To address a problem like anxiety, it is good to have a clear understanding of all of its components. Perhaps it sounds strange to talk about the components of anxiety; isn’t anxiety just a feeling we have. Well, feelings are one part of anxiety, but it has other elements as well. It is important have a deep understanding of the anatomy of anxiety so we know how to respond to it and treat it.
So, let’s start with feelings.
There is both and emotional and a thinking component to anxiety. In fact, it is often the cognitive part of anxiety that creates all the emotions. You have all of this thinking about the future. You look at situations and events that are ahead and you are evaluating and assessing all the possibilities of what might happen. We do this all the time, but with anxiety our appraisals can be inaccurate, always focusing on the negative and harmful things that can happen. These negative appraisals create the feelings of anxiety in us. And to complicate matters even more, these anxious feelings can lead to more negative assessments of future events.
Along with the emotional and thinking, there is the physiological component of anxiety.
The adrenaline begins to rush, which leads to increased heartbeat, rise in blood pressure, shortness of breath. The truth is that there is almost always some level of anxiety happening in us, but when we interpret a situation as threatening, the body responds. Our body prepares to deal with the threatening situation. Of course, if the situation is ongoing or well into the future, the body can get stuck in a fight-or-flight stance.
Finally, there is the behavioral component of anxiety.
This includes all of the actions we will take, things that we do or don’t do, to control the anxiety. We avoid the anxiety by creating elaborate actions and rituals to keep us away from the situations that will create the anxiety. Or we come up with ways to control the feelings themselves by thinking about something else or distracting ourselves with an activity.
It is important to note that this is not a three-step process. There is a way that all of these components interact and exacerbate one another, so that the anxiety becomes more entrenched in your life. For example, you can feel some tension and stress in your body and your mind tells you that it has to be related to a future event that you are worrying about. The mind continues to tell you all of the ways this event can impact you negatively, and your body gets more tense. Soon, you start figuring out ways to act: Maybe I shouldn’t go to this event…or maybe I should avoid that situation. Before you know it, the anxiety has control.
Anxiety treatment will give you the tools you need to address all three components of anxiety. You will learn some mindfulness techniques that allow you to feel the tension in your body without simply fighting it or getting caught up in it. You will learn how to see your thoughts as, well, just thoughts, that you can allow to be there, but don’t necessarily have to accept their evaluations and judgments that allow the anxiety to get a foothold. Then, you will be able to choose actions that are not about controlling or avoiding the anxiety; instead they are actions that are more aligned what you value in life.
To be sure, anxiety and worry are part of living. Understanding the anatomy of anxiety and how it works can keep it from gaining control of your life.
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