We often think that stress is just bad. When we see people who worry a lot, we can even judge them and feel sorry for them. But, it is important to understand that stress isn't always bad.
When you see a snake, or at least, if and when I see a snake, I am very happy that it is far away from me or behind glass. If Harry Potter would be next to me like in The Philosophers Stone (the first Harry Potter book), I would be worried, because he could speak with the snake and suddenly make it come out of the glass.
But, the point is - when I see a snake, my eyes send a signal to the amygdala. This is a part of the brain which deals with emotional processing. This will later send on a signal to the hypothalamus, which instructs the body to run away or hide, or whatever would be a suitable reaction to what I just saw with my eyes.
So far, so good!
Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
The amygdala
If the amygdala is responsible for transmitting those signals of fear to the hypothalamus, wouldn't it be amazing to just get rid of it? Wouldn't that liberate us from lots of trouble?
Life without fear, doesn't it sound good?
There have been a few cases in history in which people had to remove their amygdala. Do you know what happened? They became much "happier" in a way that we might envy them. But, it could also be seen that it was dangerous. Do you know why?
A person who doesn't worry or gets stressed doesn't worry or stress. So, if someone shows you a scary situation, or maybe you walk outside and see a car driving towards you... do you know what will happen? Not much at all! Instead of the amygdala telling your hypothalamus that you have to hurry up or jump aside, which then again makes your body move, the signals stop, and you are at great risk of becoming a flat pancake!
Stress and fear are at times very healthy!
It is important to place these things at the right place. It isn't healthy to live a stressed life, but we shouldn't look down and think of stress and fear as "bad" only. These are functions we were given to protect us and to help us.
Luckily, we all have our amygdala. But, if we are feeling tense and way to stressed, then a good solution is to exercise. This will cause GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) to increase in our brain, which again lowers the stress hormones in our bodies. That is why it is so important for people with lots of responsibility and much pressure on their shoulders to exercise because it will help them stay calm and less stressed. And since exercising also helps your body in other ways, this is a win-win situation!
Thank you for reading, and I hope this article has helped both you and me understand a bit more about our brains and how our bodies work!
This is an original article written by me for Project Hope!
