Hello Internet! As I write this, my first ever blog, I can feel own anxiety is rising! Yes, that’s right, we psychologists are no strangers ourselves to such visceral experiences. Why? Well, because like everybody we’re human. It is to be expected though, right? When we put ourselves in the ‘firing line’ so to speak, of other peoples’ gaze, evaluation, judgments, and possible rebukes, it triggers a primitive, protective response in us.
The Roots of Anxiety
This goes back a long way; when early humans were roaming the earth with sabre-toothed tigers and cave lions round every corner, being visible was a great risk to physical safety; every second counted when it came to surviving the predation of such beasts. We therefore developed a sophisticated alarm system to alert us to the dangers in the world. This, we now call anxiety.
Modern Anxiety: The Same Alarm System, Different Threats
Of course, there are no longer the same physical threats to survival that there once was, there are some to be sure, but most of our anxiety responses are now triggered by internal threats or relational conflicts, yet the purpose of anxiety in such contexts remains valid and the same – anxiety is our alarm system and our drive to action.
So, anxiety serves two vital purposes in our lives, it tells us that there’s a problem and it tries to focus our minds towards solving that problem. So why do so many of my clients tell me they just need anxiety to STOP! Well, it’s understandable when we consider that anxiety feels… well, absolutely rubbish!
Thoughts vs. Anxiety
Common opinion holds that worrisome thoughts ‘are’ anxiety, but such thoughts might be better understood as our attempts to think our way out of anxiety (which of course doesn’t work and only serves to perpetuate it; hence people believe that thoughts are anxiety). In actual fact, anxiety is a physiological, bodily response – i.e. symptoms like muscle tightness, a roiling tummy, an urge to go to the toilet, a constricted throat, a dry mouth, dry eyes, excessive sweating, a tight chest, restless legs, going floppy and losing motivation, experiencing brain fog, ringing in the ears or tunnel vision. All these are anxiety symptoms and, like I said, they really do feel… RUBBISH!
Our Natural Tendency to Avoid Anxiety
It makes sense then that we would try to avoid such pain, if at all possible, right? Especially since ignoring these symptoms now does not result in being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger or cave lion! So, over the millennia, we have learned as a species to quiet the bells of anxiety, to find ways to distract ourselves and thus avoid the pain that comes with it. This short-term solution can be helpful in making us feel better… in the short term. But, just like your bedside alarm clock, if you mute it, it will come back on after a time and get louder and louder and louder until you finally take notice.
The Dangers of Trying to Eradicate Anxiety
When anxiety gets louder, it gets more painful, and that is why in more recent times anxiety has become a mental health disorder, something problematic in people’s lives, and something that many clients and therapists are striving to eradicate from people’s experience.
To me this is utter folly – to try to get rid of somebody’s anxiety is a) simply not possible, and b) it would rob them of their drive and their alarm system.
A Healthier Approach: Reclaiming Control Over Anxiety
My approach is to help people to pay attention again to anxiety, to not be afraid of it, and to not shy away from the minor muscle tension that comes with the first whisperings of an anxiety reaction. If people can successfully pay attention to themselves again in this way, then they can reclaim control over their lives. Their anxiety response can then alert them to other feelings that need attending to, such as anger or sadness, and it becomes a useful tool in getting their needs met once again.
I hope this initial blog helps in some way to develop your understanding of and relationship with your own anxiety, and I will endeavour to further harness my own to bring you more insights in future posts! Until the next time.
Dr Steve Hoole CPsychol AFBPsS
Clinical Psychologist & Director
Talking Therapy North