The Life Of Bryony - The Life of You – Everyday Habits for Slow, Steady Dopamine with Catherine Gray

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

After our main chat about addiction and the difference between fast, spiky dopamine and the slower, steadier kind, Catherine returns to share the three things that genuinely keep her grounded.​ We dig into what “slow dopamine” actually feels like in real life – the kind of calm, long-lasting reward you don’t regret the next morning – and Catherine talks me through the simple daily habits that help her get there. We cover movement, mindset and even what you put on your body, and why all of it matters if you’re trying not to be at the mercy of your moods.​ If your brain tends to wake up shouting “the end is nigh” and you’re craving more ease, this conversation is for you.​BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODECatherine’s new book, Little Addictions, is available to buy from the 29th January 2026.WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOUGot something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xxCREDITS:Host: Bryony GordonGuest: Catherine GrayProducer: Laura Elwood-CraigAssistant Producer: Tippi WillardStudio Manager: Sam ChisholmEditor: Luke ShelleyExec Producer: Jamie East  A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, gorgeous ones, and welcome to the bonus edition of The Life of Briney. Today, Catherine Gray is lifting the lid on her life's absolute essentials, the handful of things she relies on to keep her nervous system calm, her little addictions in check, and her joy levels top to up. Stay tuned, because by the end of this episode, you might just be rethinking your own daily rituals and swapping them for some of Catherine's gloriously gentle, genuinely achievable alternatives. Every night I write in my gratitude journal about what I love about the day and what I could have potentially done better. It empties out my head the fact that I've done like a review of the day and brought myself into the positive. I couldn't do life without doing that.

My chat with Catherine coming up right after this. Today, on The Life of You, our last episode, we spoke a lot about the need to shift into slow dopamine. And today, Catherine, you're going to give me the three things that help you release slow dopamine. Yeah. What's number one? Okay, so number one, we have exercise. Okay, so talk to me about what kind of exercise you like. I love running, yoga, cycling, swimming, weightlifting.

That sounds like a lot of exercise, Catherine. I've only just started weightlifting, but I'm going to claim it because I've been doing it for a month. Okay. So are you doing Olympic weightlifting? No. I'm lifting like four kilo weights, right? So like little dumbbells? Yeah, little tiny, I mean, I'm a starter and, you know, little kettlebells like swinging them around.

Yeah. Yeah, there's nothing professional about it. But basically, so with weight, any sort of weightlifting in particular and running, cardio, things like that, they release dopamine over a really long period of time, which, is why do you find that when you do something in the morning, like anything physical, it can be anything, your mood is better throughout the day. That's because of that. It releases it over the course of the day.

You just feel better. And endorphins and all that other good stuff. It's just, it's not just about the dopamine. That's so fascinating because I always exercise in the morning. Like it has to be the first thing I do. I think I've spoken about this before, but it has to be the first thing I do or I can't do it. Yeah, like it's done. Well, that's the ideal time to do it because then you're reaping the

roars for the rest of the day. And I find that if I wake up and I'm like a four in terms of mood, it has the power to take me to an eight. And actually when I was getting sober 12 years ago and I was saying to people, I'm using running as like a recovery tool. People were baffled. People weren't talking about it then. But now we know that it really helps.

In any sort of recovery or mood management, it really helps. and you know you have people like Dr. Analamka saying exercise is better than any pill I could prescribe. Really? Yeah. That's amazing. Because the studies around it are just undeniable in that it really helps if you want to moderate or abstain from a substance. Well, it's just to help you to regulate, doesn't it? Yeah.

Right. Okay. Well, so all the exercise, any type of exercise. What's number two? Number two is gratitude. So this sounds so. Pollyanna, but every night I write in my gratitude journal about what I love about the day and what I could have potentially done better. Do you ever do a lightning inventory?

Okay, so I do gratitude every day. Yeah. I don't do what I could have done better because hear me out here, I think that is a slightly negative slant on the day and I try and go to bed, pure Pollyanna. I like that. Just because when I start, to put negative attention to things. My brain has a habit of dragging me down. So I could spend a lot of time focusing on what I could have done better on the day. And it'll just, the danger for me is that it just sucks me out of the gratitude. Yeah. Yeah. I get that. So I tend to, I mean, don't get me wrong. It's 90% positive. Well done me. But then there's like 10% when I'm like, I'm grateful that I know that I didn't do so well in that situation. Oh, yeah. No, definitely that goes on

my gratitude list. Yeah, and that I shouldn't have beeped that guy who cut me up because, you know, that didn't make me feel good and there was no point, you know, didn't do anything, didn't stop him from cutting me up. So that's the way I approach it more. It's just like sort of it, but I find that it means that when I go, my head hits the pillow, my mind is almost empty. Whereas otherwise it's just like 500 people in there trying to talk to me. So it empties out my head, the fact that I've done like a review of the day and brought myself into the positive. Have you ever read any Melody Beatty? Yes.

She wrote codependent. No more. Yeah. It's like, you know, like guide book. Like everyone just go and read it and then that's all you really need in life. But anyway, she also has this book. It's almost like an anti-gratitude, but it's where you're grateful for all the things you're least grateful for that happen in the day.

I do that. So she'll be like, so you write down, you start on your gratitude. I am great. for being in a stinking bad mood this morning. Yeah. And then I am grateful that I cried like a baby. And it does. I did it for a while and it really helps because it just makes you see how absurd.

Yeah. Quite often are emotional reactions are to things. Oh, I see. And it allows you to step back. Yeah. And also that thing of like, yeah, I'm grateful for it all. I'm not just grateful for the good things. I'm grateful for the like slightly shit bits of me.

Yeah. Because it's all about accepting all of us. Yeah. Not just the good bits. Yeah. And you can find anything bad that happens. You can find some positive aspect. Like you've learned something from it or learn something about yourself from it.

So I couldn't do that. I couldn't do life without doing that. That's like my number one tool. Yeah. I do think it is. And I think the more that we roll our eyes at the idea of a gratitude list, the more we need to do it. Yeah.

And also I'm very specific in my gratitude. I find that if you just roll out the same, like I'm grateful for my dog, I'm grateful for my house, whatever, they lose their power. So, like, I'm very specific about what I like about my house or dog or whatever. Okay.

And that keeps it fresh. I'm grateful for things like the tube being on the platform when I come down onto it. It's like very dull. It's great. But the thing is, we've all got, well, most of us have negatively biased brains.

Yeah. So we need to like re like coach it towards the positive. Otherwise I can become really like gloomy. Yeah. Oh no, no. I'm like, I wake up every morning and I'm like, oh, whoa. Whoa. Yeah, ringing a bell.

What my brain is immediately like. Yeah, the end is fucking nine. You know, like I have to do anything I can to hack this brain of mine. Because otherwise it's just like miserable. Misery center. Misery Central. Okay. What is your third and final way of accessing slow dopamine?

Okay. I haven't seen any studies that backs this up, but I am willing to die on the hill of this. Comfortable clothing. I mean, hello. Look, well, I'm wearing an Arsenal t-shirt and some jeans with rips in them, Catherine. I approve mightily.

Because when I was drinking and going out-out all the time, I was always uncomfortable. Like I was always cold or like I squeezed myself into skinny jeans. It was wearing boots that made my heels bleed. You know, I was just to look good, I made myself constantly uncomfortable. And now comfort is key. Like I'm the kind of person who will take a hot water bottle onto a train if I feel like it will make me comfortable. And if I'm pulling it anything or I don't feel like it fits properly, I just won't wear it.

Oh yeah. No, I mean, obviously. Yeah. Heels? No. No. Absolutely no. So that is something that just makes me happy every day. I take my pillows with me when I go and stay somewhere else. So do I. My pregnancy pillow. Oh. Yeah, even though I'm not remotely pregnant. What those kind of, the like massive ones. Okay. Yeah. I never had one of those. Oh, it's a life changer. But yeah, I have a very specific, you know, get a pillow that comes with me in the car. Yeah. Unless you're going like abroad, obviously, you can't really be having.

your pillow. But, you know, if you're going to... If you're driving, then you can. Yeah. Yeah, I absolutely take it to Cornwall. Comfort. Comfort is... Clippers. Yeah, anything like that. Shoes off. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm sitting... I literally... Yeah, I could not be wearing more comfortable glau. I often, each week when we come to record The Life of Briney, I think about all the other amazing podcast hosts who I watch and I watch their clips on Instagram and I just think

They look so glamorous and they're wearing such chic clothing. And I should, should, should, should, should, should, should, all of the shoulds and kids, I should look like that too. But then I see the comfortable Arsenal shirt and the ripped jeans and I think, but this is just who I am. Yeah, absolutely. Don't change it. And I'm just tired of being cold and uncomfortable and I'm not going to do it anymore.

On that note, Catherine Gray, thank you so much for brightening my January. Thank you. Thank you so much to Catherine for all her wonderful advice. You can find even more practical tips in her new book, Little Addictions. If this episode has helped you rethink any of your habits, I'd love to hear about it over on Instagram at at Life of Brian E Pod. And if not, you can always just leave us a review and hit follow. Most importantly, though, look after yourself. Be kind to your beautiful human brain and I'll see you on Monday. Thank you.