Here’s What They Didn’t Tell You About Anxiety

This is why it’s so hard to feel better.

Anxiety is about more than feeling bad.

Anxiety is a physical state of emergency that causes a part of the brain to shut down. That’s why it’s impossible to “snap out of it” — even when there’s no logical reason for it.

Whether you suffer from anxiety, or you’re trying to understand someone who does, this piece of knowledge will give you some insight into how to deal with it more effectively.

The emotional feeling of anxiety is caused by the physical sensations created by stress chemicals in the blood stream. The brain and body are in a state of fight-freeze-flight, which is caused by a flood of stress chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol, pumping through your system.

One of the key effects of this emergency state is the shutting down of the prefrontal cortex of your brain. This is where you do your cognitive thinking.

Stress chemicals produced in a state of anxiety cause blood to be drained from the part of your brain responsible for problem-solving, strategizing, communicating…