Why Anxiety is a Habit - and How Curiosity Helps Break the Loop with Dr. Jud Brewer

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer explains why anxiety is a habit and how curiosity breaks that habit loop. He explores the difference between the feeling of anxiety and the mental habit of worry, and why curiosity and self-compassion are essential for real change. Drawing from his clinical work and research on digital therapeutics and AI-supported therapy, Dr. Brewer shows how learning from setbacks—and building distress tolerance—helps us recognize progress, unwind shame, and create lasting transformation. Help us make the podcast better—share your input in a short survey:: ⁠⁠⁠oneyoufeed.net/survey. ⁠⁠⁠Thank You! Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways Exploration of mental health and the role of habits in anxiety management. Discussion of the parable of the two wolves and its relation to neuroscience and habit reinforcement. Examination of the science of habit formation and the limitations of traditional habit replacement strategies. Insights into digital therapeutics and the development of app-based mental health treatments. Analysis of the potential and challenges of AI in therapy, including ethical considerations. The importance of human connection in therapy and the unique value of human therapists. The role of curiosity in managing anxiety and the distinction between anxiety as a feeling and worrying as a behavior. The impact of self-criticism and shame on behavior change and the importance of self-compassion. Techniques for cultivating distress tolerance and the gradual process of emotional growth. Mindfulness practices, such as noting, to enhance awareness and reduce reactivity in challenging situations. For full show notes,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ Connect with the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Jud Brewer, check out these other episodes: How to Manage Your Hunger Habit with Dr. Jud Brewer Habits for Healing Anxiety with Dr. Jud Brewer By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aura Frames⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AuraFrames.com /FEED ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter – by using promo code FEED at checkout. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Uncommon Goods ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠has something for everyone – you’ll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won’t find anywhere else, and you’ll be supporting artists and small, independent businesses. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UNCOMMONGOODS.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Post your job for free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/oneyoufeed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I would say that one, we learn more from when things don't go well.
0:04.2	And two, if we are learning when things don't go well, is there ever such a thing as two
0:11.6	steps forward, one step backward?
0:13.4	Because if that step backward is learning, we're always learning.
0:16.9	And that's growth mindset.
0:27.5	Welcome to the one you feed.
0:32.2	Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have.
0:39.6	Quotes like garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us,
0:46.6	our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.
0:52.3	We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking.
0:55.5	Our actions matter.
0:57.0	It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.
1:01.8	This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:10.2	There's this painful place a lot of us know well. You're working hard to change something,
1:15.4	but your brain keeps insisting you're failing. You cut your drinking in half, but all you can
1:20.5	see are the nights you slipped. You have more calm days than anxious ones, but your attention
1:25.0	goes straight to the bad moments. It's like your inner scoreboard is rigged against you.
1:31.0	My guest today, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Judd Brewer,
1:35.0	has spent years studying how habits form in the brain
1:38.8	and why we get stuck in these loops of anxiety, worry, and shame.
1:44.0	His work shows that many of us are actually
1:46.3	learning and progressing long before we give ourselves any credit. We talk about why worrying
	...

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