What is amygdala hijacking and how to prevent it from ramping up your anxiety
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Have you ever made a split second reaction only to later realize you might have overeacted in anger, fear or anxiety? Maybe you received an annoying email, someone cut you off while driving, or you got in a fight with a loved one. Your amygdala might be the one hijacking your inner peace, likely even without you knowing it.
What is the amygdala?
The amygdala is an almond shaped structure that lies deep within the brain at the level of your eyes and temples. It lives within a structure called the limbic system, which is like the body’s emotional and hormone control center, earning its nickname: the emotional brain. Also referred to as the primitive brain, or the part of our brain known for survival, the amygdala, limbic system and brain stem work together as the instinctive part of the brain in charge of basic functioning such as: breathing, heart beat, flinching, and digestion to name a few (Basinger & Hogg, 2023).
Above all else, the amygdala is in charge of survival from dangers and imminent threats. As fear is the main emotion that is controlled by the amygdala, this part of the brain is activated in response to potential danger before our higher order thinking brain in the prefrontal cortex has even processed what danger we might be perceiving (LeWine, H. MD, 2023). Because of this emphasis on survival and safety, the amygdala biases towards danger on purpose, just in case there really is.
Amygdala hijacking
In response to these dangerous stimuli, the amygdala is in charge of telling the brain to dump stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, to tell the body to react and avoid injury or death. This is the initiating act for our fight-or-flight response for survival. An amygdala hijack is an automatic response to stress, done without you being conscious of it (Holland, K. 2023). It is when this part of the brain is reacting unnecessarily by naturally bypassing our brain’s higher order of thinking in the prefrontal cortex.
If you imagine a scenario of the daily lives of our distant ancestors, it is likely starkly different from our daily life in modern society. In today’s era, many of us aren’t regularly being chased by a predator in the form of a wild animal. What we are exposed to, instead, is an increasing amount of stimuli, many that may be stressing us out. Demands from our jobs, families, health issues and society as a whole might have us feeling overwhelmed. Cumulatively overtime, this overstimulation of modern day society can make us predisposed to chronic stress via this amygdala hijacking. Maybe you got a stressful email, fought with a loved one, saw a distressing post on social media, or are feeling fatigued from a long and busy day at work. The amygdala is nature’s way of keeping us safe and alive, but it hasn't quite adapted to this new and highly stimulating modern society that we live in. Additional contributing factors may include genetics, life circumstances, history of chronic stress, mental health issues, and trauma can lead to more amygdala hijacking (Zhang, X. et al, 2018).
Signs & triggers of amygdala hijacking
When this stress response is activated, you may notice an increase in heart rate, sweaty palms, clammy skin or goosebumps. In an emergency, some of these things are important: blood flow increases to provide more strength to act, airways expand to allow more oxygenation, blood sugar increases to provide the body with immediate energy, and pupils can dilate to improve vision (Holland, K. 2023). When these reactions occur within our body when there is no true emergency, it can feel unpleasant. Having the body respond frequently and unnecessarily may lead to chronic stress which can have a negative impact on the body over time (Zhang, X. et al, 2018).
Coping & prevention
When you’re in the moment that this amygdala hijack might be happening, it’s possible to catch it in the act through awareness and conscious effort. You can mentally acknowledge what your body may be feeling and what triggered it to respond that way. Telling yourself you are safe and then taking some slow, deep breaths can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest & digest” part of the nervous system, to help our body begin to wind down immediately.
Over time, mindfulness practices can be a great tool to rewire the brain to avoid unneeded amygdala hijacking. Training your brain to avoid these reactions will gradually help its ability to relearn something and then make a new blueprint via neuroplasticity. Practices that incorporate mind-body awareness such as meditation, breathwork, yoga, or chi gong can not only help train the brain to be less reactive when not needed, but also support your entire nervous system in cultivating more peace and calm.
Daily mindfulness practice can train the brain to prevent stress
The world we live in can often be a very triggering place in many different ways. It is natural and expected that our bodies react this way, but it doesn't make those feelings any more pleasant, especially when they may be unnecessary. Knowledge and awareness is power and remembering to utilize tools such as mindfulness, slow deep breathing and other techniques that activate the parasympathetic nervous system will train the brain to not react to “the little things” allowing us to live more in control of our minds and bodies, and therefore our wellbeing.
References
Basinger H, Hogg JP. Neuroanatomy, Brainstem. [Updated 2023 Jul 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544297/#
Holland, K. March 16, 2023. Amygdala hijack: when emotions take over. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/amygdala-hijack
LeWine, H. MD. (April 3, 2024). Understanding the stress response. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
Zhang X, Ge TT, Yin G, Cui R, Zhao G, Yang W. Stress-Induced Functional Alterations in Amygdala: Implications for Neuropsychiatric Diseases. Front Neurosci. 2018 May 29;12:367. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00367. PMID: 29896088; PMCID: PMC5987037.
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