Does your nervous system “fool” you?

Have you ever found yourself worried about the worst thing that could happen waaaayyy before you should?

This happened to me recently.

I was outside with my dog Hydro, throwing his ball in the yard. He caught it and took a flying leap to land on our favourite lounging chair. Only I’d taken the cushion off earlier when it rained and Hydro had to scramble to not fall through the chair slats. He managed to stay upright but immediately limped over to me, his left front paw bleeding heavily.

After getting him cleaned up and giving him lots of cuddles, he laid very still on the couch for the rest of the night. He didn’t move even when he heard me making supper - a sure sign he wasn’t feeling well. My gut told me that he likely wasn’t badly hurt, just a little shook and bruised, but I started to worry “What if I was wrong?” So I did what we all do - I Googled possible injuries.

Suddenly I was faced with warnings about possible broken bones that could require splinting, surgery, or even amputation! Now I was REALLY worried. What if he had actually broken a bone? Would he heal properly? Would he need surgery or amputation? Would he have a limp or WORSE for THE REST OF HIS LIFE????!

Why do we sometimes spiral down the hole of our worst fears? How do we go from rational and level-headed to freaked out so quickly?

When we are feeling distress from our environment or other circumstances, little issues can quickly become big issues because our sympathetic nervous systems are already on high alert, ready to spring into action and protect us. Our survival instinct kicks in and we start to think about the worst case scenarios so we can be prepared.

Upon reflection, this is exactly what happened to me. I was already feeling stressed from a burst hot water tank and flood damage in my house, a sinus infection, and listening to too much upsetting political news. So when Hydro got hurt, instead of trusting my instincts that he would be fine with a little rest and extra love, my amygdala - the part of our brain that processes fear - told me to prepare for the worst.

After a sleepless night I took Hydro to his veterinarian who found no damage. She prescribed him a little bit of pain reliever and an hour later he was walking almost as normal.

The next time you find yourself spiraling towards doom, take a deep breath and ask yourself if the situation is really that bad, or if your nervous system is hijacking your rational mind.

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