Inside your brain are two small, prehistoric organs called the amygdalae, which I refer to as your inner fish. Your amygdalae (there are two) manage your emotions and your "fight, flight, or freeze" response. When you're constantly in fight-or-flight mode, you become fatigued, irritable, sad, and hypersensitive (FISH).
Some years ago, I read Neil Shubin's book Your Inner Fish and was fascinated by the similarities between fish and humans. Fish have many anatomical structures similar to those of humans, such as the amygdalae and hippocampus (responsible for learning and memory). As it turns out, fish also need the same vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium, selenium, chloride, copper, sulfur, zinc, magnesium, and sodium) to thrive as we do.
Your Amygdalae (Your Inner Fish)
Your brain is like a computer with many files, and your amygdalae, which control your emotions, each has its own set of files. One of these files is your fear file. Your amygdalae record everything you have been frightened of since birth, which is good. Your amygdalae message your sympathetic nervous system to take over and keep you safe when you are in danger. Well, at least, for one of them it is.
The Individual Roles of Your Amygdalae
When stimulated, your left amygdala can elicit both positive and negative emotions. It tends to resolve issues through thought rather than action (a more feminine approach). At the same time, your right amygdala produces only negative emotions when stimulated, such as sadness and fear, and prefers a more active (masculine) approach by telling the brain to release certain hormones to get you to fight like mad or run like hell. This urgency comes directly from the amygdala sending a clear message that you are in danger, triggering a chemical chain reaction meant to put you on high alert to protect yourself from a predator. In this day and age, a predator might be a narcissist, rather than a dinosaur. Sometimes, your body's physical response (feeling anxious or panicky) to these chemical changes can be dramatic and downright alarming when you don't understand what is happening.
Fatigue, Irritability, Sadness & Hypersensitivity (FISH)
It's no secret that stress causes illness and disease. Why? In essence, stress changes the brain, causing the amygdalae to overreact and trigger bodily responses that adversely affect the nervous and immune systems.
While trying to keep your head above the waters of life may seem normal, it's not normal to feel fishy for too long. Life isn't meant to be experienced this way, and your body suffers under the assault. When you're chronically stressed, you live in a constant fight, flight, or freeze mode, even if you aren't always aware of it, which can cause inflammation in the body (and the brain) and Nervous System Dysregulation. NSD causes more frequent and severe herpes outbreaks in those living with HSV. I discuss NSD and how to reverse it here.
Besides stress, causes of FISH include being a Highly Sensitive Person and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Frequent infections, such as colds, flu, and herpes flares, can also make you feel fishy and make your amygdalae oversensitive. You might try eating foods that help you feel at peace. If you've been feeling fishy, your doctor can run tests to rule out any underlying causes.
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