Anxiety is something that we all experience during our lives and is a normal and natural human survival response to something we are worried about; something we are perceiving as a threat or something we're fearful of. e.g., a driving test, hospital appointment, public speaking, exam. When we have anxiety, we experience a varied combination of physical and emotional symptoms:
It is important to understand that having some anxiety is not only normal, but useful too. It can be seen as an alarm system and a natural response that tells us intuitively not to do something careless or dangerous. Anxiety symptoms also help us gauge what we care most about. If we didn't care about passing that driving test, or succeeding at that job interview, or performing well at a piano recital, we wouldn't experience anxiety about it. Furthermore, anxiety keeps us on our toes, it keeps us alert and many also say that it actually improves our performance.
Anxiety symptoms in these types of situations can cause some physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural issues, but once the situation has passed, symptoms resolve themselves reasonably soon after.
However, some people experience more severe and persistent anxiety symptoms, for example with: General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), PTSD or Social Anxiety Disorder, further symptoms may also include:
If you are experiencing any of the more severe symptoms above and they are interfering with your daily functioning and have lasted a long time, make sure you go to see your GP or healthcare provider and explain your symptoms.
Anxiety is fueled by a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
Here are some key contributors:
Anxiety is often a complex mix of these factors, and what fuels one person’s anxiety might not affect another’s. Managing anxiety involves addressing multiple aspects, from building healthy coping skills to seeking support from mental health professionals.
It is very important to speak to your GP or healthcare provider if you think your normal anxiety levels have increased.
When we're anxious, a number of changes occur in our brains and bodies.
These changes are known as the fight/flight response. Read more about Fight/Flight
When confronted with danger we will typically flee from the situation, or stand and fight. The main purpose of the fight/flight response is to protect the individual. It is therefore important to remember that the experience of anxiety is not, in itself, harmful.
When a person’s fight/flight response is activated, three major systems are affected.
These are the physical, cognitive, and behavioral systems.
Physical System When we believe that we are in danger, our whole physical system undergoes some major, temporary changes designed to enhance our ability to either run away, or stand and be ready to fight. Physically, as soon as danger is perceived, the brain sends a message to our autonomic nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system has two sections: the sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch. These two sections control the physical changes that occur in the fight/flight response.
The sympathetic branch is the part that activates the various areas of the body to be ready for action. When the sympathetic branch is activated, it includes all areas of the body, and therefore, the person experiences physical changes from head to toe. To get things moving, the sympathetic nervous system releases two chemicals from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. These chemicals are called adrenalin and noradrenalin and are basically messengers that serve to maintain the physical changes for a sufficient amount of time.
So what are these physical changes that the sympathetic mechanism produces when you are anxious?
1. An increase in heart rate and strength of heartbeat
2. A redistribution of blood from areas that aren’t as vital to those that are
3. An increase in the rate and depth of breathing .
4. An increase in sweating
5. Widening of the pupils of the eyes
6. Decreased activity of the digestive system
7. Muscle tension
The whole physical process is a comprehensive one that often leaves the individual feeling quite exhausted.
Behavioral System As already mentioned, the two main behaviors associated with fear and anxiety are to either fight or flee. Therefore, the overwhelming urges associated with this response are those of aggression and a desire to escape, wherever you are. Often this is not possible (due to social constraints) and so people often express the urges through behaviors such as foot tapping, pacing or snapping at people.
Cognitive System As the main objective of the fight/flight response is to alert the person to the possible existence of danger, one major cognitive change is that the individual begins to shift their attention to the surroundings to search for potential threat. This accounts for the difficulty in concentrating that people who are anxious experience. This is a normal and important part of the fight/flight response as its purpose is to stop you from attending to your ongoing chores and to permit you to scan your surroundings for possible danger. Sometimes an obvious threat cannot be found. Unfortunately, most of us cannot accept not having an explanation for something and end up searching within themselves for an explanation. This often results in people thinking that there is something wrong with them - they must be going crazy or dying.
Courtesy of: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/
Once the immediate danger, or believed danger has diminished, the body moves into the restoration phase or homeostasis (bringing the whole response back to 'normal') This is when the parasympathetic system begins to alleviate the sympathetic reaction.
The parasympathetic system does this by:
However, this restoration process does not completely resolve things immediately. The reactions caused by the fight/flight response can linger around for some time afterwards (just in case more danger, or perceived danger is to follow). These reactions do eventually subside.
Once the immediate danger, or believed danger has diminished, the body moves into the restoration phase or homeostasis (bringing the whole response back to 'normal') This is when the parasympathetic system begins to alleviate the sympathetic reaction.
The parasympathetic system does this by:
However, this restoration process does not completely resolve things immediately. The reactions caused by the fight/flight response can linger around for some time afterwards (just in case more danger, or perceived danger is to follow). These reactions do eventually subside.
There are many approaches, activities or lifestyle changes you can undertake to help alleviate these natural reactions earlier, and even minimize initial responses, e.g,
Engaging in any combination of the above will help you reduce anxiety levels. It's important that you do something that you enjoy and will do regularly.
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