Anxiety: Part of Our Survival Network
Anxiety is a normal and often vital emotion. It helps us identify and avoid danger, stay focused on a task, and motivate us to take action. However, when anxiety becomes excessive or uncontrollable, it becomes a debilitating condition.
Anxiety is part of our survival system. It is a natural response to danger or threat. When we feel anxious, our bodies release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare us to either fight or flee the danger. This is known as the fight-or-flight response. This fight-or-flight also has a freeze response in which the body and brain just freeze; the person just doesn’t know what to do.
The fight-or-flight response is an important survival mechanism. It has helped our ancestors to avoid danger and to survive in the wild. However, in today's world, we are often faced with threats that are not physical in nature. For example, we may feel anxious about work, relationships, or finances.
The survival system does not distinguish physical danger from emotional or perceived danger. It does not distinguish between your story and my story. (This is why we get so emotional to movies).
When anxiety is caused by perceived, past, future, or emotional threats, it can be difficult to cope with. The symptoms of anxiety can be very disruptive and can make it difficult to function in daily life.
If you are struggling with anxiety, there are things you can do to help yourself. The first step is to recognize that your brain is completely normal and doing what it’s supposed to. It’s actually working properly.
Medication can be helpful in reducing the symptoms of anxiety. However, it is important to note that medication is not a cure for anxiety. It is important to continue therapy and lifestyle changes in order to maintain your progress.
Therapy can help you to understand your anxiety and to develop coping mechanisms. There are many different types of therapy that can be helpful for anxiety, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and exposure therapy.
Lifestyle changes can also be helpful in managing anxiety. Some common lifestyle changes include exercise, relaxation techniques, eating a healthy diet, talking to someone, and getting enough sleep.
It takes time for these tools to feel effective. The brain is very experienced at keeping us safe and we cannot just talk logic into the survival part of the brain. It needs to experience safety along with being logical.
If you are struggling to manage your anxiety on your own, I offer an 8 week intensive anxiety management program geared to getting you feeling better as quickly as possible. You can contact me here to learn more about this program.