FBL - Feb 13, 2026

This Week in The Feel Better Letter 👇
✅ The pursuit of certainty is an illusion — and it keeps you trapped in the loop.
✅ Fear drives the compulsive need to “know for sure,” not the topic you’re obsessing about.
✅ Freedom comes from shifting your state, not solving your theme.
✅ New episodes: The Hidden Cost of Treating Fear as Faith and Why Am I Stuck in This LOOP? The Real Reason OCD & Anxiety Keep Repeating
Matt's Message of the Week
Why Certainty Doesn’t Mean Freedom
One of the biggest illusions in OCD and anxiety is the belief that certainty equals safety.
When you're stuck in the loop, fear takes over — and the mind tries to justify that fear by projecting it onto a topic or theme. Then it convinces you that the way out is to “figure it out,” “know for sure,” or “get clarity.”
But endless certainty-seeking was never what you truly wanted.
If given the choice between:
1️⃣ Perfect certainty but feeling this way forever,
or
2️⃣ Learning to transcend fear and return to a state of trust, peace, and stability,
—you’d choose peace every time.
Because the theme was never the issue.
The uncertainty was never the issue.
Fear was the issue.
You already live with uncertainty every day:
You’re not certain the sun will rise tomorrow.
You’re not certain you’ll wake up tomorrow.
You can’t be.
And yet you move through life anyway.
Certainty has never been the source of peace — and it never will be.
Until you learn to shift your state and transcend fear, the mind will keep projecting that fear onto new themes, searching for answers that can never deliver freedom.
Real recovery begins when you stop chasing certainty…
and start changing your relationship with fear.
(Click below to listen to the full message.)
Helpful Episodes for the Week
The Hidden Cost of Treating Fear as Faith | Scrupulosity, OCD & Anxiety Explained
In this episode, I break down the hidden cost of treating fear as faith—and how this misunderstanding keeps people trapped in guilt, reassurance-seeking, compulsions, and chronic inner conflict.
👉 [Watch Episode]
Why Am I Stuck in This LOOP? | The Real Reason OCD & Anxiety Keep Repeating
In this episode, Matt explains why people get stuck in the OCD and anxiety loop, why fear keeps self-perpetuating, and why trying to fix the “theme” never truly works.
👉 [Watch Episode]
Why You Shouldn’t “Calm Down” to Manage Anxiety & OCD
Tired of being told to "calm down" when dealing with anxiety or OCD? Learn why suppression makes things worse and how to truly regulate emotions for lasting relief.
👉 [Watch Episode]
Interested in Working Together?
🧭 Free Assessment: Get Your Custom Guide
Take a quick assessment to identify where you are in your recovery journey and get a personalized guide with next steps.
👉 [Take the Free Assessment]
📖 The Book: From Stuck to Unstuck
Learn the Triple-A Response™ and discover a clear, proven path for stepping out of the fear loop and reclaiming your life.
👉 [Get the Book]
🌱 Taking Back Control Program
Join our 12-week recovery program and get the structure, support, and guidance you need to create lasting change.
👉 [Apply to Join]
🗣️ Work 1-on-1 with Matt
Get personalized coaching and direct support from Matt to solidify your recovery and deepen your practice of trust.
👉 [Work with Matt]
This Week’s Reminder
You don’t break the loop by finding the perfect answer.
You break it by no longer letting fear dictate your life.
To your freedom and success,
Matt
