The Purple Monster on My Shoulder: A Candid Talk About Anxiety with Patricia Whatley, LCSW

Ever felt like you're the only one overthinking every social interaction while everyone else navigates life effortlessly? Our conversation with Patricia Watley, a licensed clinical social worker at MedLink, reveals the truth: we're all just trying to keep our heads above water.

Patricia breaks down anxiety with refreshing clarity, describing it as "an unhealthy hyper-awareness" that creates "uncomfortable urgency" in our lives. From the person rehearsing their restaurant order multiple times to the musician apologizing for mistakes the audience never noticed, anxiety tricks us into believing our minor stumbles are catastrophic failures. But as Patricia reminds us, most people either genuinely care about us or aren't paying attention to our perceived missteps at all.

Drawing from her own journey from being "terrified of everything" to becoming a therapist who helps others, Patricia shares practical, sometimes unconventional coping strategies that actually work. Her approach combines sensory grounding techniques (comfortable clothes, calming music, familiar surroundings) with psychological reframing. Perhaps most memorably, she describes visualizing her anxiety as "a little purple girl monster" sitting on her shoulder – a technique that allows her to externalize and even speak to her anxiety when it threatens to derail her day.

The conversation offers both validation and hope, acknowledging that managing anxiety is "a daily fight, multiple times during the day" while providing actionable tools to make that fight more winnable. Whether you're dealing with social anxiety, generalized anxiety, or simply want to understand someone who does, this episode delivers practical wisdom from someone who's walked the path herself. Listen now and discover how naming your anxiety monsters might just help you reclaim your peace of mind.