5 Neuroscience Concepts to Help You Stop Anxiety and Overthinking Amygdala Hijack (Daniel Goleman, 1995) Why: The amygdala, the brain’s fear center, triggers overthinking and anxiety during perceived threats. How: Practice mindfulness and deep breathing to calm the amygdala’s response and regain control. Neuroplasticity (Donald Hebb, 1949) Why: Repeated negative thoughts reinforce anxious neural pathways, making overthinking habitual. How: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations to rewire your brain over time. Cognitive Reappraisal (Richard Lazarus, 1966) Why: Reframing stressful situations reduces the emotional impact on the brain. How: Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and focus on the facts instead of catastrophizing. Default Mode Network (Marcus Raichle, 2001) Why: This network becomes overactive during unstructured downtime, leading to rumination. How: Engage in structured activities or hobbies to shift focus and quiet the default mode network. Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges, 1994) Why: The vagus nerve regulates the body’s stress response, which affects anxiety levels. How: Activate the vagus nerve through deep breathing, humming, or cold exposure to calm your nervous system. this is too 1% stuff man . hitting the books have been life changing