Tame your threat brain

If your mind works overtime and constantly feels stressed and under attack, you’re probably living in ‘threat brain’ mode. So, how do you stop it?

- SARAH MARINOS

Rising interest rates and spiralling household bills, fears of a looming recession, fires, floods, the tragedy of the war in Ukraine ... a new day brings a new round of bad news and anxiety-inducing headlines.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that more and more of us are operating in ‘threat brain’ mode.

Feeling besieged by situations that we believe are threatening our way of life, and over which we feel we have little control, our brain constantly operates on high alert. We are primed to be ready to respond to danger, and fight or flight becomes our default.

“Our threat brain is important – it’s part of our survival mechanism and kicks in when we face danger and need to be ready to react,” says Dr Jodie Lowinger, author of The Mind Strength Method. “But if we tip into threat brain and the fight-or-flight response when we don’t need to, that can get in the way of our capacity to thrive.”

The threat brain on speed dial

Issues arise when the merest whiff of uncertainty or the thought of risk begins a cascade of reactions in our brain – it’s our threat brain on speed dial.

“The threat brain relies on part of our brain called the amygdala that triggers a surge of adrenaline and cortisol in our bloodstream. It sets up our body to fight or flee,” Dr Lowinger explains. “But our brain can get hijacked by the amygdala, so then the threat brain swings into action when we don’t actually need it to. We jump into a state of fear or anger or agitation when we don’t want – or need – to.”

Dr Nelisha Wickremasinghe is a psychologist, Associate Fellow at Oxford University and author of