I like to think of Anxiety as a stronghold of fear. The underlying thoughts of Anxiety are related to the fear of the unknown; the anticipation and expectation of something bad happening. A feeling of impending doom or loss of control. The fears perpetuated by Anxiety include fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, fear of death, fear of unworthiness, and fear of not belonging, to name a few. The persistent, seemingly uncontrollable, and overwhelming thoughts of worry and emotions of fear can become debilitating and interfere with daily activities or ability to function in general. Some people believe that worry prevents bad things from happening, thus the irrational beliefs about worry perpetuate anxiety.
So, what actually is fear? Fear is an instinctual physiological response and primitive human emotion. It is a universal biochemical and emotional response that stems from a physical or imagined danger. Fear alerts us to the perceived threat of harm as a survival mechanism. The physical response of fear includes sweating, trembling, increased heart rate, high adrenaline levels with increased alertness, and release of hormones that prepare your body to respond. This fight or flight response serves to protect you.
Unfortunately, the last 2 years of chronic stress has resulted in an overworked and imbalanced autonomic nervous system that has habituated to any and every minor threat that we perceive in our everyday lives. More and more you hear people talking about being "stressed" and "overwhelmed." A prolonged state of chronic stress or hypervigilance is detrimental to our well-being. This emotional response of excessive worry and anxiety creates a stronghold of fear.
Photo Credit Darius Bashar