This Week’s Topic: Fck Anxiety, Smoke & Stack

ANXIETY

Happy Halloween! Be safe, and have fun tonight. Fck anxiety, let me tell you why. Woke up fcked up again yall. You ever pop up scared, like when your alarm doesn’t go off. What the fck am I talking about? Anxiety. That loud ass clap you heard that woke you up the other day, that was anxiety. I fell asleep watching tv and woke up in TV Land bitch, I landed in “Sinners,” in that devilish singing circle scene. Say mane, I was scared as fck. My heart pounded so hard, it seemed like my ancestors could feel that shit. What the fck happened? What hit me and woke me up? That my friend is fcking anxiety, pulling up uninvited, even in your dreams. Absolutely terrifying, but you are not alone. Breathe in, breathe out, and say it with me Anxiety….Fck that. Let’s dive in.

YOUR BRAIN AT NIGHT

This is more common than we all realize. When anxiety “hits” in your sleep or shows up in dreams, it can feel like you’re being ambushed by it. This is what’s happening and why.

1. Your brain doesn’t shut off anxiety at night. Even when you’re asleep, parts of your brain that handle threat detection (like the amygdala) stay active. If you’ve had stress, unresolved worries, or a high baseline of anxiety during the day, your brain can carry that over into sleep. It can surface as anxious dreams, restlessness, or waking up in panic.

DEEP SLEEP

2. REM sleep amplifies emotions. During REM (dreaming) sleep, your emotional brain is more active while the logical, calming parts are quieter. This can make anxiety feel raw and intense, even inside dreams. You might dream about being chased, late, or overwhelmed, all metaphors for anxiety.

THE TRIGGERS

3. Physical triggers while sleep. Sometimes what feels like “anxiety in your sleep” is your body reacting to: a sudden drop in blood sugar, sleep apnea or shallow breathing, caffeine, alcohol, or medications, nighttime cortisol spikes (stress hormone levels rise early in the morning)

STRESS & TRAUMA

4. Unprocessed stress or trauma. If you’re dealing with emotional strain, your mind uses dreams to process it. When that process feels too heavy or unresolved, it can show up as nighttime anxiety or “dream anxiety”

THE REMEDY

What helps:

1. Wind-down ritual: No screens, caffeine, or heavy thinking an hour before bed.

2. Grounding before sleep: Try deep breathing, body scans, or journaling anxious thoughts.

3. If you wake up anxious: Sit up, breathe slowly, and name 3 things around you. This grounds your body back in the present.

4. Therapeutic help: If this happens often, trauma-informed therapy or CBT for anxiety can help your brain unlearn that nighttime alert mode.

PROMOTION

This Podcasts’ name is an homage to my Mom, she always said “Dumb Shit is Dumb Shit, and Fck The Dumb Shit!”

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FINAL THOUGHT

When anxiety finds you in your sleep, it doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means your mind is still trying to protect you, even when you rest. Be gentle with yourself. Each time you wake and breathe through it, you teach your body safety again. Healing isn’t about never feeling anxious, it’s about remembering that you can come back to calm.

FCKTHAT 

Happy Halloween. Thank you for reading. Take it easy.

See you next Friday 🗓️

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