06/10/24
Your heart is pounding…
Your breath is short and fast…
Your jaw is tightening…
Your fists are clenched…
Your body is shaking…
And you’re seeing RED everywhere.
We’ve all been there.
Something triggers us and the rage builds from within.
This is a natural, human response…
But what’s unhealthy…
Is when that anger fuels words, actions, or behaviors that we later regret.
So what happens in your brain when you get that angry?
The amygdala…
Which is the area of the brain that perceives threat…
Gets triggered and releases cortisol throughout your body.
This then leads to your fight, flight, or freeze response.
When this happens…
Your prefrontal cortex…
Which is the area of the brain responsible for cognitive thinking and objective reasoning…
Shuts down.
So in other words…
You’re unable to think logically or clearly when you’re in this state.
The solution?
Incorporate practices that enable you to activate your prefrontal cortex when you feel threatened.
Meditation is the most well-known and effective practice to help with this.
FMRI scans of the human brain have proven that when someone engages in weeks of mindfulness meditation practice…
New neural networks are created between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala…
AND…
There is less gray matter in the amygdala (it literally shrinks!).
Weeks of such a practice will allow you to calm yourself down when triggered…
Breathe…
Think clearly…
Consider solutions…
And take healthy actions that are beneficial to you and those around you.
So while you cannot control when anger arises within you…
You can choose how you relate and respond to your anger…
So that way…
Your anger doesn’t control you.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to not be controlled by your anger)