But have you ever wondered what’s actually going on in your brain when you have anxiety?
A lot of it comes down to chemicals.
Chronic stressis linked to all kinds of physical and mental health issues.
Verywell Mind / Getty Images
Its one part of the brain that regulates autonomic (what you might call automatic or unconscious) processes.
Amygdala
Theamygdalaprocesses your emotional responses, especially fear.
Aggression and anxiety also live in the amygdala, which processes memory and decision-making as well.
Its also in charge of the way your body reacts to stress.
Its actually the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response, which sums up every common reaction to an anxiety-inducing situation.
So what happens in your body and your brain when you have one of these responses?
Youll likely feel trapped, like the world is closing in on you; this could make you panic.
People freeze when fighting or fleeing isnt possible.
This stress response is highly associated with trauma and extreme anxiety.
You could also feel physical symptoms like numbness, holding your breath, or feeling like you cant move.
You might even lose the ability to speak.
This stress reaction is one of terror.
This reaction happens often in people-pleasers and those who have troublesetting boundaries.
If you feel the need to fawn, your instinct is to be obedient to mitigate punishment.
And with consistent high gear functioning comes constant stress on your nervous system.
Chronic stress and anxiety disorders (which cause chronic stress) actually change the way your brain functions.
This leads to intensified reactions to threatening stimuliespecially with regard to those that elicit fear and anger.
Long-term anxiety also affects your cognitive functioning.
Coping With Anxiety
So, youve got anxietynow what?
Anxiety Medications
Youve got options when it comes tomedications for anxiety.
There are also anxiety-specific medications called anxiolytics, which arebenzodiazepines.
These include Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax, and they act as tranquilizers.
Therapy Approaches for Anxiety
The most common therapeutic treatment for anxiety iscognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT.
Exposure therapycan also be helpful when treating anxiety, especially for phobias.
ACT, oracceptance and commitment therapy, is also helpful when dealing with anxiety disorders.
If anxious throughout the day, practicegrounding exercises, proposes Dr. Romanoff.
This means engaging in strategies to ground you in the present moment.
The easiest way to do this is to ground yourself through your senses.
Basically, its an exercise proving that the lack of threat in the environment doesnt match your high-anxiety reaction.
Lifestyle changes are also often suggested as a way of managing anxiety.
Dr. Romanoff also speaks to thebenefits of routine.
It starts with small steps.
For example: making your bed, doing a skincare routine, and eating a healthy breakfast.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Torrico TJ, Abdijadid S. Neuroanatomy, Limbic System.
[Updated 2023 Jul 17].
In: StatPearls [Internet].
Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.
Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538491/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2015 Nov 1;1(3):FSO23.
PMID: 28031896; PMCID: PMC5137920.
Kaczkurkin AN, Foa EB.Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update on the empirical evidence.Dialogues Clin Neurosci.
2015 Sep;17(3):337-46. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.3/akaczkurkin.
PMID: 26487814; PMCID: PMC4610618.
2015 May;44(5):718-9.
PMID: 26284220; PMCID: PMC4537636.
2012;2012:809653. doi: 10.1155/2012/809653.
Epub 2012 Aug 27.
PMID: 22969831; PMCID: PMC3434451.
