Anxiety Panic And Stress
November 9th, 2008 Posted in Anxiety and DepressionAnxiety is a physiological state that is caused by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). SNS is active on the sympathetic tone base level and stressful situations can increase it’s activity. The “flight or fight” response occurs from here. However, people can have anxiety that is not triggered by outer situations. Worry is often a contributor to anxiety or having the feeling of fears that are not considered rational.
Panic is related to the “fight or flight” mechanism. Panic is generated from the sympathetic nervous system much like anxiety however, it is initiated by external situations. Panic in general is a sudden fear that can dominate or replace our thinking. This is a stronger defense response the body has in place to help protect itself from a perceivably life threatening or harmful situation. Panic can result from an anxiety state, that a person starts to think about.
Stress, on the other hand, is a psychosocial reaction by the body. Stress is often the result of the way a person is influenced by external events or situations . It can develop based on a person’s expectations, assumptions and ideas. These assumptions, ideas and expectations can be referred to as social constructionist, or social constructivism is a sociological and psychological theory of knowledge that considers how social phenomena develop in particular social contexts.
Panic and stress both play important roles in the natural survival instinct. The preparations for ’fight or flight’ are the body’s defense mechanisms. This is the human bodies way of preparing for a potential life threatening or dangerous situation.
Anxiety doesn’t always stem from fear or defensive action. Escaping situations that make us feel anxious may bring relief, but these feelings are intensified when we face similar situations causing anxiety. This encourages us to escape the situation again instead of working through the anxiety.