What Causes Anxiety?

We are living beings with emotions and feelings. Today in this extremely stressful and chaotic world, anything can trigger our anxiety. Our senses are always active, yet that shouldn't be the case. We should be able to switch it off sometimes.

Imagine always being on the edge, thinking and overthinking, tense and overly nervous. That's exactly what anxiety feels like. With some people, that anxiety and on-the-edge feeling does not wash away. It affects the sufferer both mentally and physically.

So how does this "harmful" anxiety arise, causing you to stop finding pleasure in the little things that you have always loved and even completely depleting your motivation in life? Like most people, you've surely had an experience where negative thoughts made you so worried that you felt it psychically and just couldn't escape from its maddening grip, towing your body forcibly into this state. One that makes you wonder what is happening to your body and consciousness at that time?

Now the big question is: What causes anxiety? How does it come into existence?

Let's find out!

When a worrying thought crosses our mind, the brain sends out an alarm in the form of an impulse, saying "Warning! Danger!" It then assesses the level of that threat and sends out commands accordingly. A number of things happen with that command: your pulse rises, your mouth dries up, you start sweating, your muscles tense up, and that's just a few of them. This helps us find an escape out of the situation and be safe. This all seems quite logical until our brain falls inescapably into a trap and starts imagining the worst case scenario.

Picture a movie unfolding in your imagination with as many unpleasant plots as possible. Now try to imagine that the next scene shows a small happy child skipping merrily along the sidewalk of a park. Without even recognizing it, you probably imagined something happening to that child, didn't you? Maybe a drunk driver ramming his car against her small body, or something worse. That's because the brain has fallen into a giant trap. It's predicting negative outcomes on the roll. It's fixated on threats and its owner (you) always hanging on the edge is constantly preparing for an unavoidable fall.

We aren't looking for a successful way out. Instead, somehow, we are focused on protecting ourselves from supposedly inevitable danger, avoiding it, detaching ourselves from it, or maybe even trying to control it. This means we're chronically uneasy, tense, and constantly thinking about the worst. These are all symptoms of anxiety.

Does this happen to you, too? Can you relate a little too well?

Here are a few things you can do to help your anxiety:

1. Learn how to relax. Yes I know, easier said than done. But try as much as you can to learn relaxation and breathwork techniques. They help a lot.
2. Assess risks objectively so as to not worry about the little trivial things. What's making you anxious? Why are you feeling anxious? Write down a list on how you feel and why.
3. Consciously address your anxiety and focus on making it less intense.
4. Write down things to do so as to survive through the anxiety. Write as many points as you can. Whatever comes to mind at the moment. Then focus at first on the ones you can effortlessly do.

The one thing that helps you when you are in "danger" is to find an escape, and for that you have to understand the possible cause. That's how you work on your anxiety. Understand it then slowly work your way through it.

If you want to learn more about dealing with anxiety, you can use the Therappy app. It was developed by professional psychotherapists for people who want to solve mild mental problems on their own. To see if it suits you, choose a test period. Make a step towards a healthier you.