This is the source of your writing anxiety: fear of panthers. So imagine that poor amygdala, deep in there, fretting whenever you try to create, thinking there’s a panther crouching in the bushes. Standing out in the crowd means getting eaten. According to the lizard brain, taking risks or standing out of the crowd is a poor idea indeed. The problem is that the lizard brain doesn’t know the difference between real trouble and emotional trouble. It’s always ready with a fight-or-flight response whenever we might need it. The lizard brain, the amygdala, works great when there’s real trouble. The lizard brain’s job is to help us survive, so it’s always vigilant for anything that signals food, sex, and (important in our case) danger. Seth Godin (see video below) calls this the Lizard Brain, because it’s basically the equivalent of, well, a lizard brain. There is a primitive part of our brain called the amygdala: almond-sized nubbins buried deep in our brain parts.
(Insert the script running through your head right here.)īut why? Why are we talking to ourselves like that? What purpose would that serve? Maybe you’ve felt like you weren’t good enough, or like trying to create was only going to result in heartbreak and humiliation, or like you were too old and what’s the point. If you’ve ever grappled with anxiety around writing, you know it can be uniquely painful and bewildering.
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