Yes, anxiety can be a problem, potentially a debilitating one at that. However, I’m suggesting that how we perceive it and react to it, is what really deserves our attention.
Anxiety is basically a degree of distress that arises when you anticipate some threat or danger. It primes your fight, flight or freeze reaction.
This reaction is one of survival. It makes it possible to jump out of the path of oncoming traffic, flee from an attacker or freeze at the sight of a snake. A thumping heart, tightness in the chest, knots in the stomach and dizziness may occur as part of the reaction – all of which are signs of the body’s preparation to act to survive. Likewise, there’s a switch from any reflective thinking or planning to intense do-or-die thoughts.