An estimated 31.1 percent of adults have experienced symptoms of an Anxiety disorder in their lives, and most likely there is an even greater percent that have gone undiagnosed, or would fall into a high functioning anxiety category. For some the experience can be crippling. Even in its mildest forms, anxiety reduces quality and enjoyment of life and self. In this article we will explore Anxiety, the reasons for it, both physical and emotional, as well as some helpful steps to begin healing and resolving our anxious tendencies.
Why do we get Anxious?
The experience of Anxiety is a part of our natural alert system. We feel symptoms of anxiety when our body, emotional body, or energy bodies have encountered something foreign or seemingly unsafe. This function is an important part of our sympathetic nervous system, and yet it has often become exaggerated or uncontrolled, resulting in chronic and extreme Anxiety. While we often relate the sympathetic nervous system to “Fight, Flight, Freeze”, we can extend this into including the states of “Alert or Vigilant”. Hyper-vigilance is a common experience for those suffering with chronic anxiety. Thus, the sensation of Anxiety is not always a problem per say, however when it becomes our modus operandi it can dramatically affect our wellbeing, mentally and emotionally and also physically.
Alert vs Aware
Before diving into anxiety, let’s explore the differences between being Alert or Vigilant, versus Present and Aware. The reason is that this is a core area to balance for anyone suffering with anxiety. The concept of awareness is central to self healing, transformational and consciousness studies. One of the benefits of meditation practices is an enhanced state of awareness. When we are present, grounded in our bodies and hearts, we are Aware of “Here and Now”. This is an absolutely vital concept to healing from anxiety. We can achieve the same, and in fact better, readiness to face any challenges, from a state of Awareness rather than from a state of Vigilance. Awareness is presence, and trust in self, such that we trust we will be alerted when necessary. We trust that we will respond when needed, because we have cultivated the ability to be present. We can relax in the in-between moments, hovering more towards that parasympathetic state of rest and enjoy, knowing that if we need to get revved up into sympathetic mode for some reason, that we will. This is quite different from believing that in order to stay safe we have to be constantly scanning, eyes searching, wondering, figuring out, analyzing, and assessing our environment (or self) for threats.
Consider this example: when our nervous system is in Parasympathetic mode, our vision is more expansive, we are better able to see in the peripheral fields, such as when we are in nature, we have in a sense wider vision and are able to take in more of our environment. When in alert mode, or sympathetic mode we have enhanced focal vision, which does allow us to better focus on what we are looking at, however this narrows our range of vision. In fact one way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system is to allow our eyes to soften and see “more”, which is much easier outside with a vast terrain in front of us and surrounding us. This is true of all of our senses, including our intuitive sense, all of which are better able to function when we are in a receptive, at least somewhat relaxed state. So often, as we free ourselves from Anxiety, we often discover at the core of our behaviors are belief patterns that perhaps aren’t or at least are no longer true. Perhaps as a child we did have to be on alert mode to stay safe or have our needs met. Perhaps we have experienced trauma that left our nervous system and emotional body feeling unsafe, therefore programming us to be vigilant. There is no shame in any way that we are, or have been. Rather, we can set the intentions to understand ourselves, and find our way into greater harmony within ourselves as well as in how we relate to the world.
What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?
The most common physical sensations associated with anxiety are rapid heart rate, shallow or difficulty breathing, narrowing vision, and an increase in the speed and repetition of thoughts. Sometimes it can also be associated with stomach pain, diarrhea, tingling hands and feet. Often anxiety can result in Insomnia and ADHD type symptoms as well. In fact some of what is diagnosed as ADHD is actually Anxiety when studied via brain mapping. The symptoms can be mild or in the case of Panic Disorder, completely debilitating. The original triggers are usually one of the following: 1) Physical 2) Mental/Emotional 3) Situational/Social.
The Vicious Cycle of Health Anxiety
Health Anxiety is when we get into cycles of fearing that we are ill, perhaps have a serious illness such as cancer. Generally it involves obsessive analysis and attention to physical symptoms, late night googling of symptoms, all of which result in a significant reduction in quality of life. Now, in today’s world, there is the unfortunate reality that so much of our population is unwell, for reasons such as environmental toxicities, nutrient poor and inflammatory foods, and the extreme pressure and stress of our capitalistic society. To be healthy today can be quite a challenge, and add to this the abundance of mixed information out there, it can also be very confusing and difficult to discern what is true for us or not. Additionally, we have been programmed to fear disease. This is of course completely understandable, as disease can be synonymous with pain and even death. Perhaps we have watched loved ones suffer. Perhaps we ourselves have been unwell at times, and thus we have experienced what can be akin to the trauma of illness. Perhaps we have been gaslighted, ignored, and bypassed in our pursuit to understand why we feel unwell, so we are hypervigilant around our symptoms, and feel we have to fight to be heard and given the help that we deep down know we need. What is important to understand, and we often already know, is that being stuck in an anxious state is one of the root causes for so many disease processes, or at the very least, a major obstacle to healing from illness. The tricky thing is that so many physical experiences are an important root cause of the experience of Anxiety, which can make it difficult to control. Combine this with the mental/emotional root causes of Anxiety which so many also struggle with, and you end up in a cycle that can be hard to free oneself from. Physical symptoms trigger the physical sensations of Anxiety, which can trigger the mental/emotional processes, exacerbating the physical symptoms, resulting in extreme nervous system activation. The overall result is sympathetic dominance, meaning we are stuck in flight/flight/freeze/vigilant mode, which then diminishes healing capacity and is a major drain on our energy resources.
Physical Conditions that can cause Anxiety
One of the first steps in freeing oneself from the cycle of Anxiety is to identify the triggers. For many, the initial trigger in fact lies within our physical body. Here are some conditions that can cause or contribute to Anxiety:
- Hyperthyroidism: Increased circulating Thyroid Hormone increases heart rate, body temperature, among other things.
- Note: Hashimoto’s Thyroid Storms can have similar effects, for when antibodies are high it can cause random surges in thyroid hormone levels. This is why it’s so important to have a full thyroid panel when looking for root cause and contributing factors.
- Digestive Issues: Anything that aggravates the digestive tract affects the Function of the Vagal Nerve. Inflammation results in an increase in sympathetic tone, which then sends messages to the brain that are synonymous with Anxiety.
- Infections/Dysbiosis: H.Pylori, SIBO, Parasites, Candida
- All of these both affect our ability to digest and absorb the necessary nutrients to keep ourselves well and balanced, they also cause chronic inflammation/immune stimulation which can create anxiety-like symptoms as described above.
- Food Allergies/Food Poisoning
- Food Reactions can immediately cause the stomach to contract, triggering the Vagal Nerve.
- Food Poisoning (usually bacterial or parasites) triggers massive release of serotonin and bile. In fact, one of the main functions of Serotonin in the body is related to digestive motility. When the stomach receives something that it sees as problematic, this elicits an increase in serotonin production to essentially help the bowels to rapidly purge the contents of the digestive tract. High Serotonin is associated with anxiety.
- Infections/Dysbiosis: H.Pylori, SIBO, Parasites, Candida
- Blood Sugar Imbalances: particularly reactive hypoglycemia.
- Histamine/Mast Cell Activation:
- Often in these cases there will be additional symptoms related to high histamine: migraines, dizziness, itching, rashes, brain fog etc.
- In the brain Histamine functions to support wakefulness and attention. However when it is produced in excess, or when there are challenges with breaking it down, it can cause overstimulation of neurons.
- Lyme Disease and Coinfections:
- These infections are highly irritating to the nervous system and brain, and thus can cause a lot of the symptoms of anxiety from both within the body and the brain.
- Genetic Expression/Epigenetics: SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms)
- There are clusters of SNPs that have a high degree of association with anxiety, neuroticism, depression and such. Some of them are related to production and breakdown of GABA, others are yet to be discovered.
- MTHFR (Methylation SNP) is associated with higher rates of several psychiatric disorders, such as Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Anxiety itself was not inlucded in the particulary clinical review I found, it is a logical correlation that it as Anxiety is often part of those two mental health diagnosis, that it can play a role.
Now this list is not exhaustive, rather to illustrate how many physically dis-ease processes can cause anxiety! As you begin to heal from anxiety, take note if any of the above conditions applies to you, particularly the digestive ones as these are some of the most common contributing factors. Understanding this can help you to stay as grounded as possible when you experience anxiety. When we understand the mechanisms and reasons for our experiences, it often reduces the fear around it.
How to Start Healing Anxiety
When working with patients to break through anxiety there are several stages. The first important step is to identify what physical issues could be causing and/or contributing to Anxiety and start to treat those! And at the same time, cultivate the ability to manage the Anxiety in the moment, and to heal the underlying mental/emotional aspects of self that are also at play.
The following list is a brief overview of the stages and journaling exercises that are part of a program to heal anxiety. I encourage you to take a journal and start writing and getting to know your unique experience with Anxiety.
- Getting to know your flavor of Anxiety:
- Health Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Money Anxiety, Abandonment/Relationship Anxiety, Workplace Anxiety
- What is the experience like for you:
- Panic Attacks, Dramatic, Diffuse (You always feel some degree of anxiety), Time of Day and particularly important for Women is whether it shifts depending on the menstrual cycle phase.
- Physical Symptoms:
- Heart Racing, Sweating, Vision Issues, Headaches, Fatigue, Overwhelm.
- Mental Symptoms:
- What are the thoughts that start swirling around? This is a really important piece to identify and work with, as being present with the mind is essentially to staying centered and avoiding “spinning out”
The goal of this initial work is to understand your experience, staying as in the present as possible. What makes anxiety experiences difficult is that it tends to metaphorically “steal the show and take you for a ride”, triggering spiraling thought patterns and emotions such that it is hard to discern between what’s true, and what’s interpretation. In order to stay present, try to stay focused on what is actually happening, as opposed to what thoughts and emotions come up related to past traumas or triggers, or even future fears and doubts.
Often what helps is when one starts to feel anxiety:
- Ground yourself: whether by directly putting your feet on the earth or imagining roots.
- Breathe: Breathwork is incredibly powerful for helping the nervous system stay balanced.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing, Left Nostril Breathing are particularly helpful here.
- Stay present: What are you experiencing? Stating out loud what your symptoms are can keep you in observer mode which helps maintain presence and centeredness.
- Example: “ I am feeling anxious, my heart is racing, I can feel my thoughts speeding up, This is triggering my fears of …..”
- Give your mind something empowering to think about such as Mantras or Affirmations.
- Examples: “I trust my body to heal. This experience is not forever. I will feel better soon. I trust that I am supported. I trust that I am worthy of love.”
- Mantras in another language such as Sansrit can really help as they carry healing vibrations as well as keeping the mind engaged. “OM” and “HU” are easy to remember.
- EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) can be really helpful as well, both in the moment and also as a practice to uncover the roots of the Anxiety.
- Favorite Herbs for Anxiety:
- Kava Kava, Skullcap, Passionflower, Chamomile, St. John’s Wort, Verbena (Blue Vervain), Lavender (Lavendula capsules are wonderful to keep on hand and take as needed), Avena Sativa (Milky Oats), Lemonbalm.
- Some herbs are good in the moment, others are better to support the overall soothing and balancing of the nervous system.
Eventually, we work to get to the core of it, as in what core experiences, fears or problematic belief patterns are the seeds for our Anxiety. These can be related to trauma we have experienced, or even Ancestral trauma. They can also be related to the programming of our dominant society. Common core fears are:
- Fear of Death
- Fear of Missing out, Fear of Letting People Down, Fear of Pain and Suffering.
- Fear of Failure
- Often related beliefs around Self Worth, such as subconsciously or consciously believing that Worth and Love are conditional and related to Success.
- Fear of Abandonment
- Fear of Loss of Sanity
- Fear of Being without Resources such as Money, Shelter, Food.
This list goes on, and I encourage you to spend some time feeling into what your fears are. You might even find that the fears you hold within are no longer really true for you! Often it easiest to identify during the anxiety moments as the fears are often at their loudest, and then revisit and reconsider them when feeling more balanced. It is interesting what we believe and feel during our anxious times as opposed to our balanced ones.
In closing, remember that the path to wellbeing is often layered, and takes time! Be patient with yourself through the process of healing from Anxiety. Ultimately, releasing oneself from anxious patterns, no matter the flavor, seems to come down to cultivating trust. What this means is unique to you, and often is a mixture of some of the following:
Learning to trust in the Healing Power of Nature.
Learning to trust in your being supported by Existence, the Universe, God, Goddess (whatever resonates).
Learning to trust in your Intuition to tell you when something needs tending, or if something is off, rather than staying in perpetual alert and analysis mode. This requires spending time listening, learning and honoring your inner voice.
Learning to Ask for Help when needed, to Trust that you will ask for help when needed.
Happy Healing!