Why You Feel Anxious for No Reason

Why does getting the thing you wanted never make you as happy as you thought it would?This week it's just the two of us on the sofa, digging into one of the most useful ideas in neuroscience: novelty. Your brain is a survival machine caught between two drives — it craves safety and routine, but it's also wired to constantly seek out the new. Understand that tug-of-war and you start to see it everywhere: in your goals, your spending, your scrolling, and in why "I'll be happy when…" is such a trap.In this episode we get into:– The safety vs novelty battle running quietly in your brain– Why it's neurochemically impossible to be happy all the time– How the "what's next?" instinct stops you enjoying what you've already got– Happiness as a skill: gratitude, noticing & "glad" journalling– How social media hijacks your novelty-seeking circuits– Why comparison is the fastest route to feeling worseIf you're enjoying the show, the best thing you can do is subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.📩 [email protected]☕ ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast––––––––––––––––––––CHAPTERS00:00 – Cold open – happiness isn't a destination00:26 – Welcome back – clocks, gloom & winter01:33 – Your body clock – the suprachiasmatic nucleus01:54 – This week: the neuroscience of novelty02:30 – Safety vs novelty – the brain's balancing act03:37 – Why seeking newness kept us alive04:30 – "What's next?" – why we're never content05:33 – New trainers, new trousers & teenage status07:00 – A Spurs-sized tangent (sorry)09:33 – Why constantly chasing is damaging11:27 – Ambition vs appreciation12:40 – Your brain is not a happiness machine15:00 – Happiness is a skill – gratitude & journalling17:50 – Money, social media & comparisonitis21:20 – Catch the thought & wrap-up––––––––––––––––––––One Brain At A Time breaks down the neuroscience of being human — how your brain works, and how to work with it. Hosted by Adam Wright & Andy Feist.Brought to you by Action Your Potential — Building Better Humans Since 2018.

Ever feel like the people giving you advice have it all figured out? This week, we pull back the curtain – and we really don't.Adam and Andy drop the "experts" act and get honest about the actual habits they're each working on right now – the ones going well, and the ones they still wrestle with. No 4am ice baths, no productivity-maxing, no manosphere nonsense. Just two people applying the neuroscience to their own messy, real lives.Adam shares how he's taken back control of his phone (every single notification off), and the brutally specific way he schedules his running, gym and study around dark, cold mornings. Andy opens up about shifting his perspective out of low moods using a daily gratitude practice (GLADEN), and the simple, achievable exercise rule that works precisely because it isn't punishing. Running through all of it: the idea that this stuff is hard, that we don't always get it right, and that the only thing that matters is the progress you make – with a bit of grace – every single day.Don't put anyone on a pedestal. We're all just working on it.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcastChapters00:00 - Clip00:52 - Intro (ft. "are we AI?")02:40 - Why we practise what we preach (no pedestals)04:06 - We're not productivity-maxing (ft. Rob Beckett)07:07 - Adam's problem: managing your phone09:00 - The fix: turn off every single notification12:10 - Andy's two: shifting perspective & exercise12:47 - Gladden: the daily gratitude practice that rewires your bias17:00 - A simple, achievable exercise rule (and why strict fails)19:18 - Why noticing gets easier the more you do it21:30 - Adam's fix: scheduling runs, gym & study around a busy life23:30 - Plan it or it won't happen (ft. the Sunday routine sort)24:50 - It's about consistency & grace, not perfection25:57 - OutroThis podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Ever felt anxious for absolutely no reason you can put your finger on? There's a good chance your brain is doing something called rumination – and once you understand it, it loses a lot of its power.This week Adam and Andy get into the neuroscience of rumination: why your brain replays old experiences, and why it drags the feelings along with them.Adam opens up about something that happened to him this week – sitting with friends, pizza, a great evening, and yet gripped by anxiety he couldn't explain. The culprit? A TV show (The Traitors) he'd watched the same time last year, during a hard patch. We get into why memories aren't just facts – they're snapshots of experience that store the emotional response too – why the same thing happens with the change of seasons or the anniversary of losing someone, and the role dreams play in quietly "sanitising" our most difficult memories. Most importantly: why noticing it is the first step, why you should give yourself grace rather than fight it, and how to process it in a healthy way instead of bottling it up.You're not crazy, and you're not alone. Everyone's brain does this.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast---Chapters00:00 - Clip01:04 - Intro (ft. a year of the podcast & the day-oners)02:33 - What rumination actually is03:30 - Models, uncertainty & why your brain replays the past04:40 - Adam's story: anxious at pizza night (ft. The Traitors)05:20 - Memories are snapshots – they store the feeling too06:48 - Anniversaries, grief & why retired teachers still dread September09:44 - Why it's so hard to spot in the moment11:30 - Salience: why some memories hit harder13:40 - Rumination, dreams & crying at 4am15:43 - You're not crazy – and you're not alone16:38 - What to do: insight, grace & talking about it18:35 - Lean in, don't bottle up (maladaptive vs healthy coping)21:34 - Outro---This podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

What does it actually take to run 100K through the night — and how do you do it without destroying your body?This is Part 2 of our conversation with Joe Tinsley — Brighton running influencer, ultra-runner and all-round lovely human. (If you missed Part 1, go back and start there.) This week Joe drops an exclusive on his next challenge, and we get into the stuff nobody posts about: injuries, overtraining, and learning to actually listen to your body.In this episode we get into:– Joe's next race: a brutal winter Backyard Ultra (6.7K every hour, through the night)– Why a bit of boredom is good for you — and the multitasking myth– The real physical toll of ultra-running– Managing injuries: Achilles, hips, knees & the dreaded fat pad– What pain you can run through — and what means stop right now– Interoception: tuning into your body's signals– Why running belongs to everyone, gatekeeping be damnedHuge thanks to Joe for coming on — go give him a follow.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoerunsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe_tinsley_?xtok=YTZ5ZDlkMGQwdmxmIf you're enjoying the show, the best thing you can do is subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.📩 [email protected]☕ ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast––––––––––––––––––––CHAPTERS––––––––––––––––––––00:00 – Cold open – the real cause of running injuries00:55 – Welcome back to Part 201:23 – Boredom, mindfulness & the multitasking myth02:52 – Exclusive: Joe's next race (a winter Backyard Ultra)03:23 – What on earth is a Backyard Ultra?04:23 – Training for 100K+ weeks05:27 – The real physical toll of ultra-running08:14 – The messages that make it all worth it09:08 – Adam's comeback & the comparison trap10:47 – Managing injuries – Achilles, hips & knees13:13 – What pain you can (and can't) run through16:00 – Meet the fat pad & fatigue vs injury18:48 – Against gatekeeping – running for everyone21:28 – Proving it to yourself & goodbye to Joe––––––––––––––––––––One Brain At A Time breaks down the neuroscience of being human — how your brain works, and how to work with it. Hosted by Adam Wright & Andy Feist.Brought to you by Action Your Potential — Building Better Humans Since 2018.

What actually happens in your brain when you run for 16 hours straight?This week we're joined by the one and only Joe Tinsley — Brighton-based running influencer, full-time content creator, and the man who's racked up two 100Ks, a handful of ultras and back-to-back marathons this year alone (Berlin and the Manchester half in the same week… casually). Joe only started running two and a half years ago, after a mate bet him a pint he couldn't finish a half marathon with no training. He won the pint. The rest is history.It's such a good conversation we've split it into two — this is Part 1.In this episode we get into:– How a £3 pint turned into an ultramarathon habit– Why self-doubt never fully goes away (and why that's okay)– Flow state, and the two dopamine systems behind it– The pleasure–pain seesaw, and why the hard thing pays you back– How endurance rewires your sense of what "hard" even means– Executive function: the focus, attention & resilience running builds– BDNF, your brain's own fertiliser, and why movement makes you learn fasterPart 2 drops next Monday — subscribe so you don't miss it.If you're enjoying the show, the best thing you can do is subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.📩 [email protected]☕ ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcastCheck out Joe:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoerunsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe_tinsley_?xtok=YTZ5ZDlkMGQwdmxmCHAPTERS––––––––––––––––––––00:00 – Cold open – 16 hours on the Isle of Wight01:27 – Welcome ft. Joe Tinsley (& why it's a two-parter)02:56 – Meet Joe – two 100Ks, ultras & back-to-back marathons04:30 – How it started – the pint-bet half marathon06:07 – Self-doubt & proving it to yourself07:45 – Why the marathon is the victory lap, not the race10:30 – Flow state & your two dopamine systems12:12 – When flow doesn't come (intervals & the watch)14:32 – Most runs aren't fun – but you feel good after15:48 – How endurance rewires your sense of "hard"18:29 – Executive function – focus, attention & resilience19:29 – The pleasure–pain seesaw21:14 – Running without music & the power of presence23:05 – BDNF – your brain's own fertiliser24:45 – Wrap & part two next Monday––––––––––––––––––––One Brain At A Time breaks down the neuroscience of being human — how your brain works, and how to work with it. Hosted by Adam Wright & Andy Feist.Brought to you by Action Your Potential — Building More Insightful Brains Since 2018.

Gaming can be genuinely good for your brain – we said so last week. But there's a flip side, and it's worth talking about honestlyThis is part two of our conversation with game designer Pavel Tomasik (Mimesis Studios). If you haven't heard part one, start there – this won't make much sense without itWe get into the cynical side of the industry: how some games (loot boxes, "ultimate team", free-to-play mobile titles) are engineered like gambling to hook your reward system rather than to be fun, and why kids should never be near that. Pavel makes the case for intrinsic fun (Minecraft, Lego) over extrinsic reward-farming, and we land on the real takeaway: balance.Games are a brilliant, safe space – Adam shares how they got a shy teenager through school – but they can't replace real-world connection, physical activity, or the awe you only get from touching grass. Everything in moderation. Even art galleries.That's it for Pavel (for now). Find out more about Mimesis:https://mimesis-studios.comhttps://indie.mimesis-studios.comhttps://www.instagram.com/mimesis_studios/We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcastChapters00:00 - Clip00:34 - Recap & why we split this into two01:23 - The caveat: games are designed to be addictive04:45 - Why games are only interesting because of everything else07:50 - You don't get awe from a game (touch grass)08:11 - The cynical stuff: loot boxes, mobile & gambling10:04 - Intrinsic vs extrinsic: Minecraft, Lego & real fun12:00 - Everything in moderation (even art galleries)13:08 - Games as a safe space – and its limits16:32 - Adam's shy years & why you're not "just shy"18:30 - Balance: why overdoing it kills the joy20:41 - Meet Mimesis Studios & goodbye to PavelThis podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

We spend a lot of time telling kids to get off the Xbox and do their homework. But what if gaming is genuinely good for your brain?This week Adam and Andy are joined by Pavel Tomasik – game designer and co-founder of Mimesis Game Studios – for part one of a two-part deep dive into play, gaming, and why your brain needs it more than you think.We get into play as a genuine brain need (it's one of our 12 Rocks of Wellbeing), why games are a uniquely safe space to explore ideas, roles and consequences, and why the decades-old moral panic about "violent games" quietly ignores how creative, social and profound gaming can be.Pavel gets into what games can do that no film or novel can – handing you real agency rather than passive watching – and we celebrate the narrative games that genuinely move people (It Takes Two, Split Fiction). Plus Adam's confession about the game designer he almost became, and the real friendships that games built for both him and Andy.Find out more about Pavel & Mimesis:https://mimesis-studios.comhttps://indie.mimesis-studios.comhttps://www.instagram.com/mimesis_studios/It's a big one – so big we split it in two. Part two lands next Monday.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcastChapters00:00 - Clip00:19 - Intro & meet game designer Pavel Tomasik02:20 - Why your brain needs to play03:15 - Games as a safe space to explore07:00 - The moral panic about "violent games"11:03 - What games do that films and books can't15:40 - Narrative games worth your time18:20 - The real friendships games build22:17 - Gaming, escapism & genuine connection23:55 - Outro (part two next week!)This podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

You built the habit over summer. Now it's dark earlier and the whole thing's falling apart. That's not a willpower problem – it's completely normal, and there's a fix.This week Adam and Andy get into something we usually skip over: not building good habits, but keeping them alive when the seasons turn and your whole routine gets upended.We get into why adaptability matters more than rigid structure this time of year, the difference between your non-negotiables (the things you protect no matter what) and your negotiables (the things that can flex), and why the trick is being flexible about when you do something rather than whether you do it at all. We talk sleep as the one habit to guard above all, why one broken routine can topple the whole tower, the winter vitamin D dip that quietly drains your motivation, and the single easiest change that takes the pressure off: making your goals weekly instead of daily. (70,000 steps a week, not 10,000 a day.)It all comes down to one word: sustainability.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast---Chapters00:00 - Clip00:59 - Intro (ft. the equinox & slipping into the darkness)03:00 - Building habits is one thing – keeping them is another04:40 - The power of adaptability (the opposite of what we preach)06:04 - Summer freedom vs the return of structure07:31 - Give yourself grace: everyone's finding their feet09:00 - Why neuroscience shouldn't feel robotic10:11 - Sleep: the one rock of wellbeing to guard above all16:09 - Non-negotiables vs negotiables18:18 - Flexibility in WHEN, not whether19:00 - Andy's non-negotiables23:32 - Don't let one broken habit topple the whole tower28:40 - Winter, less sunlight & the vitamin D / dopamine dip31:38 - Sustainability & consistency are what actually matter34:31 - Outro (ft. Big Granola, please sponsor us)---This podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

"There's nothing physically wrong with you." It's one of the most frustrating things a person in chronic pain can be told – and the neuroscience of why is genuinely fascinating.This week Adam and Andy are joined by Maddie Gwynee Hughes – a neuroscientist about to start a master's at Imperial – who's been working in Norway on the PRIME study: research into why some people recover from pain while others develop chronic pain that never switches off.We get into what actually separates pain from chronic pain, why long-term pain rewires your whole nervous system, and how inflammation crosses the blood-brain barrier so that your body and brain are never really two separate things.Maddie breaks down the study itself – challenging people's immune systems, tracking inflammatory markers like IL-6 – and we get into the strangest part of all: because your brain is a prediction engine, it can keep generating very real pain even when the injury is long gone. Phantom limbs and all.It's a proper nerdy one – no cures, no snake oil, just a better understanding of your own body. And as ever, the real takeaway is insight: the better you understand your body and brain, the better placed you are to make the right calls for you.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast---Chapters00:00 - Clip01:05 - Intro & meet Maddie (neuroscientist & old uni friend)04:04 - The PRIME study: psychoneuroimmunology, explained05:11 - Pain vs chronic pain – what's the difference?07:16 - Inflammation, chronic pain & mental health11:59 - Body & brain are one thing ("it's all one big mush")13:34 - You are a big fleshy sack of senses17:23 - Andy's back injury & the power of interoception18:35 - The immune system & Andy's mum's story21:31 - Inside the study: challenging the blood (IL-6)23:52 - Your brain predicts pain – even when it's gone (phantom limb)27:37 - Ending on hope: your body is adaptable30:54 - The nuance: what pain is actually FOR33:14 - Why we must fund academia 35:00 - OutroThis podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Feeling a bit anxious now that September's here? There's a good chance it's got nothing to do with anything happening in your actual life – and everything to do with your brain.This week Adam and Andy get into the strange, near-universal dread that arrives with the end of summer – why the drop in temperature and the return of the rain can flood you with the exact stress you felt walking to school as a kid, even decades later.We get into the neuroscience of "models" and why your brain builds one for every situation, why the gap before a new model forms (cognitive dissonance) is felt as pure anxiety, and why the only way to close that gap is to do the uncomfortable thing and go through it. We talk about giving yourself grace – and extending it to everyone else who's just as frazzled – the small practical moves that lower the load (prep the night before, protect your bandwidth), and why understanding your brain never stops it doing its thing. Anyone who says otherwise is selling snake oil.Whether you're a student, a teacher, a parent at the school gate for the first time, or just someone who feels a bit off every autumn – this one's for you.We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: [email protected] us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast---Chapters00:00 - Clip00:41 - Intro & why September makes you anxious04:11 - Models & cognitive dissonance: the science of the dread06:04 - Andy's green-carpet-stairs story14:08 - Give yourself grace (and everyone else too)17:45 - Practical: prep the night before, save your bandwidth20:59 - Teachers & parents26:00 - It passes: homeostasis & doing it anyway---This podcast will change your life, if you let it.Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotentialOne Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.