Anxiety is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation. Mentally it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into distressing worry, and physically by unpleasant activation of multiple body systems—all to facilitate response to an unknown danger, whether real or imagined.
The cognitive feelings of dread in anticipation of some bad outcome, and physical sensations such as jitteriness and a racing heart are designed for discomfort. Anxiety is meant to capture attention and stimulate you to make necessary changes to protect what you care about. Occasional bouts of anxiety are natural and can even be productive. Anxiety can be considered the price we humans pay for having the ability to imagine the future.
Not all anxiety is a disorder
Everyone experiences anxiety and fear at times – these are normal and helpful human emotions that help us deal with danger. However, some people experience excessive and irrational anxiety and worries that become ongoing and distressing, and that interfere with their daily lives. This may indicate an anxiety disorder. Often there appears to be no obvious or logical reason for the way the person feels. This may make an anxiety disorder even more worrying to the sufferer.
Symptoms of anxiety disorders
The main features of an anxiety disorder are fears or thoughts that are chronic (constant) and distressing and that interfere with daily living. Other symptoms of an anxiety disorder may include:
- Panic or anxiety attacks or a fear of these attacks.
- Physical anxiety reactions – for example trembling, sweating, faintness, rapid heartbeat, difficulties breathing or nausea.
- Avoidance behavior – a person may go to extreme lengths to avoid a situation that they think could bring on anxiety or panic.
Types of anxiety disorders
Anxiety becomes a disorder when it’s irrational, excessive and when it interferes with a person’s ability to function in daily life. Anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder— general excessive anxiety and constant worry about many things.
- Social phobias – fear of social situations and judgment by other’s.
- Specific phobias – such as fear of spiders, needles, open spaces (agoraphobia) or enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).
- Panic disorders – frequent and debilitating panic attacks or fear of having them.
Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or even dying.
Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends. But if you've had recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spent long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called panic disorder.
Although panic attacks themselves aren't life-threatening, they can be frightening and significantly affect your quality of life. But treatment can be very effective.
Panic attacks typically begin suddenly, without warning. They can strike at any time — when you're driving a car, at the mall, sound asleep or in the middle of a business meeting. You may have occasional panic attacks, or they may occur frequently.
Panic attacks have many variations and most involve intense physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate and breathing, dizziness, sweating, and an overall sense of impending doom. Symptoms usually peak within minutes. You may feel fatigued and worn out after a panic attack subsides.
One of the worst things about panic attacks is the intense fear that you'll have another one. You may fear having panic attacks so much that you avoid certain situations where they may occur.
Thankfully, therapy is highly effective and offers hope for many who struggle to navigate sudden symptoms of fight, flight, or freeze on their own.
Thankfully, recovery from anxiety and panic attacks is possible with the right treatment and support.
If you are struggling to navigate the sudden symptoms of fight, flight, or freeze, commonly known as anxiety or panic attacks, I am here to help!