Your Second Brain
- Anxiety Self Help
Your second brain is responsible for those 'gut feelings' - learn about the mind-body connection.We all have a wonderful early-warning system for perceived approaching danger, and it starts in the stomach. It feels like a sort of knot and may affect your breathing slightly - ultimately, you get a 'gut feeling' that something isn't right, although you may not know what. Scientists have recently identified an apparent 'second brain' in the body that operates on an unconscious level and influences your reactions. Can you guess where it's located? That's right, the stomach. Hmm... Anyway, while this gut feeling is useful in potentially dangerous situations, if you find that it's either constantly there or regularly appearing in situations that don't pose a threat to your well-being, you may be wondering what's going on. Conditioning creates many of our internal mechanisms - when you do something often, your body learns that this must be useful to you in some way, and automates the process. For whatever reason, you may have experienced regular anxiety or stress for an extended period of time, or had some context-dependent issues that have proved consistently harrowing. Ask yourself: do those situations pose a threat to you now or are they based on old information that no longer applies, as you now have more life experience and knowledge? If you feel you are genuinely in constant danger, act right away - your number one priority is to remove yourself from danger, particularly if it involves verbal or physical abuse - take action rather than just living with it. Search online for government and charity websites that will give you specific advice in taking your next step. Do it now! Okay, so what if you've just got a fearful knot for no particular reason, or for something that might happen, but equally might not happen? These are the ones based on old information that no longer applies. By dealing with them, you get the added bonus that any useful gut feelings will be more distinct. That could be useful! Before you do the upcoming exercises to calm your 'second brain', a few words about the mind-body connection: Your mind affects your body (see further articles in this section as to how this can be harnessed) but it also works the other way around - your body state affects your mind. When you have an anxious stomach cramp or knot, it sends a message of impending danger to your brain. Whether it's real or habitual, the brain acknowledges that there must be something to worry about. You are then placed into a state of readiness for trouble. This state over-rides other states such as relaxation, comfort, enjoyment, pleasure-seeking or fulfilment. As the message undermines conscious analysis, it makes sense to work on the source - the actual knot itself. The next article will reveal the exercises and explains the techniques for unravelling that knot.
Next Article - Anxiety Attacks - Relaxation Techniques
Return from Your Second Brain to Dealing With Anxiety
Return from Your Second Brain to Free Self Help Articles home page
Top of Page
|
