Anxiety is an emotion and like any emotion, it has the function of giving us information about ourselves or our environment, it is not something bad nor does it put us in danger (even if it is uncomfortable and makes us uncomfortable and sometimes we perceive it as dangerous). We could say that its function is to warn us if something is not working to guarantee our survival and guide us towards what we need.
We cannot eliminate anxiety, but what we can change is the way we accompany it or accompany ourselves when it appears. Avoiding it or ignoring it is not going to make it go away, but rather our body is going to have to scream even louder for us to hear ourselves. Knowing anxiety can help us release discomfort, know ourselves better and know the resources we have to manage it.
If I don’t know my anxiety, if I don’t know my emotional world, I won’t know how to accompany myself through that discomfort. Anxiety is not our enemy, but a messenger that brings us light to something that we are not paying attention to.
Stress is not synonymous with anxiety, although sometimes it can be perceived in a similar way and sustained stress over time can end up leading to anxiety.
Stress is a physiological response that is activated in a specific situation to adapt to the present, and in general we can manage it. When this situation is over we can return to calm and usually give us information in line with reality.
Anxiety is a psychological response, a general state of alertness sustained over time ; When you experience it, a feeling of danger invades you that you may not know where it comes from, and it can condition or alter your daily activities. It can arise from past events or future concerns.
Symptoms and causes of anxiety
Symptoms are those sensations or what I can consciously perceive in the present, “what we see.” For example: tachycardia, tremor, dizziness, hyperventilation, feeling of suffocation, pressure in the chest, muscle tension and rigidity, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, etc.
The causes are what “is not seen”, which can be made up of elements from the past, present and future. For example: sustained stress over time, not setting limits, how I regulate or manage my emotional world, traumas, unprocessed grief, attachment wounds, beliefs, not having our basic needs covered, unintegrated emotions, other health problems such as thyroid, drug use…
Many times we perceive symptoms as “the enemy”, something dangerous that we have to eliminate, but in reality they are the messenger, that which tells me that I need something that I am not attending to. We have to attend to and accompany the symptom, but also go look for what activates it.
Anxiety symptoms are like a fire alarm; If I turn it off, it doesn’t mean the fire has stopped burning. If I ignore it, it won’t make the fire go out. If I cover my ears, the alarm will continue ringing and the fire will continue to burn.
How does our nervous system act when anxiety appears?
The nervous system is responsible for controlling, directing, supervising the activities and functions of our body.
In very general terms we can talk about:
The ANS is responsible for the involuntary functions of our body, such as controlling heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep… everything that we cannot do voluntarily. Although it works independently, we can influence it.
The ANS is made up of a sympathetic nervous system (which is responsible for mobilization from a state of safety to a state of danger. Example: from running to play sports or running because there is danger) and a parasympathetic nervous system (which is responsible for immobilization from a state of security to one of danger. Ex: from standing still to meditate to collapsing in the face of danger.)
In the parasympathetic nervous system we find the vagus nerve, a nerve that goes from the base of the brain and extends to the abdomen and helps us regulate bodily functions, ensuring our health and emotional well-being, and there are certain things that we can do to activate it. .
The vagus nerve would be one of those responsible for relaxing our body, such as reducing heart rate, relaxing breathing. Therefore, we can look for ways to activate it to relax and relieve feelings of stress or anxiety.
Elements that reinforce anxiety symptoms
There are factors that can worsen symptoms, knowing them helps us to accompany each other with more kindness:
Factors that can improve symptoms
Remember that you are not alone in this, and if anxiety is part of your life, do not hesitate to seek professional help. Theory can guide us, but our experience is what will set the course.
We are all different, with different stories, different experiences, different sensitivities, so there is not the same anxiety for everyone. That is why self-knowledge is important, knowing what is best for oneself to regulate oneself, not only when anxiety appears, but also to take care of oneself and accompany oneself on a daily basis. Theory can guide us, but our experience is what will set the course.
