Getting better: anxiety front (part 1)

Every new day brings new challenges and hardships. From these, we learn something new and move forward.

Yesterday, after breakfast, my wife and I were having tea as usual. According to our rule, while having tea, we do not do anything else; just tea and us. This makes it a beautiful experience of sharing time together.

While talking, she suddenly started worrying about the future, wondering how things will turn out. Will everything go well? If not, what will be the impact on our relationship? What will people say? And so on.

The context behind this was that for many days (4 to 6 months), we had been thinking about having a baby. But nothing seemed to be working out. All these feelings suddenly overwhelmed her, and her anxieties had increased.

So, we decided to visit our psychologist and made an appointment. After a long wait, our turn came, and we discussed this topic extensively. We gained a lot of clarity about what was happening, why it was happening, and what we should do about it.

Generally, this condition is known as anxiety. But in medical terminology, it is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Basically, what is anxiety?

At certain times, a mixture of fear, worry, and restlessness arises within you (the mental and physical state that develops in response to any situation is called anxiety).

This state is the body's and mind's response, and this response has developed over the long journey of human evolution.

For instance, when a wild animal appeared before early humans, they had three options: fight, flee, or freeze.

To perform these actions, the body and mind need to prepare accordingly. Therefore, the brain has designed such a response mechanism.

The challenges faced by early humans were immediate and real, while our challenges are often socio-psychological and sometimes unreal.

Understanding this made both of us feel better. What was happening was not abnormal, problematic, or beyond repair. Currently, 70 to 80% of people worldwide have this Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The psychologist took a paper and pen and explained the trigger factors and their combinations, which were very interesting and insightful.

Basically, in response to a dangerous situation perceived by the brain, the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System are activated. These two systems work in opposite directions.

Sympathetic system physical action prepares the body for fight or flight responses, while the Parasympathetic system generally prepares the body for rest and digest.

Mostly, the anxiety response is triggered by the Sympathetic system, and its symptoms start to appear, such as increased heartbeat, rapid breathing, and sweating.

By then, I had started feeling slightly anxious because all this was new and eye-opening. Through this neurobiological process, we understand that we have anxiety.

We both sighed in relief and understood that there are still many factors that play an important role. But this is all very common, and we will gradually start treatment based on the severity of the symptoms.

We took a deep breath, thanked the psychologist, and headed home.

On the way, we stopped at a coffee shop and enjoyed a cup of coffee, feeling somewhat relieved.

What is your experience, view on anxiety, do let me know in comments.

Together we can build healthy, happy & sane world.

Thanks