Most high-functioning people already know exactly what sustainable health should look like.
They’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, taken the certifications. They can teach a boundary-setting workshop better than most clinicians.
And yet—they are exhausted.
Not because they lack discipline.
Not because they’re confused.
But because their nervous system is recalculating around one or two emotional “Do Not Enter” zones that formed years ago.
This episode walks through the mechanism Mark Carlson outlines in his essay Emotional Physics: The Hidden Setting Running Your Life—a simple, explainable loop that forces smart, capable people to take the long, scenic route through life even when the direct path is obvious.
You’ll hear:
Why your intellect is the GPS, not the driver
The three hidden emotional settings almost every high achiever runs on
How identity rules disguise fear-toggles (“I’m the reliable one”, “I’m the peacekeeper”, “I’m the always-learning professional”)
The body’s enforcement method—anticipatory guilt, dread, tightness, restlessness
Why avoidance is metabolically expensive
The exact sequence your system runs the moment you consider doing something aligned with your values
And a small five-step experiment that lets you update one hidden setting at a time
If you’ve ever wondered why knowing better doesn’t translate into living differently, this conversation will make the mechanism obvious.
This is not mindset work.
It’s not emotional catharsis.
It’s a mechanical constraint inside the nervous system—and once you see it, you can test it.
Sources & Links
Derived from Mark’s essay: Emotional Physics: The Hidden Setting Running Your Life.
More audio and essays at Mark’s Substack: HealthUnderControl.com
My practice (HUC in action): Unblocked.Health
