Worry & Anxiety
Anxiety is a word we use to describe feelings of unease, worry and fear.
Anxiety relates to both the emotions and the physical sensations we might experience when we are worried or nervous about something, such as school or meeting new people. The feeling is related to the ‘fight or flight’ response. This is our normal biological reaction to feeling threatened.
We all feel worried or anxious from time to time. It’s normal to feel tense, nervous, or fearful before a stressful event, an important decision, or a new situation. During these times, you may worry about how things will turn out or how you’ll cope, and you might find it harder to sleep, eat or concentrate. Usually, these feelings ease once the situation has passed.
The ‘Fight or Flight’ response
Like all other animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us protect ourselves from dangerous situations. When you feel under threat, your body releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The hormones help physically prepare you to either fight the danger or flee or run away from it. These hormones can:
- make you feel more alert, so you can act faster.
- increase your heart beat faster to carry blood quickly to where it’s needed most.
When you feel the danger has passed, your body releases other hormones to help your muscles relax, which may cause you to shake.
This is commonly called the ‘fight or flight’ response. It is something that happens automatically in our bodies. We have no control over it. Normally, we don’t usually face situations where we need to physically fight or flee from danger. However, our biological response to feeling threatened is still the same.