Why don’t we choose the things we know are good for us? It’s usually because we’re struggling with self-regulation, one of the most important (and most misunderstood) skills out there. In today’s episode of the Being Well Podcast, Forrest talks with Eric Zimmer about what healthy self-regulation actually looks like, the gap between insight and action, how shame can derail us, and why most change comes down to small steps taken consistently. They discuss how to figure out what actually matters to you vs. what you want right now, the tension between acceptance and change, and how to get back on track after a slip without making it worse.
About our Guest: Eric Zimmer is the creator of The One You Feed, an award-winning podcast with over 50 million downloads. He’s also the author of the new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life.
Key Topics
- 0:00: Intro: Why is self-regulation so important?
- 4:32: Moving from insight to action
- 8:14: Values versus desires
- 14:25: Eric’s sobriety journey
- 20:57: Changing our relationship to shame
- 26:29: [Sponsor] Sleep Reset
- 32:05: When to accept things as they are, and when to move from acceptance to change
- 38:17: Choosing the more useful meaning
- 42:51: How to get over self-doubt
- 46:41: Having a backup plan for when things go sideways
- 53:54: Balancing striving with non-craving
- 1:06:16: Recap
Forrest is now writing on Substack, check out his work there.
