Understanding the Anxiety Cycle

Anxiety is a secondary emotion. Secondary to a more vulnerable emotion that isn't being expressed like fear.

We don't live in the wild anymore unlike our ancestors did, so there is less chance of being eaten alive by a large animal. Because these real types of dangers have become less common, 99% of the time our anxiety develops not as a response to "real" danger, but perceived danger. The key word here is "perceived" danger which is a mind made response to keep us safe.

When our amygdala (the brains emotional alarm system) gets triggered by perceived danger, our fight/flight/freeze response is activated. This is our survival or stress response. Our brain and body get flooded with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, we can feel our heart rate increase, muscles tense, shortness of breath, become light headed amongst other symptoms. This is why we feel a certain way when we experience anxiety.

Anxiety can also stem from unhelpful thinking styles and usually leads to behaviours that reinforce anxiety like avoidance. However, if you experience anxiety, try to dig deeper to understand what emotions might be triggering your anxiety.

Ask yourself:

• What am I really afraid of right now?

• Is this fear real or imagined?

• Am I projecting my mind into the future, worrying about what may or may not happen in a situation?

• What do I not want to feel?

• Am I hurt, sad, ashamed, or scared?

The answers to these questions can help you identify your primary emotion and meet your true need. Doing so will commonly alleviate worry as well.

You may find that your primary emotion is fear. If so, anxiety can signal an avoidance of fear.

The anxiety cycle includes 4 main stages:

• The onset of anxious feelings

• Avoiding the situation

• Short term relief from anxiety

• Long term anxiety growth

The cycle of anxiety can be difficult to escape but fortunately it is very treatable. Self-help strategies can be helpful such as grounding, breathing techniques, exercise, meditation, listening to calming music, connecting more with others and with nature.

Facing your fears with graded exposure can be a good option to ultimately break the cycle of anxiety, where you are turning towards your fear gradually whilst maintaining a sense of safety. This can stop you from avoiding situations that you would have normally avoided and will give you back control of choosing what you would like to do in any given situation.

Talking to your GP about your treatment options and medication can help and talking to a therapist can help you to explore, understand and manage your anxiety.

By understanding and working with your anxiety, you can make sure your anxiety isn't stopping you from doing what you want to do and living the life you want to live.