Strategies help our brain switch back to its thinking mode, being calm helps us think more clearly.

If you have a negative experience, such as falling out of a tree and breaking your arm, your brain creates a neural pathway that associates climbing trees with danger. If you climb a tree again, you may feel nervous and scared because your brain remembers the past experience. If you fall out of a tree again, the neural pathway will be reinforced, making you even more afraid to climb trees.

This fear response is a survival mechanism that dates back to prehistoric times when humans coexisted with wild animals. When faced with a threat, like a Sabretooth tiger, our brains would release chemicals like adrenaline and dopamine into the bloodstream. These chemicals help us fight, freeze, or run away (flight) from danger by making us faster and stronger.

When emotions kick into overdrive

Birds sat in a tree with quote A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on it's wings. Always believe in yourself

Why do we need to use different strategies? We use strategies to help our brain switch back to its thinking mode. When we are calm, we can think clearly, and have rational and logical thoughts. However, when our emotions kick into overdrive, adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones spike, and we may feel anxious, worried, scared, or overwhelmed. Consequently, our brain reverts to its primitive state, preparing our body for the fight-or-flight response.

How does this happen? Your brain consists of thousands of neural pathways that control feelings, memories, chemicals, and hormones. In the middle of our brain is the Amygdala, which regulates our emotions and reactions. You can think of neural pathways as motorways and roads.

The front part of your brain deals with everyday automated thoughts and what is known as your executive functions. These functions are how you manage your reactions and feelings. However, there are two ways in which your brain can respond to different situations.

Neural pathways

Questions and Answers

  • How can a few deep breathes help me?

    It isn’t necessarily the breathing but the action of stopping and refocusing which helps you.

  • How can I change how I deal with a situation?

    This is a tricky one and will take time but is doable. Think about how you want to manage a situation differently. Take each task individually and focus on one thing at a time, this means you have a better chance of succeeding. Read my Newsletter article on how to change a habit.

How to fight the mental fight