Is anxiety normal? Yes, it is completely normal.
Let me first explain that anxiety is a part of our protection system, like an alarm. The system is always there, but the alarm shouldn’t go off unless there is an emergency to deal with.
Anxiety alerts us to situations that require us to react to certain environmental dangers, such as a coming across a bear on a nature walk.
Anxiety and fear are necessary so we can survive in our world. The level of anxiety we have is based on the amount of danger and how confident we are that we can survive.
This means that anxiety can be different for the same situation for two different people. Anxiety is very individual.
It is OK to have anxiety at times in our lives. It is this anxiety that can support positive growth opportunities as we go through our life. Think about when you were young, and how you felt when you saw your shadow?
As an adult, the same shadow is really not noticed, so therefore you see the same threat but with two different pairs of glasses — one as a child and one as an adult.
Anxiety is an emotion. This emotion, according to J. Frijda, a researcher from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, has three parts.
The first part is biological, which is the physical response – increased heart rate, sweaty hands and increased breathing. The second part is cognitive, your thoughts and perception – seeing a situation worse than it actually is.
The final section is your behavior in response to anxiety – screaming and running or just sitting calmly to determine what you will do next.
You see, how you see a situation and how you respond can be completely in your control. The anxiety system actually warns you of a potential or perceived threat, not necessarily an actual threat.
Where the problem lies is when anxiety response is activated many times in the day.
This leads to a bombardment of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach upset, tiredness and other physical symptoms including worry, fear and constant stress.
At this level, anxiety can completely upset your life, and coping with daily issues and situations is not possible.
M. Reinecke, author of “Keep Calm and Carry On,” said it’s possible to successfully manage anxiety if an individual learn to deal with all three parts.
Firstly it is important to assess all the facts and what you fear will happen. Once you know the facts, you can ask yourself what the real possible outcomes of the situation are, based on real facts.
The second issue is to accept that you can’t control the future. When you dwell on the future, you minimize your confidence, and therefore increase stress levels and worry.
You cannot control what happens around you, but you have 100 per cent control of how you think. When you learn to control your anxious thoughts, you can control how you respond.
Knowing and having this control can assist you in minimizing the worries in your life. It takes time to change your thoughts and take control, but it is doable.
You may need assistance from a health care practitioner for behavioral assistance therapy or possibly medication. Take charge of your life and your emotions. Approach adversities with confidence, faith, compassion and laugh once in awhile. It can be done.
Karen Hourtovenko, RN(EC), is a health and wellness consultant from Sudbury who writes columns about healthy living for Northern Life.
