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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
On Purpose with Jay Shetty

The 3 Simplest Ways to Feel Better

September 25, 2026 • 33m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

In this episode, Jay Shetty distills wisdom from seven years of expert conversations into three fundamental habits that consistently improve how we feel: moving our bodies, protecting our attention, and investing in relationships. Rather than adding complexity, he argues that wellness comes from returning to timeless basics that have helped humans thrive for thousands of years. The episode challenges complexity bias and offers practical, science-backed insights on why these simple habits create immediate and lasting changes in our mental and physical well-being.

The Problem with Wellness Overwhelm

Jay opens by sharing his personal experience of feeling increasingly overwhelmed despite learning more about health and wellness. He identifies complexity bias—our tendency to believe complicated solutions must be more effective than simple ones—as a key reason we overlook fundamental habits. After reviewing years of expert interviews, he discovered that despite disagreements on many topics, three core habits consistently emerged as having outsized impact on how we feel day-to-day.

  • Despite access to more health information than any generation, many people wake up feeling exhausted, anxious, and disconnected
  • Complexity bias makes us assume elaborate routines are more effective than simple solutions
  • We spend so much time searching for the perfect routine that we overlook habits that have helped humans thrive for thousands of years
  • Three habits emerged from expert conversations that almost everyone agrees have outsized impact on how we feel
" We have more information about health than any generation before us, yet so many people still wake up feeling exhausted, anxious, disconnected, or simply not like themselves. "
" I feel our minds have convinced us that feeling better is far more complicated than it actually is. "

Movement: Exercise as Brain Medicine

The first fundamental habit is moving our bodies, but not for the reasons most people think. Jay explains that exercise's primary benefit isn't physical—it's neurological. Movement signals to our brain that we're alive and capable, releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and produces chemical messages throughout the body. He reframes exercise from punishment or calorie-burning to a daily signal our biology evolved to expect.

  • Exercise doesn't just change your body—the first thing it changes is your brain
  • From a biological perspective, movement signals to your brain and body 'we're alive, we're capable, we can handle today's challenges'
  • Exercise increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which neuroscientists describe as fertilizer for the brain
  • Muscles function almost like an endocrine organ, releasing chemical messages that communicate throughout your body
  • Confidence is built through evidence—every time you keep a promise to yourself, your brain collects proof of who you are
" Exercise doesn't just change your body. The first thing it changes is your brain. "
" Your muscles aren't simply machines that contract and relax. In fact, scientists now understand that muscles function almost like an endocrine organ. "
" The physical benefits matter, but so does the quiet confidence that comes from proving to yourself over and over again, I'm someone who follows through. "

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