“Yeh sab tumhare dimag mein hai”

Anxiety can feel like it’s ‘all in your head’, but it is a constant brain-body loop. It’s true, however, that anxiety is rooted in the brain - specifically in the region of the brain that is called the limbic system and other networks connected to it.

The limbic system is the main engine in a factory that manufactures, packages, quality checks and decides whether to ship or to reject your ghabaraahat.

Matlab agar sab kuch andar se sahi jaa raha ho toh: 

something causes anxiety → trigger goes to limbic system → limbic system does its magic → if the fear is rational, the fear is passed → you will take reasonable action.

Now, just like in every other factory, there are different machines that do different things, but they all work together to make one final product. Ab factory ki ek bhi machine mein technical error aa jaye to sab kaam bigad jaata hai.

Limbic System factory mein, there are 5 very important units jo fear and anxiety process kartein hai:

1. The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) - The Executive Office - normally regulates the fear and impulsivity from all the other parts of the system, it makes rational decisions and stops overreactions. It is supposed to calm the storm. In anxiety, however, even the head office gets overwhelmed and lets the other overworked and irrational parts make decisions. Anxious brains show reduced control from the PFC and increased signals from the amygdala and insula

2. The Amygdala - The Emergency Unit - the main processor of all sensory information, it decides your body’s emotional and physical response to most triggers. And when someone has anxiety, they usually have a hyperactive amygdala, which is wrongly leading them to be overly sensitive to something that is not such a big problem. It rings the emergency alarm without there even being an emergency, and sometimes, without there being a problem at all.

3. The Hippocampus - The Record Unit - the hippocampus is where all your emotional memories go. Those glowing orbs of memories in the movie Inside Out, those were probably going in the hippocampus (lovely movie btw, if you haven’t seen it). When the hippocampus goes out of order, slows down or malfunctions, emotional memories get confused and fears are generalised. You can’t remember what bit you as a child, so you don’t know if you had to be scared of cats or dogs; maybe that’s why you’re scared of both?

4. The Insula - The Surveillance System - the insula works with the amygdala and checks the body for sensations associated with anxiety. It scans the heart-breath-gut signals. It keeps track of things like heart rate, breathing rate, pet dard, muscle tension, etc. And it asks itself - yeh kyu horahahai? Is my chest hurting because I'm angry or because I'm anxious? Is my heart rate going up because I am excited or because I am scared? People with anxiety usually have a hyperactive insula, which makes them more sensitive to changes in the body and more confused. If the heart rate is going up even a little, it is worrying - why is the heart rate going up? Even if it is just excitement, why is the heart rate going up? This is the main processor and cause of jeeghabaraana.

5. Anterior & Posterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC/PCC)- The Quality Control Supervisor and The Internal Auditor

The ACC - The Quality Control Supervisor - monitors for errors, malfunctions and emergencies. When something is defective (there is conflict, fear or pain), an alarm is sent off to take action. In an anxious person’s brain, the ACC goes into overdrive and sends too many false alarms even when things are slightly or not at all defective. Basically, you start paying too much attention to anything that you think could be a threat.

The PCC - The Internal Auditor - is active when the body is resting, keeping track of internal reports (self-reflection and self-consciousness), track records (past memories), and oversees the factory’s overall position - are we doing well? Are we meeting our goals? Where do we stand in the world? In an anxious person’s brain, the PCC is overworking itself, overanalysing past incidents, thoughts and emotions, which causes you to be extra conscious of yourself and leads to rumination and overthinking.

So haan, I mean, oversensitive, overthinking and all are all correct words, but yeh sab in machino ki galtihai, it’s not a personal choice. Ek baar anxiety ho jaye, toh kuch bhi, kabhi bhi, bina koi “real” reason ke overdrive mein jaakar, anxiety trigger kar deta hai. Aur phir koi aake bolta hai - “tum overthinking karna chhod do” - toh unhe kaise samjhayajaaye ki overthinking karna na humaare haath mein hai, na usse rokna itna asaan.