Why do we feel anxiety?

These are the psychological and physiological factors that come into play in anxiety.

Anxiety can be considered one of the symptoms that most affect people's emotional health nowadays..

It is a very common pathology or "disease", typical of the western society, derived from the frenetic rhythm of life, the self-demanding, our fears and insecurities, lack of resources and strategies of coping and of being exposed repeatedly to stressful situations, among other aspects.

Why do we feel anxiety on a daily basis?

Anxiety can be conceptualized as a feeling of anguish, stress, worry or fear among others, being a normal reaction of the organism before a change or challenge.

It can be said that the anxiety response in itself is adaptive and controllable, since puts us on alert in situations that generate discomfort or we perceive them as dangeroussuch as: to expose a new project in the company, to present ourselves to some oppositions, to make a long trip to some unknown place, the diagnosis of an illness, etc.

Therefore, this feeling of anxiety can provide us with a capacity of anticipation, response and adaptation to these unknown or "threatening" situations.

Therefore, we could say that anxiety is a mechanism of anticipation, response and adaptation to these unknown or "threatening" situations, we could say that anxiety is a defense mechanism of the organism that keeps us on alert, preparing us for any unpleasant situation.preparing us for any unpleasant situation. Practically most of us have suffered or will suffer many stress or anxiety responses throughout our lives, so we must understand it as something normal within the vital process.

Some of the most common signs of stress could be:

• Difficulty in calming the mind, calming down or relaxing.
• Loss of ability to concentrate
• Feeling of loss of control
• We get frustrated quickly for no apparent reason
• Feeling nervous or overwhelmed
• Negative interpretations of the environment

The difficulty of having stress does not lie in the feeling itself or in the negative situation that can generate it, but in the symptomatology This generates a feeling of anguish and constant loss of control, emotional blockages, somatization or inability to act and think clearly, turning this adaptive response into a limiting symptom, which can damage our mental and physical health.

When these signs of stress appear repeatedly in our organism, they could generate anxiety symptoms such as:

• We get upset quickly
• Ruminative negative thoughts
• Feelings of agitation or tension
• Rapid breathing (hyperventilation)
• Difficulty in falling asleep normally
• Feeling of constant danger
• Sweating, Nausea and trembling
• Blurred vision in the face of dizziness

Anxiety appears with a combination of these three factors:

• Cognitive-Emotional: these are the thoughts and feelings. Worries, negative perceptions about ourselves or the environment, insecurities, anticipations, etc.
• Physiological: reactions of the organism such as tremors, sweating, dizziness, chest pressure, stomach pain, shortness of breath, etc.
• Behavioral: refers to our behaviors such as overeating, nail or lip biting, compulsive smoking, caffeine abuse, escaping from everyday situations, etc.

What to do?

To prevent anxiety from becoming a more pronounced pathology or disease, we could learn to recognize the components of stress, we could learn to recognize the components of stress in ourselves.such as irritability, headache, nervousness, ruminative thoughts, loss of attention and concentration, poor nutrition, etc.

In addition to being able to identify the external triggers that activate us (stressful situations), such as work overload, family problems, economic difficulties, negative social environment, etc. Thus we will be much more aware of them, making it easier to manage and control them..

To obtain a good management of the symptoms of stress and anxiety, we could follow the following guidelines:

• Recognize and accept that we have anxiety, without judging ourselves.
• Identify why we act in a certain way (what emotion is behind the behavior).
• Validate our emotions Why do I feel this way?
• Identify and confront our negative and erroneous thoughts.
• Identify the intensity of anxiety, in order to anticipate and control it.
• Learn breathing techniques or Mindfulness
• Do physical activity or mind-body exercise such as yoga or pilates.
• Generate self-care behaviors: balanced diet, routines to sleep well.
• Accepting the things we cannot change and that do not depend on us.
• Doing activities that connect us with the feeling of wellbeing.
• Change the order of priorities, without being overwhelmed by responsibilities.
• Learn to set limits according to our needs

If after understanding these keys and putting all these techniques in place to control anxiety, we still feel that we cannot manage it by ourselves, it is advisable to consult a professional, it is advisable to go to a professional psychologist psychologist to help us deal with these difficulties in the most effective and positive way possible.

From the team of TAP CenterWe have extensive experience in the management and containment of anxiety, providing the patient with an emotional, physical and social development, helping them to find a balance and emotional well-being.

Author: Marta Ballesteros Durán General Health Psychologist.