Explore every episode of the podcast Relationship Anxiety

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen takes you on a journey to explore the topic of resistance and anxiety. This episode focuses on how resistance to thoughts, feelings, and future outcomes fuels anxiety, and how embracing discomfort can lead to greater peace.

McKell dives into:

✨ Understanding how trying to control and resist uncomfortable feelings creates anxiety

✨ The importance of learning to tolerate and allow thoughts and emotions rather than resist them

✨ How resistance can show up in relationships, including resisting feelings like disappointment

✨ Shifting from a need to resist and control outcomes to allowing space for emotions like sadness, anger, or joy

✨ Recognizing that suffering often stems from fighting against what is, rather than from the uncomfortable feelings themselves

✨ How to stop trying to fix anxiety by hurrying through relationship milestones or breakups

✨ The difference between reacting to and resisting emotions versus learning to process them without fear

✨ How dropping resistance opens up a world of emotional richness, moving beyond black-and-white thinking in relationships

✨ Practical steps to soften resistance, allowing yourself to experience thoughts and emotions with more peace

✨ The invitation to love and accept yourself and your partner, even with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings present

Don't miss out on this chance to learn how to reduce anxiety by better understanding resistance. 

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen takes you on a journey to explore the question: "What if I'm not really in love?"

This episode is perfect for those struggling with doubts about love and wondering whether their feelings for their partner are genuine.

Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode:

✨ How our mind can fall into obsessive thinking, constantly seeking to answer anxious questions

✨ The disconnect from emotional and physical sensations caused by overanalyzing relationships

✨ Why expectations around love, shaped by media and upbringing, may not match reality

✨ How past experiences and patterns from childhood can influence how we perceive love in relationships

✨ Why love isn’t always about the "high" but also about embracing uncomfortable emotions

✨ The difference between a victim mindset (passive thinking about love) and a creator mindset (actively choosing and creating love)

✨ The importance of letting go of the idea that love is something you "fall into" and recognizing your role in building it

✨ The humility of recognizing that our ability to love is imperfect and how that’s part of being human

Listen now and discover how to move beyond anxiety and embrace a more intentional, loving approach to your relationship.

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen dives into the experience of imposter syndrome within relationships, the role of anxiety and OCD in fueling self-doubt, and the importance of recognizing the nuance in our thoughts and feelings, providing valuable insights and practical tips for embracing authenticity and reducing anxiety. Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode: ✨ The connection between OCD and self-doubting voice ✨ How the mind’s desire for certainty can create feelings of dishonesty ✨ The difference between facts and interpretations in relationships ✨ The power of recognizing that thoughts are not absolute truths ✨ The importance of embracing both positive and negative stories in your mind ✨ Strategies for allowing yourself to exist in the gray, rather than black-and-white thinking ✨ How to hold space for conflicting thoughts and find inner peace ✨ The significance of accepting your partner’s and your own humanness ✨ Encouragement to let go of the need to prove or justify your feelings Listen now and start embracing the authenticity that comes from accepting the full range of your human experience in a relationship!

Today's episode is an oldie but a goodie! We are talking about how we tend to rely on other people to make choices for us. For anyone struggling with making decisions, big and small, I made something for you. Come to my workshop to learn how to become a more confident decision maker! In three days you'll . . . Get to work with me LIVE for $19 Learn skills and tools to help Connect with other people Have lots of fun! Don't wait, sign up at www.mckellkristen.com/confidentdecisions

Hey y'all! For anyone struggling with making decisions, big and small, I made something for you. Come to my workshop to learn how to become a more confident decision maker! In three days you'll . . . Get to work with me LIVE for $19 Learn skills and tools to help Connect with other people Have lots of fun! Don't wait, sign up at www.mckellkristen.com/confidentdecisions

Toxic positivity is the belief system that you should always be thinking and feeling positive. This belief system often contributes to our experience of relationship anxiety.

Thoughts and advice for the anxious bride.

Have you found yourself questioning if these thoughts are God trying to speak to you? Worrying about why you don’t have more peace in this relationship? Today’s episode is for you!

Do you find yourself spinning on what if my needs aren't being met? Todays episode we talk about better understanding your needs and why you might be feeling a gap.

Relationship Anxiety is often very preoccupied with what might happen in the future, or worried about how things happened past. Today we are talking about why being present in your relationship is essential to overcoming relationship anxiety.

Do you find yourself clinging to the opinion's of others about your relationship? For better or worse? Today's podcast episode is for you!

Get caught up in nitpicking your partner? Today's episode is all about why we nitpick and breaking the cycle.

Have you felt the desire to work on your anxiety, but been scared to take action? Today we are breaking down some of the fears that may be holding you back from getting support and going all in on working on your anxiety.

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen takes you on a journey to understanding how to confidently make decisions in your life. Overthinking decisions is a common struggle, and today we’re diving into how this can affect not only relationships but every aspect of your life. McKell talks through practical strategies to make quicker, more confident decisions, providing valuable insights and practical tips for making decisions with ease and reducing anxiety. Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode:

✨ Personal stories about overthinking and its impact on decision-making ✨ Introduction to the concepts of maximizers and satisficers from "The Paradox of Choice"

✨ The importance of embracing a "B-minus" choice instead of striving for perfection

✨ The power of focusing on speed over perfection in decision-making

✨ Techniques to minimize the options you consider to make quicker decisions

✨ The importance of lowering the stakes of your decisions to reduce anxiety

✨ How to trust yourself and your future self to handle the outcomes of your decisions

✨ A discussion on how all of this ties back to relationships and choosing a partner

✨ The significance of building a kind and supportive relationship with yourself

✨ An empowering quote to inspire you to trust in your ability to navigate life’s challenges

Have you found yourself wondering the difference between anxiety and intuition? Worried that all these thoughts might be your intuition? Tune in for a break down of the difference between the two and some basics on discerning your own fear.

Today we are bringing it back to an oldie but a goodie. Garbage thoughts episode, is so helpful if you keep getting caught up in the "But why are these thoughts here" and "How do I get rid of these thoughts" traps. Wether this is your first or second listen(or more), this episode is a great way to shift your relationship to the intrusive, unwanted thoughts.

Do you find yourself hearing about someone else's breakup or affair, and immediately start comparing your own relationship? Anxiety can lead us to taking on other people's relationship stories as our own. Today we are talking about how to process change or pain in someone else's relationship, without personalizing it.

With relationship anxiety, our mind might go to the "what if's" of possible lives... What if I would be happier single, traveling abroad? If only I was back in college? What if I should have chosen a different career path? Today we are talking about these fantasies our brain creates, and how to use them in a way that empowers your relationship.

Today we are interviewing my client Reagan Lynn, talking all things relationship anxiety and about how ROCD can impact our spirituality. Check out Reagan's ROCD story and insights here on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/the.rocd.reformer/

Today we are talking about your family of origin, expectations for love, and how you can create your ideal relationship is possible for you (no matter your upbringing).

Today we are talking about objectification and how it plays a role in relationship anxiety.

Every worry that your anxiety has damaged your relationship? Today we are talking about this and how to deal with the hurt anxiety may cause.

Our emotions have momentum, for better or worse. Today, we are talking about the emotional spiral we sometimes create for ourselves and how to pause it.

Today we are talking about Love Myths. The misconceptions we have about love that often keep us stuck and confused in our relationships.

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen takes you on a journey to explore how to cope when your partner is away. Being apart from a loved one can stir up anxiety, especially for those with an anxious attachment style. McKell delves into this common issue and offers reassuring guidance on how to navigate the emotional turbulence that may arise when a partner is out of town.

 Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode:

✨ How the brain creates anxiety-inducing "movies" when partners are away
✨ The protective nature of our thoughts
✨ Understanding the difference between imagination and reality
✨ Techniques for staying grounded in the present moment
✨ Self-soothing strategies to calm anxiety
✨ The importance of redirecting energy back to yourself
✨ Visualizing your younger self and offering support
✨ Finding joy in solo activities
✨ Building connections outside of your romantic relationship
✨ Embracing self-love and worthiness

Don't miss out on this chance to learn how to foster independence and emotional resilience while nurturing your relationship. Listen now and discover how to cultivate self-love, strengthen your sense of self, and embrace your ability to thrive, both individually and as part of a partnership.

Do you find yourself in a rush to fix your anxiety? To hurry and eliminate it from your life? Today we are talking about why we get stuck in a rush and how it often keeps us from actually making progress.

Often, the fear of failure is one of the roots of relationship anxiety. We so desperately want to avoid failing, that we avoid putting ourselves out there in the first place. Tune in to understand this fear from a new perspective.

Does disconnection in your relationship terrify you? Today we are talking about how to experience disconnection differently and see the experience through a different lense.

What is your thought identity? Have you been making your doubts and fears about your relationship who you are? Today we are talking about thought identity and how to separate yourself from the thoughts you experience.

Today I am sharing my story and personal experience with relationship anxiety. From how it showed up in my life to how I started making progress with and truly overcoming it.

Today we are talking about the shame blame cycle, and how we often get trapped between blaming our partner or shaming ourselves, which leaves us stuck in our anxiety patterns.

Today we are talking about what love is.

Today we are talking about common feelings we might confuse for love, and how these love signal mixups might lead us to question our love.

Your desire to be honest might actually be fueling your anxiety around your relationship. Just because you feel guilty about your thoughts, doesn't make it warranted. Tune in to learn how to deal with guilt in a way that serves you and your relationship.

Find yourself frequently wondering if staying in your relationship is truly the right thing to do? Or if you partner is really right or wrong for you? Today my coach, Lindsay Dotzlaf and I talk about how looking for the right decision is not the most useful paradigm to approach your relationship, and what to do instead.

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell talks about common fears and anxieties that arise when your partner is away.

She talks through how to shift out of anxiety-inducing worst-case scenarios and provides practical advice on how to soothe ourselves and stay present, helping you feel more confident and secure.

Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode:

✨ Understanding the brain's tendency to create anxiety-inducing scenarios

✨ Techniques for staying present and grounded

✨ The importance of self-soothing skills

✨ Shifting energy from worrying about your partner to focusing on yourself

✨ Visualizing self-support and compassion

✨ Rediscovering hobbies and activities that bring joy

✨ Investing in friendships and other relationships

✨ Embracing solo activities and self-care routines

✨ Strategies for managing anxiety during your partner's absence

✨ Encouragement to nurture your own well-being and independence

Tune in now and discover practical tips to feel more secure and calm while your partner is away.

Ever feel like you are a negative person? Or your brain just tends to focus on whats going wrong? This is actually your brain working the way it is supposed to! Human brains are actually wired to focus on the negative, aka the negativity bias. Today we are talking about how this bias impacts your relationship anxiety.

Today we are talking about secure attachment, what does it look like and how do we start developing it within ourselves.

Today's episode is about anxious attachment, how it shows up in relationships, and how this attachment style may be playing a role in your relationship anxiety.

This is part one of a three part series. We are talking about different attachment styles and how they play into our relationship anxiety. Today is talking about the avoidant attachment style, what can create it, and how it shows up in relationships.

Today we are talking about maintaining hope will working through relationship anxiety.

Do you find yourself asking questions to test your partner? To figure out if its really right? Or if they really love you? Today we are talking about how these questions keep us trapped in an anxious loop and how to break this habit within your relationship.

Today we are talking about our tendency to blame emotions on our partner, and why taking responsibility for them can be so empowering.

Today we are talking about love ability, and how relationships are an opportunity to develop our ability to love.

Today we are talking about commitment myths and what commitment can look like when experiencing relationship anxiety!

Today we are talking about trust within a relationship. What trust looks like, why it is so essential, why you might choose to withhold it, and how to cultivate more trust within your relationship.

In this episode of the Relationship Anxiety Podcast, your host McKell Kristen walks you through how anxiety works. McKell shares her insights on the science behind anxiety, its triggers, and how it impacts our daily lives, particularly within relationships. McKell dives into the functioning of the brain's fear response, the role of the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, and the significance of self-regulation, providing valuable insights and practical tips for managing anxiety. Here’s more of what you can expect in this episode:

✨ The role of the amygdala in triggering anxiety

✨ How the prefrontal cortex can amplify anxiety

✨ The difference between fear and anxiety

✨ Common triggers for anxiety in relationships

✨ How to identify and understand your triggers

✨ The importance of self-regulation techniques

✨ Strategies for calming your fight or flight response

✨ How to retrain your brain to reduce anxiety

✨ The impact of chronic anxiety on your body and mind

✨ Practical tips for achieving a calm and present state

Listen now and learn how to cultivate a calmer, less anxious relationship!

Every human wants to feel good. But sometimes our pursuit of happiness is the very thing that fuels our experience of anxiety. Today we are talking about how seeking to only feel good creates more pain, and how allowing for the experience of pain can actually make your life drastically better.

Our fantasy of love is and who our partner should be. Being willing to let go of the fantasy is one of the keys to letting go of anxiety.

Today we are breaking down some of the reasons that we experience relationship anxiety.