How the My Anxiety Has Anxiety shirt was born

I was having an anxiety attack over stupid stuff, as usual. My anxiety is nothing more than me self-creating BS—going down a rabbit hole with absolutely no end. I call it “mind drifting.” It’s when you can’t stop making things up, and no matter how hard you try, it just spirals worse and worse. Eventually, it leads to depression.

The great news? I’ve learned how to overcome it and not let it control me anymore. It’s not a perfect system—I still have bad days—but I handle it so much better now. I laugh at myself when it happens and snap back into the present moment. I meditate to shut my mind down, and I talk about it because keeping my mind busy helps. Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sometimes, I even roll with it just to see how deep it can go. I can take a situation and absolutely mind-f*ck myself like a pro. And that’s how this shirt came into existence.

I was about to do a podcast, and I was freaking out. I almost canceled because I was so stressed. I was talking to Mary (wife) about it, and she said, “It’s unreal—your anxiety has anxiety.” We cracked up laughing. Then I said, “You know what? I’ll overcome it.” And just like that—boom, there’s the shirt.

When I put on this shirt, it’s a reminder. It’s funny, too, because you have to be able to laugh at life—even at yourself. I’m 53 years old, and I’m all about making every day count. I don’t care what people think, and I don’t owe anyone anything—except myself. My job is to live happy.

You give me peace, health, and happiness and I’m good to go in life. Those are my intentions I strive for in life. You get in the way, you’re not in my life.