What is anxiety?
Anxiety can be thought of as an instinct that developed early on in human evolution, going all the way back to when humans were hunters and gatherers. It is the way our bodies and brains respond to perceived risk, much like an early human hunting potentially dangerous animals and having to know when a situation is safe or unsafe. This was a necessary and life preserving instinct to respond to time limited and acute dangers. A significant difference today from those early moments in time, is that stressors have become more chronic in nature and there are different types of risk we encounter. We may not experience the same life or death risks today on daily basis that our brain must respond to but certainly we may worry about our finances, the wellbeing of our loved ones, or larger scale issues in the world, all of which include some level of perceived risk.
Anxiety can feel like a universal experience for us all, and it can take many forms. For some, it is the lingering sense of worry that can wax and wane. For others, it can be a pervasive and severe sense of dread that limits their ability to get through their day. Anxiety can also be generalized which means that a person is finding themselves worrying about a wide range of issues, or it can be more specific, such as hypochondria where a person finds themselves constantly worried about their health and illness. No matter the content our of anxious thoughts (also referred to as “ruminations”) they can present significant barriers to our daily functioning.
So, how do we manage our anxiety? The good news is that anxiety symptoms can respond well to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as well as other types of talk therapy, and medications. Not all people require medications to manage their anxiety, but they can be a helpful addition to therapy. If you are interested in starting a medication or have questions about the right options for you, set up a time to speak with your primary care physician. It is also important to consider that completely removing all anxiety from our lives may not be possible. Rather, the goal of treating anxiety with therapy is to reduce anxiety’s significant and negative impacts on our daily functioning.