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The Dr. Leaf ShowSimple, science-backed strategies to help you take control of your thoughts and live your happiest life Author: Dr. Caroline Leaf
Hi! Im Dr. Caroline Leaf. Im a cognitive neuroscientist, author, & mental health expert. Whether you are struggling in your personal life or simply want to learn how to understand and use your mind to live your best life, this podcast will provide you with practical & scientific tips and tools to help you take back control over your mental, emotional, and physical health. Visit: https://drleaf.com*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your personal physician if you have any personal medical questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Mental Health Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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High-Functioning Anxiety Isn’t Who You Are. Here’s the Truth
Thursday, 4 June, 2026
High-functioning anxiety isn't a personality type. It's a stress response that's gone unchecked. You look calm. You hit your deadlines. You say "I'm fine." But inside, your body is paying a tax that's quietly editing your gene expression while everyone applauds your output. In this episode of The Dr. Leaf Show, Dr. Caroline Leaf breaks down what high-functioning anxiety actually is, what your non-conscious mind has been trying to tell you, and a 4-step framework to start listening. Plus: why your dog's separation anxiety mirrors your own anticipatory anxiety, and a Pick My Brain segment where Dr. Leaf answers your hardest questions about death, grief, and death anxiety. What you'll learn: - Why high-functioning anxiety is built on the "I'm fine" response — and how 40+ years of repressive coping research shows what it does to your heart rate, gene expression, and immune system - The 4 signals your non-conscious mind is sending: emotional, behavioral, body, and perspective — and how to translate each one - The 4-step framework for listening to your non-conscious mind instead of overriding it - Why your dog's pre-departure panic, the suitcase meltdown, the excessive licking — all mirror the same FAS (Fear, Anxiety, Stress) response humans experience - Pattern disruption techniques that rewire your dog's anticipatory anxiety in 6-9 weeks - The neuroscience of grief: why feeling nothing after a death is protective, not broken - Why anticipatory grief makes you grieve twice — and what's happening in the nucleus accumbens during prolonged grief - What near-death experience research suggests about pain at the moment of death Resources: Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.com Neurocycle Certification: https://drleaf.com (training opens September) 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Neurocycle App: https://theswitch.app Subscribe so you don't miss the next one — new episodes every Wednesday. Sponsors helping make this show possible: • Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/leaf • OSEA: Get a spring-worthy glow with clean, clinically tested skincare from OSEA. And right now we have a special discount just for our listeners. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code LEAF at OSEAMalibu.com • Air Doctor: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code DRLEAF to get UP TO $300 off today! • Veracity Health: So make the switch to GLP-1s the natural way. Head to VeracityHealth.co and use code DRLEAF for up to 60% off your order. • BetterHelp: Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/drleaf. • HelloFresh: Go to HelloFresh.com/drleaf10fm to get 10 free meals plus a FREE Zwilling Knife — a $144.99 value — on your third box. Offer valid while supplies last. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. Which segment hit hardest for you — high-functioning anxiety, dog anxiety, or the death and grief Q&A? Tell me in the comments.
