When Igor Caveman is face to face with the bear, he is experiencing
full blown fear. He will go through all the symptoms mentioned earlier.
This is needed to prepare for a fight/flight. Igor either needs to run
away, or charge at the bear. What will you do?
If we were to measure symptoms on a 0 – 10 scale. When experiencing fear, the symptoms will measure at 10.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is when Igor Caveman sitting in his cave wondering what to do about upcoming bears' encounters. He is now worried and his body goes into the same fight and flight response but perhaps not at the same intensity. He may experience the symptoms anywhere between 1 and 10. He could also experience a 10 rating on each of the symptoms. When that happens, Igor would in fact experience a simulated fear response, also known as a Panic Attack. The purpose of anxiety, therefore, is to prepare us for the unforeseen dangers lurking in our environment both externally and internally. The intensity of symptoms may simply depend on how close we are to that danger, how real it may appear, and how worried we are about it.
Note: Both fear and anxiety use the same brain/body chemicals, and originate from the same brain parts (amygdala). You will see a brain illustration of a fear/anxiety response in later pages.
• Other Symptoms afterwards: After a fight/flight response we tend to feel fatigue, exhaustion, at time experience headaches, stomachaches, and muscle spasms in various parts of the body. Since the body has to mobilize for an emergency response, it consumes lots of energy resources and hence the fatigue. If there is a lack of nutrients, the brain will take nutrients and resources from muscles and cause the fatigue, exhaustion and muscle spasm. When muscles tense around the neck, we may experience headaches and tension in our shoulders. Stomachaches may be due to excess acid secretion on an empty stomach. Overall, the entire experience is tolling on the body. However, we must remember that the main reason behind fear/anxiety is survival. Nature will never give us something that might hurt us.
Hyperventilation: As we get anxious or fearful, we may over breathe. Although oxygen is a very important element for us, excess amounts of it are very dangerous to the brain; in fact it may cause brain damage or death. However, lucky for us, the brain knows this and has its own self-protecting mechanism to prevent this from happening. Imbedded in the brain is a thermostat-like mechanism that measures the ratio between oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). So, when we hyperventilate, we are in fact taking in too much O2. This means that O2/CO2 ratio is imbalanced, and the brain immediately orders the stop of O2 release by the blood hemoglobin (hemoglobin is a type of cell that floats in the blood stream for the sole purpose of carrying O2 and CO2 from lungs to heart and back) The hemoglobin becomes highly positively charged (sticky) and grabs on the O2 and does not release it to the body. So, although we are still breathing, the body is not getting sufficient O2. Therefore, the lack of O2 received by the brain/body causes the following symptoms:
- Light-headedness
- Dizziness
- Faint like feeling
- Disorientation
- Choking sensation
- Out of breath
- Unreality feeling
The common remedy to counter hyperventilation, as you know, is breathing in a paper bag. The reason this works effectively is because all you breathe in and out in the bag is CO2. The breathing of CO2 increases and balances the O2/CO2 ratio and fools the brain in shutting off the brain's thermostat and allows the hemoglobin to release O2 into the body and everything goes back to normal.
If we were to measure symptoms on a 0 – 10 scale. When experiencing fear, the symptoms will measure at 10.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is when Igor Caveman sitting in his cave wondering what to do about upcoming bears' encounters. He is now worried and his body goes into the same fight and flight response but perhaps not at the same intensity. He may experience the symptoms anywhere between 1 and 10. He could also experience a 10 rating on each of the symptoms. When that happens, Igor would in fact experience a simulated fear response, also known as a Panic Attack. The purpose of anxiety, therefore, is to prepare us for the unforeseen dangers lurking in our environment both externally and internally. The intensity of symptoms may simply depend on how close we are to that danger, how real it may appear, and how worried we are about it.
Note: Both fear and anxiety use the same brain/body chemicals, and originate from the same brain parts (amygdala). You will see a brain illustration of a fear/anxiety response in later pages.
• Other Symptoms afterwards: After a fight/flight response we tend to feel fatigue, exhaustion, at time experience headaches, stomachaches, and muscle spasms in various parts of the body. Since the body has to mobilize for an emergency response, it consumes lots of energy resources and hence the fatigue. If there is a lack of nutrients, the brain will take nutrients and resources from muscles and cause the fatigue, exhaustion and muscle spasm. When muscles tense around the neck, we may experience headaches and tension in our shoulders. Stomachaches may be due to excess acid secretion on an empty stomach. Overall, the entire experience is tolling on the body. However, we must remember that the main reason behind fear/anxiety is survival. Nature will never give us something that might hurt us.
Hyperventilation: As we get anxious or fearful, we may over breathe. Although oxygen is a very important element for us, excess amounts of it are very dangerous to the brain; in fact it may cause brain damage or death. However, lucky for us, the brain knows this and has its own self-protecting mechanism to prevent this from happening. Imbedded in the brain is a thermostat-like mechanism that measures the ratio between oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). So, when we hyperventilate, we are in fact taking in too much O2. This means that O2/CO2 ratio is imbalanced, and the brain immediately orders the stop of O2 release by the blood hemoglobin (hemoglobin is a type of cell that floats in the blood stream for the sole purpose of carrying O2 and CO2 from lungs to heart and back) The hemoglobin becomes highly positively charged (sticky) and grabs on the O2 and does not release it to the body. So, although we are still breathing, the body is not getting sufficient O2. Therefore, the lack of O2 received by the brain/body causes the following symptoms:
- Light-headedness
- Dizziness
- Faint like feeling
- Disorientation
- Choking sensation
- Out of breath
- Unreality feeling
The common remedy to counter hyperventilation, as you know, is breathing in a paper bag. The reason this works effectively is because all you breathe in and out in the bag is CO2. The breathing of CO2 increases and balances the O2/CO2 ratio and fools the brain in shutting off the brain's thermostat and allows the hemoglobin to release O2 into the body and everything goes back to normal.
SAD
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Stress, Anxiety, & Depression CliniC
Mind Over Matter: If you DO Mind, it Will Matter
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Anxiety vs. Fear
