Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke, MD#
My partner bought this book for me at Strand bookstore, almost by chance (lucky me, and I say that in a sincere tone) as we were recently discussing our habits. And dopamine is the culprint that reinforces habit formation, both good and bad ones.
I'd say it came into my life at the perfect time as I've been interested in breaking some undesirable habits and forming new ones such as reading.
What has the book done for me? I'd say it's given me a deeper awareness into pleasure or relief seeking behaviors and cruise-control-like tendencies both in myself and what I observe in others.
For instance, I'm staring at a small pouch of Trader Joe's Candy Coated Milk Chocolated Dipped Peanuts on my desk. Instead of mindlessly reaching for them, I am able to observe my tendency, without judgement, and think about it rather than just let it fire off on autopilot.
Anne shares an intriguing "framework" that I'd like to utilize more:
- Data
- Objectives
- Problems
- Abstinence
- Mindfulness
- Insight
- Next steps
- Experiment
I've since given my copy to a family member but I'd love to reference and recap some of the passages again, especially the section that dives into how your brain and body handle the pleasure and pain balance.
Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer, MD, PhD#
I picked up this book at McNally Jackson Books, in my neighborhood, so that'd I'd have reading material on a trip to and from San Francisco.
A few things give me anxiety:
- Health insurance selection during open enrollment
- Booking plane tickets
- Climbing performance
However, these exact examples are secondary to the main goal of broadly understanding my triggers, and being able to tackle them.
I'm currently halfway through this book, and felt compelled to pause and capture a few meaningful quotes that I've come across.
Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become actions. Watch your actions. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become your character. Watch your character. It becomes your destiny.
Queued up#
Mindset by Carol Dweck, PhD#
Judson Brewer references this book in Unwinding Anxiety, so I thought that I might as well check it out next.