False Alarms: Retraining The Overanxious Brain

Anxious brains can be programmed a lot like the oversensitive smoke detector in our house, which recently resulted in the Harrisonburg Fire Department rushing to our Park Village apartment and causing us much embarrassment. And what was the actual problem? An overly toasted cheese sandwich.

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From the Harvard Medical School Newsletter: "After the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands. These glands respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream." 

As you can see from the diagram, a life event can trigger a "fight or flight" response in our sub cortex (the downstairs brain) that bypasses the thinking process that happens in our cerebral cortex (the upstairs brain). 

The lower brain, operational from the very beginning of one's life, is all about self preservation. In the case of a fire or other life threatening emergency, it can truly be life saving, instantly mobilizing every part of our body to ward off a threat or to help preserve our life or the life of another. 

The upper brain, on the other hand, a complex mass of countless neurons that are laced together in the first quarter of our lives, is what we need to rationally assess ordinary problems and apply solutions in a measured and effective way.

The overanxious brain is one that has been programmed to perceive all too many non-emergency events as life threatening and requiring an immediate fight or fight reaction. The purpose of any legitimate fear is to motivate us to do what we can to keep ourselves and others safe from harm, as opposed to fear that actually limits our ability to effectively prevent harm, and may cause us to inflict harm. 

In other words, adrenaline can give us the kind of physical energy and drive we need to address an immediate crisis, or it can simply add to our distress and result in lower brain reactions that are counter productive. So how can we become better at using the upper part of our brain for situations that are troubling, but not life threatening?

Here are some things to consider:

1. List whatever emotions in the fear family that contribute to excessive anxiety, worry, alarm, dread or panic.

2. Rank each of these in order of the degree to which they create distress in your life.

3. Rate each on a scale of 0-5 as to how a reasonable jury of your peers would rate their seriousness (a '0' for a mere phobia that represents no realistic threat at all, like a fear of driving through a tunnel or of giving an oral report in class, and a '5' for a real and present danger deserving urgent attention).

4. Add the letter A to each perceived anxiety-inducing circumstance you, with God's help and the help of others, believe you can actually do something about, and NA for each that is entirely out of your control, and for which we all need to depend on God to take care of.

5. With phobias or other unreasonable, crippling or useless fears, create a plan for gradually moving toward rather than away from, whatever situations trigger the fear. In other words, if you are phobic about speaking in groups, begin to mentally rehearse and intentionally practice expressing your thoughts, opinions or feelings to others on a regular basis. For example, you might consider initiating a conversation with someone you feel less comfortable with at least once a day, or taking an active part in a group discussion on a more regular basis. Then work up to more difficult challenges.

6. Reflect on the many fears or phobias you have already successfully overcome in the past, like being afraid of the dark, getting on a bus and going to a big new school for the first time, being anxious about driving a vehicle on the highway, or about any other situation that no longer seems like a threat. Remember you have already been successful in overcoming fear, but you also realize it may mean taking some intentional steps that may at first cause discomfort.

7. Be grateful that if any life threatening crisis occurs, the right parts of your brain will know how to respond, and that you will always have the support of God, and of God's people, to help you get through the challenges that are a part of our lot in life.