If New Year’s resolutions leave you inspired one day and flattened the next, it’s not a willpower problem – it’s a nervous system problem. In this episode, Sabina shares three tiny, science-backed “micromoment” resets that help your brain feel safe enough to begin, plus a menu of quick interventions for common January traps like overthinking, doomscrolling, self-doubt, catastrophising, comparison, over-planning, worry and procrastination
In this episode, you’ll learn
- Why big resolutions can trigger your threat system, even when you want change
- How micromoments build safety and agency, which is how the brain rewires
- A fast sensory reset for spiralling thoughts, plus a 10-minute action that restores control
- A two-minute “toe dip” that breaks procrastination without shame
- A “threat to choice” switch for doomscrolling and catastrophising
Key takeaways
- Your brain is a prediction machine – it prefers the status quo because it’s easier to predict and therefore feels safer.
- When change equals discomfort, uncertainty or not being instantly good at something, the threat system can hijack behaviour into avoidance, scrolling or over-planning.
- The antidote isn’t more pressure – it’s small, repeatable experiences that teach your nervous system: “This is safe. This is enough. I can do the next step.”
The 3 tools (quick reference)
- Tool 1 – The 3–3–3 reset + 10-minute agency
- Name 3 things you can see, 3 you can hear, 3 you can feel against your skin
- Then do one thing you can influence in the next 10 minutes (single-task timer)
- Finish with: “I didn’t solve everything, but I did choose and complete one thing.”
- Tool 2 – The two-minute toe dip (procrastination reset)
- Set a timer for 2 minutes
- Do only the first step (open the doc, write one line, open the bill, clear one corner)
- Stop with permission – the win is starting, not finishing
- Tool 3 – The threat to choice switch (doomscrolling + catastrophising)
- Choose a daily cue (kettle, getting into bed, sitting on the loo, waking up)
- Name it: “I’m checking for threat.”
- Flip the action for 2 minutes (stretch, step outside, drink water, slow breaths)
- For catastrophising: Worst case → most realistic → best case (restore range)
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