Anxiety disorders occur more often than some people would think. While we are hardly ever confronted with life threatening situations anymore, we often are anxious. We want to come home on time or are afraid that our presentation will not go well or that your boss will not think our work is done well enough. We thus often worry about things which we find to be important in life. While these things are important to us in our lives, they do not endanger our lives. But what does this have to do with your anxiety? Read more here about the mechanism behind anxiety, how nature intended it, and what the symptoms are of anxiety.
Anxiety? What is the meaning of anxiety?
Anxiety is there to warn us in case of dangerous situations, for example if you were to stand eye to eye with a bear out of nowhere. This situation is life threatening, so your body starts to prepare you to react more quickly, to run away or to stand completely still. This has increased chances of survival for human beings. But the original goal of anxiety, to help us in dangerous situations, has been largely lost. On the other hand, we are anxious or stressed about things which seem important to us or which have traumatized us. Of course this is fully understandable, because it is dangerous to go outside again after having been robbed, or what if your presentation goes wrong, but this type of anxiety will not affect your life in a positive way. When you are anxious, you will notice that your heart starts to beat faster, that your pupils dilate, and that your muscles start to tense up. Furthermore, you will often also have the feeling that you do not have any control over your body and that you are looking at yourself as some sort of outsider. Your breathing becomes more shallow and quick, and sometimes it can be so that you start hyperventilation.
Anxiety? How do we deal with this anxiety?
How do we deal with this anxiety, which has such a negative influence on our lives? 15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program which will help you to once again be in control of your anxiety and to reduce the space which anxiety takes up in your life significantly.
Anxiety? Take the anxiety test!
Would you like to know to what extent anxiety influences your life or if your anxiety is pathological? Then take our free anxiety test here!