Part 6/11:
The Role of Anxiety and How to Harness It
Wendy Suzuki, a professor of psychiatry, reframes anxiety from a negative emotion to a potential catalyst for growth. Anxiety, she argues, is a normal, evolutionarily built response to uncertainty, designed to protect us through fight-or-flight mechanisms. It involves activation of the amygdala, while the prefrontal cortex—the executive control center—can help calm anxiety.
However, high stress can shut down these regulatory areas, intensifying negative feelings. Suzuki emphasizes neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to rewire itself—as a tool to reframe anxiety. Instead of trying to eliminate anxiety, we can learn to see it as a superpower, offering specific gifts: