Anxiety might mean different things to different people, but one commonality is the literal feeling of being wound up and tangled.
The brain is always looking for information to try to predict the future, in order to keep us safe. While this may have been helpful when we were trying not to starve and dodging large predators, in modern times it can cause us to spiral into anxiety and worry.
Today on The Broken Brain Podcast, I talk to Dr. Judson Brewer about the patterns involved with anxious thinking, how they also relate to addiction, and mindfulness exercises that can help us break free.
In this episode, Dr. Brewer explains how positive and negative reinforcements shape our behavior and why humans evolved this way. Anxiety and addiction are both heavily dictated by this push and pull of behavior—Dr. Brewer tells us why embracing the feelings we often want to run away from and bringing greater awareness to our habits is the first step towards changing them.
For more on Dr. Brewer you can follow him on Instagram @Dr.Jud, on Facebook @MindSciencesInc, on Twitter @JudBrewer, on YouTube @DrJud, and through his website https://drjud.com/. Get his book, Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind at https://drjud.com/book/.
Also mentioned in this episode:
- Unwinding Anxiety App by Dr. Judson Brewer – https://www.unwindinganxiety.com/
For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.
Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.
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