Practical Tools for a Less Anxious Life - Donald Robertson - #1050
Modern Wisdom
01/24/26
•113m
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Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, an author and an expert on ancient philosophy.
Why are we so anxious in the safest time in human history? Our brains evolved for real danger, predators, hunger, survival, not notifications and deadlines. So what are the modern tools for calming our primitive nervous system in a modern world? And is the answer something our ancestors already knew?
Expect to learn what Donald wishes more people knew about anxiety, how it works and what causes it, how CBT might be the best therapy to combat chronic anxiety, what the main problem with the major psychoanalytic theorists is, why CBT is just a modern extension of Stoicism, why modern American culture has become extraordinarily passive aggressive, how people can keep their life in alignment with their values and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) How Anxiety Actually Works (15:40) Is Self-Help Actually Helpful? (25:55) Why Avoidance Makes Anxiety Worse (39:22) Useful Skills to Tackle Your Anxiety (48:47) Top Down vs Bottom Up: What’s the Best Approach? (01:03:08) Were the Stoics the Original Psychotherapists? (01:11:14) Why People Fear Exposure Therapy (01:26:42) Should We Prioritise Targeting Anger? (01:41:01) Why Donald Quit Psychodynamic Therapy (01:52:24) Where to Find Donald
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#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberm
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Previous Episode
A Masterclass in Improving Your HRV - Dr Jay Wiles - #1049
January 22
•130m
Dr Jay Wiles is https://ohm.health's Chief Health & Performance Officer and HRV researcher.
HRV is the new health flex, but is it lying to you? Everyone’s comparing HRV scores, but what does HRV really mean for your health? How do you raise it, and should you actually care if yours is lower than your friends'?
Expect to learn what HRV actually measures and what it doesn’t, why everyone suddenly cares about HRV, how fast the vagal system responds to changes in HRV and how it adapts, why resonance breathing is different than slow breathing, what to improve first when optimizing HRV, the big picture takeaway you should look out for, for HRV and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Why Should We Be Looking at HRV? (14:54) Why Everyone’s HRV is Different (19:56) Do Men and Women Have Different HRV? (28:44) State vs Trait: Understanding Nervous System Change (38:14) How Fast Your Nervous System Really Reacts (44:16) Can You Train Your Nervous System to Adapt Over Time? (53:08) Does Resonance Breathing Actually Work? (01:10:24) How Ohm is Rethinking Breathwork (01:19:31) Does Feeling Calm Mean You’re Regulated? (01:24:41) How to Reduce Physiological Stress (01:41:06) The Top Signs Your Resonance Breathing is Working (01:47:15) The Best Ways to Improve Your HRV (01:51:27) How Breath Connects the Mind and Nervous System (01:56:03) Why Sleep is the Most Important Factor (02:04:32) Is There a Limit to Improving HRV? (02:08:12) Where to Find Jay
Sponsors:
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Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Next Episode
The Personal Pain of Country Music - HARDY - #1051
January 26
•63m
HARDY is a singer-songwriter and producer.
Odds are, your favorite country song wasn’t written by the person singing it; it was probably written by HARDY (or someone in his writing circle, maybe). So how did a Mississippi country boy become one of Nashville’s most powerful behind-the-scenes writers and producers?
Expect to learn what HARDY’s philosophy for his career and life is, what most people do not understand about how the Nashville scene works, how to balance the unique tension between being a songwriter and an artist, the story of the bus crash that almost killed HARDY, how to use vulnerability and turn it into a strength and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) The Trait That Takes You Further Than Talent (8:37) Inside Nashville’s Songwriting Machine (12:57) Behind the Scenes of HARDY’s Creative Process (19:39) The Pain Behind Country Music (30:45) The Crash That Changed HARDY’s Life (41:54) Why Trauma Takes Time to Process (49:56) Why Vulnerability Isn’t a Weakness (01:01:57) What’s Next For HARDY?
Sponsors:
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Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberm
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Get In Touch:
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