Realities For People Living With Anxiety Disorder

Avoidance Of Specific Situations And Things

It's very common for individuals with anxiety disorders to practice avoidance of specific situations and things. From an evolutionary perspective, this is a survival mechanism. In a neurotypical brain, the brain sends signals that indicate when an individual is in danger or may be in danger in the future. This causes stress levels to rise. The individual may experience fight-or-flight responses along with fear. In patients with anxiety disorders, though, the brain mistakenly flags non-dangerous situations as dangerous. The excess sense of danger leads to higher stress levels and panicked thinking. When individuals experience panic and fear in situations, the evolutionary instinct is to avoid those things to stay safe. Patients with anxiety disorders may avoid situations they can't control, certain social interactions, places, and anything that triggers phobias. Therapists typically help individuals slowly expose themselves to the situations they avoid so they can retrain their brains into recognizing those situations as safe.

Consider the next reality of anxiety now.