Permanent Zen blog: anxiety vs. fear- what’s the difference and how to cultivate courage & calm

 Although they may feel vary similar, Fear and Anxiety are two very different emotions. 

Fear and anxiety both produce similar responses -- muscle tension, increased heart rate, and shortness of breath mark the most significant physiological symptoms associated with a response to danger. These bodily changes result from an inborn fight-or-flight stress response that is necessary for our survival. Without this stress response, our mind would not receive the alerting danger signal and our bodies would be unable to prepare to flee or stay and battle when faced with danger.  However, the source and the lasting effects of these two emotions are very different. 

Fear

Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. If you're walking down a dark street, for example, and someone points a gun at you and says, “This is a stickup," then you'd likely experience a fear response. The danger is real, definite, and immediate. There is a clear and present object of the fear.

Fear plays a protective role. When faced with danger – physical or emotional – your body warns you and readies itself to defend against the threat.   As the threat disappears, however, those feelings subside and you continue with your day. Fear can come from big moments, such as someone pointing a gun at you, or small moments, such as the fear of getting stung by a bee. Whether small or big, however, the symptoms of fear go away when the threat goes away. 

Anxiety

Anxiety is a response to an imprecise or unknown threat. For example, imagine you’re walking down a dark street. You may feel a little uneasy and perhaps you have a few butterflies in your stomach. These sensations are caused by anxiety that is related to the possibility that a stranger may jump out from behind a bush, or approach you in some other way and harm you. This anxiety is not the result of a known or specific threat. Rather it comes from your mind’s interpretation of the possible dangers that could immediately arise.

Anxiety, because it comes from a perceived or possible danger, doesn’t necessarily dissipate. Your body stays on high alert, even though there isn’t any threat. When anxiety continues to flare, you might find it difficult to carry on daily activities. Maybe you no longer want to walk down the street at night. If you allow your anxiety to continue it can even worsen: you might avoid leaving the house at night, that way you won’t have to walk down any street and worry that someone is going to jump out at you.

The source of chronic anxiety is typically a Root Chakra blockage.  Located in the tail bone, this chakra is connected to the adrenal medulla, the gland responsible for fight or flight response discussed above. The Root chakra regulates our sense of security, survival, and instinct. When this chakra is blocked, we get overly fearful when it comes to money, relationships, work, physical safety and everyday life.  Besides having an emotional impact, anxiety can create other problems.  When anxiety becomes chronic, it wears your body down. Short bursts of fear might help to protect you, but a prolonged state of anxiety can put you at risk of heart disease, stroke or other physical illnesses.

 The first step in reducing anxiety is being able to categorize the feelings as either “fear” or “anxiety” .  If it fits in the anxiety category (imprecise/ unknown threat), the next step is to become mindful of the response your body is giving you.  In the 'walking down a dark street' example, your anxiety might fuel thoughts of running to safety.  Once you know the response your body is giving you, starve your fear response by doing the opposite.  In other words- don't run for safety, but stop, look around and force yourself to relax.  As you become better at not responding to your anxiety while calming and soothing yourself, you will find your overall anxiety levels decrease. Your anxiety triggers will have less of a grip on you and you will start to notice a very comforting fact- That you in fact ARE SAFE in this world and that you can calmly handle the uncertainty of life as we know it.

As FDR said, the only thing to fear is fear itself.  If fear is a common emotion for you, then this is probably spot on advice.  Face your chronic fears and starve your anxiety by not listening to fight or flight response every time you sense uncertainty.  Continually remind yourself that the earth and the universe do have your back and your basic needs will be met one way or another. This will keep your Root Chakra unblocked and keep your anxiety from having control over your life.

About Permanent Zen

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