Amygdala Hijack
Gospel-Centered Mentoring - Emotional Resiliency
God designed our brains with amazing capabilities. One of which involves the amygdala. This almond sized structure found near the base of our brain helps us respond to life threatening situations. It activates a sudden flight or fight response that overrides time consuming thinking from the frontal cortex. Focus narrows as adrenaline and cortisol flood the system. We simply react to the situation. For example, you see a small child run out into a busy street. You jump to action by sprinting into the street to save the child. There is no time taken to think about the best strategy or route. You simply react.
When the Gift Backfires
But in our broken world, this gift can misfire. Things like stress, conflict, and overload can activate it unnecessarily. For example, after a long stressful day of ministry work you come home to a dirty house and children fighting. You are suddenly overcome by anger. Your vision begins to tunnel as you explode with shouting and angry words toward the people you love. Later, you feel awful for what you did. This can happen to the best of us. Thank God for his grace and forgiveness!
Why it Matters
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, in his 1995 book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, coined the term “amygdala hijack.” He used this term to illustrate how strong emotional arousal can overwhelm the rational part of the brain. This emotional arousal leads to impulsive words and behavior. It often stems from from chronic stress, conflict, and overload. Before you know it, one can become stuck in a nasty loop:
Chronic stress leads to amygdala hijacking which leads to erratic behaviors which leads to damage of self and others which leads to more stress.
Ministry leaders are especially vulnerable to this loop as they pour themselves into others and over stretch their boundaries of time and ability. Amygdala hijack can set in elevating cortisol levels that may cause weight gain, high blood pressure, and trashed immune systems. Relationships are also damaged along the way. As a result, the joy of service begins to erode.
Breaking the Loop
By God’s grace, the loop can be broken. Everything begins with Him. Immersing ourselves in His Word calms anxious hearts and renews weary spirits. Forgiveness in Christ heals the guilt of past outbursts and restores peace. From that foundation, we can build habits that protect against chronic stress: creating healthy boundaries, resting well, cultivating supportive relationships, and even learning more about emotional intelligence. These steps, rooted in God’s promises, strengthen us for ministry and guard against being swept away by stress.
Call to Action
Here are three ways to curb amygdala hijack:
Breathe - God gave our bodies the ability to regulate through some simple strategies. To slow down the amygdala hijacking process, stop and take in three strong breaths through your nose. At the top of your third breath pause and take in one more deep breath. Then slowly exhale through your nose. Do this 1-3 times to bring yourself back into focus and emotional control.
Change Your Environment - Remove yourself from a stressful situation for a few minutes. Take a walk outside. Move to a different part of the building. Walk a hallway a few times. The combination of movement and environment change will help you calm down.
Maintain Your Three Legged Stool - Healthy spiritual, emotional, and physical habits will build resilience. This resilience will help fend off amygdala hijacking. When we are unhealthy in our spiritual, emotional, and physical domains, we don’t handle stress very well and become more susceptible to amygdala hijacking.
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