PLAYING-IT-SAFE

Dr. Z. - Patricia Zurita Ona, Psy.D.
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  • Mental Health

I'm Dr. Z., a clinical psychologist and an author. In PLAYING-IT-SAFE I will share with you research based-skills, interviews, readings, insights, tips, and all types of curated info to get unstuck from worries, anxieties, fears, obsessions, and ineffective playing-it-safe actions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2 hrs ago

    106. Experiential Avoidance: The Hidden Way We Play It Safe

    You're not avoiding the conversation. You're avoiding how it will feel to have it. If you've ever reorganized your inbox instead of making the difficult call or started researching instead of starting the thing, this episode is for you. This episode unpacks experiential avoidance: the mechanism underneath every playing-it-safe behavior. What you will learn: What experiential avoidance actually is, in plain language, no jargon, and why it's the engine behind ALL playing-it-safe behaviors including procrastination, overthinking, perfectionism, and people-pleasing.Why your avoidance is intelligent and well-intentioned, and what it's costing you anyway.What psychological research tells us about how experiential avoidance predicts psychological suffering across every population studied.Willingness, and why it is NOT positive thinking, spiritual bypass, or "just feeling your feelings." Resources mentioned: Playing-it-safe questionnaire: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ACT Beyond Perfectionism (online course): https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/act-beyond-perfectionismACT for Indecisiveness (online course): https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/how-to-shift-from-indecisiveness-into-actionValues-Based Life Audit (free resource): https://proud-snow-5694.ck.page/d2a5e77ba3ACT Coaching at East Bay Behavior Therapy Center: https://eastbaybehaviortherapycenter.com/act-coaching/ About Dr. Z: Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) is a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and TEDx speaker who has spent over 18 years helping overthinkers and overachievers stop letting anxiety make their decisions. She is the founder of East Bay Behavior Therapy Center in Walnut Creek, California, and the host of the Playing It Safe podcast. Her TEDx talk "Stop Playing It Safe and Start Living" has over 266,000 views. If this episode helped you recognize one playing-it-safe move in your own life, a review on Apple Podcasts means everything to me. I read every single one. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS WHO AM I? My name is Patricia E. Zurita Ona, but my clients call me Dr. Z. I’m a psychologist, a passionate behaviorist, and a person that loves to make behavioral science accessible for day-to-day life. I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT), a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I have significant experience – over 18 years – working with individuals dealing with anxiety-based struggles such as perfectionism, procrastination, chronic indecision, phobias, OCD, panic, worry, and any other anxiety-related difficulties. I've published books on ACT, given a TEDx talk with 260K+ views, founded East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, and spent two decades proving one thing: Your anxiety doesn't need fixing. It needs listening to. Because most of the time, anxiety is just trying to keep you safe, the problem is when "safe" becomes "stuck." And once you know the difference, everything changes. My website is packed with resources, courses and content that will help you break free from those "playing-it-safe" moves and make the most out of your life! GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 11 Aug

    105. Acceptance vs. Resignation: What Most People Get Wrong

    You've been calling it acceptance. But, if your world has gotten quieter, smaller, and safer since the painful thing happened, that might be resignation. In this episode, Dr. Z tackles one of the most confusing distinctions in ACT: the difference between acceptance and resignation. If you've been thinking repetitively about a past loss, failure, or regret (going back over it, telling yourself you're learning from it, then finding yourself in the exact same loop tomorrow), this episode is for you. You'll leave with a clear understanding of what acceptance actually is (and is not), and a concrete four-step practice you can use today. What you will learn: The exact difference between acceptance and resignation — and why they feel the same from the insideWhat the war against your anxiety is actually costing you — and what changes when you stop fighting itWhy you don't have to wait for the pain to go away before taking values-based action Resources: Playing-It-Safe Questionnaire (free, 5 minutes): https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ACT Workbook for the Anxious Procrastinator: https://a.co/d/gAR36j9Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors: https://amzn.to/3xT7j0TFree Audio Guide on ACT for High-Achieving Behaviors: https://proud-snow-5694.ck.page/73a2c1b566 Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) is a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and TEDx speaker who has spent over 18 years helping overthinkers and overachievers stop letting anxiety make their decisions. She is the founder of East Bay Behavior Therapy Center in Walnut Creek, California, and the host of the Playing-It-Safe podcast. Her TEDx talk "Stop Playing It Safe and Start Living" has over 266,000 views. If this episode helped you recognize one playing-it-safe move in your own life, a review on Apple Podcasts means everything to me. I read every single one. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS WHO AM I? My name is Patricia E. Zurita Ona, but my clients call me Dr. Z. I’m a psychologist, a passionate behaviorist, and a person that loves to make behavioral science accessible for day-to-day life. I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT), a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I have significant experience – over 18 years – working with individuals dealing with anxiety-based struggles such as perfectionism, procrastination, chronic indecision, phobias, OCD, panic, worry, and any other anxiety-related difficulties. I've published books on ACT, given a TEDx talk with 260K+ views, founded East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, and spent two decades proving one thing: Your anxiety doesn't need fixing. It needs listening to. Because most of the time, anxiety is just trying to keep you safe, the problem is when "safe" becomes "stuck." And once you know the difference, everything changes. My website is packed with resources, courses and content that will help you break free from those "playing-it-safe" moves and make the most out of your life! GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 4 Aug

    104. Waiting for the Good Option: The Playing-It-Safe Trap

    You're not missing information. You're missing a different question. This episode is for anyone sitting inside an impossible decision, one where every option feels wrong, the pros-and-cons list has been rewritten twelve times, you've talked to everyone you trust, and you still can't move. Your mind wasn't built for situations where both choices cost you something you care about. More deliberation isn't the answer, it's the trap. And there is a question that cuts through all of it. Not "what's the right choice?", but "what do I want to stand for here?" Resources mentioned: Values-Based Review (free): https://proud-snow-5694.ck.page/d2a5e77ba3ACT for Indecisiveness course: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/how-to-shift-from-indecisiveness-into-actionPlaying-It-Safe Questionnaire (free): https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) is a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and TEDx speaker who has spent over 18 years helping overthinkers and overachievers stop letting anxiety make their decisions. She is the founder of East Bay Behavior Therapy Center in Walnut Creek, California, and the host of the Playing It Safe podcast. Her TEDx talk "Stop Playing It Safe and Start Living" has over 266,000 views. If this episode helped you recognize one playing-it-safe move in your own life, a review on Apple Podcasts means everything to me. I read every single one. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 28 July

    103. Drop the Crutch: How "Safety Behaviors" Keep You Anxious

    She was at every party. But she was never fully in the room. Safety crutches, the subtle playing-it-safe moves that keep anxiety temporarily quiet, look nothing like avoidance. You're showing up. You're present. But you're also carrying a shield. And the shield is costing you every moment of real connection you're trying to build. This episode is for anyone who has ever walked into a situation with a plan already in place to feel less exposed — and wondered why the situation still felt so far away. In this episode, you will learn: What safety crutches actually are and why they look like coping but function like avoidanceWhy Paul Salkovskis's research on safety behaviors shows that the relief is borrowed — and what you're borrowing againstWhat research on psychological flexibility reveals about why fighting anxiety makes it louderACT skilsl for dropping subtle safety behaviors, one small moment at a timeWhat your specific safety crutch is almost certainly protecting, and why that thing matters Resources mentioned: Playing-It-Safe Questionnaire: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ About Dr. Z: Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, Dr. Z., is a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and TEDx speaker who has spent over 18 years helping overthinkers and overachievers stop letting anxiety make their decisions. She is the founder of East Bay Behavior Therapy Center in Walnut Creek, California, and the host of the Playing It Safe podcast. Her TEDx talk "Stop Playing It Safe and Start Living" has over 265,000 views. If this episode helped you recognize one playing-it-safe move in your own life, a review on Apple Podcasts means everything to me. I read every single one. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 21 July

    102. The Checking Trap

    She got the answer. Felt better for twelve minutes. Then she asked again. Reassurance-seeking is one of the most common and least-recognized playing-it-safe behaviors. It looks like due diligence. It feels like self-care. And it is quietly tightening the anxiety loop every time you do it. This episode is for anyone who has ever Googled the same question in six different ways, or sent the same question to three different people to see if the answer would finally stick. In this episode, you will learn: Why reassurance feels like relief but functions like a tightening spiralWhat Stanley Rachman's research reveals about why safety behaviors maintain, not reduce, anxietyHow Michel Dugas's intolerance of uncertainty model explains why more information is never enoughACT skills for interrupting the checking loop without white-knuckling through itThe values-based reason the checking is worth interrupting Resources mentioned: Playing-It-Safe Questionnaire: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ About Dr. Z: Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, Dr. Z., is a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and TEDx speaker who has spent over 18 years helping overthinkers and overachievers stop letting anxiety make their decisions. She is the founder of East Bay Behavior Therapy Center in Walnut Creek, California, and the host of the Playing It Safe podcast. Her TEDx talk "Stop Playing It Safe and Start Living" has over 265,000 views. If this episode helped you recognize one playing-it-safe move in your own life, a review on Apple Podcasts means everything to me. I read every single one. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 13 July

    101. Mind Gossip: When Your Thoughts Become Your Enemy

    The presentation went well. For two days after, he couldn't stop replaying the four seconds when he lost his train of thought. His mind decided those four seconds were the truth about the whole thing, not the standing ovation. The four seconds. That's overvaluing and overidentifying with your thoughts, which is playing-it-safe behavior #7. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we call it cognitive fusion, and research shows that the harder you try to push the thought away, the louder it comes back. The skill isn't changing the thought. It's changing your relationship to it. _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS WHO AM I? My name is Patricia E. Zurita Ona, but my clients call me Dr. Z. I’m a psychologist, a passionate behaviorist, and a person that loves to make behavioral science accessible for day-to-day life. I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT), a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I have significant experience – over 18 years – working with individuals dealing with anxiety-based struggles such as perfectionism, procrastination, chronic indecision, phobias, OCD, panic, worry, and any other anxiety-related difficulties. I've published books on ACT, given a TEDx talk with 260K+ views, founded East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, and spent two decades proving one thing: Your anxiety doesn't need fixing. It needs listening to. Because most of the time, anxiety is just trying to keep you safe, the problem is when "safe" becomes "stuck." And once you know the difference, everything changes. My website is packed with resources, courses and content that will help you break free from those "playing-it-safe" moves and make the most out of your life! GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 6 July

    100. How to Actually Do the Thing

    After a distraction, it takes an average of 23 minutes to return to the original task. Not because you're weak. Because your environment was built using the same behavioral principles as slot machines to pull your attention away from what matters. Final episode of the Anxious Procrastinator series, the neuroscience of focus and what committed action actually looks like when you bring everything together. What would you do this week if you weren't playing-it-safe? _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS WHO AM I? My name is Patricia E. Zurita Ona, but my clients call me Dr. Z. I’m a psychologist, a passionate behaviorist, and a person that loves to make behavioral science accessible for day-to-day life. I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT), a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I have significant experience – over 18 years – working with individuals dealing with anxiety-based struggles such as perfectionism, procrastination, chronic indecision, phobias, OCD, panic, worry, and any other anxiety-related difficulties. I've published books on ACT, given a TEDx talk with 260K+ views, founded East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, and spent two decades proving one thing: Your anxiety doesn't need fixing. It needs listening to. Because most of the time, anxiety is just trying to keep you safe, the problem is when "safe" becomes "stuck." And once you know the difference, everything changes. My website is packed with resources, courses and content that will help you break free from those "playing-it-safe" moves and make the most out of your life! GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. 29 June

    99. You Don't Have a Time Problem. You Have a Time Story.

    Accurately estimating how hard something will be requires sitting with the discomfort of its difficulty. And your mind would rather not. In this new episode of Playing-It-Safe we discussed the research on time, flow states, and four principles that actually work for overthinkers and overachievers. What would you do this week if you weren't playing-it-safe? _______ STOP LETTING ANXIETY MAKE YOUR DECISIONS WHO AM I? My name is Patricia E. Zurita Ona, but my clients call me Dr. Z. I’m a psychologist, a passionate behaviorist, and a person that loves to make behavioral science accessible for day-to-day life. I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT), a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I have significant experience – over 18 years – working with individuals dealing with anxiety-based struggles such as perfectionism, procrastination, chronic indecision, phobias, OCD, panic, worry, and any other anxiety-related difficulties. I've published books on ACT, given a TEDx talk with 260K+ views, founded East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, and spent two decades proving one thing: Your anxiety doesn't need fixing. It needs listening to. Because most of the time, anxiety is just trying to keep you safe, the problem is when "safe" becomes "stuck." And once you know the difference, everything changes. My website is packed with resources, courses and content that will help you break free from those "playing-it-safe" moves and make the most out of your life! GET ACT SKILLS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up to my newsletter to get actionable skills into your inbox! https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/ HERE IS WHERE TO START: 1. TAKE THE PLAYING-IT-SAFE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-questionnaire/ 2. ONLINE COURSES: https://courses.thisisdoctorz.com/ 3. PODCAST: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-podcast/ 4. BOOKS: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/books/ 5. BLOG: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About

I'm Dr. Z., a clinical psychologist and an author. In PLAYING-IT-SAFE I will share with you research based-skills, interviews, readings, insights, tips, and all types of curated info to get unstuck from worries, anxieties, fears, obsessions, and ineffective playing-it-safe actions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Z. - Patricia Zurita Ona, Psy.D.
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Patricia Zurita Ona, Psy.D.
  • Show Website
    PLAYING-IT-SAFE

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