Living in Permanent Alert Mode

Why do so many people feel exhausted even when nothing obvious is wrong?

In this opening episode of Season 4 of Mind the Gap, Michael Comyn explores what it means to live in permanent alert mode, a state of constant urgency driven by 24-hour news cycles, notifications, and global uncertainty.

This episode looks at how the human nervous system reacts to modern life, why being informed is not the same as being emotionally overloaded, and how chronic low-grade stress quietly shapes our thinking, relationships, and leadership.

Drawing on emotional intelligence, psychology, and neuroscience, Michael reflects on why we feel wired but tired, why reactivity has become the norm, and how to pause between stimulus and response in a world that never switches off.

The episode references insights from Daniel Goleman on emotional reactivity, Viktor Frankl on choice and response, and Robert Kegan on our ability to live with uncertainty.

If you feel tense, overwhelmed, or permanently on edge, this episode offers reassurance, perspective, and practical ways to regain calm without disengaging from the world.

In this episode

• Why constant urgency exhausts the nervous system
• How news and notifications trigger stress responses
• The difference between being informed and being emotionally inflamed
• Why reactivity feels normal but costs us clarity
• A simple emotional intelligence pause practice
• Why calm is a form of discernment, not indifference

Mind the Gap is a podcast by Michael Comyn exploring emotional intelligence, psychology, and modern life with clarity, warmth, and practical insight.

New episodes are released regularly.