THE BIOLOGY BEHIND ANXIETY

Anxiety comes like a free package with everything we do these days. Turned on the TV? Tuned into social media? There you go! A whole lot of anxiety exclusively for you!

According to global statistics, an estimated 284 million people suffered from an anxiety disorder in 2017. This is based on the diagnosed cases. Given the stigma associated with mental health, there are many who prefer not to come forward and seek help. Include this with the existing number and I am pretty sure the numbers will skyrocket. This was way back in 2017. Fast forward three years, add the impact of Covid-19, prospects of a plummeting global economy and a situation that demands being locked down for months together. If anxiety were cupcakes, it sure as hell is being gobbled down by almost everyone around the globe.

Through this post, I want to share with you all the information I've gathered about the biology behind anxiety. I am penning it down in layman's terms for everyone to understand. Understanding this, helped me realize why I was anxious and what I could do about it. I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.

Techncally speaking, two- almond shaped clusters of nuclei located deep inside your brain are what that's delegated the task of causing anxiety. It's called the 'AMYGDALA'

There are two connections to Amygdala : 1) The direct connection 2) The connection via coretex.

It is important to understand that anxiety is not always harmful. In fact, it is the key to survival in dangerous circumstances. Imagine you hear someone knocking at your door in the middle of the night. Your amygdala recognizes the siutation and activates its allies. What happens in the next few seconds is almost magical. Your amygdala activates its important ally, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which is connected to almost every other organ in your body. Your heart beats faster, pumping extra blood to your muscles. You breathe faster which makes the airways in your lungs open wider. Extra Oxygen is sent to your brain, which in turn increases the alertness of your senses(sight, sound, smell and touch). All the excessive fat and carbohydrates stored in the storage sites are released into your body which gives you additional energy. All of  this happens in a fraction of a second.

The problem arises when anxiety grips you in the wrong circumstances. Imagine all of this happening frequently and unnecessarily in your body. It causes stress and disrupts your health. That's why it's important that you try and overcome anxiety. It's always better said than done, I know. Now that you've understood the science behind anxiety, you can also easily comprehend why it occurs and how to fight it.

Broadly, based on Amygdala's connections, anixety can be of two types : 1) Anxiety via the cortex connection and 2) Anxiety via the direct connection.

Let's start with anxiety via cortex. This happens when cortex analyses a situation and when it detects potential danger, it activates the amydala. Let's say, you've applied for an university and they've put you on hold. Your cortex starts overthinking the situtation. It shows you images of every university rejecting you and you ending up in the streets begging for money. Your family disrespects you and you can never acheive all that you've dreamt since you were a child. All your hardwork would go down the drain.

As a result of this, you cannot sleep for nights in a row. You lose your appetite and your hair is like rags. A couple of days later, the university calls you and says that they're taking you in! Oh, why did you have to overthink in the first place?

Anxiety via cortex is basically overthinking. Your cortex builds up scenarios that are probably unlikely to take place. The problem is when you build these scenarios in your head, your body doesn't know that it's only happening in your head.  It reacts as though you are truly facing the situtation. This can cause adverse effects.

Distraction and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) is said to work wonders for this type of anxiety. I suggest you seek professional help and get to know more about it. If there's something that you should remember, it's the fact that when you're anxious, you must never focus on the fact that you're anxious. Let's say you get all these awful thoughts about the future, half way through, you realize you're being anxious about it and you start stressing over the fact that you're being anxious. It only increases your anxiety and in no way is it going to help you come out of it. During these times, try distracting yourself. Bite into a piece of lemon or something really spicy. It will focus all your attention on what you've eaten rather than the thoughts in your head.

The next type of anxiety is via direct connection. To understand this anxiety better, you need to understand why this connection is essential. Imagine you're walking down a deserted street. Suddenly, you feel lights hitting your face. You sense something is wrong. In a split second, you leap out of the way. Seconds later, you find a car speeding through the exact same spot you were standing a fraction of a second earlier.

You cannot afford to think when your life is hanging by a thread. You would be long dead before your cortex analyses the situation, detects a threat and then activates the amygdala. This is what the direct connection (shortcut) to amygdala is used for.

This connection is also what's responsible for certain anxieties, the reason for which you can't put a finger on. For example, claustrophobia, driving phobia etc.

Sometimes this could happen because of childhood trauma. The experience of having been trapped in an elevator as a child could have turned you claustrophobic. You could have witnessed a car crash when you were little which in turn made you extremely afraid to drive a car.

The only way to overcome this is to show your amygdala that there's nothing to be afraid of. Logical reasoning and distraction will not work here. You've got to show your amygdala that what happened when you were a child was an accident and it's highly unlkely to happen again. You've got to go face your fears. Are you afraid of driving? Drive your car and show the amygdala there's nothing to be afraid of. Afraid of closed spaces? Get into one and show the amygdala there's nothing to be afraid of !

It's easier said than done. But you've got to get a grip on yourself and do it. When you continue to do it a couple of times, new connections fire up in your brain. Eventually, your amygdala will understand that there's nothing to be afraid of. At the same time, if you give up half-way through, it will only strengthen your anxiety. So, before you attempt it, make up your mind that you're going to pull it off, no matter what it takes. I know getting down there and actually doing it is alot more difficult than typing it out in a blog post. But, I strongly believe,  'where there's a will, there's a way' If you want it as badly as you think you do, you'd do it. It won't be easy but when you finally defeat anxiety, it will be worth it. 

That's as precisely and concisely as I could put it. Through this post, I hope you were able to get the gist of the biology behind anxiety. For detailed information, I suggest you read the book 'Rewire your anxious brain'. That's where I got most of this information from.

My next post will be less about biology and more about my take on anxiety. I know this is a tough battle but rememer, you're not alone. I've been in the same boat and through my upcoming post I wish to share with you how I figured out the cause of my anxiety and how I dealt with it. Understanding the biology behind anxiety, helped me realize that anxiety wasn't this big, mysterious monster that I was imagining it to be. It can be fought. Eventhough it seems as though it can't, the truth is it can be kept at bay. Whoever you are, it's time you stop letting anxiety take over you. Turn back and fight. You've got this.

Lots of Love,

Sharon