What is Anxiety Part 1: Stress Response - The Core of Anxiety

What is Anxiety Part 1: Stress Response - The Core of Anxiety

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Today we’re going to discuss the physical process at the heart of all stress and anxiety: the stress response.

Everybody has experienced the stress response at one time or another. It is the body’s way of protecting us when we’re in harm’s way – whether we’re running from a hungry predator or fending off a schoolyard bully.

It’s the stress response that triggers what’s known as the fight-or-flight instinct. We’re all pre-wired to experience this when we perceive a large threat. But for those of with anxiety, the stress response can be triggered by every day stressors and annoyances.

When a stress response is triggered, a lot starts to happen inside the body as the sympathetic nervous system takes control:

•    Adrenaline circulates through the body
  

•    Heart rate increases
  

•    Breath quickens
  

•    Extra oxygen is sent to the brain
  

•    Nutrient stores are released into the bloodstream for energy
  

If the threat is resolved quickly, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over and the body returns to normal. But if the stress is prolonged, the stress hormone cortisol continues to be released, and the body stays on alert.

Humans developed the stress response for an excellent reason: so we can react to danger instinctively, and avoid wasting energy on anything except taking care of the threat – fighting or fleeing.

When we develop anxiety, stressors that would otherwise be manageable can turn into triggers. These triggers can push us into a basic fight-or-flight reaction or even a full-blown panic attack. The anxious brain doesn’t distinguish between stressors that pose a physical threat or those that don’t. The stress response becomes the same for our triggers as it would be for, say, meeting a grizzly bear in the woods.

Where we get into trouble, is when we let anxiety continue to develop.

Long-term unresolved stress takes its toll on the body. Common consequences of chronic anxiety include heart problems, weight gain, and mental illnesses like anxiety disorders and depression.

So if you feel you are developing anxiety, don’t wait. Start doing something about it now.