Escape The Stress Cycle: Understanding And Overcoming Destination Addiction - by Clare Downham

COURSE

Escape The Stress Cycle: Understanding And Overcoming Destination Addiction

With Clare Downham

Are you tired of feeling like happiness is always just around the corner, yet never quite within reach? Do you find yourself constantly seeking the next achievement, relationship, or emotional state, believing that once you attain it, you'll finally feel fulfilled? If so, you're not alone, and this course is designed for you. This course offers a powerful solution grounded in understanding the inside out principles, non-duality and self-awareness. It will help you break free from the endless pursuit of happiness in the future and external achievements, guiding you to cultivate inner peace and wellbeing instead. In this course, you'll learn about the science behind destination addiction, including the role of dopamine in fuelling this relentless cycle. You'll discover how both external and internal seeking can lead to stress, burnout, and perpetual dissatisfaction. Through personal stories, practical awareness, and reflective questions, you'll gain insight into your own patterns and learn to shift your perspective. You can expect to delve into topics such as the illusion of control, the quest for better feelings, and the power of living in the present moment. You'll explore real-life examples, including my own journey through burnout and recovery. By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of how to reconnect to your innate wellbeing and live a more balanced, fulfilling life. Imagine feeling calm, present, and content without constantly chasing the next big thing. With my guidance you can achieve this transformation. This course is designed to be easily integrated into your daily life, with audio lessons lasting about 10 minutes each. Don't wait any longer to start your journey towards inner peace and true happiness. Join me in Escape The Stress Cycle: Understanding And Overcoming Destination Addiction, and take the first step towards a more fulfilling life today.


Meet your Teacher

Clare's journey to happiness wasn’t easy. She navigated through anxiety, stress, and burnout, driven by destination addiction—the relentless pursuit of future goals and better emotional states. Clare became addicted to self-development tools and therapies, believing they would bring her the happiness she sought. Eventually, she realized that her unhappiness stemmed from trying to control both external circumstances and internal experiences. By seeing the truth of how her experience was being created, she uncovered the calm, clarity, and confidence she had been seeking outside. Clare now wants this transformation for you! With her guidance, you'll break free from the endless cycle of seeking happiness in the future and external achievements. Clare will point you to your innate wellbeing and true potential, helping you move beyond identifying with a broken, damaged self in need of fixing. Clare helps female business owners create an empowering relationship with themselves on the inside so they can be, do, and feel their very best on the outside and create an authentic, aligned life and business they truly love. Clare is dedicated to empowering individuals to define their version of success, transform their relationship with thoughts and emotions, and guide them toward a life of fulfilment and authentic self-expression. With Clare, you can: • Overcome stress, anxiety, and burnout without relying on tools and techniques. • Reveal your true potential and create the life of your dreams. • Dissolve the inner critic, fear of judgment, and imposter syndrome. • Overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and lack of motivation. • Improve your relationships and connect to love. Join Clare on a journey to freedom and discover the inner peace and happiness that have always been within you.

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8 Days

165 students

4.9 stars

10 min / day

Letting Go

English


Lesson 1

What Is Destination Addiction?

Destination addiction is the belief that happiness is in the next place, job, or partner. This lesson explores how this mindset leads to perpetual dissatisfaction and stress, and how it connects to our brain's reward system, creating a cycle of endless seeking and unfulfillment.

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Lesson 2

Connecting Dopamine And Destination Addiction

Delve into the science of dopamine, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter, and how it fuels destination addiction. Learn how dopamine reinforces behaviours and creates a cycle of seeking external rewards, starting from childhood experiences and continuing into adulthood.

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Lesson 3

Burnout And The Illusion Of Control: My Personal Story

My journey through burnout was caused by trying to control external circumstances. Understand the role of destination addiction in burnout and how recognizing the inside-out nature of experience can lead to recovery and a more balanced, fulfilling life.

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Lesson 4

External Destination Addiction: The Trap Of Control

Explore how seeking happiness in external achievements like career, relationships, and material success leads to stress and exhaustion. Learn techniques for recognizing and escaping this trap, and reclaiming your peace and well-being by letting go of the need to control.

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Lesson 5

Internal Destination Addiction: The Quest For Better Feelings

Understand the endless search for a better emotional state and why we cannot control our thoughts and emotions. Learn practices for accepting and observing thoughts without attachment, and discover how internal destination addiction leads to mental exhaustion.

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Lesson 6

The Role Of Thought In Destination Addiction

Learn how our thoughts create the perception of needing to seek and the illusory nature of thoughts. Explore the concept of thoughts as transient and how to achieve mental clarity by observing and understanding thought patterns, which can transform your experience of reality.

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Lesson 7

Living In The Now: Embracing Presence Over Seeking

Discover the power of the present moment and the joy of cultivating present-moment awareness. Learn the benefits of slowing down and experiencing life as it is through seeing yourself as the observer of thoughts and feelings not an agent to get rid of them.

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Lesson 8

Finding Innate Wellbeing: Beyond Destination Addiction

Learn about innate wellbeing and how to access it regardless of external circumstances. Embrace curiosity, open-mindedness, and experimentation to foster self-reflection and personal insight, allowing you to live a fulfilling life without the need to seek external validation.

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Ask your teacher

This course includes 9 community questions and 8 audio replies from Clare Downham. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

9

4.9 (22)

Recent Reviews

Jo

November 10, 2025

Wow, a really illuminating course, really thought-provoking...well, quite mind-blowing actually & I feel I am still processing it all & noticing more & more instances of 'destination addiction' where I am thinking "If I get X then I'll have Y" (as you so beautifully put it). Thank you for challenging my thinking & my assumptions, in a very gentle & encouraging way, & I feel that I will now continue noticing & challenging my thoughts & assumptions more & more. Another wonderful course, thank you!

Scott

Scott

August 23, 2025

Observing my thoughts, I realized that my mental soundtrack even keeps me from feelings of happiness / gladness at appropriate moments of accomplishment because of worrying about the next project that has yet to be finished, or tidying up that needs to be done. What is working for me from this course is labeling these broken record thoughts as JUST thoughts, not my innate consciousness. However (ineffectively) protective / constructive they may be, they truly aren't doing me any good anyway, and often lead me to being stuck and doing nothing. But gently analyzing why they sprouted, sitting with the emotions they triggered for a moment, addressing there is concern head on, then going about the Present is making a healthy difference. Eventhough I have been meditating for over two decades, I am now finally equipped to have Phase 2 Mind!

Jessica

Jessica

May 30, 2025

Great course which provided me great insight!

Carol

Carol

April 18, 2025

I found this course to be very helpful. I know I will come back to this again. Thank you!😊

Connor

February 5, 2025

This course was incredibly helpful to listen to while Im currently going through a tough season of life. How the now and the concept of the observer was finally explained in a way that has made sense to me. It’s been so helpful

Biggi

Biggi

September 12, 2024

Clare has a pretty unique perspective, that is rarely found anywhere else. She introduces concepts, that I have never thought of before but that, on reflection, make complete sense and describe attitudes or practices that have been there all along on some subconscious level. In this course on destination addiction it is the fact that seeking validation, objectives etc. in the outside world has an addictive quality with all the physiological effects that entails. Also that noticing anxiety or other mental afflictions is actually a way of being present, so there is no need to escape them. If you want to have your way of thinking about life as well as your mindfulness practices challenged, do this or any other of Clare's courses.

David

August 29, 2024

Wonderful course. Spot on!

Debbie

August 14, 2024

Recommended by a friend & my physiotherapist & been given other apps free by work. But insight timer is my constant & I find myself always reaching for the comfort, insight & support I’ve come to know & trust from the well chosen content, superb teachings & insights of the warm & genuine authors & teachers.

Charlotte

August 13, 2024

I have loved this course, thank-you. It was as if it was written for me. I find your style very relatable and easy to listen to. I am not a beginner to self development, no longer ( completely) burnt out, but still very much in a place where I feel I want to change. The perfectionist in me still expecting decades of obeying my own rules ( there were lots) and destination addiction to completely resolve and for 'success' to be achieved like the A grade student I am. I have lots to think about but I am slowly realising that perhaps one thing I need to do is actually 'do less'. Perhaps also adding noticing more and being kinder to me. My plan is to go back more slowly through this course, letting the ideas sink in giving myself time. Thank-you.

Deb

August 12, 2024

I love everything from Clare. Her unique perspective always leaves me with something new to consider. This course was very helpful for me. Thank you 🙏🏼 😊

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