Judson Brewer

Unwinding Anxiety

1. IDEA 1

   Anxiety can work like a habit

   Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, argues that anxiety often works like a habit loop. A trigger leads to worry, and the worry is briefly rewarded with a feeling of control, so the brain repeats it.

2. IDEA 2

   Habits have three parts

   Brewer explains that habits involve a trigger, a behaviour and a result. Understanding these parts helps people change habits. Brewer presents this as a simple way to see what keeps a habit going.

3. IDEA 3

   Map your habit loops

   Brewer suggests mapping your own habit loops by noticing what triggers anxiety, how you respond and what you get. Awareness is the first step. Brewer presents this as an exercise in careful noticing, not in judging oneself.

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