The Science of Anxiety: Why it Happens, and How to Deal With it
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Lotte Reford
The Science of Anxiety: Why it Happens, and How to Deal With it
Everyone experiences anxiety to a certain extent. But when you are dealing with the symptoms of PFD, or other women’s health issues anxiety can become overwhelming. There is a strong feeling that no one will understand what you are going through - and maybe you don’t understand either.
This fear activates the emotional centers of the brain, or the limbic system. Because this system also controls things like production of hormones, regulation of thirst and hunger, mood regulation, processing rewards, forming habits, and movement. This list may seem familiar - our programs touch on every element of what the limbic system controls.
As it is such an old part of our brains, the limbic system is tied closely to our most basic functions. Digestion, sex, and decision making can all be impacted by the health of your limbic system.
That’s one of the reasons acknowledging and dealing with anxiety is so essential. Functions you aren’t even aware of will be improved of you improve limbic system health. This includes immune response and inflammation.
Anxiety relief techniques counter this in a number of ways.
Throughout the next two weeks, we will look at a variety of them. Some of the most useful include:
Breathing exercises
Yoga
Mindfulness
Self-talk
Journaling
EMDR and cognitive behavioral techniques
While we can’t teach you to be an expert in any one of these techniques within the next 14 days, we can certainly introduce you to all of them and give you time and space to build an anxiety-soothing routine that works for you.
Treatment for anxiety must be holistic - the causes, the day-to-day symptoms and the extreme symptoms of panic must all be acknowledged and treated.
For example, breathing exercises and mindfulness can both be put to use in extreme moments of stress and as daily routines that bring down cortisol levels and stress responses more generally.
Likewise, yoga is both useful as physical exercise that distracts from stress and stretches tense muscles and as a space for thought, breathing, mindfulness, and stillness.
It is important to have a number of tools in your anti-anxiety arsenal, because although many people experience it anxiety can be really difficult to break through. This is true whether you have episodes of anxiety, or if you are experiencing it in its more severe form, anxiety disorder.
According to the NHS, there are five major anxiety disorders:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Otherwise known as GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, consists of extreme worry that isn’t connected to specific actions or situations. When your anxiety disorder is unpredictable, and can take up camp in pretty much any part of life, it may be GAD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
You have probably heard of OCD. It is a widely misunderstood anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts and related compulsions. These compulsions, or repetitive behaviors, could be counting, checking, cleaning, repeating words, amongst other things. Carrying out these rituals provides temporary relief, but not carrying them out will be distressing.
Panic Disorder
This is an anxiety disorder which involves sudden, unexpected, repeated experiences of very intense fear. Often, these will come with physical symptoms like sweating, a racing heart, dizziness, and abdominal distress. You might recognize these as symptoms of your fight or flight response - it is misfiring and telling you a danger exists when it probably doesn’t.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD (CPTSD)
PTSD has many of the same symptoms as other panic disorders, but occurs after acute trauma. CPTSD is the result of a longer, less explosive trauma. This can include long term illness. Both result in mood disturbances, panic, sleep disturbances, and disassociation.
Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
Social Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder, involves extreme self-consciousness and embarrassment around other people. You may be afraid to leave the house, or sure that other are judging you harshly while in public.
All of these anxiety disorders are very real, and can be debilitating. Because of their power, it may be hard to believe that you deserve to heal yourself, or that you have an issue in the first place.
It is important to remember that anxiety is not a failure. Neither are anxiety disorders. Anxiety Disorders are an extreme form of anxiety that can recur even in situations that wouldn’t make most people anxious.
According to a Harvard study and medical norms, symptoms include:
- feeling anxious and worried most days of the week for at least six months
- having trouble controlling feelings of anxiety
- at least three of these symptoms in adults: restlessness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, feeling irritated, muscle tension, or sleep problems
- anxiety or worry that causes distress or interferes with daily life
- anxiety that isn't related to another mental health condition (such as a medical condition, substance abuse, panic attacks, or post-traumatic stress disorder)
Whether it is occasional or chronic, anxiety is difficult to pinpoint and diagnose, and can fluctuate over time. Sometimes, you may feel all of these symptoms regularly.
At other times, or in other situations, you might feel completely calm. Its unpredictability is one of the biggest challenges of anxiety, but that can be hugely improved by the techniques we’ll learn to control and contextualize anxious feelings over the next two weeks.
Progress with anxiety will probably not be immediate - the coping mechanisms and calming exercises we practise together will be part of your routine for a long time. But as soon as you learn and practice them, you are on the path to accepting your own worry around pelvic health, and moving towards a healthier, happier life.
Well done. I’m excited to travel down this road with you.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3684250/
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