Anxiety: A Logical Approach to Our Alarm System
When I work with people with anxiety, I use logic as a way to combat it. Anxiety is a familiar companion to many of us, often perceived as an unwelcome intruder that disrupts our daily lives.
Anxiety is a function of our bodies, a tool to keep us safe. A system to protect us which acts as our body’s alarm clock against potential dangers. I like to explore this with my clients and get them to understand what it is, rationalise it and take the fear from it. Logic and knowledge can be a powerful tool to changing our relationship with this complex emotion.
Anxiety and our Instincts
I believe anxiety ties closely to our instincts, intuition, and the gut feelings that guides us through our lives and helps us make decisions. This built-in alarm system was used by our ancestors and alerted them to predators and other dangers, playing a crucial role in human survival. Today in our fast-paced lives, though the nature of our threats has changed dramatically, the essence of anxiety remains the same—a protective mechanism geared towards safety.
Our threats are different, some of those are social or group related. Being accepted in a group was critical for our ancestors as they needed this to stay alive, being alone meant certain death. For us, we have so many groups these days, partner, families, work, friends, teams, social media etc. Unfortunately, our anxiety triggers are still geared towards ancient times! When we start to understand that it certainly can take pressure of ourselves.
The anxiety of having anxiety.
We can feel guilty or embarrassed about anxiety. So much so that we start to feel anxiety about having anxiety. And it multiplies. This is incredibly common. We want it to go away. Be gone anxiety, I don’t want to have this. But when we understand that it is a natural human function tied close to our instincts than we can learn to accept and acknowledge it. Of course this has to be managed in the short term so it can be kept under control, but would it be easier if we could accept it and rationalise why it is occurring.
I’m not a fan of phrases like “I suffer from anxiety”. It’s not an actual disease but a function of the body. When we rephrase our thinking and our language this really helps in being able to accept it and use it properly. Instead “I need help in understanding my anxiety” is a better phrase. What is my body trying to tell me and how can I listen and accept better.
There is no shame in having anxiety. We just need to retrain our thoughts to control it and to keep it in check. And there is some work involved in doing that. Of course there are many different types of anxiety and my blog is simplifying for the sake of trying to get people to think about anxiety in a different way. Anxiety relating to past traumas, phobias, ocd and Agoraphobia are more complex and require many different treatments but as a community we can certainly look/talk about anxiety in a different way.
Logic as a Tool Against Anxiety
Logic and rational thinking can serve as effective strategies for managing anxiety. By examining our anxious thoughts through a logical lens, we can challenge the validity of our fears. Asking ourselves questions like, "How likely is the scenario I'm worried about?" or "What evidence do I have that supports or contradicts my fear?" can help break the cycle of anxiety and bring our focus back to reality. I like to go through all the issues a client has and try and break them down bit by bit.
I also like to build self esteem in my clients. Strong self-esteem acts as a buffer against anxiety, equipping us with the confidence to face challenges head-on. Building self-esteem involves recognizing our worth, celebrating small victories, and practicing self-compassion. Engaging in activities that make us feel competent and capable can reinforce our belief in our ability to manage anxiety. It helps individuals navigate failures and criticisms without falling into a spiral of self-doubt and anxiety. Conversely, low self-esteem can exacerbate anxiety, making people more vulnerable to fears and less confident in their ability to cope with stressors.
Practical Strategies for Managing Anxiety
Managing anxiety involves a combination of understanding, logic, and practical action. One thing I truly believe is that you have to match a strategy/technique with the person. Some people are just not into mindfulness and that’s ok. There are so many different strategies and here are just three:
Breathing Exercises and Mindfulness: These techniques help calm the body's physiological response to anxiety, grounding us in the present moment. There are several different types of techniques that can be used.
Thought Diary: Keeping a record of anxious thoughts can help identify patterns and triggers, making them easier to address with rational counterarguments.
Gradual Exposure: Facing our fears in controlled, manageable steps can reduce avoidance behaviours and build confidence.
Let’s change our thoughts on anxiety. I think by viewing anxiety through logic and understanding its role in the human body takes a lot of the fear that is associated with it. I know that in my own experiences with it, this has helped immensely. Thank you for reading my blog and if you have five minutes could you do a brief survey on anxiety experiences and what you would you would like to learn in our upcoming webinar on Anxiety.