How to Calm Anxiety and Overcome Stress: Understanding Your Mind-Body Response

Modern life constantly exposes us to external stressors that trigger anxiety and dread.

Our internal dialogue- what we tell ourselves about the stressor and how much we believe in our ability to handle it - is what determines our reaction. When we understand how the body responds to stress, we can begin to manage it better.

What Happens in the Body During Stress?

All sensory information travels to the amygdala, part of the brain’s limbic system. The amygdala evolved to protect us from threats to our survival. When danger is sensed, it evaluates the risk level.

Think of the amygdala as a sophisticated internal camera that records intense emotional experiences and stores them in the subconscious as sensory memory. It receives signals from internal organs like the gut and heart, and it connects our physical sensations to external events, thereby creating emotional memories.

When it senses something familiar- even just a fragment of a past experience- it triggers the fight-or-flight response. It acts within less than a second at which time adrenaline floods the body, heart rate increases, breathing becomes fast and shallow, cortisol levels rise, and digestion slows. You may feel butterflies in your stomach, irritability, dry mouth, trouble focusing, and then the amygdala decides whether to fight or flee.

Even a partial memory of a traumatic event can trigger this system with the same intensity as a real physical threat- like a wild animal attack or a serious car crash. 

Because these memories are encoded through the five senses, a screech of tires or a certain smell can send the amygdala into alarm mode. It stores any memory associated with danger or threat, and the next time you’re in a similar situation, your body reacts with anxiety before your logical mind can even process what is taking place.

The Subconscious

The subconscious mind is trying to protect us, even if there’s no real threat in the modern world. There’s no saber-toothed tiger outside our cave anymore, but the sympathetic nervous system reacts the same way to emotional and psychological stress as it would to physical danger.

However, in many cases, this reaction doesn’t serve us. In moments of uncertainty and fear, the mind plays horror stories- negative thought loops, “what-ifs,” worst-case scenarios. If we can learn to recognize and redirect those thoughts, we can begin to disarm them.

How to Calm the Mind and Body

The most effective way to handle stress is through deep breathing and conscious internal dialogue. When we take slow, deep breaths, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings the body into a state of calm.

Breathing deeply (rather than shallow breathing, which is typical during stress) slows the heartbeat, regulates breathing, lowers blood pressure, and relaxes the muscles. Once the body is calmer, we can begin to work with the mind by reprogramming the subconscious with positive, calming messages.

Gaining Control Over Automatic Thoughts

We have the power to stop our automatic, fear-based thoughts. Instead of letting the mind run on autopilot, we can pause and observe.

Visualize the mind from the outside, as if it’s a separate entity from you. Watch it without judgment and notice how anxious, contracted, or scared it is. Pay attention to the stories it's telling- what memories are they tied to?

Speak to your mind like you would to a frightened child:

• Remind it of all the times you’ve succeeded.

• Recall the light that came after past darkness.

• Calm it with breath, memory, and mantras.

Reassure your mind: You are not in danger right now. You are safe. You can breathe. You can hope again.

A Story to Help You Choose Peace

There’s a famous story about a tribal elder who sat with his grandson and told him: “Inside every person, a battle is raging between two wolves. One is evil- filled with anger, jealousy, regret, greed, pride, sadness, guilt, resentment, fear, and anxiety.
The other is good- filled with joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, generosity, compassion, honesty, and confidence.”

The grandson thought for a moment and asked, “Grandpa, which wolf wins?”

The grandfather replied, “The one you feed”.

Which wolf are you feeding today? The one that whispers you’ll never succeed and fills you with fear and despair? Or the one that offers you joy, peace, hope, and healing?

Dr. Rina Mordo, Ph.D. is a Nutritional Coach specializing in subconscious reprogramming and NLP