Let me paint a picture.

You’ve had three back-to-back meetings, your inbox is a mess, your team just Slacked you “quick Q?” and now someone’s asking if you can just take a look at that deck before EOD.

And without even thinking, you say:
“Sure, I’ve got it.”

You do not got it.
But your mouth said yes before your brain had time to consult your actual calendar or your actual energy.

Welcome to the amygdala hijack.
It’s not a mindset issue. It’s not a lack of boundaries.
It’s biology—and your brain is doing exactly what it’s been wired to do when stress shows up like an overbooked meeting request.

Here’s what’s actually happening

When you’re under pressure - decision fatigue high, energy low, calendar packed - your amygdala kicks in. This is your brain’s fear center. Its job is to keep you safe, not strategic.

It senses threat (a disappointed client, a critical boss, or even the awkwardness of saying no) and immediately pulls you into survival mode. Fight, flight, freeze - or in the case of women leaders? Fawn.

Fawning is that reflexive yes. The over-accommodating. The default “I’ll just do it.”
It’s protection disguised as professionalism.

Here’s the problem: when the amygdala takes over, the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for logic, decision-making, and strategy, gets pushed to the back seat (Arnsten, 2021). You can’t think clearly because your brain is too busy protecting you from perceived social threat.

Sound familiar?

• To all you experienced leaders: It’s why your calendar is full of work that doesn’t actually move your title or salary.
• To rising stars: It’s why you overprepare and still get overlooked.
• To the business owners and entrepreneurs: It’s why you’re spinning in five directions but not gaining real traction.

The science behind the spinout

This isn’t about “just saying no” or “having better boundaries.” That advice skips over the biology.

According to Arnsten (2021), chronic stress triggers a chemical cascade that weakens activity in the prefrontal cortex—making it harder to access executive function in the exact moments you need it. In other words, the more overwhelmed you feel, the harder it is to think straight, speak up, or strategically respond.

That’s not a personality flaw.
That’s neuroscience.

And if your work relies on positioning, persuasion, and power? You need your prefrontal cortex online.

The Pattern Interrupts That Get Your Brain Back

If your brain's been hijacked, you can’t mindset your way out.
You need a pattern interrupt—a physical or sensory cue that tells your nervous system “Hey, we’re not under attack. You can stand down now.”

Here are three quick resets I use and recommend:

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

This one’s popular because it works. Scan your environment and say out loud

• 5 things you see
• 4 things you feel
• 3 things you hear
• 2 things you smell
• 1 thing you taste

It forces your brain to shift from reactive to present. Use it before you respond to that “quick favor” email.

Cold Water on the Wrists

Run cold water over your wrists or splash your face.
It activates the parasympathetic nervous system and literally chills your fight-or-flight response.
Try it between meetings, or before that high-stakes conversation.

Stand Up. Change Rooms. Change State.

Move your body. Change your visual input. Step away from the desk, even for 60 seconds.
The movement plus visual disruption helps reset your amygdala’s sense of danger.

These aren’t hacks. They’re interrupts. Micro-movements that shift your brain back into power mode.

Before You Say Yes Again…

Ask: "Is this a real yes, or an "amygdala yes"?

Because clarity, confidence, and positioning all live in the prefrontal cortex.
And if you’re leading, building, or leveling up? You can’t afford to keep giving power to a hijacked brain.

Reference

Arnsten, A. F. T. (2021). Stress weakens prefrontal networks: Molecular insults to higher cognition. Nature Neuroscience, 24(4), 408–417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-021-00860-4