How to Embrace Your Anxiety
According to a Neuroscientist
To fret is human. That’s according to recent estimates that suggest 90 percent of the population experiences anxiety. And because even mild anxiety can zap your confidence, squelch your sex drive, and isolate you from friends and loved ones, most people conclude that anxiety of any kind is a bad thing.
But not neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. In her new book, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, she argues that we should treat anxiety like a form of energy. “Think of it as a chemical reaction to an event or situation,” she writes. “Without trustworthy resources, training, and timing, that chemical reaction can get out of hand—but it can also be controlled and used for valuable good.”
Today on the Next Big Idea podcast, Wendy sits down with Lauren Miller Rogen. Lauren is a filmmaker and the co-founder, along with her husband, actor Seth Rogen, of the nonprofit Hilarity for Charity, which provides a range of free services to support families impacted by Alzheimer’s. Together they discuss the science-backed tools you can use to worry well. Listen to the full episode below, or read a few key highlights.
