Mindfulness And The Influence Of Dopamine

Mark introduces mindfulness as the topic and says he believes people who practice mindfulness are by nature self aware. He also suggests that most people are not self aware

Jim agrees and mentions the current mental health crisis

Jim reflects on his current state. He feels like he has a grey cloud over him

Loneliness is real

Mark talks about how divided we are. Mark says there are a lot of factors today, including Covid and the current wars going on

Mark shares how he responds to negative emotion

Jim brings up suicide - 55,000 per year - 80% are men

Mark brings up Jordan Petersons position on it being a mans world

Jim brings in dopamine - external and internal influences that impact our levels of dopamine. He cites a study that says men lose as much as 50% of their dopamine levels as they age

Jim brings up a few things that can help with  dopamine

Mark mentions George Mumford and Andrew Huberman as experts in this stuff

Both guys share some ideas that they know about and or use to stay mindful and raise dopamine. Mark shares his morning routine and expands on his Wim Hof breathing routine and his meditation routine

Jim mentions that he’s reading George Mumford’s latest book about his work with high performance athletes. He uses the term “second wind”

Mark brings up Wim Hof’s position that we are all capable of far more than we think

Jim shares more about Mumford’s book

Mark reminds us of the “you either get bitter or you can get better”. He says he sustains his good habits because he chooses things that he likes, don’t take much time and are simple

Jim tells his story about his latest patent approval process that made him feel better for a few days

Mark shares some dopamine “hacks” from and article Jim found - good versus bad dopamine

Mark shares his yoga experience - why he started and how it helps him

Mark goes back to the topic of loneliness. You can be lonely in the company of other people. He was very lonely during the last few years of his marriage

Jim brings up how boredom can do the same thing

Mark shares how a major reason people leave jobs is no longer learning new things

Mark feels like boredom makes him think lazy - If you’re bored just do something positive - move, walk, get some sun…

It’s helpful to consistently celebrate small wins

Developing a growth mindset - turn your failures into learning opportunities

Mark shares how helpful his current morning routine has beed to his happiness

He shares how important exercise has been for him

Mark ends with some encouragement about how many simple, free, quick tools are available if you just look

Jim ends with the importance of hydration and breathing

Mark shares his hydration protocol and ends by saying that all of this stuff is free, simple and easy to do