What is Anxiety?
What is Anxiety?
You can think of anxiety as an internal alarm system in which the “ON button” gets stuck. It can be a state of foreboding, a feeling of impending danger. It can be driven by apprehension, a fear that something bad will happen. It is accompanied by doubt in one’s own ability to defend against the dreaded threat. Anxiety is different from fear, a state in which the brain automatically assesses a situation as dangerous and rallies your defenses to protect yourself. Anxiety can feel more defenseless.
The essential characteristics of anxiety are:
worrying about a potential danger
focusing on what bad things could happen
doubting of one’s own ability to cope with the threat
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to and observing what is happening in our lives, without judgment. When you practice mindfulness you are sharpening your focus and training yourself to be present. This practice helps manage your emotions and physical reactions when stressful situations--such as health concerns, interpersonal issues, or environmental factors--are present. Stress affects our physical health, and poor physical health causes more emotional stress. By contrast, when all our systems are working together there is balance, which leads to greater health. Mindfulness allows us to achieve that balance and, thus, a calmer, more peaceful state. Grounding ourselves in such a calmer base allows to make wiser and healthier choices, leading to a more satisfying life.
What are Common Types of Anxiety?
specific phobias (e.g., profound foreboding of spiders, heights, going outside, or coping with a particular challenge)
socializing with unfamiliar people
a tendency to panic without a recognizable reason
the aftermath of a previous crisis or traumatic event
How Do I Know if I have Anxiety?
People differ in the ways they experience and express their anxiety. Symptoms can be physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and/or social. The following are some examples of ways people may feel and/or present their anxiety:
Physical symptoms
Heart palpitations
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Chest pain
Nausea or abdominal distress
Cognitive symptoms
Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
Having obsessive thoughts
Having intrusive traumatic memories
Having set negative beliefs that influence perceptions
Emotional symptoms
Feeling nervous, tense, or restless
Having a sense of impending danger
Having a feeling of doom
Feeling irritable
Feeling tearful
Behavioral symptoms
Avoiding places or situations that trigger anxiety
Compulsive behavior, such as constantly checking things
Worried about trying new things
Difficulty sleeping
Outbursts of excessive anger
Social symptoms
Fear of being scrutinized or judged by other people
Avoidance meeting new people or of spending time with unfamiliar people
Struggling to form or maintain relationships
What can I do if I have anxiety?
People can learn new ways of thinking or behaving that can help them lower their level of anxiety. Here are some examples of things people can do:
Develop a mindfulness practice
Develop a mindful approach to daily living. Read a book or join a mindfulness meditation group to learn how you can develop greater awareness of your thoughts and bring greater equanimity into your life. Some mindfulness authors include: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, Joan Borysenko, Kristin Neff, and Chris Germer, among others.
Engage in physical exercise
Oftentimes people remark that exercise helps them become less anxious. The sheer act of moving with increased energy alters the body chemistry, which alleviates distressing thought patterns, troubling emotions, and persistent negative moods.
Examine the nature of your thoughts
We can learn to notice the nature of our thoughts. Are they negative or positive? Do we assume the likelihood of failure? or Do we have a predisposition to imagine success? Gaining awareness of these tendencies of how we think can help us begin to change. We can learn to alter our negative thinking to a more balanced way of seeing the world, ourselves, and others.
Stop obsessive thinking
Sometimes a person can find her/himself incessantly repeating a negative thought over and over again. For example, a person could say to him/herself, “I’m such an idiot. They must think I’m an idiot.” Repeating this negative thought to oneself over and over again reinforces a sense of shame one had in a single moment. But, instead of letting it go and moving on, the person continues reliving it, digging one’s self into a hole of anxiety and depression. If one recognizes what s/he is doing and interrupts the cycle of repeated thoughts, the mood with dramatically lift.
Relax physical tension
When we’re anxious, tension automatically builds up in our bodies. We can hold tension in various places - in our throat, jaws, shoulders, chest, stomach or abdominal area. If we can stop for a moment, step back, and survey our body for where we are holding tension, we can intentionally relax that tension. Physical relaxation can have a profound feedback effect on the mind. When our body relaxes, the content of our thoughts will become less anxious, have more clarity, and we will become more confident.
Take small steps to face situations that cause anxiety
If a person is socially anxious and worries about fitting in or being liked, that person will likely avoid situations putting her/him into close contact with other people. But this avoidant behavior can only reinforce the anxiety. However, if that person will risk going out and spend time with other people, no matter how awkward it may feel at first, s/he allows for the possibility of enjoying another person and opens up the possibly of making a friend.
Suggestions for further readings in B-Med:
1) The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution by David A. Clark & Aaron T. Beck (2023).
2) Feeling Good: Overcome Depression & Anxiety with Proven Techniques by David D. Burns (1999).
3) Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose by Martha Beck (2025).