A few days ago on instagram, I asked my followers what sort of topic they would be interested on my blog. The top response was “anxiety.” So here goes.
Anxiety is a normal feeling that every human being feels at some point. We all know those feelings before a test or presentation or first date…sweaty palms, increased heartbeat, butterflies in your stomach, shallow breathing to name a few.
Anxiety only becomes a problem when it doesn’t ever go away, or when it starts to interfere with your daily functioning. This can look like going out of your way to avoid people, places, or tasks that cause an increase in anxiety. Or maybe you’re so anxious for most of the day you can’t focus enough to complete important tasks. Perhaps your relationships are being negatively affected because you’re more short-tempered and irritable.
Anxiety does serve a function – it’s not just a random thing our brains do. Have you ever heard of the fight-or-flight (or freeze) response?
If you imagine a long, long time ago…back when humans were living in hunter-gather societies…you know, the caveman days? Back when humans were living in the wilderness with other predators like lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). If you were living back then and going for a stroll in the woods and you heard a sudden growl behind you, what would you do? Your brain would hear that sound and prepare your body to either fight whatever made that sound if it was likely you could win or flee if the odds were stacked against you. Your brain is wired for survival, and those would be your two best options of surviving against another predator.
In this example, your brain would hear a sound (growl) that triggers your brain to flood your body with hormones like cortisol (stress hormone) and adrenaline to enact fight/flight/freeze which is basically flooding your body with a surge of energy. Think of this as your brain flooring the gas pedal, so to speak. It wants you to GO.
If you survived, you would either expend this energy by physically fighting the threat or by physically running away as fast as you can in order to survive. By the time you either win the fight or make it back to safety, you have expended this extra energy and your brain can resume normal operations. It’s back in cruise control and coasting instead of flooring the gas.
However, many humans no longer live out in the wilderness. Many of us live in residential areas in secure homes with locks and do not need to prepare to fight bears very often.
People today have very different triggers, which can be anywhere from being overwhelmed by too many emails in your inbox to a certain smell that reminds you of a traumatic memory from your past. Oftentimes people’s fight/flight/freeze response is triggered and their bodies are flooded with that burst of energy, but because many people do not utilize that burst of energy to fight or flee in that moment, the energy remains in the body. The body remains full of stress hormones all the time. People who develop anxiety disorders basically have their foot stuck flooring the gas pedal at all times and have forgotten how to ease off.
tl;dr: Bottom line - anxiety is a sign that your brain/body is in overdrive and it's wise to take time to unplug and slow down.
This is an explanation of what anxiety is. In later posts I’ll continue diving into different ways to recognize anxiety in adults, teens, and kids and exploring different ways of alleviating anxiety symptoms. The picture includes some great starter tips that can help.
Anxiety has increased across the board in people of all ages due to the pandemic and protests happening currently. If you’ve been feeling more anxious or irritable, know that you are not alone. Change (especially big change) is a common trigger for anxiety in today’s world. If you find yourself needing professional support, do not hesitate to reach out.
Be well,
Taylor
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