Terrifyingly Beautiful

Sleep is supposed to be refreshing and energizing but not everyone sees it that way, especially those of us with anxiety. Think about it. Sleep is a state of self-inflicted paralysis in which you experience haunting nightmares, sleepwalk naked through your neighborhood and binge eat on salsa and Fruity Pebbles. Does that sound relaxing to you? Join us as we discuss the fear of falling asleep. 

How many people each year are wrongfully convicted of a serious crime? It's more than you think. Let's face it, there's a lot that can go wrong: shoddy crime scene analysis, faulty DNA evidence, unreliable witness testimony and dumb jurors, to name a few. Listen in as David and Kevin talk about their fear of becoming the next Steven Avery. 

As if there's not enough to keep us awake at night. Now we have to worry about clowns. They're everywhere. What sicko decided to paint his face white, smack a red ball on his nose and scare the daylights out of us? Listen in for some tips on dealing with your clown fear. 

What is scarier than pooping in public? Speaking in public. Nearly 80% of us have had a fear of public speaking at one time or another. Don't let the few hold you back. Listen in as David and Kevin talk about their  fear and how they overcame it. 

75% of us are afraid of the dentist. That seems low to be honest. Listen in as Kevin shares his dentist horror stories as well as some research on why the tooth doctor is so scary. 

Hungry but ordering food makes you anxious? No worries. We got your back! Kevin and David share tips on how to take the stress out of ordering food. 

Zika is real, people. Don't set yourself up for a mosquito-borne disease. Kevin shares some tips and myths on preventing mosquito bites. Let's hope the tips actually work. 

Some of us live for it. Some of us dread it. It's shopping! For those with social anxiety, shopping can be nothing short of a nightmare, even if we do eventually score a nice find. David and Kevin their horror stories on everything from trying on clothes to using the debit card reader correctly. 

Honey, there's been a lot of buzz about this episode. We'll leave it at that. Oh, and for anyone named Melissa, don't take it personally. We have good reason not to like the name. Listen in to find out why. 

Spiderman may be sexy but actual spiders are not. No. No. No. You know what goes great with spiders? Bleach. Join Kevin and David as they discuss 8-legged demons. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear one of David’s primal screams.

Oh no, your smartphone is missing. Ha! Made you look. But what if it was missing? What would you do? How would you cope? Well, 60% of teenagers would rather be missing a pinky finger than their smartphone. That wasn't a typo. Join us as we discuss nomophobia, the fear of being away from your smartphone. It's real, people. 

Why is the fear of heights called acrophobia? Shouldn't it be called fallingtomydeathphobia? That seems more accurate. And have you ever had the urge to jump from a balcony after peering over the edge? if you said yes, you're not alone. It's a real thing. Join us as we share stories and insights about the fear of high places, live from the observation deck at the Empire State Building. No, just kidding. We recorded this episode at home on the floor. 

Socializing can be stressful especially for those with anxiety. And no one wants to sound like an idiot. This Chill Pill reviews the most commonly misused words. We'll have you sounding like a confident person in no time.

Are you superstitious? We are! Well okay David is. In our 13th episode we explore our culture's fascination with the fear of the number 13 - also known as triskaidekaphobia (and, no, that is not the fear of Triscuits) - as well as superstitions from other cultures. 

No, this is not an episode about the fear of tights. That will be a future topic. Join us this week as we discuss one of the most common fears, claustrophobia, or the fear of tight spaces. 

Movies have done well to romanticize bridges. Remember Bridges of Madison County? Or how about the sexy action scene from True Lies when Jamie Lee Curtis dangled from a helicopter over a Florida Keys bridge. You've been fooled. Bridges are terrifying. Join us as we share stories of some of the scariest bridges in the USA. 

Looking for ways to reduce stress and relieve your anxiety? David and Kevin put a new set of tips to the test. And what the heck is a Hoku?

Forget about lions and tigers and bears. Try whales and sharks and groupers. The ocean is a vast and scary world. Kevin and David dive (no pun intended) into their fear of the deep and share stories about the terrifying and the beautiful aspects of the ocean. You may never go swimming again. 

Is there a demon in your basement? How about a serial killer? Or maybe there's just a bunch of spider webs and creepy toys. Regardless, basements are scary. In this episode, Kevin shares his childhood fear of the basement, after all he did live in a former funeral home, only to discover David still has the fear. 

We love our listeners! In this mini episode we read an email submission about the anxiety she gets when she thinks about the vastness of space. Great, now we're anxious thinking about it. Tune in to listen to Kevin and David work themselves up into a tizzy over infinite time and dark matter.