How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times

The most helpful habits for calm have two things in common: they are not only analog, but also make our primitive brain happy.

two primary sources of modern anxiety: the “mindset of more” and our tendency to fall victim to superstimuli—highly processed, exaggerated versions of things we’re naturally wired to enjoy.

If you’re looking for inspiration to lower your stimulation height through the analog world, here are some substitutions I found helpful.

We typically feel guilty when we relax, but this feeling of guilt is often just what we label the discomfort we experience when we adjust to a new, lower level of mental stimulation.

love, financial freedom, and leisure time.

I view productivity as simply accomplishing what we set out to do—whether our intention is to clear all the emails from our inbox, decide between a few candidates to hire onto our team at work, or relax on a beach while drinking two piña coladas (one for each hand). In my eyes, when we set out to do something, and then do it, we’re perfectly produc

By using downtime to lower our height of stimulation, we reclaim calm. I would even go so far as to say that lowering our average stimulation height is the purpose of downtime.

We get used to what we enjoy, and abundance does not guarantee enjoyment.

“as a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals.”