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Episode: 15

This Simple Mind Hack Will Help You Overcome Any Fear

a Solo Episode

Stop letting your fear make your life small.

If nerves or fear are holding you back from:

  • applying for that promotion,
  • asking someone on a date,
  • speaking up at a meeting,
  • or traveling around the world,

this brain hack will change your life.

You’ll learn the simple 4-step tool, based on research from UCLA, that you can apply to break through your fears the moment you learn it.

Start living your life the way that you want.

Listen on:

That, my friend, is how you use science to conquer your fears and create the life that you love.

Mel Robbins

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Key takeaways

  1. Your body’s reaction to fear is the same as to excitement; the only difference is the story your brain tells about what’s happening to you.

  2. When nerves hit, use a confidence anchor: a vivid, emotional image tied to the event, to reframe fear into genuine excitement and take back control.

  3. A confidence anchor works because it interrupts spiraling thoughts and replaces them with sensory-rich excitement you’ve pre-chosen in detail.

  4. Use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown to break a fear loop, then drop your confidence anchor before the cortisol spike hijacks your performance.

  5. Practice this tool on small fears—like walking into a new yoga studio—so you’re ready to use it on the big fears that have held you back.

Resources

    • For Closed Captions: Watch on YouTube and turn on “CC.” For instructions to turn on closed captions, click here.
    • Harvard Business School research from Alison Wood Brooks
    • Article about Dr. Wood Brooks' research from UC Berkeley
    • Stanford study: Anxiety reappraisal as a technique in schools
    • Study: effect of stress on prefrontal cortex
    • Dr. Judy Willis: Neurologist and neuroscientist who studies how the brain learns new information. See her articles and books here.

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