So many people suffer from anxiety. Most of the time it is fairly mild, but sometimes it can get quite unpleasant.
As a result of this, I became curious about anxiety. I wanted to know about the types of anxiety, how it gets triggered, and what I can do about anxiety. It became a pet project of mine. I started reading and learning about anxiety. (You may even have read my article about unwinding anxiety, which is based on a book I read.)
I have learned a fair amount about anxiety so far. While I am not a therapist, and you should keep that in mind, I have learned enough about anxiety to make a lot more sense of it.
Now I understand what it is, the different types of anxiety, how it gets triggered, and some simple steps I can take to reduce or eliminate it.
I want to share this with you in the hopes that it will help you in some way.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a distressing mental and emotional state that happens when we feel worried or fearful about something. We perceive some type of threat, real or imagined, that makes us feel that we either want to fight the threat, run away from it, or simply freeze while not knowing what to do about it.
Anxiety isn’t always bad. A little anxiety can help us to perform better during, for example, an interview. The small amount of adrenaline that comes with light anxiety can turn our minds “on” and give us that edge that we need to be successful.
The problem comes when anxiety gets out of hand and overwhelms us.
Types Of Anxiety And How Each Gets Triggered
Side Note: The Amygdala is a small almond-shaped region of the brain, very close to the top of the brain stem. Its primary job is to process emotions and memories associated with fear and pleasure. It triggers the “fight, flight, or freeze” response when it senses a threat, whether real or imagined. (The Amygdala can’t distinguish between real or imagined threats.)
There are three types of anxiety based on where they come from:
#1 – Anxiety From Something Outside Of Us
The first of the three types of anxiety comes from seeing, hearing, or smelling something around us, i.e., the source is outside of us.
Years ago, this type of anxiety was triggered by seeing or hearing a lion or tiger near us. Today it could be the behavior of another person towards us. Previous unpleasant experiences with a certain type of behavior towards us could have left us with a “scar” that makes us fearful of that type of behavior. The moment a person behaves in a similar way to that previous experience, anxiety gets triggered instantly.
This is pure Amygdala-based anxiety. There are no thought processes involved. The person behaves in a certain way and the Amygdala triggers an anxiety response (fight, flight, or freeze) even before we have a chance to think about it. We instantly feel the nervousness and fearfulness in our stomachs, and we either turn aggressive, feel like running away, or freeze while not knowing how to handle the situation.
As far as I can tell, the only way to overcome this type of anxiety is repeated re-exposure to the situation with better outcomes each time. This teaches the Amygdala that the situation is no longer a threat to us, and the Amygdala stops triggering the stress response.
#2 – Anxiety From Inside Us
The second of the three types of anxiety comes from thoughts about a previous or potential upcoming event, i.e., the source is inside us.
There might be an upcoming event or situation. In our thoughts, we imagine worst-case scenarios or outcomes where we are the loser or that we emerge from with harm to ourselves or our life situation.
This happens when our mind is not engaged in the present moment and we become “lost in thought.” Our Pre-frontal Cortex, the thinking part of the brain, now starts cooking up all kinds of harmful scenarios. Before you know it, the Amygdala interprets this as a threat and triggers a stress response.
Because the Amygdala can’t distinguish between real and imagined threats, the more you repeat those same thoughts, the more the amygdala learns that the thoughts are a threat. Fairly soon, the Amygdala triggers a stress response the moment you start thinking the repeated thoughts. This can get out of control if not addressed.
The only way to reduce and eventually stop this kind of anxiety is to bring the mind back to the present moment.
Meditation is a great tool to teach you to catch yourself when you drift off in thought, and then bring you back to the present moment. Getting engaged in daily activities that require your attention or focus is also a great way to keep your mind in the present moment. This is what mindfulness is.
#3 – Anxiety Caused By Chemicals
The third of the three types of anxiety comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain. This type of anxiety needs the intervention of a psychiatrist. The doctor will do tests to determine where the imbalances exist and then correct them with medication.
What To Do About An Anxiety Episode
The first two types of anxiety are caused by the Amygdala triggering a stress response. There are at least two ways to calm the Amygdala down and lower or eliminate the stress response:
#1 – Box Breathing
Box breathing is simple and effective because it imitates the slow breathing of a calm person. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and repeat until you feel better. This slow breathing tells the amygdala that all is good and the stress response subsides.
#2 – Get Your Blood Flowing
Get up and walk around, either in the building where you are or take a short walk outside. The increased blood flow to the brain stimulates the release of happy chemicals.
As you can see, anxiety can be dealt with. We need to figure out which type we have and then take the steps above. Remember that anxious behaviors may have been learned over time, and to undo all that may also take some time. So be patient with yourself.
Note: If you suffer from ongoing, severe anxiety, please consider seeing a therapist who specializes in anxiety. You have one life. Don’t let anxiety ruin it.