Generally, people understand anxiety to be something happening at the mind and emotion level. Today I will talk to you about how anxiety impacts the body and how the body reacts anxious thoughts and panicky situations.
Let’s talk about the ‘fight, flight, freeze response’. Imagine for a moment that you are in a tricky situation where you are face to face with a tiger. You might say, Lata, that this is not possible in a city. But, say, for a moment that this does happen. What happens to your body when faced by a tiger?
Our body enters the 'Fight, Flight, Freeze mode' to survive
Our body perceives ‘danger’ and shifts into a ‘fight, flight, freeze’ mode. This is a survival mechanism inbuilt into the nervous system to protect us from all kinds of danger. When the body is in this triple F mode (fight, flight, freeze), the blood flows more into the limbs preparing us to run or fight or become immobile (whichever is suitable in the moment). These are all preprogrammed survival methods to help us stay alive in the face of danger.
Now take the situation of anxiety, which is an intense worry about something, someone or about a situation. When the worry surfaces, the body understands it to be a situation where there is danger.
The body cannot distinguish between real and perceived danger.
The brain does not distinguish between a real physical threat and a perceived danger. Whether this worry is real or perceived, it does not matter to the body, the reaction is the same. Once the body signals ‘danger’, the triple F mode gets kick started and we experience all the symptoms in the body.
Let’s look at an example. Say, I have a driving test tomorrow and I am extremely anxious about it. The closer I get to the test, I start to feel more and more anxious. I say that I am ‘stressed’, but what I am experiencing is racing thoughts, feeling fear and a host of symptoms in the body.
What happens in the body? The body gets into the triple F mode, I start to feel sweaty, my heart is palpitating, my head starts to ache, my legs become wobbly, and I am talking the same things repeatedly. This is a typical reaction when the body is in the triple F mode.
Here are some common physiological symptoms which many people experience during anxiety.
- Shortness of breath: During anxiety, breathing becomes very fast and shallow. This is caused by more oxygen flow in the body, which actually has a counter effect than what we expect.
2. Heart is racing or pounding: In an acute situation of anxiety, the body releases the hormones of adrenaline and cortisol.
These in turn speed up the heartbeat.
3. Exhaustion: We feel very tired during bouts of anxiety. This is because of the body releasing a lot of stress hormones that keep us on a state of high alert.
The body needs a lot of energy to keep operating in the state of high alert. As a consequence, there is less energy available for other activities.
4. Stomach discomfort: Research has proved a strong gut-brain connection.
This means that in episodes of anxiety, there may be GI issues that people face like constipation, diarrhea, pains, and acid issues.
5. Achy muscles: When the body is in the triple F mode, it causes muscles to tense up. And why will that not be? After all the body is getting ready to run or fight.
In such a state, relaxation is very difficult. As you can imagine, chronic tension in your muscles leads to persistent discomfort and even pain.
6. Poor sleep: Many a time, when there is a sleep issue, the cause can be tied directly with anxiety. The connection is pretty clear. An anxious mind is equal to racing thoughts and a racing heart.
That describes a body in high alert and no relaxation, which leads to poor or no sleep.
7. Lower immunity: In the triple F mode, the blood flows more to the limbs and there is lesser blood supply in the GI tract which is the seat of immunity. This may result in frequent colds, allergies, and other immune issues especially when there is a disposition to chronic anxiety. The immune system works better when the body is relaxed and when there is a feeling of greater safety.
8. Dizziness: Many people feel lightheaded and worry that they might pass out during a panic attack. Effects of anxiety like hyperventilation, muscle tension in back and shoulders can lead to symptoms of dizziness, feeling faint and being unsteady. However, some people having long term anxiety with can also experience chronic dizziness and problems with balance.