IS ANXIETY ALWAYS BAD?

By Sarah Petzold, LCPC

Think about the term anxiety. What comes to mind?

Discomfort. Uneasiness. Dread.

Anxiety is often associated with things like giving a big presentation or studying for an important exam. It can affect you mentally in the way you experience thoughts. For example, you might have thoughts such as, “I’m going to say the wrong thing” or “I’m going to get a bad grade.” These thoughts can cause you to spiral into worst-case scenario mode, and you might think, “I’m going to get fired” or “I’m going to fail.” Not only can anxiety affect your mental state, it can also affect you physically. It’s time to give your presentation or take your exam, but you’re experiencing a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, and an upset stomach. Perhaps you couldn’t sleep the night before, and you’ve completely lost your appetite.

If you associate anxiety in a negative light, you’re not alone. Most people perceive anxiety as an uncomfortable emotion—something bad that they must get rid of. But is anxiety always a negative thing? Is it always something to push away? Something that should be zapped from existence?

Imagine you and your family go on a trip to the zoo. It’s a beautiful summer day. The sun is out. There’s not a cloud in the sky. There’s a light breeze that makes the day pleasant. You and your family are enjoying roaming the park, looking at all the animals in their cages. You’ve seen giraffes and zebras and elephants. It’s entertaining to see so many different animals. You stumble upon the lion exhibit and spot a lion sunbathing by the water. You admire the animal’s beauty. Its golden mane. How big the animal is. You step up to the edge of the exhibit and snap a picture of the magnificent animal. You might even be able to get up close to the animal behind a glass barrier. Most likely, you don’t have much fear because the lion is confined to its cage, and you’re safe and protected from harm on the outside.

Now, imagine a different scenario. A zookeeper leaves the cage open, and the lion escapes. Even worse, you’re the only one in the zoo, and you’re standing face-to-face with the wild animal without the glass barrier. What would likely happen? Your heart might begin to pound inside your chest. Sweat might drip down your back or forehead. Your muscles might constrict and become tense. Fear would grip you because of the threat standing in front of you.

Essentially, your internal alarm system (otherwise known as anxiety) would activate your sympathetic nervous system. Your sympathetic nervous system would release a rush of adrenaline and trigger your fight or flight response, preparing you to either fight the lion or flee to safety.

So, is anxiety always bad?

Anxiety is a mental and physical response to perceived threats and dangerous situations. It’s a normal part of the human experience—an internal alarm system that every human being is equipped with. It serves a purpose in helping us to adapt to challenging situations and protecting us from danger or harm.

Anxiety itself isn’t a problem. The problem is generally in the way we respond to anxiety.

Instead of avoiding anxious thoughts and feelings or allowing them to swallow you whole, consider embracing anxiety. Allow yourself to sit with the emotion. Remind yourself anxiety is a normal part of the human experience, and it’s your mind and body’s way of communicating to you.

Reflect back to the big presentation or the important exam. What might anxiety be communicating to you? Perhaps anxiety is communicating you’d like to make a good impression on your boss or peers. Perhaps anxiety is communicating you’d like to perform well on the test to get one step closer to graduation.

Once you begin to embrace anxiety instead of running from it or fighting against it, you can begin to explore it in a neutral, non-judgmental way and discover what the emotion is trying to communicate with you. Then, you can acknowledge it for what it is—a normal human emotion—and accept it without it derailing you from your goals.

If you feel you would need more assistance in navigating anxiety, do not hesitate to contact us Gryzbek Therapy Services. We have immediate availability at this time.