How worries leave you anxious...
...a video unpacking how your thoughts scare your amygdala.
Do your thoughts leave you anxious? Do worries get the best of you? Do you often find yourself lost in images of worst-case scenarios?
If you’re nodding your head yes, the video below is for you. Before you hit play, I called this response an internal stressor. It is, in fact, not an internal stressor but a mental stressor. My mouth was moving faster than my brain, and it slipped out.
Okay, now you can hit play (and can someone tell me why I look like a ghost?!)…
If video isn’t your jam, here’s a quick synopsis…
Mental stressors are the thoughts and images in your mind that scare your amygdala, which results in your nervous system shifting into a sympathetic state. Your amygdala is always listening and watching, which means it’s not only scanning your external environment but also your internal environment. Your amygdala watches the thoughts and images in your mind like a daytime soap opera.
So, how do the thoughts and images in your mind scare your amygdala?
Your amygdala has no sense of time, and it has no clue whether or not the thoughts and images in your mind are really happening or made up. All your amygdala knows is what it sees and hears.
So if you’re thinking the worst possible thing might happen, your amygdala is going to shift your nervous system into a sympathetic state to help you prepare for that said worst possible thing.
As a result, you will feel anxious.
I’ll share tips and tricks in the future on how to navigate mental stressors and what you can do when you get swept up in the game of “let’s pretend,” so be sure to hit subscribe below so you don’t miss out.
P.S. This was a very last minute, spur of the moment, I want to talk about this sorta of post. I’m curious… Did you like it? Want me to do more like it? Let me know below…