A small almond shaped amygdala lodged deep inside your brain, can toss a workday into turmoil almost before you get it off the ground. Has it happened to you? 
Warning signals for an overheated amygdala are flashing when:
* You freeze rather than react to a problem with solutions in mind.
* Anxiety slips into your day through others' annoying behaviors.
* The past week found you embarrassed over incidents at work.
* Panic causes you to make knee-jerk reactions to annoying peers.
* Moods spiral you so far down you have to look up to see bottom.
Did you know that the above warning signals come from an over-sensitized amygdala, or that successful people often rewire their brains for calmer responses?
It's a bit like bypassing your amygdala's automatic default operations, just as you'd tap a new key on your computer to enter a different screen.
Can you see value in taming an amygdala in ways that help you to smile and succeed - rather than shout and sink, over daily challenges at work?
Fine post, Ellen. In training, I refer to the amygdala as "the little forest creature that lives in your head."
Posted by: Wally Bock | September 25, 2008 3:29 PM | Permalink to Comment