In this episode, Dr. Twitchell discusses the important strategy of approaching anxiety instead of avoiding it. Highlighting insights from the book 'The Upside of Your Dark Side,' Dr. Twitchell explains how modern comfort has increased our sensitivity to discomfort, and how avoidance can amplify anxiety. She proposes a three-step strategy to approach anxiety: 1) Finding a long-term purpose that prioritizes enduring values over short-term comfort, 2) Articulating emotions in detail to defuse them, and 3) Gradually exposing oneself to anxiety triggers to make them familiar and reduce their impact. Dr. Twitchell emphasizes that managing anxiety effectively requires intentional approaching rather than avoidance.


[00:00:00] - Introduction and Overview
[00:00:53] - The Paradox of Comfort and Anxiety
[00:02:05] - The Importance of Approaching Anxiety
[00:05:10] - Steps to Approach Anxiety: Finding Your Why
[00:12:28] - Steps to Approach Anxiety: Describing Your Emotions
[00:18:36] - Steps to Approach Anxiety: Exposure and Familiarity
[00:23:58] - Conclusion and Summary


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

In this episode, Dr. Twitchell discusses the intricacies of goal setting and its relationship with anxiety. Drawing upon Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory, Dr. Twitchell explores how creating the right types of goals can help achieve a state of inner harmony and reduce anxiety. She emphasizes the importance of goals that enhance autonomy and create inner order, distinguishing between genetic and cultural programming versus conscious goal setting. Dr. Twitchell also shares personal anecdotes and strategies to balance goal demands with available resources, ensuring they are neither too hard nor too easy, thus facilitating a flow state. Practical advice on adjusting goals to fit within one's resources and focusing on process-oriented goals is provided to help listeners cultivate a satisfying and harmonious relationship with their goals.


[00:00:00] - Introduction and New Year Greetings
[00:00:36] - Understanding Anxiety and Goals
[00:01:23] - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Theory
[00:02:51] - The Importance of Autonomy in Goal Setting
[00:05:25] - Genetic Programming and Autonomy
[00:09:31] - Cultural Influence on Goals
[00:14:12] - Creating Goals that Reduce Anxiety
[00:18:43] - Personal Experiences and Practical Tips
[00:25:16] - Conclusion and Final Thoughts


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

Join Dr. Twitchell in this New Year's episode as she discusses the importance of optimism and a challenge mindset in predicting and coping with future stressors. Dr. Twitchell explains how our appraisals and predictions shape our emotional and physiological responses, as well as our ability to solve problems and collaborate with others. Learn about the differences between threat and challenge mindsets, and practical ways to cultivate a more optimistic outlook for the coming year.

00:00 Introduction and New Year's Greetings
00:42 Predicting the Future and Its Impact
01:43 The Role of Emotions in Future Predictions
05:17 Challenge vs. Threat Mindsets
06:38 Three Insights on How the Challenge Mindset Helps Us Find Solutions to Problems
13:14 Cultivating a Challenge Mindset
18:13 Conclusion and New Year's Challenge


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

Join Dr. Twitchell in this special Christmas episode of 'Calm Your Caveman' to explore the profound impact of awe on our mental and physical well-being. Learn about Professor Dacher Keltner's insights on the psychological need for awe, its various benefits such as reduced anxiety and depression, and its ability to expand our circle of care. Discover eight pathways to experience awe daily, including moral beauty, collective movement, nature, music, and more. Dr. Twitchell also shares her personal 'daily awe hygiene' practice and explains how cultivating awe can enrich our lives year-round.

00:00 Welcome to Calm Your Caveman: Christmas Special
00:57 The Power of Awe: Benefits and Impact
02:00 Understanding Awe: Definitions and Differences
03:25 The Positive Effects of Awe on Mind and Body
05:06 How to Seek Awe in Daily Life
06:55 Personal Awe Practices: My Daily Routine
10:05 The Unique Nature of Awe: Beyond Pleasure
11:00 Final Thoughts and Christmas Wishes

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

In this episode, Dr. Twitchell dives into practical ways to manage your dopamine budget to help regulate emotions and combat anxiety. Building on last week's discussion about the dopamine system, Dr. Twitchell shares personal experiences of post-trip and post-accomplishment lows, illustrating how understanding and anticipating dopamine fluctuations can prevent these lows from having a lasting negative impact. She explains the importance of self-binding to prevent overspending your dopamine budget and describes how purposeful engagement in challenging activities can trigger beneficial dopamine responses. Dr. Twitchell also touches on how periods of abstinence can reset dopamine levels and improve overall pleasure sensitivity. As the holiday season approaches, listeners are guided to manage seasonal dopamine triggers and are given a preview of next week's topic on the emotion of awe. This episode is packed with actionable insights to help you maintain emotional balance year-round.


[00:00:00] - Introduction and Recap
[00:00:35] - Applying Dopamine Knowledge in Real Life
[00:01:34] - Managing Post-Trip and Post-Goal Depression
[00:10:46] - Self-Binding and Dopamine Management
[00:14:39] - Diet Changes and Dopamine
[00:19:52] - Embracing Pain for Pleasure
[00:21:49] - Christmas Season and Dopamine
[00:25:34] - Conclusion and Next Week's Topic


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

In this episode of Calm Your Caveman, Dr. Twitchell delves into the crucial topic of managing your dopamine budget for effective anxiety management. Drawing on insights from three experts—psychiatrists Daniel Z. Lieberman and Dr. Anna Lemke, and neurobiologist Andrew Huberman—Dr. Twitchell explores the role of dopamine in pleasure, motivation, and anxiety. The episode highlights how our modern environment overstimulates the dopamine system, leading to anxiety and addiction, and offers strategies for managing dopamine levels through conscious regulation and moderation.


[00:00:00] - Introduction to Dopamine and Anxiety
[00:01:34] - Understanding Dopamine's Role
[00:03:26] - Evolutionary Perspective on Dopamine
[00:05:33] - Modern Challenges with Dopamine
[00:06:45] - The Concept of Dopamine Budget
[00:14:33] - Pain and Pleasure Balance
[00:20:54] - Addiction and Its Impact
[00:32:58] - Seeking Help and Treatment
[00:35:41] - Conclusion and Further Reading


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com

In this episode, the focus is on understanding and managing body image anxiety. The discussion delves into common misconceptions and ineffective methods for addressing body anxiety, such as cosmetic surgery and weight loss. The episode emphasizes the importance of changing our mental relationship with body image rather than altering physical appearance. Dr. Twitchell shares personal experiences and effective strategies, including mindfulness, reappraisal techniques, and finding a sense of purpose beyond physical appearance.


[00:00:00] - Introduction: Overview of the topic and personal experience with body image anxiety.
[00:01:30] - Ineffectiveness of Cosmetic Surgery: Research findings on why cosmetic surgery does not alleviate body image anxiety and may worsen mental health symptoms.
[00:04:30] - The Psychological Impact of Weight Loss: Discussion of a study showing that weight loss does not provide psychological benefits and can lead to increased depression and anxiety.
[00:06:00] - The Importance of Mental Appraisal: Explanation of how our mental interpretation of situations, rather than the situations themselves, determines emotional experiences.
[00:07:30] - The Role of Evolutionary Psychology: Insights into how evolutionary instincts around social hierarchy and survival influence body image concerns.
[00:09:00] - Mindfulness and Body Image: Using mindfulness to detach from body anxiety and observe emotions non-judgmentally.
[00:12:00] - Understanding Survival Instincts: Exploration of how body anxiety relates to ancient survival instincts and the need for social acceptance.
[00:15:00] - Finding a Greater Purpose: Techniques to shift focus from physical appearance to more enduring and meaningful life goals.
[00:18:00] - Visualizing Your Future Self: Questions and exercises to help prioritize long-term values over immediate body image concerns.
[00:21:00] - Connecting with Ancestry: Dr. Twitchell shares a personal practice of appreciating ancestral traits and the inherited aspects of her body.
[00:24:00] - Reappraisal and Cognitive Strategies: Emphasis on the need for consistent practice of cognitive strategies to reshape the perception of body image.


For full show notes including resources mentioned go to: www.calmyourcaveman.com

In this episode, we delve into the profound effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety and explore practical ways to incorporate it into your daily life. Dr. Twitchell discusses the scientific backing of mindfulness and its benefits, emphasizing the importance of practice for achieving mastery. Discover how starting with tiny, manageable habits can make mindfulness a natural part of your routine, helping you stay present and calm amidst the chaos of modern life.

Learn the key differences between mindfulness meditation and other forms of meditation, and how it specifically helps in redirecting attention and reappraising situations to manage anxiety. This episode is packed with practical advice and encouragement for anyone looking to start or deepen their mindfulness practice.


[00:01:13] - Difference between mindfulness and transcendental meditation
[00:04:20] - Mindfulness as an attention and reappraisal strategy.
[00:05:00] - Practicing non-judgmental observation of thoughts and emotions.
[00:07:00] - Defusing from emotions: You are the sky, not the cloud.
[00:09:52] - Scientific studies on mindfulness meditation and anxiety.
[00:11:28] - Variability in study results and the importance of practice.
[00:12:00] - Cognitive load and practicing mindfulness to make it automatic.
[00:13:00] - Comparisons to learning a new skill and the need for consistent practice.
[00:14:31] - Practical tips for incorporating mindfulness into daily life.
[00:18:31] - Semi-formal and informal ways to practice mindfulness.
[00:21:48] - Handling unpleasant sensations and emotional pain with mindfulness.
[00:29:00] - Tips for starting with a tiny, approachable habit for mindfulness


For full show notes including resources mentioned go to: www.calmyourcaveman.com