Let’s talk about anxiety.
Anxiety serves a purpose, despite what you may think. It’s our alarm system to keep us safe, to warn us when something could harm us. We are wired for anxiety because it historically kept us safe. For our ancestors, the humans who were more anxious had better survival rates because they did less dangerous things. The ones anxious about going into the dark woods alone, stayed out of the woods, and most likely stayed alive. The fearless ones, well they went into the dark woods alone and you can guess what happened to them. Over time, because those who were more anxious had a better survival rate, they had more children simply because they lived long enough to do so. After many generations, we all are more prone to anxiety! Anxiety is quite the experience. It’s mental, causing rumination, cognitive distortions, busy mind, over planning, lack of flexibility, sense of fear, and so much more. Physically, it can cause stomach issues, elevated blood pressure, stress on your heart, and can disrupt your immune response. All of this can affect your health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
The challenge with modern life, is anxiety producing experiences are everywhere, not just dark woods. Challenging life experiences or trauma in childhood can cause more anxiety as a coping mechanism to keep you safe. Going through traumas as an adult can heighten anxiety, I’m talking to my new found anxiety about strong wind and storms post Hurricane Helene. Unfortunately, lifestyle can also play a big role in anxiety. Sedentary lifestyles and diets high in sugar and processed food have been linked to higher rates of anxiety. Increased screen time and lack of social connection has been shown to also increase anxiety, particularly social anxiety. As you can see, modern life sets us up for anxiety quite well. The goal isn’t to get rid of anxiety completely. You would probably do something pretty stupid immediately without it. The goal is have an accurately responsive anxiety system. We do want our anxiety to spike when we do or are around dangerous things, but we don’t want it spiking constantly or inappropriately. Avoidance of things that make you anxious does in fact, increase your anxiety. Understanding your anxiety first can you better cope with it later. And as always, practicing self-compassion needs to be number one.
Questions to ponder.
What are you anxious about that is an appropriate thing to be anxious about?
What are you anxious about that isn’t actually a threat to you?
How can you tell the difference between anxiety that is appropriate and inappropriate?
