How calm is your meerkat (your Amygdala) right now? Who in your family is the sentinel Meerkat? Who’s always ready to sound the alarm? Whether a true or false threat?
Can YOU recognise when YOU need to THANK THE MEERKAT FOR KEEPING YOU SAFE? or when you are being hijacked by the meerkat’s ego? Meerkats Drive/fearfulness that’s switched on 24/7?
Who’s easily triggered? Who’s constantly overthinking? Who believes the doubting self-talk thoughts? Who lives by pre-existing negative beliefs? All of us most of the time. It’s called conditioning – our family culture – family values and beliefs- and your parent’s previous influences will play a huge part in how you respond. Role models are people that showed us how to behave, to communicate. Your Families Blueprint. Friends and associates influence us daily. How does this link to our Amygdala? Today’s threats are so multi-faceted- this part of our brain can’t differentiate between a Sabor tooth Tiger approaching or an unkind word. It’s a threat.
We don’t have to hunt to stay alive or be able to run away and hide from dinosaurs. This part of our brain has not evolved. We are still activated by any threat that makes us feel unsafe.
The amygdala is the oldest part of our brain it’s our survival, it’s how comes we are still here as human beings.
Reactive to absolutely everything and anything? Some of us have discovered ways to notice when we are drifting off out of our control and maybe just see that we are staying in control more frequently with daily practice. when you may need to respond and in which manner is right at that moment? you maybe choosing not to engage so much.
Building your Self-control, creating inner calm.
Meerkat is constantly on the lookout. Effortlessly and relentlessly, Keeping us and others safe from danger. Our internal alarm.
Meerkat can get it wrong as it has no perception of language or understanding it’s an alarm 🚨no other agenda other than to evacuate you or spark a reaction/response from this perceived moment of threat or danger. We are often thrown off course too by many false threats and self-belief of negative thinking.
Triggered, subtly, by a threat. Or a repeated self-chosen thoughts/ reactions communication, response.
Any type of threat – environmental a small bee – thunder – noise- sound- facial expressions- tone of voice- too hot – too hungry – thirsty- tired and so on. These are enough to trigger your stress responses. Add to existing unresolved stress or the situation you’re trying to deal with.
Physiological- any pain – another person’s words and actions, affecting your parasympathetic nervous system.
When your body and mind feel unsafe, now more accustomed and familiar with the Flight, Flight and Freeze response, we all have become clued up with this cortisol-fuelled stress, life-saving response. Thankfully we understand so much more about this part of our brain. Knowledge is vital when teaching children, it quickly unfolds just how smart the children are to see this concept of using the wonderful meerkat.
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So much to learn regarding how our amygdala, our internal safety alarm, ( meerkat) part of our brain can affect how we communicate – behave, leading to our mental health.
We don’t have to react all the time
We don’t need to
We can choose what we react to and why we reacted that way
We can choose to do nothing
We can return to the issue/conduct/ problem etc again when we feel safe from the threat. Problem-solving I made easier
Knowing we can behave In a very irrational way if we feel any threat, big or small, real or fake.
We can take more considered care about how we choose to respond.
We can learn pause techniques to help calm us down
We have some choices post threat
Old repeated behaviours can be rewired to new healthier reactions. Self-preservation? yes, of course, sometimes! Necessary, yes when needs must? Yes, times stuck in old behaviours ( communication) we can try to squash that existing style of behaviour. It’s not healthy and it’s going to create low self-esteem and increase stress.
Self-care
Self-esteem
Self-love
