Podcast
The Anxiety Encyclopedia
Hosted by Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally · EN
Co-hosts Lorien and Katharine talk about what's making them anxious, from bears to Botox and everything in between.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
147. T is for Trains
Mar 1700:47:51Tap to summarizeJoin us on the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe as Katharine tells Lorien about trains. Sources:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clye22ljxw4ohttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/train-crashes-against-crane-southeastern-spain-tve-reports-2026-01-22/ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/safest-places-sit-traveling-train-044500726.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHXlCiTsDI1W-HQMT2Srzg7Sxt1XD5M05UpxS5RF67Wq7aszfKgg42IDI83-5rK0oH6xUGuVASRQAZHyV6bw8JgnmtpvOSlhFBE0yw5CTtBDYRxFjJykTwuBQ4WUkBFQWREmPQWJ1Z9LjLRH0HN-cJh16Enq_83S4fZj2X1bPO-h https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail https://getthetiger.com/blog/5-deadliest-train-crashes-in-united-states-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Sri_Lanka_tsunami_train_wreckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balvano_train_disasterhttps://journalistsresource.org/economics/comparing-fatality-risks-united-states-transportation-across-modes-time/ https://www.bustle.com/articles/83287-are-trains-safer-than-planes-statistics-are-clear-about-which-mode-of-transportation-is-safest https://www.history.com/articles/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-trains https://www.intrans.iastate.edu/news/trains-a-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport https://www.propublica.org/article/train-derailment-long-trains https://usafacts.org/articles/are-train-derailments-becoming-more-common/ https://www.aar.org/issue/freight-rail-pedestrian-driver-safety/#! https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/railroads-and-regulators-must-address-the-dangers-of-long-trains-report-says/
Transcribe →146. S is for Sovereign Citizens
Mar 301:03:11Tap to summarizeLorien tells Katharine about a group that dares to ask the question: what if the only laws that count are the ones I like? Sources https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolawhttps://web.archive.org/web/20141102010820/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/sovereign_citizens_plaster_courts_with_bogus_legal_filings/https://www.domprep.com/articles/a-violent-surge-sovereign-citizens-vs-government-authority/#:~:text=Precise numbers of SovCits can,who have committed violent crimes.https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/moorish-sovereign-citizens/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_sovereign_citizenshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7513757/https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/https://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/www.sog.unc.edu/files/Sov citizens quick guide Nov 13.pdfhttps://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Nicholshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolawhttps://aeon.co/ideas/here-comes-pseudolaw-a-weird-little-cousin-of-pseudosciencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexatious_litigationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waukesha_Christmas_parade_attack
Transcribe →145. T is for TikTok Challenges
Feb 1701:00:58Tap to summarizeThis episode is more filling and less toxic than a Tide pod. Sources: Sources:https://www.npr.org/2022/09/22/1124252556/nyquil-chicken-challenge-fda-warninghttps://www.healthline.com/health/dont-eat-tiktoks-nyquil-chicken#talking-safe-usehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/07/paquis-one-chip-challenge-removed-from-shelves-following-teens-death/https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/worcester-street-renamed-to-honor-teen-who-died-after-one-chip-challenge/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Chip_Challenge https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-teenagers-eat-tide-pods-2018013013241 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_of_Tide_Pods https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51742854 https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/skull-breaker-challenge-and-concussions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_challenge https://academic.oup.com/jbcr/article-abstract/37/4/e395/4582201?redirectedFrom=PDF https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benadryl_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_ice_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale_Challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_Challenge_hoax
Transcribe →144. G is for Greenland
Feb 300:57:53Tap to summarizeLorien gives Katharine a quick and dirty history lesson on the largest island in the world for...absolutely no specific reason at all...Sources: Sources: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-advisers-discussing-options-acquiring-greenland-us-military-is-always-an-2026-01-06/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://apnews.com/article/denmark-us-trump-greenland-talks-1b783621cbbbc1218986151be9c6836chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#:~:text=During World War II, the,persuade the US to leave.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#cite_note-clingendael20202-73https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_the_Red's_Landhttps://www.norden.org/en/information/facts-about-greenlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenlandhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/denmark-pm-says-sorry-to-greenland-inuits-taken-for-heartless-social-experimenthttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249474#:~:text=982 - Greenland discovered by the,Age as temperatures fall significantly.https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenland/Historyhttps://japan.um.dk/en/about-denmark/greenland/history-and-culturehttps://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/who-owns-greenland-history-explained/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/02/through-indigenous-eyes-the-colonial-history-of-greenland-and-why-it-mattershttps://apple.news/ALJhys51gS6eo8NSJkb5uPw
Transcribe →143. F is for Flooding
Jan 2000:53:59Tap to summarizeKatharine tells Lorien about types of flooding; Lorien (kind of) tells Katharine the plot of the 2006 movie Flushed Away. Sources:https://www.weather.gov/phi/FlashFloodingDefinition https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-two-types-floods https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-dangers-of-floodwater https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/many-effects-flooding/ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-25/yangtze-river-peaks-in-china https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/hurricane-katrina.htm https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/the-deadliest-floods-in-u-s-history/ https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-watch-warning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-31/the-johnstown-flood https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/great-mississippi-river-flood-1927 https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/13/us/camp-mystic-flooding-texas
Transcribe →142. A is for Anxiety Potpourri
Jan 600:54:19Tap to summarizeLike a raccoon stealing shiny trash or a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter, Lorien has been collecting small anxieties to sustain her through the winter months. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloidhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksandhttps://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/09/29/1471116.htmhttps://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/terra_infirma.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_quicksandhttps://westsidesalvage.com/grain-entrapment/https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Archimedes-principle/599600https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-quicksand-and-how-to-escape-it-4163374https://wildlandtrekking.com/blog/is-quicksand-real/https://ksltv.com/local-news/hiker-rescued-after-hours-stuck-in-quicksand-in-arches-national-park/855476https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_nuthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium#Toxicityhttps://www.mdlinx.com/article/a-popular-nut-with-a-dangerous-toxin/11MiGRAzCC4OCfxOUU3wjLhttps://www.mdlinx.com/article/a-popular-nut-with-a-dangerous-toxin/11MiGRAzCC4OCfxOUU3wjL#LFC_Sourceshttps://www.cdc.gov/angiostrongylus/about/index.htmlhttps://www.news-medical.net/health/Rat-Lungworm-Disease-in-Hawaii.aspxhttps://www.biisc.org/pest/rlw/https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/12/18/stressed-snails-rat-lungworm/https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/rat-lungworm-disease-detected-on-kauaʻi/https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/rat-lungworm-disease-detected-on-kauaʻi/https://www.usf.edu/health/public-health/news/2024/cc-ladder-safety-march-2024.aspxhttps://www.americanladderinstitute.org/page/NationalLadderSafetyMonthLadderAccidentsintheHomeArePreventablehttps://www.americanladderinstitute.org/page/BasicLadderSafetyhttps://rosenjustice.com/blog/common-fall-from-ladder-injuries/#Statistics_on_Ladder_Accidentshttps://www.ehstoday.com/safety/news/55262291/ladder-incidents-have-decreasedhttps://blog.ansi.org/ansi/common-causes-ladder-incidents/#:~:text=Missing the last step and,and top of the ladder.https://www.readersdigest.in/features/story-i-survived-falling-in-quicksand-127478https://people.com/i-survived-getting-partially-swallowed-by-quicksand-on-the-beach-8667623
Transcribe →141. D is for Donner Party
Dec 2301:08:04Tap to summarizeKatharine tells Lorien a story all about how important it is to stay on schedule and have a supply list. Sourceshttps://www.history.com/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-donner-party https://www.nps.gov/cali/learn/historyculture/donner-reed-party.htm https://www.britannica.com/topic/Donner-party https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/donner-party-cannibalism-nation-west https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party
Transcribe →140. C is for Cicada 3301
Dec 900:52:03Tap to summarizeLorien, too tired for anything truly terrible, tells Katharine about a mysterious, anonymous, unsolvable set of puzzles. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_3301https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganographyhttps://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259959632/the-internets-cicada-a-mystery-without-an-answerhttps://web.archive.org/web/20131125232546/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10468112/The-internet-mystery-that-has-the-world-baffled.htmlhttps://www.fastcompany.com/3025785/meet-the-man-who-solved-the-mysterious-cicada-3301-puzzlehttps://web.archive.org/web/20150920023142/http://mentalfloss.com/article/31932/chasing-cicada-exploring-darkest-corridors-internethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_gamehttps://web.archive.org/web/20170802043935/https://blog.threatstack.com/cicadas-security-part-2-when-a-verified-pgp-key-takes-you-on-a-trip-to-the-deserthttps://mashable.com/archive/us-navy-codebreaker-gamehttps://apple.news/AMScMZtd3RAeKfsks16t3jAhttps://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/sum15/ology.htmlhttps://www.the-independent.com/tech/masonic-conspiracy-or-mi6-recruitment-tool-internet-mystery-cicada-3301-starts-up-again-9044049.htmlhttps://theface.com/life/cicada-3301-the-codebreakers-still-working-on-the-internets-strangest-mysteryhttps://clevcode.org/cicada-3301/https://www.truesec.com/hub/blog/dissecting-the-cicadahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware_as_a_servicehttps://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/cicada-ransomware-what-you-need-knowhttps://www.ibm.com/think/news/has-blackcat-returned-as-cicada3301https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2024/08/20/selling-ransomware-breaches-4-trends-spotted-on-the-ramp-forum/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darknethttps://vocal.media/history/cicada-3301-the-internet-s-greatest-mysteryhttps://www.alaricstephen.com/main-featured/2016/9/18/the-cryptic-crossword-that-recruited-for-bletchley-parkhttps://www.schoolreaders.org/post/could-you-have-been-a-bletchley-park-codebreaker
Transcribe →139. G is for Gerrymandering
Nov 2500:45:42Tap to summarizeKatharine teaches Lorien all about cracking and packing, monstrous political cartoons, and shapes. That's right, it's that sexiest of topics: Gerrymandering! Sources:https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/gerrymandering-explained https://www.history.com/articles/gerrymandering-origins-voting https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5577000/north-carolina-redistricting-trump https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HSI-pf8MumE https://www.gilderlehrman.org/news/elbridge-gerry-and-original-gerrymander https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5604412/redistricting-midterm-election-texas https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-maps-supreme-court-whats-next/ https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/17/indiana-legislative-leaders-dodge-discussing-redistricting-pressure/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/utah-judge-rejects-republican-drawn-congressional-map-adopts-alternative-creating-democratic-leaning-district https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymandering-voting-maps-congress-trump-2ba53ae1f492f8e293f0fa261604e8c6
Transcribe →138. T is for Titanic
Nov 1101:20:24Tap to summarizeLorien tells Katharine about a tragedy of gigantic proportions. Sources: The Story of the Titanic: As Told by Its Survivors, Lawrence Beesley, Archibald Gracie, Commander Lightoller, Harold Bride, ed. Jack Winocour.https://www.history.com/articles/titanichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanichttps://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/titanic-tragedy-caused-by-fire-not-iceberg-claims-journalist/news-story/ef1bb657d02d64cd5f94cff4f361b4a7https://www.rd.com/list/titanic-survivors-what-happened-to-them-next/
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