Neuroscience – FreeFitFuel

1) Emotions & regulation

Your brain has fast alarm systems (amygdala) and slower regulation systems (prefrontal cortex). Stress feels like the alarm shouting louder than the calm voice. You can train the calm voice.

Amygdala (alarm) and prefrontal cortex (regulation) — Label the feeling + use a longer exhale; this helps the “guide” part of your brain re-take the wheel.

Do now (60–90s): Breathe in 4, out 6. Whisper a label: “anxious”, “irritated”, “flat”. Label = less chaos.

2) Habits & loops

Habits run on a loop: cue → routine → reward. Don’t fight the loop; keep the cue and reward, swap the routine.

Habit loop — cue, routine, reward — Keep the reward, swap the routine. Same loop, kinder outcome.

Example: Afternoon slump (cue) → scrolling (routine) → stimulation (reward). Swap to a brisk 2-minute walk + water → same reward, less crash.

3) Memory & learning

Memories build over time. The hippocampus encodes new information; during sleep, memories are consolidated and distributed across the cortex. Emotion, meaning, and repetition make pathways easier to re-activate.

Hippocampus encodes, cortex stores — Encode with focus, stabilise with sleep, strengthen with spaced retrieval.

How to remember more

Spaced repetition

Review just as you’re about to forget: Day 1 → 3 → 7 → 14 → 30.

Retrieval > re-reading

Close notes and pull facts from memory — far stickier.

Interleaving

Mix topics to force discrimination and make it stick.

Dual coding

Pair words with sketches/diagrams for extra “hooks”.

Chunking

Group into 3–5 meaningful chunks instead of long lists.

Elaboration

Explain it in your own words (teach briefly) to cement it.

Use 15–20 minute bursts + 2–3 minute breaks.

4) Thought reframing

Reframing notices an unhelpful thought, checks evidence, and swaps it for a balanced alternative. It’s accuracy, not forced positivity.

Identify → Challenge → Re-word → Repeat. The replacement gets faster with practice.

“I’ll never finish.”
→ “One chunk at a time.”
Action: 3-minute starter.

“It must be perfect.”
→ “Done beats perfect.”
Action: ship a rough draft.

5) Affirmations

Affirmations aren’t magic words. They prime attention. Pair the phrase with a 60-second action to create proof and strengthen the circuit.

Affirmations prime attention and behaviour — Say it, then do a tiny action that makes it “true enough” today.

Make them work (4 rules)

Believable now: try “I’m learning to back myself.”
Present & specific: “I can take one step now.”
Pair with action: send one email, pour water, 2-min tidy.
Frequent & short: small honest repeats beat long scripts.

6) Neuroplasticity

“What fires together, wires together.” Repetition grows useful pathways and lets unused ones fade. Consistency beats intensity.

Growth and pruning of neural pathways — Small, repeatable reps build the path you want the brain to take.

7) Autonomic Nervous System: fight/flight & shutdown

The ANS regulates arousal. The sympathetic branch handles fight/flight. The parasympathetic handles rest/digest. Under overload we can drop into shutdown (freeze/collapse). Learning to steer state is a core skill.

Three-state ANS diagram: rest/digest, fight/flight, shutdown — Use breath, posture, light, and movement to nudge towards your window of tolerance.

Printables

Important Note

The information on this page is for general understanding and support. It is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or legal advice. If you feel unable to keep yourself safe or someone else is at risk, call 999 (UK) immediately. If you’re outside the UK, contact your local emergency number.