Unwinding Anxiety

January 11, 2021
In this helpful guide, psychiatrist Brewer (The Craving Mind) draws on research on addiction and bad habits to suggest ways to deal with anxiety. Citing the definition of addiction—“continued use despite adverse consequences”—Brewer argues that anxiety and addiction share similar patterns and can be addressed using similar principles: identifying a habit loop, then using mindfulness to change the way one’s brain values the behavior. “If you really pay careful and close attention,” Brewer writes, “...and you see that a behavior is not rewarding right now, I promise you that you will start to get less excited about doing it again.” Instead, one can give the brain a “bigger better offer”: to bring curiosity and mindfulness toward one’s actions. The writing is casual without being simplistic (“This is a pretty neat hack of your brain’s reward-based learning system”) and includes testimonials from patients and users of mindfulness apps developed by Brewer. These evidence-based, structured recommendations will be useful to anyone who feels caught in a negative loop.