Where does anxiety live in your brain? · Fit 'n Healthy Forever

Rheece Hartte

Nov 7 • Give Advice

Where does anxiety live in your brain?

The Four Parts of the Brain

Left Thinking Brain-

Logical, analytical, organized,

language-based.
Defines the self ("me," ego, identity).
Holds trauma, cravings, and addiction.

Left Emotional Brain-

Stores pain from the past and emotional reactions.

Where ANXIETY, fear, and trauma loops live.

Right Emotional Brain-

Feels the present moment.
Experiences joy, love, curiosity, and awe.

Right Thinking Brain-

Big-picture, imaginative, creative, and connected to all things.
Feels oneness rather than separation.

The Problem with Modern Society

Society is skewed toward the left brain—focused on individualism, achievement, and control.
This imbalance fuels addiction, anxiety, disconnection, and narcissism.
We’ve forgotten the right brain’s gifts: presence, compassion, and unity.

Emotional healing isn’t about shutting off feelings, it’s about understanding and soothing them consciously.

Practices like meditation, breathwork, and mindfulness help shift from left-brain stress to right-brain presence.

1. Recognition (The First Mechanism)

You first need to notice which “character” is currently active.

Each Brain has a "feeling" signature-

The Left Thinking Brain feels tight, fast, judgmental, and controlling.
The Left Emotional Brain feels anxious, reactive, or defensive.
The Right Emotional Brain feels open, playful, connected, and curious.
The Right Thinking Brain feels calm, creative, and spacious.

FitnHealthy tip - Simply pausing to name it - “My left brain is running the show right now” - begins to shift activity away from the amygdala (reactivity) and toward the prefrontal cortex (awareness).

2. Pause & Breathe (Interrupt the Circuit)

When you slow your breath, especially exhaling longer than you inhale, you activate the vagus nerve, calming the sympathetic “fight-or-flight” system.This buys you a few seconds to choose differently instead of reacting automatically. Set up timers throughout your day to take "Breathe Snacks"

3. Redirect Attention (Neural Re-Routing)

Your attention is like a spotlight.Where you place it determines which network of neurons fires.

Focusing on problems and self-talk activates the left hemisphere.
Focusing on sensations, gratitude, color, or sound activates the right hemisphere.

So, when you shift from thinking “What’s wrong?” to “What do I feel right now?”, you literally move electrical activity to a different part of the brain.

4. Conscious Choice (Prefrontal Mediation)

Once the pause and redirection occur, the prefrontal cortex acts like a conductor in a band.

Now select which part you want to lead-

“I choose calm curiosity instead of control.”

“I choose compassion instead of fear.”

"I choose being present instead of focusing on the future or past.

Repeated practice strengthens those neural pathways - this is neuroplasticity or remodelling of the brain in action.

5. Repetition leads to Integration

Each time you consciously choose, you’re teaching the brain a new habit loop.

Pause and notice - Which part of your brain is running your life today?

Share in the comments - Are you leading from logic, emotion, creativity, or connection?

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