Anxiety Vocabulary: Remove These 17 Words and Phrases From Your Vocabulary, And Your Anxiety Will Disappear
Mon Feb 02 2026
After 12,000 hours of coaching people through anxiety recovery, I discovered something surprising: there are specific words and phrases that create anxiety the moment you use them.
In this episode, I reveal the 17 most common anxiety-triggering words—and what to replace them with so calm becomes your default state.
If you want something practical you can apply today and feel the difference immediately, this episode is a must-listen.
Welcome to Mental Health Mastery where we talk about how to reduce anxiety and depression dramatically, how to move past a lifestyle of just "coping" with bad mental health, and how to have lasting, daily peace of mind. I share the many lessons learned by going from suicidal to depression and anxiety-free in my own life and what I've learned helping 513 clients reclaim control of their own mental health. We believe you deserve to have significant mental health, and we're excited to help you learn how to have it—hosted by Ty Hicks.
Enjoy, and find more helpful resources at MentalHealthCoaching.com
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:22 - Why Anxiety Starts With Words: The Thought Cycle Explained
00:05:09 - How Repetitive Self-Talk Trains Your Brain for Anxiety
00:06:21 - The #1 Anxiety-Creating Word That Keeps You Stuck: “Can’t”
00:10:33 - How “I Can’t” Builds False Limits and Mental Barriers
00:12:20 - Why Saying “I’ll Try” Programs Failure Into Your Brain
00:18:45 - “What If” Thinking: How Worst-Case Scenarios Fuel Anxiety
00:21:38 - Breaking Anxiety Patterns by Shifting Past vs. Present Language
00:22:16 - The Hidden Damage of the Word “But” on Your Mental State
00:28:06 - Health Anxiety Explained: How Mislabeling Sensations Creates Fear
00:28:24 - Identity Statements (“I Am…”) That Lock Anxiety Into Place
00:33:07 - Dangerous Generalizations That Strip Away Personal Power
00:37:40 - Why Tonality Matters More Than the Words You Say
00:38:26 - How Speed of Speech Changes Emotional Meaning
00:38:55 - Repetition: How Anxiety—or Confidence—Gets Conditioned
00:39:33 - How Modeling Confident People Rewires Your Inner Dialogue
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After 12,000 hours of coaching people through anxiety recovery, I discovered something surprising: there are specific words and phrases that create anxiety the moment you use them. In this episode, I reveal the 17 most common anxiety-triggering words—and what to replace them with so calm becomes your default state. If you want something practical you can apply today and feel the difference immediately, this episode is a must-listen. Welcome to Mental Health Mastery where we talk about how to reduce anxiety and depression dramatically, how to move past a lifestyle of just "coping" with bad mental health, and how to have lasting, daily peace of mind. I share the many lessons learned by going from suicidal to depression and anxiety-free in my own life and what I've learned helping 513 clients reclaim control of their own mental health. We believe you deserve to have significant mental health, and we're excited to help you learn how to have it—hosted by Ty Hicks. Enjoy, and find more helpful resources at MentalHealthCoaching.com 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:22 - Why Anxiety Starts With Words: The Thought Cycle Explained 00:05:09 - How Repetitive Self-Talk Trains Your Brain for Anxiety 00:06:21 - The #1 Anxiety-Creating Word That Keeps You Stuck: “Can’t” 00:10:33 - How “I Can’t” Builds False Limits and Mental Barriers 00:12:20 - Why Saying “I’ll Try” Programs Failure Into Your Brain 00:18:45 - “What If” Thinking: How Worst-Case Scenarios Fuel Anxiety 00:21:38 - Breaking Anxiety Patterns by Shifting Past vs. Present Language 00:22:16 - The Hidden Damage of the Word “But” on Your Mental State 00:28:06 - Health Anxiety Explained: How Mislabeling Sensations Creates Fear 00:28:24 - Identity Statements (“I Am…”) That Lock Anxiety Into Place 00:33:07 - Dangerous Generalizations That Strip Away Personal Power 00:37:40 - Why Tonality Matters More Than the Words You Say 00:38:26 - How Speed of Speech Changes Emotional Meaning 00:38:55 - Repetition: How Anxiety—or Confidence—Gets Conditioned 00:39:33 - How Modeling Confident People Rewires Your Inner Dialogue