When Support Makes You Furious (And How to Calm Down

Has this ever happened to you?

Your friend notices that you're picking your skin and says gently "hey, you know how upset you get after you do that."

And you're instantly furious.

Especially because you know she's right, you do get really upset afterwards. But logic will only fuel the anger at this point.

Why such an intense reaction? After all, you know she was just trying to help!

Blame it on your amygdala.

The amygdala is the reactive fight or flight center of your brain. It's trying to protect you and keep you safe, but it can get a little overzealous at times. When your amygdala gets activated, it kicks your logical problem-solving brain offline. (Which helps us respond quickly in life-saving situations, but this is not life or death!)

This is why when you reach this state, no amount of logic will help you out of it. So what can you do to cool down and get back on track?

Get out of your brain and into your body.

• Move your body: Go for a walk, do jumping jacks, put on a yoga video

• Change your breathing: Try some breathing exercises, like 4-7-8 or box breathing​

• Change your environment: Go outside or even just to a different room

Whatever you do, do it with your body instead of your mind.