Uncertainty is hard for us all; it causes our pre-conscious (subconscious) to go into overdrive as it tries to figure out what the future holds. This global phenomenon is causing an increase in harm and violence. Why is that?
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the 'logic' part of our brain and is located at the front of the frontal lobe, hence its name. It is commonly known as our executive function where problems are solved, where decisions are made, where logic sits and thus provides us with self-control.
The role of the PFC is to moderate our emotional brain, to bring logic to an emotional situation, to bring calm to the storm.
The PFC doesn't fully develop until around our mid-twenties which is when we fully connect with our limbic system, often referred to as our 'emotional brain'. Thus, a teenager who hasn't yet fully developed the PFC-limbic connection may act rashly under stress. Without the full connection, teenagers learn by experiencing (experimenting) rather than thinking things through.
Most of us will behave the way a teenager does when our brain cannot find certainty. In times of uncertainty, the connection between the limbic system and the PFC is broken due to our automatic fight-or-flight (f-or-f) response therefore we remain in our emotional brain where our emotion regulator is found, the amygdala.
Promoting long-term wellbeing often comes back to the very basics, and reconnecting with logic is no different. Three simple activities that we can all do without any cost or major effort to reduce f-or-f (whether conscious or subconscious) and stay connected to our PFC for much longer - walking, writing, and talking.
Walking - Exercise need only be a 20 to 30-minute medium to fast-paced to burn off adrenaline & cortisol, and to reconnect us to our PFC. Plus, we get the bonus of pain-relieving endorphins to make us feel great.
Writing - We place ideas logically while also checking spelling, punctuation, usage, and grammar using fine motor skills. Plus, we get the bonus of getting the issue outside of our head and accessing our preconscious thus controlling its automatic overthinking function.
Talking - In general, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language and speech. We are in part, in our PFC when talking.
Plus, as a bonus and more importantly, when we talk with others many positive things occur;
🗣️ Getting issues out of our heads and into the open stops us from overthinking and catastrophising.
🗣️ We can compare the experience of another person to that of ours, and use it in our own situation.
🗣️ We get to express how we feel - emotions will come out, the sooner they do so the better for us.
🗣️ Connecting with others helps us feel less alone.
Uncertainty is processed as adversity within our brain therefore reconnecting with logic helps us to manage this world of ours which can be filled with so much uncertainty.
Imperatively, let's talk!
Connect To Logic To Overcome Uncertainty!