#1 Neuroscientist: How To Instantly Reduce Stress & Anxiety - Try This Trick Every Morning
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses strategies for managing stress and anxiety, emphasizing the importance of self-touch and deep connection with one's body to foster a sense of self-awareness. It suggests that by grounding ourselves in the present moment through breath and touch, we can better process emotions and alleviate the mental separation that often exacerbates stress. The speaker, a neuroscientist and doctor, also addresses the pitfalls of overthinking and the need to reconnect with our physical sensations to overcome anxiety and depression, advocating for practices that encourage mindfulness and emotional resilience.
Takeaways
- 🤲 The importance of self-touch and physical connection is emphasized as a means to reconnect with oneself and reduce feelings of being left behind.
- 💭 Stress often leads to a disconnection between the mind and body, resulting in a loss of sensation and a tendency to live in one's head rather than being present in the body.
- 🌪️ The speaker suggests that anxiety can be a form of an 'alarm' within the body, and by connecting with this sensation, one can address the root cause of anxiety.
- 🧠 Neuroscience supports the idea that the insular cortex plays a role in the connection between feelings and thoughts, and that body memories can be accessed to help process emotions.
- 🌞 Starting the day with practices like meditation and self-touch can help individuals connect with themselves and set a positive tone for the day.
- 🔄 The concept of 'Woo' is introduced to describe practices that may sound unconventional but are grounded in the idea of connecting with a 'younger version' of oneself within the body.
- 🚫 Overthinking and trying to rationalize emotions often fails to solve emotional problems and can lead to more discomfort and a cycle of worry.
- 🏋️♂️ Engaging in physical movement and breathwork can help to join the mind and body together, alleviating stress and fostering a sense of presence.
- 📵 Reducing social media use can help to mitigate the burnout of the dopamine system and allow for a more balanced approach to finding joy and motivation in life.
- 🌱 Reintroducing activities that were enjoyed in the past can help to rebuild a healthy dopamine response and rekindle a sense of joy and pleasure in life.
- 🌐 The loss of community and connection with others can lead to feelings of depression and a lack of joy, highlighting the importance of social interaction and shared experiences.
Q & A
What is the first step suggested for someone to reconnect with themselves and feel progress?
-Self-touch, such as placing a hand over the chest, is suggested as a first step to reconnect with oneself and feel progress. This simple act can help individuals become more aware of their physical sensations and presence.
Why is touch considered important for human connection?
-Touch is important for human connection because it is a fundamental way we are hardwired to connect with others. A lack of touch in childhood or adulthood can lead to a sense of disconnection.
How does stress often manifest in the body?
-Stress often manifests as a separation of the mind and body, leading to a state where individuals become overly focused on their thoughts and lose awareness of their physical sensations.
What is the significance of staying present with uncomfortable sensations?
-Staying present with uncomfortable sensations allows individuals to metabolize their feelings, such as sadness, instead of avoiding them or seeking distractions, which can lead to emotional healing.
What is the 'alarm sensation' in the body, and why is it important to connect with it?
-The 'alarm sensation' is a feeling of anxiety or discomfort localized in a specific area of the body. Connecting with this sensation can help individuals access and process their underlying emotions and potentially address the root cause of their anxiety.
How does the insular cortex in the brain relate to body sensations and emotions?
-The insular cortex in the brain acts as a mediator between feelings and thoughts, creating a 'way station' where individuals can feel and think simultaneously. It plays a role in creating body memories and metabolizing sensations, which can be particularly relevant in processing anxiety.
What is the connection between chronic anxiety and the separation of the adult self and the child self?
-Chronic anxiety can be seen as a separation between the adult self and the child self, where the adult self avoids revisiting the child self's stored pain. Reconnecting the mind and body can help in metabolizing this pain and reducing anxiety.
Why is it a mistake to think that worrying can solve problems?
-Worrying is a mistake because it doesn't solve problems; instead, it can worsen an individual's emotional state and keep them trapped in a cycle of stress and anxiety without addressing the underlying issues.
How can daily exercise and movement help in managing stress and anxiety?
-Daily exercise and movement can help in managing stress and anxiety by joining the mind and body together, alleviating stress, and providing a means to process emotions directly through physical activity.
What is the impact of excessive social media use on an individual's dopamine system and motivation?
-Excessive social media use can burn out an individual's dopamine system, leading to a lack of motivation and feelings of anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure in anything.
What are some strategies to reintroduce healthy dopamine levels and rekindle joy in life?
-Strategies include taking breaks from social media, engaging in activities that were enjoyed in the past, and participating in social activities that foster a sense of connection and community.
Outlines
🤲 The Power of Self-Touch and Mindfulness
The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-touch and mindfulness as a means to reconnect with oneself and alleviate feelings of being left behind. They suggest that the lack of physical and emotional touch in modern life can lead to disconnection, and propose starting with simple acts like placing a hand on the chest to feel the sensation of touch. The speaker also discusses the concept of mental touch through deep conversations and connections with others. They highlight the need to stay present with emotions, even uncomfortable ones, rather than escaping through distractions like phone usage, which can exacerbate feelings of depression and anxiety.
🧠 Moving from the Head to the Body to Address Anxiety
This paragraph delves into the psychological habit of escaping into our thoughts to avoid physical discomfort, a pattern that can persist into adulthood. The speaker encourages making a conscious effort to move attention from the head to the body, where discomfort and stress are often stored. They describe the insular cortex's role in mediating feelings and sensations, suggesting that chronic anxiety might be linked to a 'younger version' of oneself manifesting in the body. Techniques such as hand placement over areas of alarm or discomfort are recommended to connect with and process these sensations, potentially leading to healing and a reduction in anxiety.
🚫 Avoiding the Pitfalls of Overthinking and Dopamine Exhaustion
The speaker addresses common mistakes people make in dealing with anxiety, such as overthinking and trying to rationalize feelings away, which can be ineffective and exacerbate discomfort. They argue that worry does not solve problems but instead drains one's physiological well-being. The speaker advocates for facing and metabolizing pain directly rather than avoiding it. They also touch on the negative effects of excessive dopamine stimulation from social media, which can lead to a burnout and a lack of motivation, suggesting that a break from such platforms might be beneficial.
🌱 Reconnecting with Life and Building Dopamine Healthily
In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of re-engaging with life and rebuilding a healthy dopamine response. They suggest that people have become passive and unmotivated due to the constant pursuit of dopamine through social media and other immediate gratifications. To counteract this, the speaker recommends activities that promote presence and connection, such as meditation, walking, and engaging in activities that bring joy, similar to those enjoyed in childhood. They also warn against the dangers of losing the joy of life due to dopamine system burnout and suggest reconnecting with others and participating in community activities as a way to restore a sense of shared nervous system and well-being.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Self-Touch
💡Continuum
💡Woo-Woo
💡Neuroscientist
💡Dopamine Addiction
💡Insular Cortex
💡Anxiety Alarm
💡Metabolize Emotions
💡Mind-Body Connection
💡Dopamine System
💡Anhedonia
Highlights
Self-touch as a foundational practice for reconnecting with oneself and moving forward.
The importance of touch in human connection and its role in mitigating feelings of being left behind.
The concept of mental touch through deep personal conversations as a form of connection.
Breath and touch as starting points for managing stress and the separation of mind and body.
The idea of 'dopamine addiction' causing a disconnection from bodily sensations.
The recommendation of morning routines involving breath and self-touch for self-connection.
Anxiety as an 'alarm' in the body and the practice of locating and connecting with this sensation.
The role of the insular cortex in mediating feelings and the concept of body memories.
The potential manifestation of a younger self within the body for individuals with chronic anxiety.
Strategies for managing anxiety through physical sensation rather than overthinking.
The importance of staying present with emotions, even uncomfortable ones, to process feelings.
The pitfalls of constantly seeking the next dopamine hit and its impact on motivation and joy.
The recommendation to disconnect from social media to avoid dopamine system burnout.
The practice of matching breath and movement to alleviate stress and join mind and body.
The concept of an 'Elimination Diet' for dopamine to reintroduce healthy levels of pleasure in life.
The power of community and connection in preventing feelings of depression and separation.
The impact of social media on creating an 'us versus them' mentality and its effects on mental health.
The suggestion to reintroduce activities from childhood to rebuild joy and dopamine function.
Transcripts
what's a good like first step for them
to take to be able to come back to
themselves and be able to feel like
they're on this this Continuum moving
forward so that they can not feel so
Left Behind yeah I mean as woo as it
sounds I just think self-touch you know
just putting your hand over your chest
just sort of getting into that sensation
of touch which I don't think we get
enough of when we're young I don't think
we get enough touch when we're adults
and touch is one of those things that we
are are hardwired to connect with and if
you don't get enough touch you know and
and this can be in a way mental touch as
well like personal connection
conversations with friends like deep
conversations connection that kind of
stuff I mean but I would start with kind
of just you know breath and touch as woo
as that sounds and I know people as from
a neuroscientist and and a doctor they
want something that's a little more uh
you know maybe sexy in a way but I think
it's just really getting into sensation
because a lot of stress is basically a
separation of your mind and your body we
go up into our heads and we start
getting this dopam mean addiction and we
lose that sense of our body and then
time goes by it feels like man it's like
two months have gone by I haven't really
noticed you know it's just not being in
your body it's not being in that sense
of sensation and making the intention to
stay with sensation even even and
especially if that sensation is
uncomfortable you know if you feel sad
or whatever it's okay to feel sad you
don't have to run and and you know go to
your phone all the time you know it's
just it's just being able to to
metabolize that feeling and and being
able to stay in it and and it's hard you
know when you get into depression and
anxiety that's a pathological
perseverance in it but in general it
just kind of doesn't allow us to stay uh
we don't allow ourselves to stay present
in any emotion good bad or IND because
we're so used to what's next what's next
what's next you mentioned the importance
of touch and putting our hand over our
heart and his woo woo and is maybe Odd
as it may sound to somebody a lot of
times people will take quiet time like
first thing in the morning and connect
to their breath connect to themselves is
this what you would recommend like doing
this like first thing in the morning
yeah yeah I mean I A lot of people do
meditation and that kind of thing but I
think we miss we totally miss this
aspect of self-touch you know one of the
things that I work on with the people
people that you know I'm an anxiety
specialist that struggle with anxiety
it's like where is this alarm I call
anxiety alarm because that's what I
believe it is where's this alarm in your
body and some people say what's up in my
throat or in my chest or in my belly or
whatever it's like okay what does it
feel like well it's kind of hot it's
kind of sharp it feels like a pressure
uh feels like a pain it's like okay can
you put your hand over that area can you
connect with it because to go another
step into Woo is I believe a lot of
people that have chronic anxiety have a
younger version of themselves that
manifest in their body so for me it's in
my solar plexus and there's a lot of
Neuroscience behind this you know like
the the insular cortex in the brain sort
of mediates this sort of top down bottom
up kind of part it's kind of like the
way station where we feel and think at
the same place and I think that we
create these body memories these
implicit memories unconscious memories
that are mediated by this part of the
brain and the amydala but the insula is
one of of those things that it's kind of
like where do you feel something in your
body your insulin is kind of what
metabolizes that it's like oh I feel
when I when you get a break when you get
broken up with or or something you're
going through a breakup the insula
creates that feeling of Heartache in
your chest so one of my my work is to
try and like can we access that insular
cortex when you are feeling anxious can
we can we change the sensation can we
accept the sensation can we put our hand
over can we connect with it because I
think that that is the younger version
of us and I realized it does sound woo
and as a medical doctor a neuroscientist
I want to have a seizure sometimes when
I talk about this stuff but it's really
important to connect with our with
ourselves through self-touch that we
don't do it's not like Med meditation is
pretty common yoga is pretty common um
but it's really getting that sensation
and connecting with that sensation
because you know the alarm sensation in
your body could well be that younger
vers version of you trying to get your
attention is there any kind of um like
protocol you would recommend to somebody
who's feeling like anxious in the moment
they're feeling a bit trapped um is it
just putting their hand over their heart
and breathing is there like the not I
know we talked about like the nostril
breathing and the exhale I think the
last time nostril stuff yeah you came on
um like how how do we blend those things
together well it's getting out of your
head really because I think what happens
with stress is we try and think our way
out of a feeling problem doesn't work it
just doesn't work but we it doesn't stop
us from trying to do that I mean I think
as children we the only place we had to
go if if our parents weren't you know
there for us in a way was our heads
because staying in your body was just
too painful like that's where the that's
where all pain is stored so you go up
into your head you start overthinking
you start becoming hypervigilant that
kind of thing and it's a habit that we
take into adulthood that we don't even
realize that we've been caught our head
for 10 20 30 40 50 years sometimes so
it's like can you make the conscious
intention to move out of your head
because your worries aren't aren't going
to solve anything in fact they're just
going to make you more uncomfortable can
you take the opposite choice and go into
your body rather than trying to stay in
your head now your body is probably
going to be uncomfortable because this
is where you store all the old alarm so
initially it may feel more uh
uncomfortable to go into your body but I
think there is this kind of overwhelming
sense that when you put your hand over
the area where you feel your stress in
your body there is this sense of
connection that's there and it
immediately helps people and it's like
okay I'm on the right track here I'm on
the right track with this this sensation
and tracking this in my body and slowing
it down too like our minds go so quickly
our mind goes so fast that it just
outruns our body most of the time and
it's like can you slow your mind down
enough so that can actually join up with
your body because one of the things I
say about anxiety chronic anxiety is
that it's a separation of your adult
self and your child self because the
adult in you doesn't want to go back to
the child because that's where all all
our pain is stored and it's a separation
from our mind from our body so when we
connect our mind and our body back
together again we actually create this
fertile ground to actually metabolize
the trauma metabolize the sadness
metabolize the pain rather than just
going into our head which basically just
suspends it it's the the pain is in
suspended animation as soon as you go
into your head you never actually make a
dent in that pain because you're too
busy up in your head the if the issue is
you know stuck in your body and you're
woring around hypervigilant in your mind
all the time that part of your body
never gets dealt with and that pain
never gets never gets uh any sort of air
time never gets any connection so of
course it's not going to heal and it's
probably just going to get
worse what would you say the biggest
mistakes people make that might not be
so obvious maybe these are subtle that
you know throughout the week actually
increase their anxiety well just
thinking more just just believing
unconsciously that you're G to solve
this problem you know if you're worried
about your son or your daughter or your
mom or your dad or whatever worrying
about it isn't going to do anything in
fact it's just going to it's just going
to drag your physiology into the gutter
but if you can learn how to sort of go
into your body and allow that that
sensation to be there that discomfort
about like my my I had did a podcast
about my oldest dog Buddha you know he's
kind of failing so he may not last
another six months or so so it's one of
those things where can I go into that
sensation in my body of what it's going
to be like to lose him and can I stay
with it can I can I actually metabolize
it rather than just overthink and go
well you know he's still doing okay he's
still doing well you know he'll probably
be okay that kind of stuff like we know
that we're just worrying and we know
that the worry doesn't actually solve
anything it just suspends things in in
suspended animation and the pain is
still there so go at the pain directly
allow the pain to be there metabolize
the pain and a lot of people who have
like um uh partner relative parent
whatever with a cancer diagnosis they do
a lot of The Grieving before the person
actually passes and this is what I'm
talking about it's just basically
metabolizing The Angst that you're
feeling
rather than going up into your head and
trying to explain why you should feel
better right other than overthinking
things or thinking that you can think
your way out of a problem or think your
way into a solution is there anything
that people should be doing that they're
not doing maybe like daily exercise
movement um certain ways movement for
sure like I think even like I have this
little practice that I do sometimes and
I just basically move my hand in my
breath it's not it looks a bit taish and
that kind of stuff but it's basically I
just make it up and anytime that you
match your breath and your movement
together you start joining your mind and
your body together so it starts
alleviating your stress right away and
when you move into your body and out of
your head you're starting to get to the
the root cause of the problem instead of
just unfortunately we're wired to
believe that worry unconsciously believe
that worry is helpful and it basically
just traps Us in more worry so the more
you can go into the sensation
specifically of your body even if it
hurts the more you can start actually
processing and metabolizing the
underlying cause of this problem in the
first place as opposed to just trying to
numb it by you know
overthinking on the other side of this
is people can become I think passive
because we know we're talking about how
to like not suppress but mitigate stress
mitigate anxiety and on the other side
of all this there's people that are
feeling you know unmotivated unable to
focus lazy if you will
and so how can people do the opposite if
they're like trying to
upregulate their nervous system a bit to
be able to Prime themselves to take
action well this is hard but get off
social media for one you know it just
it's just you burned out your dopamine
system you know we have this place in
our brain called the ventral t area that
makes dopamine one of them and uh it
squirts dopamine onto the nucleus
accumbens which is basically our
motivation Center and if you create way
too much dopamine all the time you you
drop the bar or actually you raise the
bar and what's going to excite you so if
you're always EXC you know excited
excited excited excited excited all the
time uh when you drop into a normal
Baseline State it's going to feel pretty
pretty lonely and bereft in there so a
lot of what happens I think is that we
get so wrapped up in this dopamine
driven society that we forget about the
sort of the more serotonin the more here
and now kind of like the more awareness
the more presence and if you don't spend
a lot of time in presence you're
probably not going to want to spend a
lot more time in presence and you just
keep going at this dopamine cycle and
you can only go at it for so long until
it just starts to burn you out and you
just feel and this is what what I'm
seeing a lot in people this this thing
called anhedonia which is this I don't
feel pleasure in
anything because they burned out their
dopamine system right so you can start
building it back up again by doing
things like you know cold plunges you
know putting your putting your body in
this sort of stressful thing where you
know you can kind of
recirculate some of the the um the the
isness of life like the feeling life
even if it's uncomfortable so I think we
spend so much time avoiding discomfort
and in through distraction specifically
with social media is that we never
really get a chance to feel anything
anymore because we're always looking for
the next hit and after a while you burn
out that dopamine system and then you
won't feel motivation for anything and
then that's that's a dangerous place to
be in because um there's not a whole lot
of ways out of that other than
doing the exact opposite which is maybe
getting into some meditation going for
walks staying away from kind of like
that immediate gratification all the
time and just retraining that system to
build up you know the the sense of life
again because that's what I'm seeing
with so many people is that they don't
really have this joy in life I don't see
too many people that feel Joy in life
anymore so do you think that the only
solution to this is is similar to an
Elimination Diet where you completely
detox yourself from dopamine for a
period of time and then start to
reintroduce start to reintroduce it into
your life in a way that's healthy yeah
or you know just you know what do you
like what did you like when you were a
kid like did you like you know playing
Road hockey did you like riding your
bike like what is it that you like to do
when you were younger and you're
probably still like to do those things
now so start with things that you you
know that you liked in the past and
start reintroducing them you know start
going on a bike ride you know every
couple of days or whatever getting out
of that mold of being in the house being
separate from other people you know
connecting with other people I mean we
used to have you know 70s and 80 we used
to have clubs you know car clubs and and
clubs and people would join and and and
meet together and now because we're
so we have everything we we kind of
desire in a way in in on a computer
screen why would we go to the house you
know movie theaters aren't doing well
anymore like all these things that used
to get people out and and get them
feeling together and feeling connected
you know I always get reminded of those
um those starlings you know when you see
those thousands of Starlings and they're
all moving in One Direction it looks
like a big cloud you know there there is
this neural net that we believe forms
from bird to bird and they all move in
the same thing they're all sharing one
nervous system and I think on some level
too this is what happens with like
soccer hooliganism and you know and and
football games and basketball games when
crowds just go nuts is that there's this
wiring that occurs between human beings
that we can't explain but it's very
powerful and if we lose that if we lose
that connection with other people we
become depressed and you know what you
and I have talked about before is we
develop this us and them mentality where
we only feel good when we're making them
feel bad when we're insulting them and
this is what this is what social media
is doing this is why people will go on
and just insult somebody someone who
says like here's my flower arrangement
that did I did today and it's like why
do you use roses you know like you're an
idiot to use Ro like where where is this
coming from and it's coming from the
fact that that people feel separate from
other people and and it becomes
ultimately because you feel separate
from yourself and when you're SP from
yourself you're always looking for
something to make yourself feel better
and usually the first thing you look for
is like dopamine driven it's not you
don't sort of look like oh okay I'll
just go down and watch the sunset make
myself feel better that way it's like
I'll go on social media or I'll go do
something that kind of you know involves
a screen or involves a phone and and
eventually that kind of creates this
internal separateness within us that
just makes us really unhappy
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