944: Manage The Lizard Brain

In today's episode, Gina discusses the lizard brain (the amygdala) and how we can use our capacity for higher reasoning to manage and direct the lizard brain to our advantage. Checking in with ourselves and assessing whether the discomfort we are experiencing is really dangerous can help us reduce lizard brain activation and thereby reduce our anxiety. Listen in for tips on how to better manage your lizard brain and reduce your anxiety-panic today!

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What is anxiety?

Quote:

If you don’t manage your reptilian brain, it will manage you.

-Ram V Iyer

Chapters

0:00:24 Understanding the Lizard Brain and Its Effects

0:02:09 The Role of the Amygdala in Warning and Protecting Us

0:03:44 Utilizing Our Evolved Brain to Manage Anxiety

0:06:18 Recognizing discomfort vs. danger and managing stress

0:17:29 Retraining the Brain to Manage Discomfort

0:19:02 Taking Control of the Lizard Brain

Summary

In today's episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, we delve into the topic of managing the lizard brain, which refers to the amygdala. The amygdala serves as an alarm system in our brain, alerting us to potential danger and feeding off worry and stress. However, it is within our power to manage this response. The lizard brain should only be activated in moments of genuine danger, but often, we mistakenly overuse or overstimulate it by perceiving everyday worries and stressors as real threats. In contrast, our prefrontal cortex is a remarkable part of our brain that enables us to think and make rational decisions. We must learn to ask ourselves if we are genuinely in danger when faced with challenging situations. If not, we can allow the amygdala to settle down and return to a state of rest. It's crucial to recognize that discomfort and negative emotions are a normal part of the human experience, but attaching unnecessary worry and storytelling to them only intensifies the lizard brain's response. Instead, we can draw inspiration from animals who simply shake off danger or conflict and move forward. By leveraging our prefrontal cortex and effectively managing our lizard brain, we can discover peace and serenity in our lives.

What sets us apart from other animals is our thinking ability. However, this very ability often leads us astray by keeping our amygdala, the primitive part of our brain responsible for fear and survival instincts, in a constant state of activation. Our thoughts, worries, and stressors only serve to amplify the situation. When we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, it is crucial to practice asking a simple question: "Am I truly in danger right now?" Discomfort does not necessarily indicate danger, and recognizing this can prevent the lizard brain from seizing control and subjecting our bodies to undue stress. We must train ourselves to differentiate between discomfort and genuine danger, allowing our amygdala to guide us only when facing true peril. By taking a step back, acknowledging our safety, and focusing on bodily sensations such as breathing and muscle relaxation, we can shift our mindset from fear to tranquility. It is essential to grant ourselves permission to experience discomfort and avoid triggering our amygdala with unnecessary stressors.

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