Russian clinical psychologist, expert in the field of conflictology and social pedagogy Edgard Zaitsev talks about the dangers of anxiety states and useful practices for eliminating them.
The danger is not always real
Anxiety is a defense mechanism that has helped humans adapt to dangerous situations since ancient times. It occurs as a consequence of depression or aggression.
Some people react to stress by running away and hiding, while others fight and struggle against threats. But for various reasons, including moral and ethical guidelines, a person cannot always act as he or she wants.
As a result, he falls into a trap: reflexes, knowledge and experience push him to an action that he cannot perform, which is why depression or aggression remains suppressed and reminds of itself in the form of irritations and grievances.
Then, through the matrix of these grievances, a person looks at the world. And in situations that remind him of a painful experience, he expects something bad and unpleasant to happen. Thus, past traumas can make one see danger where there is none today.
One of the reasons for anxiety is the unknown. If a person finds himself in an unfamiliar situation, when he has no ready-made patterns of behavior, and he does not know how to create his own, he will experience confusion and stress.
Panic attacks are suppressed anxieties
Attacks of severe anxiety can manifest as panic attacks. They usually occur suddenly and are accompanied by a set of vegetative symptoms (rapid heartbeat, feeling of shortness of breath), as well as an unreasonable fear of dying, going crazy or doing something wrong.
Panic attacks are the body's mechanism for releasing emotions that were once blocked by a person at the moment of resentment, anxiety, rage or anger. A person suffering from panic attacks craves help and confidence in protection. With such conditions, it is necessary to contact a specialized specialist with higher education - a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
Chronic anxiety is harmful to the body
Fear and anxiety can be useful in situations where quick response and focus are needed.
The biological reaction will trigger the production of adrenaline, which in turn will stimulate the muscles, increase their activity, and make the lungs work more actively. The influx of oxygen will help you feel more focused and attentive. But this is only for a short period of time. When the stressful situation passes, the hormonal background will return to normal, and the body will need time to recover.
If a person experiences anxiety on a constant basis, the body does not have time to cope with the volumes of adrenaline released, which leads to destructive processes in the body.
Moreover, constant worry can develop into chronic anxiety, which is fraught with diseases of the blood vessels, heart, respiratory organs and even oncology.
Self-awareness is the foundation of anxiety prevention
First of all, to cope with anxiety, you need to specify what events exactly cause it and what past experience they refer to. Sometimes it is enough to find this trigger for the fear to recede. Then you need to learn to create your own algorithms of action, guided by what is best for you.
Personal practice of consultations shows that breathing techniques and meditative processes are effective for preventing anxiety, during which a person answers the questions: “what is happening to me”, “why exactly like this”, “how does this help me develop”.
The answers lead him to an understanding of himself and his life: what he will do in his youth and old age, will he live chaotically, following the patterns of the collective unconscious, or will he follow his own conscious path.
But before allowing yourself to create new opportunities, it is important to understand the old experience. Why did a person previously forbid himself to make a choice in favor of what he needed? Most often, in the process of this realization, traumatic moments and past grievances are remembered that need to be forgiven.
After this, it will be easier to accept difficulties as misinterpreted adventures, and to see yourself not as a chaotically moving electron, but as a person in control of his life.
