The Anxiety Paradox: How Our Bodies Confuse Thoughts with Threats

Let's talk about something really fun: anxiety and fear. No, I'm not being sarcastic - I actually think this is fascinating stuff. Stay with me here.

We've all felt that sinking feeling of dread, the pounding heart and the sweaty palms. Maybe it was giving a presentation in front of your 8th grade class. Or getting called into the principal's office for that thing you definitely did but aren't going to admit to. Whatever it was, your body went into full freak-out mode over a situation that really wasn't life-threatening.

So what gives? Why do our bodies chemically lose their minds over situations that, rationally, aren't that big of a deal? The answer lies in our hard-wiring as mammals.

Back in the day, our ancestors didn't have to worry about public speaking or meeting tight deadlines at their corporate jobs. No, they had to keep an eye out for actual life-or-death situations - like being hunted by a tiger, or going toe-to-toe with a dreaded grizzly.

When confronted with a legit threat to their safety, their bodies would kick into survival mode…

"The human body has two prime directives - survival and reproduction. When the survival instinct is triggered, rational thought becomes next to impossible."

- Michael Bolin

The Amygdala Hijack

A chemical reaction would occur, sending a signal from the amygdala (the brain's fear center) to the hypothalamus. This would trigger a cascade of events like a release of adrenaline and cortisol that put the body in fight-or-flight mode.

Blood would be diverted away from the digestive system, and towards the muscles to pull off some killer grizzly wrestling moves if needed. The heart would start pounding to pump that nutrient-rich blood even harder. Senses would become razor sharp so you could better hear that tiger’s approach from a mile away. It was an amazing system designed specifically to deal with actual, clear-and-present danger to one's existence.

Fast forward to modern times, and here's the kicker - Our bodies still have that exact same biochemical reaction...even if the perceived "threat" is something as benign as going to a dinner party with people you’ve never met, or dealing with an annoying coworker who always manages to burn the office popcorn.

If we think a situation might be dangerous or scary, thanks to our handy ami-aggro-dala (I'm trademarking that one), our bodies react the same way our ancestors' did, as well as other mammals do, when coming face-to-face with a hangry grizzly. It doesn't matter that the danger is more imagined than real - those chemicals get pumped out, fight-or-flight mode gets activated, and we experience all those fun anxiety symptoms as a result.

But wait, you might be saying. I thought our big evolved brains were supposed to help us make better, more rational choices in situations like these. Ah yes, well you'd be leaving out one key player: the prefrontal cortex.

The prefrontal cortex is like the wise, level-headed friend in our brain's social circle. It's the part associated with things like decision making, problem solving, and controlling social behavior. You'd think the prefrontal cortex could simply tell the hopped-up amygdala, "Chill dude, that person who stole your parking spot isn't actually going to eat you." And in a perfect world, it could.

Gaining Prefrontal Perspective

But here's the catch: when the amygdala gets triggered and puts the body into a hyped-up, hyper-aroused state, it's really hard for the prefrontal cortex to get a word in edgewise. It gets put on mute while the amygdala goes to town with its fear-gasms. So even if the rational part of your brain knows everything is fine, good luck actually thinking or behaving rationally.

It's like that one time in 5th grade when you and your friend got in a huge fight because they took the purple crayon you wanted to use. In that heated moment, could either of you actually think clearly or come to a reasonable solution? Of course not. You were just screeching at each other until one of you ended up getting sent to the principal's office or giving yourself an ulcer.

What does it all of this mean?

Well, first off, it means you shouldn't be so hard on yourself whenever you feel gripped by irrational anxiety or fear. At a chemical level, your body literally has no way to distinguish between a thought or belief that makes you anxious, and an actual tiger in the room getting ready to chomp down on you. It's doing what it was hardwired to do - initiating a complex biochemical response to keep you alive.

The key is learning to be more aware of these mental patterns and bodily sensations so you can activate your own prefrontal cortex to gain some perspective. One way to do this is to begin observing your feelings on what’s called an “emotional temperature.” Zero is considered calm as a cucumber, and 10 is panic, freak out, or shut down mode. When you are above a 7, your thinking brain decreases it’s ability to work, and you become more reactive and less in control. Take your emotional temperature throughout the day and observe how close you get to the “no go” zone. Take a few deep, calming breaths. Go for a walk around the block. Do whatever mental health exercises you need to get further away from the 7-10 area, and let your rational mind retake the wheel from your freaked-out amygdala.

Is it easy? Hell no. Our brains are frustratingly poor at seeing imaginary threats as anything other than real, clear-and-present dangers, at least in the heat of the moment. But by understanding what's going on behind the scenes, we can cut ourselves a little more slack. And maybe have a good laughing-through-the-tears moment about our hilarious ape brains that still haven't caught up to modern society.

Want to begin taming that amygdala of yours? Learn more about Anxiety Therapy or contact me now with any questions.