In this episode, Dr. Twitchell dives into practical ways to manage your dopamine budget to help regulate emotions and combat anxiety. Building on last week's discussion about the dopamine system, Dr. Twitchell shares personal experiences of post-trip and post-accomplishment lows, illustrating how understanding and anticipating dopamine fluctuations can prevent these lows from having a lasting negative impact. She explains the importance of self-binding to prevent overspending your dopamine budget and describes how purposeful engagement in challenging activities can trigger beneficial dopamine responses. Dr. Twitchell also touches on how periods of abstinence can reset dopamine levels and improve overall pleasure sensitivity. As the holiday season approaches, listeners are guided to manage seasonal dopamine triggers and are given a preview of next week's topic on the emotion of awe. This episode is packed with actionable insights to help you maintain emotional balance year-round.


[00:00:00] - Introduction and Recap
[00:00:35] - Applying Dopamine Knowledge in Real Life
[00:01:34] - Managing Post-Trip and Post-Goal Depression
[00:10:46] - Self-Binding and Dopamine Management
[00:14:39] - Diet Changes and Dopamine
[00:19:52] - Embracing Pain for Pleasure
[00:21:49] - Christmas Season and Dopamine
[00:25:34] - Conclusion and Next Week's Topic


For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to:
www.calmyourcaveman.com