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Worries, fears and anxiety symptoms are common to us all. They are not physically or mentally damaging and, on most occasions, these responses are reasonable or even vital to survival. They are the normal reactions to stress or danger and only become a problem when they are exaggerated or experienced out of context.

For example: I hear an approaching bus; I worry that it might hit me; I fear for my life and I experience the sensations of anxiety. This is a perfectly normal, helpful response if I am crossing the road, but an exaggerated and unhelpful reaction if I am resting in the park and the bus is in a nearby lane.

Normal Responses to Stress

“It couldn’t have been more idyllic. A peaceful summer’s day in the country, just me and my young son. Then I heard the bull and saw that it was running towards us. I felt a whoosh of adrenaline and my heart jumped into my throat. The hair on the back of my neck bristled, my body tensed and all I could think of was my son’s safety. I had got to get him to safety. I scooped him up and ran. I forgot his toys, I forgot the camera, I was so focused on the gate at the edge of the field and our escape. I don’t know where the energy came from but I found the strength to carry him and I was able to get to the gate before the bull reached us. Afterwards, I felt jittery and exhausted but this eased off with time.”

Worry, fear and anxiety are crucial to our survival because they prepare us for coping with stress or danger. They trigger the release of a hormone (adrenaline) which promotes physical and mental changes which prepare us for either taking on a challenge or fleeing from a dangerous situation. Once the stress or danger has passed, these temporary changes subside.

Our ancestors were faced with very tangible threats to their safety, such as a wild animal or a hostile neighbor, so for them this fight-flight response was highly appropriate. The stresses which we face today tend to be more subtle: delays, ongoing domestic problems, deadlines, job loss. Nonetheless, we experience the same bodily, mental and behavioral changes as did our ancestors.

The Bodily Changes

“… I felt a whoosh of adrenaline and my heart jumped into my throat. The hair on the back of my neck bristled, my body tensed …”

The bodily responses which we are likely to experience include heightened muscular tension, increased breathing rate, raised blood pressure, perspiration and digestive changes. All of these reactions increase our readiness for action and explain many of the bodily sensations which we associate with anxiety, such as tense muscles, panting, racing heart, sweating, ‘butterflies’.

This is the ideal state for someone who has to react with a burst of energy: the athlete who is about to run an important race, for example. Without these physical changes, he would be sluggish rather than primed for action.

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