Host intro: Seventeen months ago, COVID-19 hit New York City, bringing with it illness and death, as well as school closures, job loss and overall upheaval of the city. For Radio Rookie Guadalupe Ortega, a college freshman from Queens, the worst part has been watching her mom struggle with anxiety. Guadalupe’s interest in neuroscience led her to ask questions and explore what happens to our brains — and bodies — when stress levels build up.



Guadalupe Ortega: When the pandemic hit, schools suddenly shut down and we switched to remote learning. Then both my parents lost their jobs. It was the most stressful time of my life. But I was really worried about my mom. I always thought of my mother as a very intimidating woman. Not just because she’s my mom – but because she’s independent and resilient.

Guadalupe’s mom: Es que soy una mujer muy fuerte, luchadora. Y para mí no hay nada imposible. 

Guadalupe: For her, nothing ever seems impossible.

Guadalupe’s mom: Y para mí no hay nada imposible. 

Guadalupe: I thought if anyone could withstand a difficult time, it would be my mom. But the pandemic scared her. She became withdrawn. I wanted to find a way to help her. So I started asking questions. It’s the way I’ve always tried to make sense of my life. Like when I was 16 and I had my first real boyfriend. I wanted to understand why I felt so attached to him. So I went on Google and searched: Where do feelings come from? I learned that when we love someone, it doesn’t actually come from the heart. That’s just something people say. What really happens is your brain produces a bonding hormone — oxytocin — and a happy hormone — dopamine. So everything we truly feel comes from the brain. Ever since then, I’ve been interested in how the brain works — and how it affects our everyday lives.

Guadalupe: Hi Amy.

Amy Arnsten: At last. Hello.

Guadalupe: Amy Arnsten is a professor of neuroscience at Yale.

Amy Arnsten: And one of the things I’m most interested in is how stress affects brain function. 

Guadalupe: The first thing Professor Arnsten said is that we can view stressful situations one of two ways. Either we feel confident we can handle the stressor. Or we feel like it’s completely out of our control.

Amy Arnsten: Uncertainty is one of those uncontrollable stressors.

Guadalupe: And ever since the pandemic started, uncertainty has been a constant. 

ABC News reporting on coronavirus cases: “Devastation felt in hospitals across the country.”

Guadalupe: My dad kept the TV on all the time — and the news coverage overwhelmed my mom. Cases were rising, people were dying and hospitals were overflowing. It felt like we could be next. So, what was that fear doing to our brains and bodies? Professor Arnsten said when we’re really stressed, the brain gets flooded with dopamine and norepinephrine, two different neurotransmitters.

Amy Arnsten: They weaken a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex.

Guadalupe: We use the prefrontal cortex every day to solve problems, make decisions and keep our feelings in check. Without it, our emotions are hard to control.

Amy Arnsten: We might be much more irritable, for example, and yelling at the very people we’ve been stuck in the house with for all these weeks and months. 

Guadalupe: Just like my mom yelling at my dad about keeping the news on. And also about her sudden inability to sleep. I share a room with my parents and sometimes, I would hear my mom crying in the middle of the night. She also kept getting out of bed. It turns out, too much norepinephrine also makes it hard to sleep. 

Amy Arnsten: It’s an arousal chemical. But if you have more of it because you’re anxious, it keeps you awake. 

Guadalupe: That’s because all of this stress weakens the prefrontal cortex. And when the prefrontal cortex can’t do its job it’s harder for us to deal with scary or uncomfortable situations.

Amy Arnsten: We can lose perspective and with really profound changes, we can even lose hope.

Guadalupe: That’s what happened to my mom.

Guadalupe’s mom: Que yo pensaba que toda la gente nos íbamos a morir.

Guadalupe: She thought we were all gonna die.

Guadalupe’s mom: Y como decían que los hospitales estaban llenos y todo. 

Guadalupe: And that if we did get sick, no one would be able to help us since the hospitals were full. 

Guadalupe’s mom:  Y yo digo sí nosotros nos enfermamos — adonde yo voy a llevar mis niños?

Guadalupe: This is a natural response to a situation like this. If you’ve been feeling anxious or scared, it’s really stress hormones taking over your brain. It’s completely normal to feel this way. But I had another question: What can we do to interrupt this cycle?

Amy Arnsten: Trying to take control back for at least some small aspect of your life can help your brain feel more in control. 

Guadalupe: My mom didn’t just sit around and wait to feel better — she fought for herself. She tried talking to a psychologist. And she started jogging every morning.

Guadalupe’s mom: Y entonces uno — cuando tú ves que tienes mucha ansiedad, lo que uno tiene que hacer es ejercicio, salir a caminar y salir. Por ejemplo, a caminar o a correr. 

Guadalupe: She said when you’re feeling anxious you have to exercise. Something else that my mom said really helped was her connection to God. 

Guadalupe’s mom praying: “Santa María, madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros los pecadores ahora y en la hora...”

Guadalupe: She started praying more.

Guadalupe’s mom praying: “...de nuestra muerte...”

Guadalupe: Now that the city is re-opening, it seems like things are going back to normal. My mom is still cautious but she’s a lot better now.

Guadalupe’s mom singing along to “Y Como Quieres Que Te Quiera” by Fabian Gomez.

Guadalupe: And she still makes time to pray every day. She found comfort in accepting that some things are out of her control. But I’ve learned there’s a scientific reason that praying can make you feel better. It actually re-engages the prefrontal cortex. Like my mom, I also learned new ways to cope with anxiety. I write in my journal every day. And I bought some books about neuroscience. Just knowing what’s going on helps me feel more in control. Our feelings are not our fault — they’re just chemical reactions. Now, whenever I have a question about something, I look for an explanation in my books. For WNYC, I’m Radio Rookies Reporter Guadalupe Ortega.