Appraisal Theory and Dealing with Worry - SL#3

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We often hear: “Worry is unnecessary and self-sabotaging.”

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But worry isn’t intrinsically bad.

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Everyone feels it. From you and me to the greatest athletes, leaders, and thinkers.

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It evolved to protect us from potential threats.

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It becomes counterproductive if it leads to self-destructive patterns.

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Appraisal theory argues that our mind reacts with a fight, flight, or freeze response, based on the resources it believes it has.

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In short:

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Human sees mammoth (life threat).
Human sees friends, muscles, spears (resources).
Human confident.

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Human sees potential mate (threat to self-image).
Human sees ugly face (resources).
Human freeze.

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Both humans received cortisol and adrenaline, but their nervous systems responded differently.

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Don’t try desperately to avoid worry. Next time you feel it, train your brain to interpret it positively by breathing in, evaluating the situation, and taking action accordingly.

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All the best,

Hugo Ares,
Student of life.

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