Can you medicate anxiety away?
In this episode, we take a balanced, research-informed look at the role of chemical manipulation in anxiety — including prescription medications, alcohol, cannabis, beta blockers, and emerging treatments. This isn’t about telling you what to use or not use. It’s about helping you understand how these tools interact with your brain so you can make informed decisions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why medications can sometimes help, but don’t replace deeper work
• The risks of short-term relief vs. long-term consequences
• What to understand about:
  • Prescription anti-anxiety medications
  • Cannabis (including tolerance, withdrawal, and dopamine effects)
  • Alcohol and “hangxiety”
  • Emerging treatments like the so-called “anxiety vaccine”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:57 – Intro: drugs & anxiety
02:39 – How chemicals can change your emotions
04:11 – Short-term relief vs. long-term cost
07:12 – Prescription medications
09:03 – Cannabis: risks & addiction
13:14 – Alcohol & “hangxiety”
16:05 – “Anxiety vaccine” explained
17:48 – Why anxiety isn’t a disease
18:58 – Final takeaway: Don’t skip the deeper work; Be aware of long-term effects

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/drugs-and-anxiety

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Avoiding social situations can feel like relief…but over time, it can actually make anxiety worse.
Your brain is constantly asking one question in social situations: “Do I have what it takes to handle this?” If the answer feels like “no,” you go into a threat response—anxiety, self-doubt, overthinking, exhaustion. But if you can shift how your brain sees the situation…everything changes.

In this episode, I share 3 ways to do that:
• Look for connections
• Reduce the unknown
• Accept yourself kindly

These small shifts can move you from avoid → approach.

⏱️ Timestamps

01:13 – Why humans need social connection (even introverts)
03:15 – The “glasses” metaphor: how perception shapes social stress
05:03 – What a threat response looks like in social situations
07:02 – What a challenge response looks like in social situations
10:17 – Strategy #1: Look for connections
14:33 – Strategy #2: Reduce the unknown
18:33 – Strategy #3: Accept yourself kindly
21:49 – Final thoughts: experimenting with your “glasses”

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/3-ways-to-feel-less-anxious-around-people

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Do you feel anxious or “not good enough” when you compare yourself to other people? In this episode, I break down what research shows about how happy people relate to social comparison—and how you can shift from feeling threatened… to actually growing from it. I also share personal stories of when I felt completely outmatched, and the mental shifts that helped me move through it. If comparison has been fueling your anxiety, this episode will give you a different way to approach it.

What you’ll learn:
• How to stop using others as your standard
• How to turn comparison into growth
• How to protect yourself from social media comparison

⏱️ Timestamps

00:43 – Happy people and social comparison
04:30 – Real story: How to focus on your own standard
10:38 – Real story: How to stop feeling threatened by others
13:03 – How to protect your mental health on social media
15:44 – Share your story / request an episode topic

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/the-comparison-trap-how-to-stop-feeling-behind

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Do you ever solve one problem…only to immediately start worrying about the next? That’s the anxiety treadmill. Your brain moves on so fast from what’s okay that you never really get to feel it. So it feels like you’re always chasing relief— but never actually arriving. The good news?
You don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle. In this episode, I break down why your brain does this—and how to start stepping off the anxiety treadmill so you can actually experience the good in your life.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:54 – Introduction: the anxiety treadmill
02:53 – Why happiness fades (lottery study)
05:27 – How to change this pattern: active vs passive attention
07:34 – Strategy 1: gratitude and awareness of good things
09:35 – Strategy 2: seeing good things as dynamic
12:08 – Strategy 3: investing in good things with goals
13:45 – Why effort changes your emotional experience
15:03 – Personal transformation and final takeaway

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-escape-the-anxiety-treadmill

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Feeling better might be closer—and simpler—than you think. In this episode, we explore new research on acts of kindness and why doing something for others can reduce anxiety and increase your sense of connection more than:
• Planning social activities
• Journaling your thoughts and feelings
• Even relaxing or self-indulging
But there’s a catch—kindness only works when you approach it the right way. We’ll also talk about how to avoid burnout so this powerful strategy actually supports your mental health instead of draining it.
Less anxiety. More connection. A simple place to start.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:38 – Which strategy works best for anxiety, depression and stress?
03:56 – Kindness vs socializing for social connection
08:39 – Kindness vs journaling for anxiety and depression
10:06 – Kindness vs self-indulgence for stress
12:28 – What these studies mean (and don’t mean)
13:47 – How to practice acts of kindness effectively

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/kindness-and-anxiety-more-connected-than-you-think

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What do happy people do differently—especially when they feel stressed or anxious?
Most of us assume that reducing anxiety means changing our circumstances. But research shows that our thought patterns and daily mental habits have a far greater impact on our emotional well-being.
In this episode, you’ll learn a simple, research-backed question that can help you:
• Break free from anxious thought loops
• Reduce stress and emotional overwhelm
• Gain clearer perspective on what truly matters
• Build habits that support greater happiness and lower anxiety
This isn’t about eliminating stress altogether—it’s about learning to respond to it the way happy, resilient people do.

⏱️ Timestamps

01:04 – Introduction: A simple question to shift out of anxiety
04:04 –When the answer is “no”: the power of “bittersweet” awareness
07:16 – Clarifying what matters most
09:29 – When the answer is “yes”: what happy people do differently
10:30 – Final takeaway: why mindset matters more than circumstances

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/the-question-that-reduces-anxiety

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Your brain is constantly predicting the future. And what does it use to make those predictions? Your memories. Join me as we explore the fascinating science behind how memory shapes anxiety—and a simple practice you can use to help retrain your brain’s predictions.

Discover how:

• The same brain systems used for memory are also used to imagine the future.
• Recalling positive memories can lower stress hormones and reduce negative emotions.
• Reflecting on the meaning of those memories strengthens emotional resilience.
• Even painful experiences can improve future predictions through “redemptive reflection.”

When you reframe the past, you can reduce anxiety about the future.

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/reframe-your-past-rewire-your-anxiety

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If you’re trying to reduce anxiety, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the advice out there. After more than 80 episodes of Calm Your Caveman, I wanted to answer a simple question: Where should you start?

If I had to pick the most powerful foundations for anxiety management, these would be my six pillars: three physical habits that strengthen your brain and body, and three mental habits that shape how your mind responds to stress.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:38 - Where should you start with anxiety management?
02:18 - Why physical habits optimize your stress response
03:50 - Pillar #1: Exercise and brain chemistry
05:21 - Pillar #2: Going outside in the sun
06:51 - Pillar #3: Sleep and anxiety regulation
07:14 - Mental pillars of anxiety management
07:45 - Pillar #4: Manage your dopamine budget
12:04 - Pillar #5: Meditation/prayer
14:15 - Pillar #6: Meaning/purpose
16:09 - Summary and how to start building the 6 pillars

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/the-6-pillars-of-anxiety-mastery

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