Anxiety: Good Vs. Bad

As humans we all have anxiety. With the right amount of anxiety, we can actually perform better. Think of the "fight or flight" response. Living in Colorado there is a good chance most of us have been hiking in the beautiful rocky mountains. You are almost to the top, and can't wait for the view when all of a sudden you come into contact with a mountain lion. This is where "good" anxiety comes into play. Our sympathetic Nervous System triggers our "fight or flight" response and gets us ready for action. There are several physical changes that will happen during this scary situation and they all have a purpose. The first is increased heart rate and heartbeat. This will speed up delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide. The next change is when the blood flow moves away from our toes and fingers and goes towards the big muscles. This provides the big muscles with the energy it needs to fight off the mountain lion and will help us to loose less blood if we do get attacked. Our breating will increase to provide more oxygen for energy for the fight - flight response. Next, we will notice that we are very sweaty and that is because there will be an increased activity in sweat glands. This will cool our body to prevent exhaustion and overheating. Another change that often goes unoticed is our eyes dilateing. This will help keep us alert and scan for more danger. Did you eat a sandwhich on the way up the mountain? Well all of our energy will be directed towares the fight - flight response, so there will be less engery to the digestive system. The last physical change will be release of natural pain killers, or opioids, to dull any pain if injured. After we have escaped the mountain lion, our Parasympathetic Nervous System will calm our body down to a balanced, normal, state once the mountain lion or threat has passed.

I've always considered myself to be an anxious person. If I am not in a threating situation that needs a "fight or flight" response, it turns into "bad" anxiety. In lots of situations I have expierenced all of the symptoms above, but since I was only on an airplane or sitting in class or even just driving in the car, those symptoms triggerd more anxiety, and in most cases for me, panic attacks. For those of you who have had panic attacts, they can be very scary and are often mistaken for a heart attack, it feels like you are going insane or even like you are going to faint.

What is the point you ask? This summer I've been trying to learn how to take control of my anxiety instead of it taking over me. My favorite skill that I've been practing is abdominal breating. There are lot's of skills out there, you just need to be patient and train your body. I reccomend reading "Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic" (4th Edition) by David H. Barlow and Michelle G. Cradke, 2007. If you are just looking for some quick and easy tips check out this article by Psychology Today, The Six Best Ways to Decrease Your Anxiety. Enjoy!
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201106/the-six-best-ways-decrease-your-anxiety