How we dealt with anxiety and sickness as kids

Definitely Dying is a UCB Comedy podcast hosted by “hypochondriac-comedians” Madeline Walter and Ben Axelrad, centered on matters of the body and mind. This week, they are joined by Love’s Paul Rust for a conversation on childhood anxiety, with a last-minute detour to constipation. They begin the episode by asking Rust how much he thinks about death, on a scale from one to 10. This triggers a discussion about how he grew up Catholic, and his childhood lack of fear because of the promise of heaven, and how that changed as he grew up. It’s a fluid conversation (that never feels like a predictable interview) that easily transitions into an observation of anxiety and being a “worrisome” kid. Rust, as demonstrated in all of his podcast appearances, is familiarly likable and open, and the three of them are clearly having fun. The casual atmosphere of the show allows them to discuss topics like anxiety without being heavy or boring, which is crucial to its listenable charm. Later playing a hilarious, albeit visual, game with disgusting medical photos, the episode as a whole has a sense of humor about health that is not only funny, but inclusive and welcoming.