Edition #3. How to Turn Off the Panic Button
Welcome to the Hail Mary Friday Club, where we explore how to live with more boldness, courage, and joy…and then every Friday we go out and do something about it!
If you missed the opening edition explaining what the Hail Mary Friday Club is, you can catch up here.
The secret to dealing with nervous butterflies 👇
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading”
- Loa Tzu, Chinese philosopher and co-founder of Taoism
The Problem: The Amygdala Hijack
How do I turn off the panic button?
Last time, we were reacquainted with our amygdala: the brain’s powerful, peanut-sized panic button deeply invested in our survival. It hijacks your brain with fear and wants you to curl up in the centre of your comfort zone until the end of time.
The good news is your panic button comes with an off switch: the prefontal cortex (PFC). It’s the part of your brain just behind your forehead, and not only is it 100 times bigger than your amygdala, it’s stronger and wiser.
There is, however, one small problem: our PFC is slow off the mark.
Think of your amygdala as a sprint specialist
While your prefrontal cortex is a strong and steady marathoner
We react with our amygdala.
But we think with our prefrontal cortex.
And just like wine, cheese and SCOBYS, the good stuff takes time.
The Solution: Time
Buy your Prefrontal Cortex an extra 6 seconds
The amygdala’s impressive reaction time is precisely because it doesn’t think. It simply inserts past experiences and feelings and it is very possible that information is wrong, unhelpful, or irrelevant.
And you don’t have to listen. Just stall for a moment—long enough for your PFC to boot up. Then the wiser, cooler voice can deactivate your panic button and offer a better option. And by better, I mean the option that actually matches the person you want to be.
Grape Juice vs Wine
Never underestimate the transformational power of time!
Photo credit: GQ
According to the science, the PFC takes 6 seconds to kick in. Personally, I think they missed a few zeros off that figure because, in practice, my PFC can take way longer.
Case in point:
“Hey Stef - do you want to run a marathon?”
As a sprinter, I swore I would never run one. Then I tried a couple of 5km Park Runs. Made friends with people who think long runs on the weekend are “fun.” Got curious and ran 10km. Then 15km. Then 20km. Got a running coach. And - fast-forward 3.5 years later - suddenly 42.2km doesn’t sound like a death sentence.
Don’t assume fear means ‘no’.
Fear might be your first reaction, but it doesn’t have to be the final verdict. Give your brain time to adjust before you count yourself out.
The Application: All Roads Lead to Hail Marys
A handy flow chart to remind you that the road to bold is always open!
It doesn’t quite pass for scientific (so please don’t cite it in your PhD) and it is 100% biased towards courage, boldness, and joy.
What’s something bold, scary and exciting you can do on Friday?
Maybe it works out. Maybe it doesn’t. Either way you’ll have a great story to tell on Monday! Stay bold and I’ll catch you in your inbox on Sept 11th!
- Stef 👽
PS. If you want to learn more about the PFC and the Amygdala and how their interactions enhance human behaviour, check out this short article
PPS. If you are still wondering what a SCOBY is, watch this
