What is Anxiety?
Everyone experiences anxiety. It is normal to feel anxious before an exam, a job interview or going on a thrill ride in an amusement park. Anxiety can help us deal with danger and keeps use safe (for example, jumping out of the way of a speeding car). Also, it can motivate us to perform at our best (for example, a work report).
When we experience anxiety, our body’s “fight or flight” response is activated. The response is preparing our body to defend itself because when we experience anxiety, we PERCEIVE that we are in danger. This response is great when there is an actual danger (such as encountering someone trying to hurt us) but becomes a problem when the “perceived danger” is not actually dangerous (for example, responding to an email, taking a phone call, seeing a dog).
Anxiety feels uncomfortable, although, all the sensations we feel when we are anxious are there to protect us from danger, not hurt us. When we are feeling anxious, we feel like it is going to last forever, but it does eventually decrease.
