Anxiety & the Brain
The brain is a fascinating structure and plays an important role in our physical and emotional health. When we sustain too much tension for too long, the chemistry of our brain changes leading to mood disorders, like anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in the United States. Anxiety is not stress; it’s your mind and body’s reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. Anxiety usually manifests itself as an intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear. When this happens, your brain functions in a constant state of worry and fear, and not knowing what to do, your brain releases an influx of stress hormones.
When you have a stress/anxiety response, three parts of your brain are involved: your brain stem, your limbic system, and your frontal lobe. Imagine that you are in the middle of the jungle having a good time and suddenly you encounter a bear. As soon as your eyes notice that bear, your brain starts sending signals to help you respond to the situation. The brain stem is the “survival brain”. This is the part of the brain that prioritizes survival and is responsible for most of the physiological responses that we feel when stressed: heart rate, breathing, body temperature, sleep/wake cycle, and movement. The limbic system is the “emotional brain”. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for regulating emotions: emotions become more intense to signal us to respond to threats quickly. The frontal lobe is the “smart brain”. This part of the brain is responsible for higher functioning and deep thinking, like reading, writing, talking, listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving. When activated due to intense anger, fear, or stress, the smart brain goes “offline” (you don’t need to explain how to solve that Algebra problem to the bear, right?), and it can be hard for us to focus, remember things, or understand.
When our brain thinks we are in danger, it responds to help us stay safe. This is called fight/flight/freeze response. We can experience this in the presence of real danger (being in the jungle with the bear) or perceived danger (imagine being in the jungle with the bear while you are sitting in your living room watching a movie). Understanding what happens in the brain during anxiety, will help to understand what we can do to make a difference. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, talking to someone can really help. You are not alone; support is always available. If you want to learn more about anxiety and how to deal with it, give us a call.
