The Limit of Anxiety

As you struggle with your anxiety disorder it is normal to assume that it will only get worse. However I want to tell you today that anxiety disorders and all it’s nasty symptoms can have only a limited effect on your body and mind.

Sometimes you might get caught up in your daily episodes of anxious thought and feeling and really believe that something even worse then what you already have will develop. When in fact the the truth is that if you have experienced anxiety for any amount of time it is likely that you have already seen it all. The difficult part is dealing with your anticipation of future worry, palpitations, weak legs, loss of sleep and so forth.

As I have explained before (here ) the brain produces an exaggerated reaction to stress and fear that derives from our brains amygdala. This switch is on stuck so to speak and causes us to feel unnecessarily afraid and nervous. The over stimulation of the amygdala will surely lead to an overproduction of adrenaline since it triggers our bodies fight or flight response (reviewed here ). The point is your condition is not a mystery and it will not somehow grow out of control. Anxiety disorder is psychological (mental 80%) and physiological (physical 20%) and understanding this point is very important to note.

It is true that for various reasons our fear switch is in the stuck position, however understand that it is your psychological reaction to the physiological manifestations (physical symptoms) of your fears that is crucial. You should know that despite your bodies reaction to adrenaline (palpitations) and your minds reaction (anxiety) you are completely safe. Anxiety and fear is like a boogie man in that the rumor and anticipation of seeing him is worse than the actual ‘monster’. You are safe and will not develop a new super mental ailment as a result of having an anxiety disorder like ptsd, ocd, social phobia or panic disorder.

Adrenaline causes strange feelings like a fast heart beat, sweating, trembling and the general sense that you simply want to run down the street. But this in no way should lead you to conclude that something else is going to happen. Thankfully adrenaline, although potent, has a limited capacity to alter your perception and can only do the same things over and over. It will affect the same organs, like the heart for example, the same way every time.

Your way of experiencing anxiety is set by now. Sometimes you will believe that your are developing something new but this is not the case. It is our minds that become so frightened by the constant strain of nervousness that ultimately it tricks us into a perpetual state of readiness and fear. It is our fear of our previous fear and symptoms that we are so afraid of. Moreover, don’t confuse this nervous tension and anticipation as the start of something new. There is nothing on the horizon but more of the same (until you accept).

You have weathered the worst of all the storms and any future trouble is very likely to resemble what you have already seen. This should console you and make you feel more confident about facing your anxiety disorder. It can all seem like such a dizzying experience to us all but never lose hope. If your feeling bad, like always, you will soon start to feel better. If you had palpitations recently then you should know that they aren’t deadly. They of course don’t feel good, but there is a difference between not feeling good and deadly, agreed? Be patient and allow time and acceptance to heal you. Until then you should know that anxiety has definite limits and will not evolve or harm you. This is it, deal with this because this is all there is to anxiety.

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness