Anxiety. So many of us experience it. Those racing, ruminating thoughts. That nervous feeling. How about panic attacks? The physical reaction to our anxiety can be terrifying. All of this is valid and understandable, and it can negatively impact us. But I think it’s important to think about the purpose of anxiety. Why do we feel it? What is its purpose?
Do you ever get that feeling like you are being watched? You might become very aware of everything going on around you when this happens. You may be more observant or sensitive to sounds or sudden movements. You are on high alert.
To explain it simply, anxiety is our body’s built-in threat detection system. To explain it with more complexity: when our brains perceive danger, whether real or not, the amygdala, the brain’s alarm center that tags incoming information as safe or threatening, signals the hypothalamus, the control center that links the brain to the body’s stress systems. The hypothalamus activates our sympathetic nervous system and triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol. This is more commonly known as the fight, flight, or freeze response, and the lesser-known fawn response.
Aside from what is going on in our brains, we also have a physical response when anxiety or fear alerts us. Our heart rate and blood pressure rise to push more blood to our muscles. Our breathing quickens to increase the amount of oxygen we take in. Our pupils dilate, our muscles tense, and we may sweat to cool our bodies down. Our digestion even slows because our body decides it is not an important function while we prepare for danger. Our attention narrows and we become hyperaware of our surroundings, and sounds and light can feel more intense. This is also why we can have trouble concentrating, or feel irritable or sensitive to stimuli, when our alarm system has been activated. Sounds cool, right? Our bodies are built to prepare for danger whenever we become fearful or anxious.
Anxiety can also be explained as our forward-looking signal. Fear responds to an immediate threat, while anxiety anticipates a threat. Although we often view anxiety as negative, it does benefit us. In manageable amounts, anxiety can boost motivation, improve performance, prompt us to double-check a risky decision, or make sure we study for an exam.
But sometimes our alarm activates when it is not needed because our brain is perceiving danger that isn’t there. Our alarm system can misfire, stay on too long, or be out of proportion to the situation. Chronic activation can keep stress hormones at high levels in our body, which can lead to other symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, GI problems, sleep disruption, and fatigue, as our body remains in a state of readiness that it cannot use.
Knowledge can help us not only understand what is happening in our bodies but also manage what we are experiencing. Anxiety symptoms are not necessarily a sign that something is wrong. They tell us our bodies are working properly, but the way our brain perceives a threat can be incorrect.
Mental health support can help retrain our alarm system rather than shut it off. Therapy can help people test whether a perceived threat is as real as it feels, while skills like paced breathing and grounding calm the body directly. Gradual exposure teaches the amygdala that feared situations are safe, and medication can lower baseline reactivity when needed. The goal is a proportionate response and faster recovery.
You are not alone, and you are not weird. Anxiety is a normal human response, and reaching out for support when you need it is a strength that can make a real difference.
- Stavros E. Delardas, LCSW