Understanding Anxiety: The Science Behind the Symptoms

Understanding Anxiety: The Science Behind the Symptoms

Do you experience palpitations, nervousness, restlessness, fear, dizziness when you are thinking of a deadline or an upcoming event?

You are most likely experiencing Anxiety

What does you body experience when it is going through anxiety?

When we are thinking about a past event or an event that may or may not happen in the future. We are experiencing uncertainity.

Our brain assesses information through the five senses.

What we see, hear, touch, smell or taste.

Our brain processes the information through one or more of these senses and sends necessary instructions to the body to react.

When you are thinking of past or future uncertain events or thoughts , for example, hope I will not fumble while talking in the presentation tomorrow. Your brain tries to gather information about the presentation through the five senses. Since the event has not yet occurred and you are currently sitting in a café having coffee, your brain can neither see, hear taste touch or smell what you are thinking.

In such a situation your brain assumes that you are in some kind of danger and sends a signal to the body that something is wrong and that you will either run for your life or fight for your life. This is what we call the fight or flight response. After sending this signal the brain switches off as it has nothing else to do in this situation.

Now your body’s survival instincts takes over and starts preparing to defend and protect you. For fight or flight you require your hands and legs, so the body begins to pump blood to your limbs for movement. For this your heart goes into overdrive pumping all the blood, This results in palpitations.

The stomach starts producing more acids as it wants to empty the contents of your stomach since you will be physically very agile. This results in acidity and irritable bowel syndrome.

Your body sends moisture to the surface of the skin for improved elasticity incase you will have to run. This results in excessive sweating.

With so much activity happening in the body, the oxygen and blood levels in the brain is decreased causing you to feel light headed and dizzy . Also your body temperature would have skyrocketed making you stuffy and hot.

We at Minhance wellness will give you a simple strategy to activate your brain again , so that you identify the symptoms and take immediate remedial measures to stop the onset of anxiety and also learn the coping strategies to manage your anxiety attack which typically lasts anywhere between 20 to 40 minutes.