Fear incapacitates the brain

I met this woman a couple weeks ago. She seemed intelligent and independent-minded with great ideas, fun to talk to. I met up with her again two weeks later and in the intervening period she had lost her job. She was a different person. She was unclear, thought process disorganized, unable to make good decisions. She also expressed considerable worry about finances. It occurred to me, it was the fear that incapacitated her thinking ability.