Anxiety is a set of physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural reactions that occur with a situation that disturbs the body’s homeostasis or endangers it. It is a functional system that, at the evolutionary level, brings with it advantages, as it alerts the individual and stimulates him to prepare to deal with situations.

However, this mechanism is a double-edged weapon as it often happens that the system is disproportionately activated, thus being counterproductive.

Excessive anxiety: the physical and psychological consequences

Some people perceive this anxiety condition continuously. It also happens that concern increases to such an extent that it leads to natural anxiety peaks. In those moments, one senses a sudden intense fear that tends to decrease spontaneously within 10-15 minutes. It is told as a terrible and unexpected experience, which is not attributable to a clear cause-effect relationship.

All of this is the result of excessive stimulation of the mechanisms of anxiety, precisely those who should help us cope with the best situations.

Physical:

  • The feeling of suffocation, short breath or dyspnoea
  • Tremors and tinglings in the limbs
  • Chest pain
  • Increased sweating
  • Abdominal pain and nausea
  • Increased heart rate and palpitations
  • Dizziness, sense of fainting.

Psychological:

  • Fear of losing control
  • Depersonalisation (to be detached from yourself)
  • Derealisation (feeling unrealistic)
  • Fear of dying

The frequency and intensity of the disorders are varied and intensely subjective. This means that every person experiences anxiety “in his way“, making this emotion very personal. The peaks of anxiety, which usually regress within 15 minutes, often arrive suddenly can be so intense as to leave the subject in a state of profound disorientation and alarm.

What happens after the peak?

What is experienced later is the apprehension that this peak may occur again, living in a state of constant fear. If the first attack came unexpectedly, then it means it can reappear again. The predominant strategy avoids all those potentially tense situations that could act as triggers.

Thus a vicious circle is established where anticipative anxiety, i.e. the “fear of fear”, nourishes the state of apprehension that undermines safety levels and predisposes future episodes.

He thus stumbles into a feeling of impotence dictated by the fact that what prevails and guides us becomes fear. It is essential to regain autonomy by mastering the phenomenon. How to do it?

Practical tips for handling high anxiety peaks:

Let’s see below some advice on how to be able to handle these high anxiety peaks:

  • Check your breathing: take long breaths to reduce body activation. This will allow you to slow your heartbeat and breath to bring your body back into homeostasis. In particular, exhalation enables stimulation of the parasympathetic system, the part of the nervous system intended for relaxation.
  • Bring attention to others: not just focus on your state of strong anxiety, but when you feel the increase, try to distract yourself: call a friend, fix your room, watch your favourite episode, listen to music, walk out.
  • Practice a muscle relaxation exercise: sit in a comfortable place and close your eyes, choose a part of the body and practice alternating contraction/relaxation for several seconds until you feel anxiety shrinking.
  • Remember, then it ends: monitor the activation of your body; you know that your body is reacting to anxiety, linger on the sensations and let them flow. Do not try to control them and suppress them as they may get worse. Be aware that, as they arrive, they go. You’re not in danger!

Avoid smoking and drinking caffeine; in fact, they are two substances that increase the state of agitation, making a moderate use helps to prevent these episodes. Recognising the various signs of what is being experienced and giving a name to the experience is the first step to addressing this problem. In addition to implementing simple strategies to manage those moments, you can turn to a professional (doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist) who can help you understand the origin of this difficulty and deal with it.

 

Curated by the psychotherapist Dr Giulia Deretti