Today’s post is short and sweet, but hopefully will help you gain more insight into your Self and your anxiety.

In my last post, How to Overcome Your Own Self-doubts, one of the strategies I listed for overcoming these feelings was to tell yourself out loud why what you’re doing is important. It occurred to me that a post to help you understand why that strategy works so well could be helpful.

My therapist explained it to me like this…

The amygdala is the emotion center of your brain. This is where the famous fight-or-flight response is triggered. Once triggered, your amygdala can basically “hijack” your brain function.

Speech, however, is a left brain activity. Therefore, it overrides the emotion because it engages a different part of your brain! The same override could be achieved by doing math problems or perhaps even exercise, since motor skills would also require using a different brain center.

I have curbed panic attacks by using this strategy if I feel one coming on. With my cptsd, it is also a useful tool to pull me out of a flashback. So before you knock it, try it.

Look yourself in the eye while putting on your makeup and tell yourself all the reasons you are a success. (Hey, even if you haven’t done anything else, you survived a lot and you make the world a better place by being in it!) Speak positive affirmations to yourself as you ride along in the car. Tell yourself this day is going to be an adventure and you’re up for whatever happens.

I challenge you: try this strategy for just one week and tell me if you don’t feel any different!