Worrying is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it keeps us
in check; propels us to work harder and more efficiently. On the other hand, it
limits us, clouding our rationale with irrational thoughts and feelings. It is
only human to worry, but when we look at “worrying” from a practical
perspective, our brains do a measly job of analyzing the risks and benefits of
our actions. David Ropeik, an instructor and the Harvard Extension School,
adequately states, “our brains are wired to worry first and think second.” If
you have ever experienced a mild panic attack, you know this is true. It is
easy to frantically worry about something once your brain has been triggered to
do so. But only after your heart rate relaxes, do you realize that you must
take some kind of action to solve your problems. NYU neuroscientist, Joseph
LeDoux describes that anatomically, “connections from the
emotional systems to the cognitive systems are stronger than connections from
the cognitive systems to the emotional systems.” This is the connection between
the limbic system and the cortex. Thus, our emotions tend to control our
thinking, but with a little practice and a lot of will power, the roles can be
reversed.
But from where do
these irrational fears stem? According to Albert Ellis’ theory, emotion follows
an A-B-C model. First occurs an activating event (A), which can either be a
small or large occurrence. Then, the event triggers a certain belief (B),
usually irrational, which lastly leads to (C), a consequent emotion, in this
case, worriedness. So, the solution to worrying less is essentially, thinking
more. For more extreme cases, however, cognitive-behavior therapy seems to do
wonders. If the neural circuits to the
cortex are sped up or strengthened, the brain can actually be “re-wired” to
“change our feelings before they impair our behavior.” In fact, Patricia Riberio
Porto and her team of neuroscientists concluded that cognitive-behavioral
therapy can actually change the neural network involved in the regulation of
anxiety. The goal of this therapy is to change the way your brain processes
information and in effect, change the A-B-C flow of an emotional response.
There are a few steps
involved in tuning down the brain’s worry center. First, you must examine your
irrational beliefs. In order to disconnect the trigger from the response, you
must identify the belief that causes you to worry in the first place. Usually,
worry stems from a fear that something is not going according to plan or
expectations for yourself are not being met. Once these fears are identified,
it is easier to calm your instinctual response of “freaking out”. In addition
to this, you must talk your way through your feelings. After identifying the
irrational belief, you must convince your brain that there is no reason to feel
this way. Once that is achieved, it is must easier to live the life Timon and
Pumbaa preached. Just say “Hakuna matata!”
Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201210/turn-down-your-brain-s-worry-center
Stress is a vital part of our lives as college students, and we indeed do take upon some irrational thoughts or behavior when under high levels of stress. Our emotions are heightened when we are stressed as every little incident can trigger a greater response as stated by the model. I know it is true for me, as my level of stress increases so does my sensitivity to more situations that are not according to plan. However, I had not yet ever correlated fear and stress, even though the correlation is so obvious. The steps listed for tuning down the brain are quite interesting, and they have intrigued my curiosity to try it out. I am going to try and pinpoint my irrationality when I am stressed, even though I might think my irrational behavior is absolutely rational.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reviewing this topic which I believe deserves more light.I think irrational fears, severe anxiety, panic attacks and phobias are a growing problem in universities. It seems many individuals stray away from treatment due to stress/anxiety problems being looked upon as a stigma. I truly believe that if the stress is overwhelming for a student and interrupting their daily activities, they should immediately consult a professional for either talk therapy or CBT. Treating the issue right away will reduce the chances of having to seek medical attention and receiving any anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication. The more severe the stress/fear gets, it can potentially reduce crucial neurotransmitter levels of serotonin, GABBA and dopamine. This is where SSRIs would step in to withhold re-absorption and allow the NTs to pass onto other neurons for proper functioning. Taking these medications might be very helpful and a "quick fix" but they can have agonizing side effects as well as withdrawal sickness. Intervening with CBT prior to medication is a smart choice as well as tackling the A-B-C model. Strangely, I don't recall learning about this model before but it does carry a lot of logic. If one can easily identify the reasons of fear while in a worrisome moment, they can learn to take steps to reduce the time of panic. Overall, I support Elly's theory and agree that one must learn to change their course of thought in order to escape negative situations.
ReplyDeleteAwesome topic! The A-B-C explanation is very interesting, and it seems to make a lot of sense, when compared to the real experience of stress. It's also a very good point that stress is often related to irrational fears, which can be overridden with thought. That connection is very helpful, and could give a lot of hope to people who feel overwhelmed or helpless when faced with stress, of who are under frequent stress. I think it's also great to have included a step-by-step process to combat stress; it's great when a scientific article offers concrete advice in terms that any person can use nd find helpful.
ReplyDeleteAs said by the others above, this topic hits most of us as college students. It is fascinating to know that the steps for "turning down the brain's worry center" is something we can have so much control over, let alone understand the complexities behind. Like most of the beneficial qualities our brains have developed through years of evolution, stress and worrying can be detrimental in excess. I'm glad that this topic was brought up and I can't wait for it to be covered more extensively in class. Interesting article, and good job on the Lion King reference, too.
ReplyDeleteI found this article particularly interesting for several reasons. First of all, as many of you have previously posted, it is such a pertinent subject among college students. On the one hand, a healthy amount of stress seems to be a good thing. It facilitates motivation, urges you to work harder, and can often improve performance. Then, on the other hand, it can reach dangerous levels by interfering so much with your daily life that it is impossible to perform the simplest of tasks. This topic is very personal to me being that I have actually been suffering from chronic panic attacks for about 3 years. I can identify with the difficulties of having irrational fears that can interfere with almost every aspect of your life. However, I am very grateful that you discussed the idea of cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is actually a really great form of treatment for what I struggle with and can be seen as very helpful for the hundreds of other people suffering from anxiety/panic attacks. Often, when we pinpoint the source of our fear or anxiety, this somehow allows the brain to cope and understand the very thing we fear most. Understanding our anxiety is the first step to overcome it. I am really glad you posted this article so that people can see, first, how common it is becoming for people to deal with anxiety issues, and second, how useful cognitive-behavioral therapy can be. I hope that researchers will continue to investigate this issue so that we can continue to learn about fear and anxiety and hopefully develop subsequent therapies that will bring hope and relief to those who suffer on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting, and I'm glad you explained a treatment that seems to be simple enough to teach yourself when stressful events occur. I'm curious about life events that should actually cause worry and panic. Does this make people less sensitive to life-threatening events? Or does it increase their ability to think on their feet if a stressful event does come up?
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to believe in the benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is certainly evident that it works for some people, but I often wonder about those who are unable to reap its benefits. It seems to be more effective in treating the side of anxiety that is, not the best word to use but, more "practical"; the anxiety that we get for an upcoming test or not meeting a deadline for a paper. This type of anxiety seems to be more crucial for motivation, it drives action and focus by keeping the thing to be worried about very salient in your mind. But when we look at more "irrational" forms of pathological anxiety, even something as seemingly benign and surmountable as social anxiety, I get the sense that cognitive-behavioral therapy can fall a little short for some people. Identifying the triggers for these forms of anxiety tend to be more difficult as they may not always be entirely known to the person experiencing the worry. They may manifest themselves from entirely unknown sources, at least unknown to the higher cortical areas that could regulate them. As an example, in social anxiety we may not be able to explain what cues we think we're picking up on that are producing our anxiety. We may say things like, "I just have this feeling like he doesn't like me" or "She just seemed to be putting out a negative vibe." We think we are tapping into some social cue, but the inability to articulate what we are observing could lead us to the conclusion that whatever areas of the brain that are responsible for processing things like social cues are hyperactive and perceiving things that may not actually be there. I think it would be interesting if any researcher has addressed an anxiety-specific therapy that is more suited in dealing with specific types of worry. Especially for those of us that suffer from social anxieties, a therapy that is more tuned to our species of worry would be invaluable to progress on our social lives.
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