WHY AM I FEELING ANXIETY FOR NO REASON ?
Hello friends, thanks for joining me. Today I am going to share 4 steps with you to help you begin to overcome anxiety and stress in your life. So let’s jump right in so you can gradually regain control over your life and experience a more peaceful and balanced state of being !
Luke 8:43-46
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me ?”Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Anxiety is a common and challenging experience that many individuals face. It is a natural human emotion that is experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. It manifests as persistent feelings of unease, fear, and worry that can interfere with daily activities and overall well-being. Anxiety may arise as a response to stressful or uncertain situations, and can manifest physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Physically, anxiety often presents itself through symptoms like increased heart rate, shallow breathing, and muscle tension. Emotionally, individuals may feel a sense of restlessness, apprehension, or fear. Cognitively, anxiety can lead to racing thoughts, excessive worry, and difficulty concentrating. While occasional anxiety is normal, excessive and persistent anxiety can be debilitating and impact daily functioning. One of the primary causes of anxiety is excessive stress. When individuals experience high levels of stress in their personal or professional lives, it can overwhelm their coping mechanisms and trigger feelings of unease and fear. Traumatic events, such as accidents or abuse, can also contribute to the development of anxiety disorders. And so the question remains, “ What causes anxiety and why is it so hard to change ?”
Anxiety can indeed be a learned behavior and a contributing factor to overthinking. Often, individuals who have grown up in an environment where they were exposed to excessive worry or stress may learn to view the world through a lens of anxiety. Overthinking can be a problematic defense mechanism against anxiety that many of us learn as children and carry into adulthood. As youngsters, we may have encountered situations that filled us with fear, uncertainty, or insecurity. To cope with these overwhelming emotions, we often develop the habit of analyzing every detail, playing out worst-case scenarios, and constantly second-guessing ourselves. While this may temporarily provide a sense of control, it typically leads to increased anxiety and stress in the long run. Overthinking can hinder our ability as adults to make decisions, maintain healthy relationships, and enjoy the present moment. Additionally, individuals with high anxiety often struggle to differentiate between actual stressors and perceived stress due to the overwhelming nature of their anxiety. Actual stress refers to real-life challenges and pressures that can cause feelings of being overwhelmed and tension. These stressors might include work demands, relationship problems, financial difficulties, or health issues. Perceived stress, on the other hand, relates to the subjective experience of stress and how an individual perceives and interprets their situation. Regardless of whether the stress is actual or perceived, it can trigger anxiety, leading to feelings of restlessness, unease, and a sense of impending doom. Anxiety can distort their thinking, leading them to overanalyze and catastrophize situations, making it difficult for them to discern between what is genuinely stressful and what is merely perceived as stressful. Individuals with high anxiety often find it challenging to navigate and manage their stress levels effectively, further perpetuating their anxiety. So we have to ask ourselves, “Why does high anxiety lead to such an extreme emotional response ?”
First and foremost, it is important to understand the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) plays a vital role in the manifestation and regulation of anxiety. Two important systems within the ANS that work in tandem to influence our physiological responses are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic system, often referred to as the "fight or flight" response, activates during times of stress or danger. When faced with a perceived threat or danger, the ANS automatically through the sympathetic nervous system triggers the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, through its sympathetic branch. This ignites the body's fight-or-flight response, resulting in increased heart rate, accelerated breathing, and heightened alertness. This physiological response prepares the individual to either confront the threat or flee from it. However, in individuals with anxiety disorders, the ANS may become hypersensitive, leading to an exaggerated response even in non-threatening situations. This can also contribute to chronic feelings of unease, restlessness, and a heightened perception of threat. Individuals with high anxiety are all too familiar with this feeling when they become anxious, scared or angry, and they feel their body begin to spiral out of control. On the other hand, the parasympathetic branch of the ANS helps to restore a sense of calm and balance by counteracting the sympathetic response. The parasympathetic system promotes a state of calmness, often known as the "rest and digest" mode. It slows heart rate, constricts blood vessels, and encourages digestion. A healthy interplay between these two systems is essential for managing anxiety effectively, as an imbalance can perpetuate heightened anxiety as well as lead to other physical and emotional difficulties. So, an important question to ask here would be, “What can I do to better manage my high anxiety?”
Self-regulation and relaxation are two distinct approaches when it comes to managing behaviors in relation to anxiety. Self-regulation involves actively implementing strategies to address anxiety triggers and manage associated anxiety symptoms. It focuses on developing coping mechanisms and acquiring skills to regulate emotions and thoughts, enabling individuals to face anxiety-provoking situations directly. On the other hand, relaxation involves purposefully engaging in activities that promote calmness and reduce anxiety. It aims to create a sense of tranquility and peace by using techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation. While self-regulation targets the underlying causes of anxiety and encourages individuals to confront their fears, relaxation offers immediate relief by inducing a state of calmness. An important note on relaxation is that it can sometimes veer into the territory of avoidance. This can occur when someone consistently turns to relaxation activities, such as excessive binge-watching, gaming, or aimlessly scrolling through social media, in order to numb themselves from confronting deeper issues or responsibilities. Although relaxation is essential for self-care, it is important to strike a balance and ensure that it does not become a mechanism for avoidance, hindering personal growth and resilience in the process. Accordingly, here are four steps to help reduce anxiety.
One highly beneficial, easy technique is deep breathing, where one takes slow, deep breaths in through the nose and exhales slowly through the mouth. This practice helps calm the body and mind by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress.
Another effective technique is progressive muscle relaxation, where individuals systematically tense and relax different muscle groups, promoting physical and mental relaxation. This technique can also raise your conscious awareness of feeling the initial stages of tension in different parts of your body.
Engaging in regular physical exercise, simple activities such as walking, biking, or jogging, not only helps release endorphins but also provides an outlet for anxious energy. The key here is consistency; research has shown that as little as 30 minutes a day of walking can produce significant benefits.
Engaging in mindfulness(being actively aware of your stress levels daily) and prayer can also alleviate anxiety by bringing one's attention to the present moment and fostering a sense of calmness.
And finally, we revisit the powerful story of the woman with a bleeding disorder who reached out in faith. This woman had been suffering for twelve long years, enduring both physical pain and emotional distress. Constantly shunned by society due to her condition, she most probably carried a heavy burden of anxiety as she approached Jesus. Fear of rejection, skepticism, or dread could have overwhelmed her. Yet, driven by hope, she made an active, mindful decision and summoned the courage to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Prayerful Thought: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts Psalms 139:23
“ Worrying is suffering one more time than you need to. Every difficulty in life is a possibility in disguise !”
“May the peace and grace of the Lord always be with you” - Dr Lee