Oh the nerves, the nerves—the mysteries of this machine called man! Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are!

—Alderman Cute, in “The Chimes,” by Charles Dickens

Simply said, anxiety is an emotion—but what an emotion it is! Anxiety, like all emotions, has three components: biological (your physical response), cognitive (your accompanying perceptions and thoughts), and behavioral (your actions) (Frijda 1986).

When you experience a high level of anxiety, all other emotions are subservient to the big “A.” This is for a reason. Anxiety not only alerts you to a potential danger but also prepares you for action: signals are sent to the adrenal glands to release adrenalin, increasing your heart rate and converting glycogen to glucose for energy; your facial expressions change, alerting others; your muscles tense and your respiration rate increases, preparing you to fight or flee; your pupils dilate, bringing in more visual information; and you begin to retrieve memories of similar situations from the past, allowing you to select the best course of action. Anxiety organizes your priorities (it’s very hard to think about anything but your safety when a bear is staring at you) and motivates you into goal-directed action (to address the risk). Just as importantly, anxiety carries meaning. We reflect on events that lead us to become anxious, fearful, or worried. We strive to make sense of them, to understand how they are related to other life experiences, and to determine what they portend for the future. We don’t simply respond to stressful or frightening life events, we ascribe meaning to them. So anxiety is part of a complex, intricately calibrated biological and cognitive system that has evolved over aeons to facilitate our survival by protecting us from danger.

Quite simply, your body braces for action when the big “A” takes its cue. In a matter of seconds, your body reacts biologically, cognitively, and behaviorally—all in response to a perceived threat. The key word here is “perceived.” As a warning system, anxiety alerts us that something may be wrong, not that something is wrong. When nature’s alarm bell sounds, we need to listen, reflect on it, and determine whether there’s actually a danger or it’s a false alarm.

As we’ve seen, although it is often uncomfortable to experience, anxiety is a natural and useful state. It’s a particularly good thing if you happen to be faced with life-threatening danger. It helps you quickly organize your priorities, focus your attention, and prepare to respond. You give whatever you are afraid of immediate attention, which prepares you to react rapidly and flexibly. It’s an amazing system!

But difficulties can arise when the big “A” is activated several times a day. This is when anxiety can wreak havoc. When we allow ourselves to perceive small annoyances as big threats, anxiety is no longer useful. Continuous, high levels of arousal can bring on tension headaches, stomach ailments, fatigue, and a host of other physical symptoms. Just as importantly, chronic anxiety or worry tends to push away all the other priorities in your life. Ever had days when all you did was push papers around? Chances are your brain was pulled toward an anxiety-triggered priority, not allowing you to focus on anything else. We all know those days; often they result in a high level of frustration, because we can’t get even simple tasks done. But there’s good news. You have quite a bit of control over when you allow the big “A” to take hold. With practice, you can modulate your emotions and constructively direct your anxiety.

Key Points

• Anxiety is part of a biologically based system. Because physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes are also in play, anxiety is more than just a feeling.
• To successfully manage anxiety, you need to address all three parts of the system.
• Some anxiety is good, but continual anxiety can wear down the body, both physically and mentally, potentially leading to indecisiveness, depression, and serious illness.

What You May Be Thinking

This makes sense, but if it’s biological, doesn’t that mean I need medication? These thoughts and worries I’ve been having almost have a life of their own. I wonder if I’m just wired to worry. Some days, I feel paralyzed by all of this. I’m not sure anything will work.

excerpt from Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On: Twenty Lessons for Managing Worry, Anxiety, and Fear by Mark Reinecke, Ph.D.