Why does it feel like your mind goes blank with social and dating anxiety?

 It’s a very common description that I hear from a lot of clients: It feels like their body is shutting down.

The reality is that the body is actually turning on a survival stress response.

Energy is moving from one center of the brain and body into other areas. More specifically from the frontal lobe executive functioning portions of the brain into the limbic system or the more emotional centers of the brain.

You literally have less: energy going towards cognition, impulse control, self control, decision making power, and problem solving power.

And more: emotion, adrenaline, and stress (cortisol hormone).

Instead of being seen as a positive experience like you might with excitement, you perceive it more negatively.

This is why with excitement you can still think clearly, but with more severe anxiety it feels like your mind shuts down. . . It goes blank. You struggle to form sentences or your words might come out sharp, sounding angry. Something like 2 plus 2 equals 4 can suddenly feel difficult.

That sounds extreme, but in some cases that’s exactly what happens.

So bottom line is this…

Your body is not defective.

Your body is doing exactly what it’s designed to do, but your system is getting turned on in non-life-threatening situations.

Where do you experience the most anxiety and why do you see it as a threat?

Let me know in the comments below or send me a DM. 💞