Fear and anxiety are a normal and natural part of living. We are born with the capacity to experience fear and anxiety. Of course, you may already know that since it seems you are living with these two feelings all the time. But what are fear and anxiety? How are they similar? How are they different? What role do they play in our lives?
Fear is focused on the present.
You sense a real or possible threat right there in front of you, right here in the world around you. The truth is we need this fear. It is the fear that moves us to take action that will protect us when we our safety or well-being is threatened. In fact, the emotion that we call fear is really your body doing some things to stir you to action against a threat. Your heart beats faster and your blood pressure increases. Your breath becomes shorter and you become more alert, almost hyper-vigilant. You may have heard people talk about a rush of adrenaline. All of these bodily responses are part of the fight-or-flight syndrome that are part of fear; they get you ready to take action against a threat.
Anxiety is focused on the future.
You get anxious about something that you anticipate happening in future. It might be a test or a job interview. It might be how well you think you will do on the test or at the job interview. And just like fear, anxiety has bodily responses. You may feel tense or edgy. You may feel tension in some of your muscles. Of course, these bodily responses are more subtle than the ones that happen with fear. Another problem is they may go on much longer than fear. With fear, you begin to calm down once the present threat is gone. With anxiety, the future event may be days, months, or even years ahead. Also, anxiety is more about what’s happening in your mind than some real danger or threat.
It is important to feel the difference between fear and anxiety. I live in Oklahoma and many people have experienced the fear that goes with being in or close to a tornado. But there are also many people who feel deep anxiety, for days or hours, when they hear a weather report predicting a tornado, or see clouds forming in the sky. It is also important to remember that, while having anxiety is hard, you still need to be able to feel it, because it can motivate you to do the things you need to avoid harm.
Fear and Anxiety As Allies?
It may be hard to think about anxiety and fear as allies are helpful; that may be because you feel like anxiety is with you all the time and it is getting in the way of you enjoying your life. It is that interfering with life that can make fear or anxiety become an anxiety disorder. The anxiety doesn’t motivate you to pay attention to important things; it gets in the way of you doing the important and meaningful things in life. Social anxiety keeps you from being able to spend time with friends or coworkers. You not only have the discomfort of a panic attack, but you constantly worry about when the next panic attack will happen. General anxiety will keep you from trying new things and seeking new adventures.
So, yes, it is good to pay attention to fear; it can help you be aware of a threat that is here now. It is good to pay attention to anxiety; it can help you anticipate concerns you have for the future. But when these become overwhelming, it may be time to seek some help developing a new relationship with fear and anxiety.
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