What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a common experience that people may feel in different ways. Some people may feel apprehensive, nervous, or even fearful. Most people do not recognize their anxiety for what it is, and instead think there is something “wrong” with them. Some people are preoccupied with the symptoms of anxiety (e.g. stomach aches, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, etc.). Others think they are weird, weak, or even going crazy! Unfortunately, these thoughts only make people feel even more anxious and self-conscious. Anxiety is when you feel fearful and tense, for example if you are confronted by an angry person. It can also be a feeling of unease, for example during exams or worrying about an interview.

Myth: Reading, thinking, and learning about anxiety will make you even MORE anxious.

Fact: If you do not know what you are dealing with, how do you manage it? Having accurate information about anxiety can reduce confusion, fear, and shame. Anxiety is a common and normal experience, and it CAN be managed successfully!

Anxiety is probably a very adaptive, good part of our ability to cope with the world. For example if we have a test coming up and we feel anxious, or a big project at work, that anxiety may spur us to study harder or to prepare more for our test.

Learning the Facts about Anxiety

1. Anxiety is normal. Everyone experiences anxiety at times. For example, it is normal to feel anxious when on a rollercoaster, or before a job interview.

2. Anxiety is adaptive. It is a system in our body that helps us to deal with real danger (for example, anxiety allows us to jump out of the way of a speeding car) or to perform at our best (for example, it motivates us to prepare for a big presentation). When you experience anxiety, your body’s “fight-flight-freeze” response (also called the “adrenaline response”) is triggered. This prepares your body to defend itself.

More on Flight-Flight-Freeze
Our body’s natural alarm system (the fight-flight-freeze response) can be activated when there is a real danger, such as coming across a bear when hiking in the woods. In this case, you may flee (e.g., run away from the bear), freeze (e.g., stay still until the bear passes), or fight (e.g., yell and wave your arms to appear big and scary).But this response can also happen when something simply feels dangerous, but really isn’t, such as being interviewed for a job. For example, you may feel jittery, on edge, or uncomfortable. You may snap at people (fight) or have a hard time thinking clearly (freeze). These feelings can become overwhelming enough that make you want to avoid doing the interview (flight). Many people stop doing things or going places that make them feel anxious.

Can you think some ways you may fight, flight, or freeze because of your anxiety?

3. Anxiety is not dangerous. Although anxiety may feel uncomfortable, it is not dangerous or harmful to you. Remember, all the sensations you feel when you are anxious are there to protect you from danger, not hurt you!

4. Anxiety does not last forever. When you are anxious, you may feel like the anxiety is going to last forever. But, anxiety is temporary and it will eventually decrease!

5. Anxiety is mostly anonymous. Most people (except those close to you) cannot tell when you are anxious because it does not show on your face.

6. Anxiety can become a problem. Anxiety is a problem when our body reacts as if there is danger when there is no real danger. It’s like having an overly senstive smoke alarm system in your body!

7. Anxiety problems are common. One-in-ten adults suffer from anxiety problems.

Anxiety is like a smoke alarm system:
A smoke alarm can help to protect us when there is an actual fire, but when a smoke alarm is too sensitive and goes off when there isn’t really a fire (e.g., burning toast in toaster), it is rather annoying.Like a smoke alarm, anxiety is helpful and adaptive when it works right. But, if it goes off when there is no real danger, it is not only scary, it is also very exhausting.

However, we DO NOT want to get rid of the alarm (or eliminate anxiety) because it protects us from danger. We want to fix it (i.e., bring the anxiety down to a more manageable level) so it works properly for us!

What Happens to your Body when you are Anxious?

Anxiety can cause many sensations in your body as it prepares for danger. These sensations are called the “alarm reaction”, which takes place when the body’s natural Alarm System (that is, the “fight-flight-freeze” response) has been activated.

• Rapid heart beat and rapid breathing – When your body is preparing itself for action, it makes sure enough blood and oxygen is being circulated to your major muscle groups and essential organs, allowing you to run away or fight off danger.
• Sweating - Sweating cools the body. It also makes the skin more slippery and difficult for an attacking animal or person to grab hold of you.
• Nausea and stomach upset - When faced with danger, the body shuts down systems/processes that are not needed for survival; that way, it can direct energy to functions that are critical for survival. Digestion is one of the processes that is not needed at times of danger. Because of this, anxiety might lead to feelings of stomach upset, nausea, or diarrhea.
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded – Because our blood and oxygen goes to major muscle groups when we are in danger, this means that we will breathe much faster in order to move oxygen toward those muscles. However, this can cause hyperventilation (too much oxygen from breathing very rapidly to prepare the body for action), which can makes you feel dizzy or lightheaded. Also, since most of your blood and oxygen is going to your arms and legs (for “fight or flight”), there is a slight decrease of blood to the brain, which can also make you dizzy. Don’t worry though: the slight decrease in blood flow to the brain is not dangerous at all!
• Tight or painful chest – Your muscles tense up as your body prepares for danger. So your chest may feel tight or painful when you take in large breaths while those chest muscles are tense.
• Numbness and tingling sensations – Hyperventilation (taking in too much oxygen) can also cause numbness and tingling sensations. The tingling sensations is also be related to the fact that the hairs on our bodies often stand up when faced with danger to increase our sensitivity to touch or movement. Finally, fingers and toes may also feel numb/tingly as blood flows away from places where it is not needed (like our fingers) and towards major muscle groups that are needed (like our arms).
• Unreality or bright vision – When responding to danger, our pupils dilate to let in more light and to make sure that we can see clearly enough. This reaction makes our environment look brighter or fuzzier, and sometimes less real.
• Heavy legs – As the legs prepare for action (fight or flight), increased muscle tension, as well as increased blood flow to those muscles, can cause the sensation of heavy legs.

<h1>Another Psychological Symptoms of Anxiety</h1>

The psychological symptoms of anxiety include:

• feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time,
• having difficulty sleeping – making you feel tired,
• an inability to concentrate,
• being irritable or quick to get angry,
• feeling that you have no control over your actions, or
• feeling detached from your environment.

Feeling anxious can not only affect you emotionally, but it can also mean you experience unpleasant physical symptoms, such as:

• fast heart rate,
• breathing faster,
• palpitations (irregular heat beats),
• feeling sick,
• chest pains,
• headaches,
• dry mouth, and
• sweating.

These physical symptoms are usually as a result of your brain sending out multiple messages to various parts of your body when you’re feeling anxious. These messages tend to make your heart and lungs work faster.

When you are feeling anxious your body begins to release a stress hormone called adrenaline. This is another reason why your heart beats faster and you breathe more rapidly.

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