Your Brain: A Fear and Anxiety Factory Since Prehistoric Times

 

Your Brain: A Fear and Anxiety Factory Since Prehistoric Times

If you've ever felt irrational panic at the sight of a flying cockroach or had anxiety over a message that says, “We need to talk,” congratulations: your brain is still stuck in the Stone Age.

Fear and anxiety are survival mechanisms inherited from our ancestors. Back in prehistoric times, fear kept you from being eaten by a tiger, and anxiety kept you alert so you wouldn’t end up on a predator’s menu. But in the 21st century, tigers have been replaced by emails from your boss and surprise exams.

How Does Fear Work?

It all starts in the amygdala, a part of the brain that acts like a danger detector… or more like an overreacting grandma:
🔴 You see a shadow in the dark → Your amygdala screams: “It’s a MONSTER!”
🔴 Someone calls your name in a serious tone → Your amygdala: “We’re getting fired, RUN!”
🔴 Your Wi-Fi goes down → Your amygdala: “THIS IS THE END OF CIVILIZATION!”

When the amygdala activates, it sends signals to release adrenaline and cortisol, putting you in fight or flight mode. Of course, running away from a bank bill or fighting a corporate email isn’t as easy as scaring off a lion.

Anxiety: Fear With Imagination

If fear is seeing a lion in the wild, anxiety is imagining 100 different scenarios where the lion chases you, sues you, and takes your house.

The brain hates uncertainty and would rather create imaginary problems than sit in peace. That’s why:

• We stress over things that haven’t even happened.
• We imagine the worst possible scenario just before bedtime (great timing, brain).
• We remember embarrassing moments from 10 years ago at 3 a.m. (again, thanks, brain).

How to Calm This Drama Queen Called the Brain?

1️⃣ Breathe deeply – It tells your nervous system that there is no bear chasing you (just bills, which is almost the same).
2️⃣ Exercise – Releases dopamine and serotonin, the brain’s happy chemicals. You don’t need a marathon—just walking fast is enough to make your brain think you're escaping danger without passing out.
3️⃣ Laugh at fear – If you can joke about what scares you, your brain will realize it’s not so serious. (And if the fear is real… well, at least you laugh before running!)
4️⃣ Less caffeine, more sleep – Caffeine tells anxiety, “Let’s put this in slow motion and HD emotions!” Maybe skip that late afternoon coffee.

In short: Fear saved us in prehistoric times, but now it’s just an overprotective boss. So next time you panic over something small, tell your brain to calm down… and stop inventing imaginary problems.

And remember: If you survived teenage embarrassment, you can handle any fear. 😆