Anxiety....

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What is Anxiety?  Simply put, it is the bodies ultimate safety net and is designed purely to protect us.  It is the mental state that we enter when our minds have perceived a threat or imminent danger.  When triggered, our mind begins to send messages to our body to prepare us for a fight or to run for safety – commonly referred to as ‘Fight or Flight’

Our heart begins to quicken as our body pumps blood to all the parts of the body that will need it.  If legs begin to feel heavy and fingers begin to experience pins and needles this is simply the body moving blood from one place to another in readiness to run.

When our sympathetic nervous system then begins to release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol which can activate sweat glands.

This is not always a bad thing and in certain situations our anxiety can protect us or even drive us in positive ways to perform to our maximum - Athletes can often feel high levels of anxiety just before a big race which forces them to ensure everything is ready and they are fully prepared.  Once the threatening situation has stopped, your body will usually return to normal. 

For sufferers of anxiety disorders this delicate balance is disrupted by a heightened sense of danger.  Our minds cannot distinguish between what is a real threat and what is just our unbalanced perception and so reacts the same to both, drawing out the episode as the threat seemingly never ends.   

Anxiety works well as a mechanism when experienced in short sharp bursts but when these emotional and physical symptoms are prolonged it can take its toll on the body and mind, they can leave long lasting negative effects on us:

• Uncontrollable over-thinking,
• Feelings of impending doom
• Episodes / Attacks of Panic
• Feeling irritable,
• Heightened alertness,
• Problems with sleep,
• Dissociation – feeling like you are not connected to your own body. Or like you are watching things happen around you, without feeling it.

The most important thing to know is that you are not alone…

Anxiety disorders are amongst the most common mental health issues throughout the UK.  During 2020, almost half (49.6%) of people in Great Britain reported feelings of anxiety; this was sharply elevated compared with the end of 2019 (21%) and equates to over 25 million people (out of the population aged 16 years and over).