 In this video, I am going to explain how evolutionary psychology shows why anxiety is actually a good thing. So make sure that you stay tuned to find out why. What is up everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution. So if you are somebody like me and you struggle with anxiety, you may hate it. You don't want this anxiety. You hate having anxiety and you just wish it would go away. Look at these other people and we're like, how are they so calm and mellow all the time? I wish I just did not have this anxiety, but we're about to discuss how evolutionary psychology proves why your anxiety is actually a good thing. So let's start out with this. I'm going to tell you a little story, but first I'm going to introduce you to two friends of mine. One is named Link and the other one is named Fred. By the way, bonus points if you leave a comment down below and tell me who this guy Link is and what movie he's from. But anyways, you got Link and Fred. So Link and Fred, they're cavemen. They like hanging out and they go for a walk. So they're just walking along, walking along and all of a sudden they walk past this cave and Fred and Link look at the cave and Fred's like, yo, Link, you want to go up in that cave and Link's like, nah, man, I don't want to go in that cave. There might be some stuff in there that can really hurt us. And Fred's like, Link, you're a wuss, I'm going in that cave. So Fred, he just starts wandering on over to that cave and then all of a sudden out of nowhere, a cougar comes out, eats Fred. Fred is now dead. Now Link is looking at his poor dead friend and Link is like, wow, good thing. I didn't go in that cave. So what happens is back then someone like Link is somebody who had a stronger amygdala than Fred. The amygdala is in charge of our fight, flight or freeze response. This is also the part of the brain that triggers our anxiety. So what evolutionary psychology explains is that when it comes to natural selection, people who had a stronger amygdala were able to pass along those genes. So along that bloodline, people like you and me, we had family members with stronger amygdalas. This is why anxiety can run in the family. So back in the day, it was a good thing. It was part of evolution and natural selection, why people had to have anxiety. We need that anxiety so we know when not to do really dumb things. Now let's fast forward real quick. I'm somebody with anxiety and I'm very grateful for it and I have to be because I have to look at all the situations it helps me avoid. Right. So for example, I'm worried about getting speeding tickets because they're expensive. I hate them and I don't like paying them. So since I'm worried about getting speeding tickets, I don't speed. Right. Another thing I'm worried about is wandering across the street and getting hit by a bus because I'm worried about getting hit by a bus. I always look both ways before crossing a street. I'm also worried that I'm going to forget to leave to turn the oven off and my house is going to burn down. So because of that worry, I always make sure that my oven's off. I'm also afraid that I'm going to lose my job, be broke, lose my house, not be able to pay for my son's stuff, not be able to feed myself. And I'm going to be homeless on the streets of Las Vegas. So since I have this worry about losing my job, I do a good job. So I want you to start thinking about where is your anxiety actually helping you out? One of the reasons why this is why this is so important is because we start to be grateful for it and we start to accept it because people like you and me, we're actually going to have a lot longer lifespan. We live in a time where people are doing stupid internet stunts like crazy all the time. Do you guys remember when planking was a thing when people were going out of places and just like laying flat on the dumbest places you can? Like, OK, it was cool. Like people were like laying across like a table. But then people tried to see who can one up with the planking. Then you started hearing news stories about people dying from planking. Then you had other dumb internet challenges. One that's hot in the streets right now is this tied pod challenge. My girlfriend tagged me in a post today where emergency rooms are seeing an insane amount of people go into the emergency room for eating these tied pods. Don't you think a healthy amount of anxiety would have helped these people this worry that they might hurt themselves? They actually taste good, right? One of the saddest stories that I heard not long ago was an Instagram stuntman in China. He liked to free climb up buildings and take Instagram pics. And he ended up falling 62 stories to his death. So people like that, it would be safe to say that they need a healthy kind of sense of anxiety. You see what I mean? So right now you're sitting there and saying, Christ, my Christ, anxiety isn't always a good thing. All right. This is why different practices come into play where we work on our anxiety because anxiety can be a very, very beneficial tool for us, but it can also be a hindrance for us. One quick hack that I'll give you that I use myself all the time when I'm worrying about stuff. It really helps me categorize these things. I ask myself one question, just one simple question. Is this useful, for example, when I'm worrying about you know, bills that are coming up in like three months or, you know, a payment or, you know, where I'm going to go after work or who I'm going to hang out with and all this stuff, right? And when I should be focusing on my job or I should be focusing on my son, you know, I ask myself in that moment, I take a deep breath and I ask, is this useful? Because when we can start doing that, we start checking in with the different worries that are renting space in our head. So then we can start separating the rational anxiety from the irrational anxiety. But if you feel like you need more help with your anxiety, there is a link down in the description below for an online therapy program that I highly recommend that you check out. It's pretty affordable. But I will also recommend this app right here. This is the Unwinding Anxiety app by Dr. Judson Brewer. It blends in mindfulness and meditation for anxiety. I've used it myself. It is amazing. And Dr. Judson Brewer and his team have gifted all the viewers of the Rewired Soul with a 10% off coupon. So the way it works, the first four days are free. You can use those four days all you want. But if you decide that you want to access the rest of the app, you can use this 10% off code that I'm going to put right here. I'll also put it down in the description below. But yeah, know that there is help for severe forms of anxiety, but there's also times when you need to recognize that anxiety is a good thing. All right. So don't forget. Don't forget. Leave a comment down below if you know what movie my buddy Link is from. All right. But anyways, if you like this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you are new here, make sure you click the little round subscribe button right below this little box. I'm always making videos to help you out with your mental health. And if you'd like to check out some other videos on this channel, click or tap on one of those thumbnails right there. But anyways, thank you so much for watching. I love you. I'll see you next time.