If you are experiencing anxiety, you might not be not sure what is going on with you right now. It can be particularly helpful to learn what anxiety is, how it shows up and what causes it.
Understanding what anxiety is may help you to gain perspective and awareness.
It can also be the first step in seeking the right support and making positive changes. Whether you are new to anxiety, or have been ttruggling for a while, here is some more information. I really hope will help you and provide you with better insight.
P.s. there is a summary at the bottom :P
What is anxiety?
Answering “what is anxiety?” is difficult, as there is a lot to it.
Anxiety, if it is something you have experienced or are currently experiencing can be completely overwhelming. Anxiety can be compared to a scale, from mild to severe. However, it is never as simple as a short definition from the internet. When you’re in the midst of it all, it can feel extremely heavy, isolating and even scary at times.
According to the NHS, anxiety can be defined as
“a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.”
The DSM-5, widely used in the mental health industry by clinicians, defines anxiety as
“Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance)”
From my personal experience, anxiety is something I have felt mentally, emotionally and physically. It can be completely overwhelming and isolating.
How common is anxiety?
Depending on which study you read, or what country you are in, you will see a variety of results.
However, the consensus is that: it is very common.
In fact, it is something that they estimate that in England alone, 1 in 4 people are struggling with anxiety.
Why do we experience anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural response created by your body if it thinks you are under threat. The reaction to a threat is what causes anxiety, and why your cognitive and physiological state changes. Human bodies are always evolving, with our protection from danger at the top of its priority.
In relation to anxiety, the human body has evolved to prepare us in a situation where we are threatened. These responses are referred to as fight, flight, freeze and fawn.
This will show up differently in everyone. But in general, our bodies will release a variety of hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. These give us more energy by increasing our heart rate and sending blood to parts of our body that are needed the most. It helps us to respond to the threat and make us feel more alert. The purpose of these responses within our body is to help us act faster. This is an automatic reaction, and one that we generally don’t have control over.
The autonomic nervous system
These reactions come from your autonomic nervous system. This is the system in your body that regulates functions of the body that are automatic, such as heart rate and breathing. It is this system that kicks into action when you are anxious or stressed. It is made up of different parts, these include the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is activated when your body perceives a threat and produces the flight-or-flight response. If you experience the standard, short burst of anxiety, your body will typically counteract this response. The parasympathetic nervous system is then activated, which will produce feelings of calm and relaxation in the body.
This reaction can be very helpful. You might have heard people refer to the past, e.g. if you were threatened by a sabre tooth tiger. This reaction would increase your ability to run away faster than normal. It does this by repurposing energy and functionality of our body, to prepare us to act and defend ourselves. This reaction is a function that protects us.
It can be argued that the world may even be more dangerous if we did not have this response. This is because we would not be prepared to adapt and get through the situation alive. Which can seem odd to think about when you struggle with anxiety. Your whole life may feel like you are hyper aware of everything, and living in a state of fear.
Survival response in everyday life
Society has now evolved, yet the reactions our bodies go through are still very similar. There may be scenarios where you are in danger from a physical threat, or you may be up against a different situation, such as a job interview, public speaking engagement, financial worries, illness, letting people down, work stress, and much more.
Although psychological, it is still a perceived threat that will evoke the same response. This can be very overwhelming, uncomfortable and challenging, especially if you are aware of the sensations and begin to worry about them, such as a racing heart. This can often lead to avoidance of the situation that caused the anxiety, so you don’t have to feel those uncomfortable feelings again.
Anxiety beyond survival
Anxiety can be a problem when it goes beyond its purpose.
The response should come when a threat arises, and shortly disappear after the threat has passed. This is a normal, human response. If the anxiety extends beyond a threat, or deems everyday scenarios as threats, it can be hard to live with, disrupt your daily life and start to become a problem.
Anxiety is typically deemed as a mental health condition if:
- the feelings are particularly strong
- if they go on for an extended period of time
- if you find your worries seem excessive and out of proportion
- you are not able to manage or control your feelings
- you cannot do everyday tasks and more.
You may find that your life feels consumed by fear and worry, racing thoughts, physical sensations and overwhelm.
Anxiety as a result of modern times
This fear-based response that humans experience is normal, and a part of evolution. However, we live in a very different world now. Although the physical threats of avoiding sabre-tooth tigers and hunting our own food have gone, we are still faced with a variety of threats.
It may be argued that anxiety and stress is a characteristic of modern society. Prevalence may be due to more awareness, but also due to many societal, environmental, economical and political circumstances. In most recent years, we have lived in a very fear induced world, with a global pandemic, a cost of living crisis, wars, environmental issues, and much more. How can anyone not live with a heightened sense of fear?
Unfortunately, there is not much support in this area, or how the outfalls of society impact individuals. Sometimes it can feel like mental health has not made it to the priority list.
Why do we get stuck in cycles of anxiety?
If the response in our body is supposed to be temporary, why do some of us get stuck in vicious cycles?
One model in psychology states that the way that you think and behave in relation to anxiety, and the meaning that you attach to it, can keep you in that cycle.
- Thoughts and beliefs
- Behaviours
For example, you might think that something bad is going to happen if you go to an event. In turn, you then avoid that situation. You might also begin to feel the anxiety as a result of your thoughts alone, without even attending the event. Your body may prematurely enter a state of anxiety.
This example shows thoughts: that you believe it is going to be bad and behaviour: avoidance.
It may also be that your body has created a patterned response to certain situations, which might explain why you feel physical symptoms before anything else.
The thoughts that you have about anxiety are more than likely going to be frightening and overwhelming. This can lead to a sense of no control. On occasion, these thoughts are inaccurate distortions of the scenario and instead, put you in a vicious cycle. Sometimes you might not even realise the thoughts you are having when you are anxious. They can happen below your level of consciousness.
Here is just an example of how anxiety can get caught in a cycle.
Different types of anxiety
Anxiety has been labelled in a variety of ways over the years. While it might not be easy or necessary to put yourself into a “box”, for educational purposes, I am sharing some of the common examples of anxiety below.
Generalised anxiety disorder
Anxiety controls how you think and feel. It is excessive in nature and leaves you worrying about a large number of activities or events. It can even impact the ones that are routine to you.
Panic disorder
Anxiety that can often appear out of nowhere and feels extremely overwhelming. It can be followed by a range of strong physical symptoms such as a racing heart and chest pains. This can lead to a state of panic.
Social anxiety disorder
High levels of worry and fear in relation to social situations. Often avoid social situations due to the fear, or feelings of shame and embarrassment and self consciousness about yourself.
Phobias
If you avoid certain situations or objects, and feel an intense worry or panic when faced with them.
Health anxiety
Health anxiety is closely linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It occurs when you have worrying thoughts and fears about being ill, or getting ill. Not only do you worry, but you may also begin to avoid situations in fear of getting ill. It can take over your life.
There are a variety of labels used in the mental health field. It is not important to fit into one particular box. All mental health conditions are constantly evolving, and very unique to the individual.
What is important is identifying what you are going through, that will help you seek the right support.
What triggers anxiety?
Everyone is different, and therefore, will each experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. Some common examples are:
- A traumatic event
- Inherited traits
- Underlying health issue (diabetes, heart disease)
- Side effect from medication
- Build up of stress
- Personality
- Mental health conditions
- Drugs and alcohol
- Environment/exposure to anxiety
What can anxiety look and feel like?
Anxiety can look very different for everyone. Some people will experience a range of different symptoms at one time, or at different times. Some of the most common reported symptoms of anxiety are:
Mental:
- Brain fog
- Memory loss
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Sense of impending doom
- Trouble concentrating
- Compulsive behaviour
Physical:
- Racing heart
- Chest pains
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Tense
- Upset stomach/churning stomach
- Jelly legs
- Fidgeting
- Tense muscles
- Blurred vision
Emotional:
- Worry
- Fear
- Irritable
- Overwhelm
(the overwhelm of all the anxiety symptoms can often lead to other emotions such as sadness)
It is vital that you seek advice from a medical professional, such as your Doctor. They will be able to rule out any serious problems. These symptoms can feel very real, and very scary at times. Anxiety can also be present alongside other mental health conditions, such as depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Once you have ruled out any underlying problems, you may wish to seek help from people that specialise in anxiety. There are also a variety of tools and support that is designed to help with anxiety.
Symptoms that stem from anxiety, this does not make them any less real or painful. Due to the stigma around mental health, unfortunately in some instances, these can be brushed off. That is why more awareness around these symptoms are extremely important. Many people are suffering and not able to seek the support they want or need. Some are struggling with chronic illnesses rooted in anxiety.
What impact can this have?
Just like how anxiety will manifest differently for everyone, it will also impact people’s lives differently.
In short bursts, for example, if you have to give a presentation, you may feel physical symptoms such as a racing heart. For some people, this will have a positive impact as they embrace the adrenaline rush and give a confident speech. On the other hand, this can impact some people negatively, as those feelings can be pretty uncomfortable and unpleasant. Either way this type of anxiety should be short lived. You should be able to go back to normal afterwards.
Anxiety can become debilitating. Anxiety can be extremely disruptive, as the physical and emotional sensations can be scary, overwhelming and worrying.
In many cases it can feel like there is something seriously wrong with you, something that is more than anxiety. Having constant pains and worries can stop a person from doing everyday tasks or make them more difficult to complete. It can completely consume your mind and your life. Some people may no longer enjoy anything in their life, or feel they can’t leave the house. This can really take a toll on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. It can also become hard to have a social life, to take care of yourself, maintain relationships, focus at work, and many other things. It can also lead to, or be combined with, depression, stress and OCD. This is because anxiety can be unpleasant, and therefore, bring your mood down. It can also lead to obsessive thoughts, negative thoughts and behaviours as a way to cope or avoid situations.
Chronic illnesses from prolonged anxiety
There is an increased amount of research demonstrating the link between chronic illnesses and prolonged stress and anxiety. This is because when your sympathetic nervous system is activated, it is flooding your body with hormones and chemicals. This repeated activation and flood of stress can start to take its toll on your health and your body and leave you with a dysregulated nervous system.
Research has shown that prolonged anxiety can lead or exacerbate many physical and mental conditions. For example, depression, addiction, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic pain, and more.
When you feel ready, you can start to face your anxiety. Start by learning how to manage it so that it limits the disruption in your life.
Summary
- There are many different ways to define anxiety. They all consistent of experiencing persistent worry.
- There are several different sub categories of anxiety that exist, including social anxiety, phobias, health anxiety, and more.
- Anxiety manifests in a variety of different ways, and can impact your thoughts, feelings, behaviours. You may experience a range of mental, and/or physical symptoms.
- Anxiety occurs because of a biological process in your body linked to the nervous system. It is essentially your body’s way of alerting you to a threat/danger, and preparing your body for survival.
- The response is normal and will occur throughout everyone’s lives, depending on what they deem as a threat. However, it should only be short lived.
- Anxiety and stress that continues to live in the body, can lead to a range of chronic illnesses and nervous system dysregulation due to the flood of hormones that your body releases.
Can you learn to manage your anxiety? Yes. The first step is to understand what anxiety is and why it occurs. The next steps involve becoming aware of your own anxiety thoughts and behaviours, understanding your triggers, learning how to feel safe and ground yourself, and creating a toolbox of strategies to help you not become debilitated by anxiety on a daily basis.
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