However, it is worth asking the following question: what is the difference between fear and anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotional state very similar to fear. Both of these feelings occur due to processes in the brain that are similar; they also cause similar physiological reactions – such as freezing in stillness, accelerated breathing and increased sweating.
What makes them different is that the fear is related to threats that are identified, real. For example – it is fear that will accompany us when, crossing the lanes, we notice that a car at high speed is heading in our direction. Fear is experienced when, during strong winds and amidst the thunder of lightning, for example, we will force our way home.
What then is anxiety?
It appears when nothing directly threatens us. We then feel a specific anxiety. Researchers report that anxiety is the most common emotional state in humans. Simplifying – anxiety is the result of a general sense of danger and insecurity that accompanies our lives in a dynamically changing world.
How do anxiety and fear arise? Where are they born?
Of course – in our brain.
Fear is not equal to fear. Imagine the following situation: it’s late at night. Outside the windows, the wind is howling, the branches are striking ominously against the windows of the apartment. No one is home. Unbeknownst to you, there is anxiety in your head – thoughts begin to revolve around a closer unidentified threat. You are then reminded of all the horror movies you happened to watch in your life.
That’s what anxiety is. It is largely caused by our thoughts. The cerebral cortex (the large, gray part of the brain) is responsible for this emotion. It is responsible for a process called thinking. It is thanks to it that we are able to use language, logically prove our points, etc.
It is different with fear – fear is a reaction to the reality around us. If you see that your apartment is full of smoke, if you miss a falling roof tile by a hair, if you are threatened by a traffic accident, you most likely feel fear. This emotion, unlike anxiety, arises in the amygdala body of the brain.
The amygdala is two amygdala-shaped structures located on either side of the brain. The amygdala is responsible for triggering the “fight or flight” response. This reaction – as humans – we inherited from our ancient ancestors – the oldest vertebrates. The role of the amygdala is to assign emotional meaning to situations or objects and to form emotional memories.
What is the conclusion?
Our thoughts are responsible for much of the anxiety-related emotional reactions. Controlling one’s own emotions is a difficult task. However, it is always good to be aware that fears are born in the head. Which means that by realizing this, we can at least try to control the strong emotions and reactions associated with feeling threatened. The first step is to allow for the possibility that the anxiety that paralyzes us may be a product of our brain. And it may – though not necessarily – be unfounded.
– Each of us is afraid of something. It can be a simple matter, we can be afraid of dogs, spiders, some people are afraid of the dark or closed rooms. Another category of anxiety relates to interactions with people. These are social fears, of being judged, of being criticized, of being discovered incompetent, of being ridiculed – says the therapist.
One type of anxiety is exam anxiety. Fear of the exam or its outcome is a natural phenomenon. However, the problem arises when, due to their fear, the student misses appointments or experiences strong negative emotions that they do not know how to deal with.
How do you distinguish anxiety from an anxiety disorder?
– If the anxiety is very intense and hinders our daily functioning, interferes with our sleep, interferes with our relationships with others, causes palpitations, if we walk around constantly tense and irritated or constantly turn all sorts of worries in our head and cannot enjoy life, then there is a high probability that we are dealing with an anxiety disorder, which can be treated with psychotherapy – Dr. Joachim Kowalski, who works with the UW Department of Psychology, explains.
Source: One in four Poles’ problems – depression and anxiety, https://www.uw.edu.pl/problemy-co-czwartego-polaka-depresja-i-lek/.
Read more about this topic (as well as the relationship between depression and anxiety) in an educational video with Dr. Joachim Kowalski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuLQphHvOE0
Fears, their origins (and the addictions that are linked to fears) are discussed in our series: “The world in the face of change: new fears and addictions.”
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