
Running Man Self Regulation Skills Project
Understanding Stress, Anxiety, and Decision-Making: Unveiling Your Paleo-Caveperson Wiring
Explore the fascinating interplay of stress, anxiety, and pain on our ability to think, choose, and act in modern life through the lens of our paleo-caveperson wiring and survival programming.
Discover why we sometimes exhibit socially inappropriate behaviors under stress and find it challenging to make sound decisions in tense situations.
Gain insights from psychology, neuropsychology, physiology, sociology, biology, and social dynamics, explained in everyday language without overwhelming scientific jargon.
Tell me what you would like to hear on the podcast and your feedback is appreciated: runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com
Running Man Self Regulation Skills Project
Rewire Your Brain: Break Free from Stress, Anxiety, and the Default Mode Trap
Ep 106. Unlocking Conscious Awareness: How to Rewire Your Brain for Mindfulness, Focus, and Emotional Resilience
Did you know that your brain is often operating on autopilot, using what neuroscientists call the default mode network (DMN)? This state, where we function unconsciously through habits and routines, helps us become more efficient—but it can also trap us in cycles of stress, anxiety, and negative thinking when life gets challenging.
As we master tasks and improve our efficiency, our brains require less active effort—but here’s the catch: during stressful moments, the DMN becomes overactive, turning our thoughts inward in an unproductive and often self-critical way. This neurological pattern can cause us to misinterpret external stimuli as threats, feeding cycles of chronic stress and emotional burnout.
The result? Our minds predict negative outcomes, triggering feelings of learned helplessness, emotional fatigue, and even depression.
But there's a powerful tool that can shift this cycle instantly.
By practicing a simple peripheral vision awareness technique—a method grounded in neuroscience and mindfulness—you can interrupt these patterns. This technique trains your brain to be present, silences the “monkey mind,” and activates sensory awareness that can induce a phenomenon known as time dilation—making you feel as though time is expanding, giving you more space to breathe, think, and live.
This isn’t just self-help jargon—it’s a brain-based strategy for resilience, performance, and emotional clarity.
Step out of autopilot. Train your mind. Experience time differently.
Take care—and walk well.