the absolute worst to the number one most effective, according to the research. Along the way, we get into why alcohol is the anxiety cure that 2 billion people use that actually creates more anxiety in the long run. We talk about the UGC marketing conspiracy behind the magnesium craze. We break down the difference between harmonious and obsessive anxiety, why your brain is literally doing therapy on itself every night while you sleep (and what happens when you don't let it), and why exercise is essentially practice for being afraid. The pattern that emerges is painfully clear: everything that actually works is a lifestyle change, and everything that doesn't is a quick fix. The real question isn't which intervention is best. It's whether you're willing to be uncomfortable long enough for the right ones to work. Get your…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Manson

Topics covered

  • anxiety
  • mental health
  • lifestyle changes
  • quick fixes
  • exercise
  • alcohol

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • interventions
  • lifestyle change
  • alcohol
  • exercise
  • mental health
  • CBD
  • magnesium

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TikTok, Purpose

Products: CBD gummy, magnesium

More episodes of SOLVED with Mark Manson

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the SOLVED with Mark Manson podcast page.