What Does The Amygdala Do?
Ladies and gentlemen - Meet the Amygdala.
Barely larger than a peanut, the amygdala is a crucial part of the brain. Without our conscious awareness, the amygdala is constantly working to process emotions, including controlling our response to STRESS. Neuroscientists estimate that the amygdala processes around 11 million pieces of information PER SECOND.
When we are stressed (and, of course, everyone has their own unique response to different stressers), the amygdala triggers (via the adrenal gland) the release of neurotransmitters such as adrenaline and cortisol, as part of the sympathetic nervous system.
Sometimes a rush of adrenaline can feel good (preparing for a race or a rollercoaster, for example); and cortisol can help you to really focus on a difficult situation (think of a board meeting, or a courtroom drama for example). But…in combination, cortisol and adrenaline can leave us feeling tense, uncomfortable, irritable and panicked.
When the Amygdala doesn't work as it should, it can cause or contribute to disruptive feelings and overly negative thinking. It can trigger anxiety.
...and, unlike most other parts of the brain, the Amygdala GROWS.
If you have a highly pressurised job, or are exposed regularly to stress, your Amygdala can get bigger - partly to keep you safe, but with a side effect of leaving you feeling "stressed" more often.
When people talk about mindfulness, relaxing, meditation, therapy / counselling, resting, yoga, pilates, cold water baths, massage, eating healthily, reflexology and any other "wellbeing" pursuits, none of these are a "luxury".
There is a clear physical, neuroscientific benefit to doing things that can calm the amygdala, taking the brain down from a regular state of "high alert". Alongside this, it helps to ensure you do the following things regularly:
Drink plenty of water
Take frequent breaks
Get fresh air, and take time to gaze into the distance, at nothing in particular (preferably outside)
Limit the amount of stimulants such as caffeine and sugar
Have a consistent, healthy sleep routine
When I studied my Psychology degree in Oxford in 2002-2005, the Neuroscience element was in-depth but relatively basic compared to what is known now, 20+ years later. We understand so much more now about the autonomic nervous system and the incredible processing power of the brain.
My personal hope is that more studies will be able to show, conclusively, that talking about what is going on for us in therapy can help our brains in a physical way, helping us to become more resilient through strengthening neural pathways in other areas (such as the Prefrontal Cortex, which we use to take more active control over our decision-making and reactions to things).
If you would like to learn more, I highly recommend a podcast called "The Chief Psychology Officer" - and jump to episode 48 which covers the Amygdala in more depth.
So...when you are about to go into a meeting and are feeling stressed, remember that this is your amygdala becoming over-activated. Through exercises such as deep breathing, high-fiving yourself in the mirror, performing a 'body scan' (I'll cover all of these in upcoming posts) you can really improve how you respond to this stress.
