Why Does Anxiety Happen?

We all know the symptoms of our mouth going dry or our palms sweating if faced with situations which cause us anxiety. That’s perfectly normal.

Anxiety is a protection mechanism, originally intended to protect us from physical harm (the “fight or flight” response).

But whilst the adrenaline released during a period of high anxiety is useful in a “fight or flight” situation it hinders more than it helps when suffering with anxiety.

 Mild anxiety is part of every day life, and is an instinctive reaction that is there for our safety. And that’s a good thing.

The trouble is, anxiety is a problem which feeds on itself. The more you worry, the more anxious you become and the more symptoms you experience.

The more symptoms you have, the more you will worry that there is something seriously wrong with you and so you will become even more anxious . . .

. . . and so the cycle goes on . . . and on.

If you have too much stress in your life for too long, and it is not dealt with in a practical way, anxiety is very often the result. It is the constant worrying, often over a long period of time, that can bring on feelings of anxiety.

This is because your body and mind are never given a chance to rest and recover, and as a result you can quite often go on to have anxiety problems for many years, trapped in the fear-anxiety-fear cycle and not knowing how to get out of it.