Anxiety Is Fear-Based – Part 2

Video Transcript

Anxiety Is Fear-Based – Part 2

As mentioned in a previous video, anxiety is fear-based, meaning you first have to be afraid of something before you can become anxious.

This concept can be illustrated as:

Risk Assessment
Danger Determined
Anxiety
Stress Response
Symptoms Of Stress

When presented with a situation or circumstance, we first risk-assess to see if the situation or circumstance could be dangerous.

If we conclude the situation or circumstance could be dangerous and that we might not be able to successfully deal with the threat, that determination triggers anxious behavior, which creates anxiety.

Anxiety, then, activates the stress response, which immediately prepares the body for emergency action. That emergency preparedness creates symptoms of stress.

If we continue to risk-assess and determine we’re still in danger, the cycle repeats until we decide the danger has passed.

This is why uncontained worry can quickly overly stimulate the body since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.

Worry can be defined as: imagining the worst and then fearing the worst might happen.

If we let worry run unchecked, it won’t take long to chronically stress the body, causing chronic anxiety symptoms.

So, if you look at the chain of events, risk-assessing for danger is the first step in creating anxiety. And that first step is all about risk assessment.

Once again, anxiety is fear-based. Identifying and successfully addressing your fears can eliminate anxiety. No longer believing you could be in danger stops the entire anxiety cycle.

No Fear = No Anxiety

We expand on this in upcoming videos.