Anxiety is My Body's Alarm System: Managing Anxiety with Neuroscience

Amygdala Hijacking

Anxiety is a phenomenon where the brain’s amygdala detects danger and rings an emergency bell. It was essential for avoiding lions in primitive times, but in modern society, it’s a problem because the alarm rings even for minor stress. You must understand this phenomenon where the rational frontal lobe is paralyzed.

The Switch to Turn Off Anxiety: Grounding

When anxious, consciousness flies to future worries. You need a technique to bring yourself back to ‘here and now’.

• ** Find 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste. Focusing on the five senses brings the brain back to the present.
• ** Exhaling longer than inhaling (inhale for 4s, exhale for 7s) activates the parasympathetic nervous system and relaxes the body.

Making Friends with Anxiety

Fighting to eliminate anxiety makes it bigger. Tell yourself, “Ah, my brain is ringing the alarm to protect me. Thank you. It’s okay now.” The moment you stop treating anxiety as an enemy, peace comes.