My mobile phone was stolen in London, Charing Cross on Saturday, which brain do you think activated first?
Our brain runs on two systems: the fast, emotional brain that reacts instantly, and the slower, thinking brain that analyses and reasons. Emotional hijacking happens when the emotional brain takes over before the thinking brain can step in, pushing us into impulsive reactions that don’t always match the situation.
Understanding this tug‑of‑war helps us pause, regain control, and respond with clarity instead of instinct.
In this episode we go into what happens in emotionally motivated situations and our reactions.
This article and episode discusses emotional hijacking which is the phenomenon where our emotional (“feeling”) brain overrides our rational (“thinking”) brain during stressful or threatening situations.
I provide the example of my phone being stolen in London to illustrate how the initial emotional response (instinct to chase the thief) was quickly replaced by rational actions (securing the phone and reassuring my child).
In this article and episode I explain the roles of the emotional brain (amygdala, responsible for quick, instinctive reactions) versus the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex, responsible for logic and reasoning), and how emotional regulation techniques like deep breathing and pausing can help regain rational control.
The main message is to stay calm during emotional hijacks, use strategies to regain control, and remember that safety is more important than possessions. Also, if you are in a similar situation, don’t get mad or scared – GET EVERY DETAIL so you can give a polished statement to the police afterwards – but not too long afterwards otherwise you run the risk of forgetting important facts.
A deeper dive of this information will soon be listed in the upcoming Hippo Hub.
Other links: Love your hippo / DragonKind Novelties
Intro music: Moodmode on Pixabay | Sound Effect by Vlad Krotov from Pixabay
Image by Peter Middleton from Pixabay
