Anxiety is a reaction to an event that we perceive as threatening.
This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
How anxiety works
The organs of vision capture information about danger. For example, we see an angry bear. The information is sent to the part of the brain that triggers the fight-or-flight response. The body prepares to save itself and mobilizes the hormonal, respiratory and circulatory systems. The part of the brain that is responsible for thorough reasoning is suppressed. This allows us not to inhibit the reaction to danger, and we become more impulsive. The brain quickly analyzes the environment and chooses a reaction:
- "Fight" - if it is more likely to eliminate the threat. For example, if the enemy surrenders by force.
- "Run" - if it is more profitable to run away than to eliminate the threat.
- "Freeze" - if you cannot run away or attack. For example, it helps to remain unnoticed or pretend to be dead.
- The 4th option is "surrender". Here we submit to fate and find ourselves eaten by a bear. This option is a refusal to act when there is no way out of the situation1. It differs from the "freeze" option, which implies preparation for action and accumulation of energy.
If the situation is repeated, one of the reactions is usually attached to it. Then we act in a similar way in similar situations.
What to aim for when working with anxiety
Anxiety often appears when we mistakenly perceive a situation as dangerous, exaggerate its threat, or underestimate the ability to cope with it.
For example, a person is faced with a stimulus. The stimulus can be external (a knock on the door) or internal (a painful memory). The brain then gives the stimulus 2 ratings.
The first is an assessment of how dangerous the source of the stimulus is. The second is an assessment of the ability to cope with danger. If both assessments indicate a real or perceived threat, an alarm occurs.
Anxious people are more likely to exaggerate danger and underestimate their ability to cope with it.
Let's imagine a person who is afraid of public speaking, but has to defend his thesis. He waits in line, looks at people and thinks that those around him are judging him. It seems that everyone thinks: "He doesn't belong here." What did he forget here at all?". So he exaggerates the probability of danger. He also exaggerates the consequences of the danger: "To face condemnation will be terrible, I will not survive it."
Further, he believes that he cannot cope with such attention to himself and cannot give a speech. A person underestimates the ability to cope with danger. He runs away from the conference hall 5 minutes before the defense. This is how anxiety arises, and a person takes ineffective actions.
The key to working with anxiety is to understand what we fear and what ineffective behaviors we resort to.
Techniques for getting rid of anxiety
The technique was invented by the author of the books, Byron Katie, when she was depressed. The technique is called "Work" and is used in cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is based on the following idea: it is not terrible events that disturb us, but the fact that we consider them terrible. The purpose of the technique is to reformulate thoughts about events in such a way as to get rid of anxiety and to see the possibility of not believing them.
Articulate what worries you and answer the question: Is it true? Can I be absolutely sure that this is the case? How does this thought make me react? Who would I be without this thought?
You have to think about the answers. Take your time, use as much time as you need.
For example, let's take a person you already know at the dissertation defense. He is worried that he "will not be able to cope with the performance, and it will be terrible".
A. Is that true? It is unlikely that he will be able to tell anything about the dissertation that he has been writing for 5 years.
B. Can I be absolutely sure that it is? No, it's unlikely.
C. How do I react to this thought? Panic, terror, desire to run away.
D. Who would I be without this thought? A confident person who is not afraid to assert himself, and a successful scientist.
You can learn more about the exercise in Byron Katie's book "Love What You Have".
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