Anxiety is simply adrenaline with a negative frame. – Dr. Kevin Majeres
Picture this scenario: You are a young, single man attending Theology on Tap with the hope that you will meet new people, ideally a compatible young Catholic woman with whom you’ll become friends, and eventually ask out on a date. However, you are terrified. You are horrified by the awkwardness of entering a group of people you barely know and striking up a conversation. Your palms begin sweating and your face flushes at the prospect. It’s a no-go. You stand (also awkwardly) at the edge of the crowd, shifting your feet and looking at your phone.
What has happened here?
When we are anxious, our amygdala (the “smoke detector” of the brain) sounds an alarm when it senses threats. The amygdala initiates threat responses—elevated heart rate, rising blood pressure, quickened breathing, and sweaty palms are typical. Fueled by adrenaline, our bodies are now prepared to fight, flee, or freeze. This is all well and good when we are faced with a true threat to our lives, such as encountering a knife-wielding thug in a dark alley. Most times, however, as in our scenario above, the threat is simply the possibility of being in an awkward, stressful situation.
The amygdala is our primitive, survival brain that has only three narrow options: to fight, flee, or freeze (the 3 Fs). Our pre-frontal cortex, on the other hand, is our higher brain, where rational thought and loving connection take place. While the amygdala activates our fears and frustrations, the pre-frontal cortex encourages us to grow to meet life’s vicissitudes with hopeful vigor. The problem is that our amygdala is like a muscle, and the more it’s activated, the more our fear response grows. If we consistently avoid the dreaded anxiety-producing stimulus, we will soon find ourselves with a highly sensitive, easily triggered threat response. Instead of overcoming, we are overwhelmed.
How can we take the elevator out of the 3 F’s (fight-flight-freeze) restrictions of our amygdala to engage our higher brain, where we discover the land of creative options and hope? One of the best ways is through reframing.
Let’s try to view the situation differently, to reframe it as an opportunity to embark on a new relationship and to overcome our own fears. In fact, this new framework is healthier and more aligned with our own personal ideals and goals. Instead of engaging in all the “What ifs” that run rampant through our minds, let’s widen the lens. Instead of I am so anxious and afraid! or I always get so flustered when I meet new people, think to yourself: I’m not really anxious; I just have a lot of adrenaline that will give me the energy and courage I need to meet new people. This is called reframing.
Sure, the risk of being rejected is real, and there will probably be some lessons learned, but will it actually be devastating? It could be a stinging disappointment that will probably soon pass, accompanied by the good feeling of taking a worthwhile risk. And that’s another reframe: What is the worst thing that could happen here? Well, that’s not so terrible, after all!
Jesus assures us: In this world there will be trouble. But He came to overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). Christianity is not problem-avoiding but problem-overcoming. Our confidence is founded on His presence and His grace. But what can we do to be able to aptly receive it? How can we overcome the discouragement that threatens to overwhelm us?
Reframing is the art and skill of seeing something from a different and often truer and deeper perspective. It’s not the narrowing frame of distress but the expansive frame that results from humbly and patiently pausing, praying, and reflecting. And we lean into the challenge to address it creatively.
Most importantly, we Catholics reframe all the time to allow ourselves to see things as they really are and as opportunities to grow and be transformed. Christ’s Passion and Death on the cross is not simply a cruel and horrific execution but rather the redemptive act that frees us all from the slavery of sin, accomplishing God’s plan of salvation (CCC 599). The Eucharist is not merely a white wafer but is the source and summit of the Christian life, “in which is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself.” With grace and the firm resolve to carry our own cross daily, we can see our enemy as someone to love. We can even see meekness as a way to inherit the earth. As Christians we don’t just follow our instincts, our fears, or even our anxieties. Where others see trouble to be avoided, we might see opportunities to grow in love and in closeness to Christ.
The reframing frame of mind is an ontological acknowledgment of deeper realities and opportunities. It is a challenge to try to see things as they really are and what they can become: possible opportunities for love, growth, and transformation.
Reframing is not merely slapping a happy face on trouble. It is not wishful thinking or false optimism. It’s moving out of threat mode and into growth mode, trusting in God and His Providence: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). Reframing is pausing before reacting, prayerfully and calmly taking another look at the situation and trying to see it from a wider perspective.
To practice engaging in this wider perspective, here are some steps we can take to overcome anxiety through reframing:
- Take a slow, deep breath, acknowledge and accept without judgment the discomfort of the present moment.
- Now pause for prayerful reflection, calmly assessing the obstacles and developing strategies to address things one at a time. Silent prayer and slow breathing helps to exit threat mode.
- Remember: it is Christ who overcomes. “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9).
- Widen the lens: “What would I tell a friend if he or she were in my situation?” “How would Our Lord see this situation?” or “What would my mentor advise me in this situation?” “I may have to make some changes, but that’s an exciting challenge!” Leave the narrow, threatened position to embrace a larger view—which tends to be more encouraging and hopeful.
- Much of the discomfort of anxiety can be dispelled when you understand that adrenaline is a positive energy: you have framed it as “anxiety.” See this energy for what it is: energy to be courageous and overcome obstacles.
- Acknowledge the “cover charge” of some temporary discomfort as you move forward or accept the challenge. The temporary feeling of awkwardness, fear, stress, or embarrassment will dissipate the more you lean into the anxiety.
The amygdala alerts us that something is a threat. It’s good at identifying trouble but not so good at giving advice. When the smoke detector of the brain sounds the alarm, we don’t have to immediately jump out the window. We can pause, mindfully collect ourselves, pray, and ask Christ for assistance in seeing things from a different, more accurate, more loving perspective. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). This is reframing.
Editor’s Note: Art Bennett is co-author with his wife, Laraine, and daughter Lianna Haidar, of the new book, Anxiety: A Catholic Guide to Freedom from Worry and Fear, available from Sophia Institute Press.
Photo by In The Making Studio on Unsplash
