Can your brain get hijacked?
When you’re really stressed and emotionally overwhelmed, is it hard to think straight? If you answered yes, you’re not alone and it’s not just in your head (well technically it is because something happens in your brain called limbic hijack).
To understand what limbic hijack is, let us review some brain anatomy:
The Prefrontal Cortex is the newest addition to the brain.
It is the part of the brain that organizes skills needed for planning, organization, problem solving, decision making, and shifting from task to task.
This area of the brain is also used to regulate your emotions.
All of these skills are called executive functions and they do not get activated automatically - you have to consciously call upon these skills.
The Limbic Brain is an older area of the brain.
This area is responsible for emotions.
It is also the area of the brain that automatically activates the fight or flight response (plus freeze and fawn responses).
When your brain detects any danger of stress, this area is automatically activated and prepares your body to fight off the threat or run away. This automatic response is CRITICAL to ensure our survival in the face of danger.
And FYI the Reptilian brain is the oldest part of the brain and takes care of basic life functions such as keeping your heart beating and breathing.
What happens when the limbic brain gets activated?
When you experience a stressor or emotion that is mildly distressing, the limbic brain gets activated but the prefrontal cortex can remain online and gather up different skills to help you cope with the stress or emotion.
However, when you experience a stressor or emotion that is HIGHLY distressing, the limbic brain gets VERY activated and takes over the brain by hijacking the prefrontal cortex. This hijacks interrupts the prefrontal cortex's ability to do its job so the skills you need to regulate yourself, problem solve, and make decisions are shut down. Interestingly, intense emotions that are perceived as "positive" such as excitement can also hijack the brain.
When the brain gets hijacked by the limbic system:
Emotions feel very intense
Emotions may feel like they'll last forever
It is challenging to regulate your emotions
It is difficult for you to think clearly
It is hard for you to problem solve or make decisions
Things feel very overwhelming
You experience physiological responses like sweaty palms and a racing heart beat
You may act in ways you later regret
What to do when your brain gets hijacked?
Identify the hijack. Awareness is the first step. Identifying that the hijack has happened will help you determine your next step of action.
Take deep breaths. Take a moment to take a deep breath or better yet, do a few cycles of deep breathing and make your exhales longer than your inhales. Deep breathing can return balance to your dysregulated nervous system so you can calm your body before moving onto calming your mind.
Label your emotions. Labelling your emotions can help make them seem less intense. Trying naming your emotion or saying it aloud. Name it to tame it.
Remember it will pass. Sometimes strong emotions can feel like they'll last forever. The physiological lifespan of an emotion is around 90 seconds but can last longer if we feed the emotion with more thought, stories, and panic/anger/shame. So trust that it will past.
Find physical release. When we experience a strong emotion, it feels like a ton of energy zinging through our bodies. So find a way to physically release this energy by running, stretching, rocking back and forth, jumping up and down etc.
Give yourself time. Your prefrontal cortex needs time to come back online. So give yourself time and step away from the situation or person. Avoid making important decisions when you are emotionally distressed as well.
Yes - these skills may be hard to use, especially if your brain has been hijacked. I encourage you to make a list of coping statements, affirmations, and a list of skills you can put on a sticky note or your phone. When you feel overwhelmed or your brain gets hijacked, refer to this list to help you
Book of the month
Thanks to Dr. Christina for sending me this book! It was such an easy read and references many child psychologists and researchers who are experts at child development and attachment theory. This book reviews how parent-child interactions can influence child development and is perfect for mother who want to learn more about their challenges, how to cope with these challenges, and how to prevent passing on unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns onto their children.
PS. Thank you for making my book a #1 New Release in multiple categories on Amazon!
The illustration of the brain above was just 1 of the 50+ illustrations I drew for this new book!
This Book is a Safe Space is packed with research-based therapy strategies and exercises to help you improve your mood, decrease anxiety, be kinder to yourself, and have a better mindset.
I also included:
research-based therapy strategies
mindfulness exercises
journal prompts
CBT exercises
and mini challenges at the end of each chapter
Learn more about the book HERE.
Pre-Order the book now!
Monthly Journal Prompt
My best journaling is done after yoga or a meditation session because everything quiets down so I can hear my intuition and higher self. For this month's journal entry, let's focus on perfectionism. If you don't have time to journal or you're going to forget about this email after reading it - PAUSE - I invite you to do some self-reflection right now
When I expressed an emotion when I was younger, the messages I received from my family was ....
As a result, when I notice an emotion I .....
When I feel angry/sad/anxious I notice in my body ....
When I feel angry/sad/anxious I tend to ...
This is helpful/hurtful because I .....
Instead I can try to ....
If you find journaling hard - that's normal. Write freely without caring about the way it reads because after all, they’re your own private words for you and you only.
Journaling can also provide you with many interesting insights about yourself, which is helpful because awareness is the first step towards healing.
And that's all from me for this month's newsletter. If you enjoyed the information in this newsletter today, visit me here on Instagram!
Thank you for showing up for yourself.
Love,
Amy Tran aka @doodledwellness
