We all know what anxiety is: the unsettling feeling in your chest, not being able to sit still, feeling like there’s a knot in your stomach, shortness of breath, the list goes on. It is a nagging feeling that you want to shake off but can’t.
Anxiety is different from fear. Fear is a strong response to threatening stimuli in your immediate environment (e.g., when you see a snake or a brown bear). Anxiety, on the other hand, is a response to something negative that might happen in the future. It is an uncomfortable feeling that is generally mild (in comparison to fear), but persistent. When we are anxious, our thoughts predominantly consist of “what if” statements. We might visualize feared scenarios. What if I fail this test? What if I mess up my interview? What if my partner stops loving me? The effect of these thoughts is immediate. It only takes a split second for our anxious thoughts to trigger uncomfortable physical sensations, where we react as if the feared scenarios are happening right then and there.
To some, anxiety is an emotion that is to be avoided. We try our best to get rid of anxious feelings. But…
What exactly is anxiety and why does it exist? What purpose does it serve?
To answer this question, we would have to travel back in time, to the time when we were hunters and gatherers. It was a time when there were no computers, grocery stores, or cell phones. Sturdy buildings did not exist. We used simple tools and weapons to hunt for food. When confronted with a predator, we could not call 911. We relied on our own strength to protect ourselves, either by fleeing the scene, or fighting off enemies.
Physiological symptoms of anxiety
When we are confronted with a fight-or-flight situation, we may be required to run at high speed, or engage in a grueling fight. Our body requires a large amount of oxygen to support our muscles. Here are the physical reactions that occur immediately prior to fight-or-flight:
Heart palpitations, discomfort in chest and shortness of breath – a large amount of oxygen is required for our muscles to work and our blood is responsible for distributing oxygen throughout our body (specifically to our extremities). Therefore, our breathing becomes faster and shallower to temporarily increase our oxygen intake. Similarly, our heart has to pump faster to supply a larger amount of blood (and oxygen) to our muscles.
Muscle tension and clenched jaw – your muscles are in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Nausea, indigestion and loss of appetite – blood is diverted away from our stomach because digestion is the last thing that our body cares about in a life-threatening situation. The lack of blood supply to our stomach is associated with digestive issues if it happens over a prolonged period of time.
Dry mouth – similarly, saliva secretion decreases because digestion is not a priority right now.
Sweating – our body tries to cool off as we prepare to fight.
Insomnia – sleep is of less importance when we feel threatened. Our body is hyperalert and therefore it is more difficult to relax and be able to fall into deep sleep.
Interestingly enough, these are the symptoms that we also experience when anxiety strikes.
The role of anxiety
The aforementioned physiological reactions are meant to protect us when confronted with life threatening situations.
But how does anxiety come into play? Anxiety is the emotion that evolved to help us respond to threats and danger. It triggers our body to prepare for battles.
Without anxiety, we would not fear the big bear and therefore escape from it. Without anxiety, we would not feel stressed when we are hungry or thirsty. Anxiety motivates us to seek comfort and security, and to take the right actions to increase our chance of survival. Once the stressor is gone, our anxiety subsides. This emotion has existed for thousands of years, and it is regulated by a structure in our brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for fear response. It is activated when we perceive threat or experience stress and anxiety.
Our brain continues to evolve. When we were hunters and gatherers, food, security and safety were crucial to our survival, and we had to rely on ourselves (our physical strength mainly) to fulfill these needs. Nowadays, although we no longer have to hunt for food, or worry about building our own shelter, we continue to deal with other stressors. Our amygdala continues to work to ensure that we have what we need for survival (e.g., doing well at school; excel at a job etc). We have learned to identify and respond to other threats (e.g., signs that indicate the possibility of losing a job).
So how do we explain anxiety problems that many people struggle with nowadays? Persistent anxiety could be debilitating: difficulty eating or sleeping, digestive problems, shortness of breath – these symptoms stand in the way of our ability to maintain a job or healthy relationships. There are several reasons why this could happen, including chemical imbalance, personality tendencies, and life experiences. Our amygdala could be hyperactive, where it constantly produces fear response. Uncertainty in today’s world definitely contributes to anxiety issues. When we worry about unwanted scenarios, our amygdala is activated, which leads to the aforementioned physiological symptoms. The problem is, most of the time the things that we worry about are not entirely unreasonable. We are not crazy for worrying about losing our job or our loved ones. It makes sense to worry about our health and safety. Bad things do happen, and we do live in a world that is full of uncertainties. Therefore, telling ourselves that these things won’t happen just does not feel right.
How can we stay sane despite the unpredictability in our world? How do we cope with bad things that have already happened, but continue to haunt us? This is where self-compassion and acceptance are helpful. Rather than pushing your anxiety away, face it head on and ask yourself: What exactly am I worried about? What am I going to do about this feared scenario that might or might not happen? At the same time, validate your anxiety and offer comfort to yourself. Try to focus on the present and on your breaths.
At this moment, you are here, and you are safe.