Anxiety is a universal human experience. Whether it is a fleeting worry before a big event or a persistent sense of unease that lingers without clear cause, anxiety touches everyone to some degree. Yet, despite being so common, anxiety is often misunderstood. To demystify this complex emotion, here are five essential things to know about anxiety, how it works, and how it impacts our lives.
1. What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s way of preparing you to deal with potential danger, serving as a built-in alert system. It is a response to a vague unknown threat. Fear, on the other hand, arises from a clear and present danger. For instance, hearing gunshots in a crowded area triggers fear, prompting immediate action, such as running or seeking cover.
Anxiety triggers the body’s stress response, activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This leads to the release of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Cortisol prepares the body to face perceived threats. While helpful in short bursts, prolonged cortisol release can cause problems.
Anxiety also activates the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the “fight or flight” response. This prepares the body for action by increasing heart rate, raising blood pressure, dilating pupils, and redirecting blood flow to muscles. While this response is useful in real danger, chronic activation from anxiety can lead to side effects like muscle tension, headaches, rapid breathing, digestive issues, and fatigue. Over time, it can strain the heart, disrupt digestion, and contribute to long-term health problems like hypertension or gastrointestinal issues.
Actionable Tip: Managing Anxiety Through Both Body and Mind
Anxiety is an emotion we all feel. It triggers essential functions to keep us safe. However, when it becomes excessive, it can negatively impact both the mind and body. To manage anxiety effectively, it is important to address both aspects.
For the body, exercise regularly, practice deep breathing, and prioritize sleep. These habits can help reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety and promote overall well-being.
For the mind: develop a curious mindset. When you feel anxious, cultivate an observer part of your mind. This part can ask, “Why am I feeling this way right now?” While immediate answers may not come, the act of asking can open the door to deeper reflection. Insights often emerge unexpectedly, sometimes during a casual conversation or a quiet moment. This practice of gentle inquiry can help you uncover the many causes of your anxiety and offer clarity when you least expect it.
2. Is Anxiety Always Harmful?
Anxiety is not inherently negative. It is adaptive at low to moderate levels, motivating to prepare and respond effectively to challenges. Let’s explore two scenarios:
The first scenario:
Jane’s heart races as she thinks about her upcoming work presentation. The familiar buzz of anxiety settles in, but instead of freezing, she grabs her notebook and starts outlining her key points. She rehearses her slides, tweaking each detail until it feels just right. Whenever doubt creeps in, she channels it into action. This is how anxiety can be helpful. Jane channeled her anxiety into preparation, which helped her achieve her goal.
However, when anxiety becomes excessive or overwhelming, it can have the opposite effect, leading to procrastination and avoidance.
In a second scenario:
Jane’s chest tightens as the thought of her upcoming presentation looms. She opens her laptop to prepare but feels overwhelmed and grabs her phone instead. One post leads to another, and soon, an hour has passed. The untouched slides linger in the background. With every passing minute, the pressure mounts—not just from the presentation but from the guilt of avoiding it. By nightfall, her notes remain untouched, and the cycle of dread and distraction feels impossible to break.
The difference between these two scenarios lies in how anxiety is felt. When channeled constructively, anxiety can enhance performance. When left unchecked, it can hinder it.
Actionable Tip: Channel Anxiety Constructively
To turn anxiety into a productive force, create a simple plan. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps so they do not feel overwhelming. Set a timer for focused work, aiming for a short burst of productivity (e.g., 25 minutes of work with a 5-minute break). Once you complete each step, reward yourself—whether it’s a short break or a few minutes of relaxation. This method helps channel anxiety into steady progress to achieve your goals.
3. What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?
Anxiety affects us emotionally, physically, and behaviorally.
Emotionally, anxiety can lead to irritability. Unsure if this applies to you? Just ask those around you (they will let you know!). It can also overwhelm and trap you in overthinking and catastrophizing. You are stuck imagining worst-case scenarios. This makes it hard to focus, as worry consumes the mind. This results in mistakes in school or at work. When we are anxious, we often fixate on the negatives—both in ourselves and our environment—while overlooking our strengths and the support that may be right in front of us. This is selective abstraction. It is a thought distortion where a person focuses on one negative aspect of a situation while ignoring all other positive or neutral elements. This selective focus leads to an inaccurate or skewed perception of reality.
Example:
After giving a presentation, Jane fixates on one small mistake, disregarding the positive feedback. This reinforces her feelings of anxiety or low self-esteem, as this thought distortion highlights only the perceived flaws.
Physically, anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways, including headaches, dizziness, a racing heart, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, and stomach issues like nausea or pain. Muscle tension and shaking, especially in the hands or legs, are common signs of distress. Chronic exposure to high cortisol (stress hormone) can disrupt the balance of other hormones in the body, affecting mood and decreasing energy levels. It can promote fat storage, particularly in the abdominal area, increasing the risk of obesity. Cortisol can also suppress the immune system, making the body more susceptible to infections.
Behaviorally, anxiety often causes avoidance of situations that trigger stress, fidgeting, sleep problems, and procrastination. Struggling with sleep or avoiding tasks can intensify anxiety, making it harder to manage daily responsibilities.
Actionable Tip: Identify and Reframe Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive distortions, like selective abstraction, can fuel anxiety by focusing on one negative aspect of a situation while ignoring the positives. Actively reframing these thoughts can help you regain a more balanced perspective.
Example:
In the example of Jane, instead of fixating on one minor mistake, thinking, “I messed up; I’m terrible at this.” She could ask herself, “Did I prepare well? What parts of the presentation went well? How did others respond?” She could reframe the thought: “Yes, I made a small mistake, but I handled the presentation well overall and received positive feedback.”
Additional Tip: Manage Cortisol with Physical Activity
One powerful way to reduce anxiety and lower cortisol levels is through regular physical activity. Exercise, especially moderate aerobic activities like walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming, stimulates the release of endorphins—natural mood boosters. that counteract the effects of cortisol. This promotes overall relaxation, making it easier to manage anxiety.
4. How does the External World and Our Internal Belief Systems Co-Create Anxiety
Anxiety arises from a difficult situation and the interplay between the external challenge and our internal belief in our ability to manage it. Several factors influence this belief: do we possess the necessary coping skills? Have we faced similar situations before, and did it harm or help us grow? Do we have a support system to lean on or guide us? Ultimately, anxiety is shaped by the circumstances we encounter and our confidence in navigating them, co-creating our reality and our anxiety.
In the first scenario
Jane faced a difficult work situation; however, her belief in her ability to handle it helped shape a better outcome. Instead of seeing her nerves as a roadblock, she uses them as a prompt to get organized,
The Knot
practice her slides, and ensure she’s fully ready. Her belief in her ability to manage the situation, combined with her proactive approach, turns her anxiety into a tool for success.
In the second scenario:
The situation and her internal beliefs create a worse outcome. She feels overwhelmed. “You will never be able to manage this,” her brain whispers. This leads her to distract herself by scrolling through social media. The more she procrastinates, the more her anxiety grows. As time slips away, Jane’s belief that she is incapable of handling the pressure feeds her avoidance. The anxiety and guilt add to her stress. Here we see how her internal dialogue worsened the situation.
These scenarios show the interaction between external challenges and our internal beliefs. This shapes our anxiety and influences our actions. Our internal dialogue can co-create situations with the external environment, which can either help or hinder us.
Actionable Tip: Become Aware of Your Inner Monologue
Pay attention to the negative things you tell yourself. Notice how often you say, “I can’t do this” or “I’m bad at this.”. This script often runs relentlessly in our minds, shaping our actions and deepening our struggles. Be kind to yourself—if you would not say such things to a friend, do not say them to yourself!
By catching the negative self-talk, you can shift your mindset and reduce anxiety.
5. What is the Difference Between Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety is a natural response to difficult situations. It is your body’s way of preparing for a challenge, like a big presentation or any situation that requires your attention. It might cause a racing heart, a bit of nervousness, or even some tension, but anxiety usually decreases once the stressful event is over. While uncomfortable, anxiety doesn’t interfere with your everyday life and can often serve as motivation to perform better.
On the other hand, an anxiety disorder is a more persistent and overwhelming condition. According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), an anxiety disorder is diagnosed when anxiety is excessive, persistent (lasts more than six months), and interferes with a person’s daily functioning. Symptoms might include constant worry, panic attacks, or avoidance behavior that prevents the person from participating in normal activities. The anxiety doesn’t go away when the stressor is removed.
Example
Jane might feel anxious after a conversation with a friend, replaying the exchange in her head and worrying that she said something wrong. She may feel anxious, that the conversation will worsen the relationship. However, once she gets to work she soon forgets about it. The anxiety fades, and she moves on with her day. This is a typical, temporary experience of anxiety: it arises and causes discomfort but doesn’t take over our life or disrupt our activities.
However, if Jane had an anxiety disorder, the scenario would be more intense and prolonged. Instead of the usual worry, Jane’s anxiety would consume her for days, even weeks. She would constantly replay the conversation with her friend, obsessing over every word, convinced that the friendship was doomed. This would make it harder to focus on work, leading to mistakes and missed deadlines. Her boss’s frustration would increase her anxiety. She begins to feel inadequate and overwhelmed. Physical symptoms, like headaches, start as her body reacts to the unrelenting mental strain. Jane might even start avoiding social interactions altogether, avoiding not just her friend’s calls but also any situation that could trigger further anxiety. Her relationships, work, and overall well-being would begin to deteriorate, trapped in a cycle of constant worry and avoidance that interferes with every aspect of her life.
Actionable Tip: Assess the Impact of Anxiety on Your Life
If you notice anxiety affecting other areas of your life, it’s a good idea to make a list to understand it better. Start by noting the emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms you’re experiencing. Then, identify the impacted areas of your life, such as work, school, relationships, parenting, or friendships.
Symptom checklist for anxiety
- Excessive worry that is difficult to control
- Fatigue or low energy
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritability or feeling easily frustrated
- Muscle tension or physical aches
- Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or restless sleep
- Increased heart rate or palpitations
- Avoidance of situations that trigger anxiety
- Sweating, trembling, or feeling lightheaded
If anxiety is disrupting your life, it may be time to seek professional help. It can help you gain a deeper understanding of your anxiety and provide you with effective coping strategies to manage it.
Conclusion
Anxiety is a universal human experience, ranging from brief moments of worry to persistent unease. It activates the body’s stress response, which is helpful in short bursts but harmful when prolonged, leading to physical and emotional symptoms like fatigue, muscle tension, and overthinking. While anxiety can sometimes motivate and enhance performance, excessive anxiety can hinder productivity and worsen challenges. Internal beliefs and external circumstances interact to shape how anxiety impacts us, making self-awareness and managing negative self-talk crucial. Unlike everyday anxiety, anxiety disorders are more intense and persistent and interfere significantly with daily life. Recognizing symptoms and their impact can help identify when professional support is needed. By addressing both the mind and body, anxiety can be managed constructively to improve overall well-being.
If you would like to know more about generalized anxiety and social anxiety, please click here.
Click here to learn more about panic attacks and specific phobias.
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