Feelings of anxiety and fear: how do they differ and how to get rid of them effectively?

physician, psychosomatologist, neuropsychologist, specialist in working with anxiety

There is not a single person on this planet who has not experienced anxiety. Everyone is familiar with it since childhood. When we are very young, fears are drawn by our imagination: we are afraid of monsters under the bed or the wrath of the Queen of Spades, which “invited” all the yard kids. Over time, these emotions become well-founded: we are afraid of disappointing mom with another double in physics, we are afraid not to pass exams, or we are wrapped in the horror of living a “wrong” life. Is it always bad? Let’s get to the bottom of it.

The feeling of fear

First let’s consider fear as an emotional phenomenon. What are the first associations that arise at the mention of this word? The following thoughts appear: danger, the need to run and escape or, conversely, the desire to hide, to hide.

From the point of view of biology, fear is a natural reaction of the organism (particularly the psyche) to impending danger. Physiologically, the goal is survival, so it is not hard to guess that nature itself intended this feeling as a benefit for us.

However, time has passed, the need to escape from wild animals has waned, but it is still with us. Why? Man is changing evolutionarily just like everything around him. Instead of the usual fear of being killed by a mammoth, and consequently, not to feed his family, came a new fear – to be without work (albeit not very favorite, but so stable).

The focus of human attention changed to new important needs, and accordingly, these emotions became not just biological, but biosocial.

Certainly our instincts are with us to this day. We fear coming home late or being on the edge of a steep quarry. Biologically they are understandable and explainable, we know what to do with them. It is much harder to deal with phobias socially (such as the fear of being socially rejected or unsuccessful).

Often a non-survival related fear is like a “multi-layered pie”. “Visible”, tangible phobia can be provoked by phenomena that are not obvious at all. Therefore, the reasons why a person is afraid are numerous.

For example, the situation when a young man is afraid to start a serious relationship because of the coldness and emotionlessness of his mother. That is, the root of the problem is not in the relationship, but in the fact that he will certainly be rejected. Or a young girl suddenly discovered a phobia of air travel. In fact, the fear is not due to the perceived danger to life, but is associated with the tragic death of a relative in an airplane crash.

The above examples have one thing in common – a traumatic experience that causes intense pain and is also projected onto one’s own existing or perceived life experience. In other words, we only experience fear that has a strong association, attachment or anchor to the experience.

There are many tips for getting rid of this feeling, from ignoring it to deliberately wallowing in it. The most successful tactic, according to most psychologists, is reconciliation. This means not that you need to live in constant fear, but that you need to realize where it came from and what it can teach.

Let’s imagine the situation. A girl is afraid of passing the state exams in medical school with C’s. Does her life depend on the grades? No, it doesn’t. She is so susceptible to the feeling that she can not quietly exist: rest, eat and sleep. There is only a real goal to be achieved at any cost.

However, her mother has always dreamed of her becoming a doctor, whose diploma must necessarily be red! The suppressed emotion or “invisible” is the fear of disappointing her parents, while the real motivation for the goal is her mom’s love and acceptance. Is it possible to help yourself in such a case? Yes!

How to get rid of the feeling of fear?

The most universal algorithm consists in analyzing the following.

1. Work through personal boundaries. Sometimes other people’s fears merge so strongly with ours or replace them altogether that we lose touch with ourselves by going along to get along.

2. Remember that the phobia is the tip of the iceberg. Try to observe yourself, specifically answer the questions: when it appeared, when it feels most acute and when it becomes quieter and less noticeable.

3- Sometimes it is a signal of overload. How long have you been resting? Do you have a regular daily routine?

4. Is this feeling a mental defense reaction? For example, fear of being in front of an audience blocks even the thought of a possible performance, and sometimes manifests itself physiologically – loss of voice.

5. Very often restless thinking envelops people who lead not the healthiest lifestyle. Analyze whether your diet is useful and varied enough, whether you have enough of the necessary macro- and microelements?

It should be noted that in practice there are other situations. Variant, when a person has created fear without a reason, is also quite common. Such a phenomenon is familiar to us as anxiety.

The feeling of anxiety

Unlike fear, it is always a spontaneous phenomenon, often accompanied by physiological signs. We are talking about tachycardia, dizziness, disorientation, shortness of breath, nausea, irritable bowel or bladder syndromes.

Anxiety – undifferentiated fear. A confused state where it is difficult to articulate and understand what exactly a person is afraid of. People who frequently experience anxiety characterize their state as “uncertainty, a feeling of imminent trouble.”

It is also a physical and psychological tension, which, if not diagnosed in time and effective help can worsen and go to another more dangerous condition – panic attack. This feeling is difficult to control, and in the case of PA it is almost impossible to control. It does not depend on the time and location of the person and is sometimes irrational in nature.

Anxiety and anxiety disorder are more common among pedantic people who try to keep everything under total control. Such people always calculate actions several steps ahead, they always have a strategy.

How to get rid of anxiety?

Here psychologists also recommend that you “familiarize” with this feeling. Pay your attention to the following components:

1. Control. How much do you need to control even those situations that do not depend on you?

2. Freedom. Can you call yourself an independent person? How do you define this concept and its criteria for yourself?

3. Grounding. Is your head occupied with thoughts about the past or about the future? Describe what it means to be in the present.

4. Experience. Have there been any recent negative shocks or situations where it was as if you were living out past traumatic events?

Fear and anxiety are different, yet similar in nature. Is it possible to get rid of them once and for all? The principle of “everything is possible, but not everything is useful” fits the answer just fine.

When the phobia is a brake and lack of development, undoubtedly, the issue should be addressed. If it is a dosed motivation and driving force without fanaticism, is it worth getting rid of it or is it enough to curb this feeling? In any case, the topic of fears is one of the keys to the self.

Discover your facets, study yourself, try new techniques to work with thinking. For example, sessions with a psychologist, listening to meditations, practicing sports. All this will not only allow you to know yourself better, but also to correct negative aspects.