Anxiety, whilst a feeling or psychological sense of distress, also has other symptoms in the body. Often panic occurs with a shot of adrenaline through the body. For example, anyone who has been narrowly missed by a moving car will know what this sudden adrenalin rush feels like. It is called the ‘flight or fight’ reaction, when our body immediately prepares us to deal with an adverse event. This is a valuable alarm system, causing us to act quickly – in the case of the passing car, to safety. Today, many of our fears are perceived fears e.g. fear of losing our job or a relationship, lack of money or the breakdown of our community. The body reacts similarly. Symptoms include e.g:
- rush of energy, tingling or prickly feeling through the body
- sensation like ‘ants crawling’ over the body
- breathing difficulties inc hyperventilation
- tightening of the throat, choking sensation, chest and muscle pain
and headaches - excessive perspiration, giddiness, frequent need to urinate
- diarrhoea, sleeping difficulties and night sweats
- sense of ‘not feeling real’, churning stomach and extreme exhaustion
Coupled with these symptoms and more, there is usually a sense of fear – a fear of dying, having a heart attack, losing control and making a fool of oneself.
I tell my clients that ‘no-one ever died of a panic attack’ on its own, although you may feel you are. If you are feeling any of these symptoms, it is likely to be anxiety. It is not unusual nor is it a dysfunctional experience. However, when the fear and reactions are out of proportion to the proposed threat, then it becomes dysfunctional. Once you find oufthe cause of your anxiety, you have the key to removing the symptoms. The challenge is that the cause often requires you to make changes that, on the face of it, will cause you more anxiety. Your existing anxiety is there to alert you to what is not working in your life – it is up to you as to whether you heed its call.
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