Ana Ibáñez, brain trainer: "The brain will lock away those memories and experiences that made you feel bad."

When anxiety appears for no apparent reason, the brain is trying to protect us. This is how Ana Ibáñez, neuroscientist and brain coach, explains in her appearance on BBVA's 'Aprendemos Juntos 2030' podcast, where she states that anxiety is "a fear lodged in your brain that has caused it to reprogram its activity to make you feel alert and restless, even when it's not necessary."

Ibáñez maintains that the brain acts guided by its primary mission: survival. Therefore, it carefully selects which information to preserve as a priority. "It will especially lock away those memories of experiences that have made you feel bad," he points out. This information, he asserts, is stored in the deepest part of our minds, even without us being aware of it.

Many of our fears, anxieties, and insecurities come from the subconscious, according to the expert. "Our brain is constantly feeding us information it has stored away, information we don't even know is there," she explains. This often leads to anxiety without an obvious cause, because that alarm signal doesn't come from the present, but from a hidden emotional memory.

Far from considering the brain as a cold, logical machine, Ibáñez proposes a powerful image for learning how to deal with it: visualize it as a scared child. "Let's put in front of us a brain that's actually a scared child," he suggests. This metaphor invites us to adopt an attitude of care and empathy toward ourselves when episodes of anxiety arise.

That scared child manifests itself with physical symptoms that many people will recognize: palpitations, rapid breathing, invading thoughts, or a feeling of imminent threat. But Ibáñez reminds us that these symptoms are actually a cry for help from the brain. "What's happening is that your brain is that child who is so scared that it's sending you these symptoms so you realize it wants you to take care of it," he says.

The neuroscientist's message is clear: instead of rejecting anxiety or combating it violently, we must understand its origins. The brain isn't failing; it's trying to protect us with the resources it has learned. Therefore, the key to reducing these states of constant alertness lies not only in rationality, but in reconnecting with emotional security.

Although he doesn't offer magic solutions, Ibáñez opens a path of hope: "It's important to know, because knowing is where we can do something to change it." With this knowledge, each person can begin to establish a new connection with their own nervous system, one based less on fear and more on caring.