While anxiety impacts everyone differently, it is very common to have anxiety about your own anxiety.
While this may sound funny to some, there are some valid reasons why this is your experience. There is evidence that suggests that individuals who are struggling with anxiety have an increased awareness of their own internal body cues. This hyperawareness can prompt your body and brain into becoming on high alert for any change. Our brains can often experience changes in our environment as potential threats.
If we think back to the caveman days, it’s nature’s way of trying to make sure that humans survive. If I had been a cave dweller and I was actually chased by a bear when I was doing my daily routine, it’s safe to say that I would be smart to avoid the areas in which I saw the bear or identify additional exit strategies to stay alive. It’s my brain’s job to pay attention to cues of danger and after an awful encounter with a bear, my brain is going to pay extra attention to any subtly that sounds, smells, or looks similar to the past experience.
I think it’s fair to say that most of us will never be chased by a bear and don’t need to be ready to run at any time.
However, our bodies often respond to perceived threats as if that is our reality. Our “bears” if you will, have changed, but our bodies and brains have the same survival instinct as our ancestors.
So, the degree to which you may be anxious about your anxiety bear appearing will depend on how often, how intensely, and the way in which it shows up in your life. If your anxiety bear only surfaces when you have a test to take, then it makes sense that your brain will anticipate having test anxiety. You may find ways to lessen it over time or it could worsen if it seems to impact your test outcomes. If your test outcomes impact your potential career path, then that anxiety bear could feel more intimidating and terrifying when you are taking the test that impacts your next step vs a test for an elective class or something of less consequence.
If your anxiety bear tends to hover in the background and moseys in and out of your line of sight randomly but never tries to attack you, your brain will learn to manage that as a distressing but “normal” part of the landscape and will work around the distress. It can still leave you more leary of changes in your life because your bear likes to hang out more frequently when things are changing.
If your anxiety bear hibernates while stress mounts but then jumps out of the cave rapidly and randomly in the form of a panic attack, then you might feel fearful of another panic attack…which once again, thinking of our brains as our way of surviving, definitely makes sense.
So, how can you cope with the anxiety bear itself and then the anxiety about when your anxiety bear shows up in your life?
Explore the patterns and themes of your anxiety. There are differing types of anxiety and different anxiety disorders. Learn to spot and label them. Labeling something by its name and how it functions tells helps our brains tolerate distress. So label your anxiety thoughts as such. This will not make it go away but will give you & your brain a better chance of knowing when to relax vs run. If the thought of this feels daunting, talk it out with a trusted friend, family member, or licensed therapist.
The only thing to avoid is avoiding, easier said than done, I get it. When our brain perceives a threat the instinct is to avoid it. Approaching a bear in the wild is most definitely a bad idea, but when our anxiety bear is not life-threatening then responding to the cues saying it is, will only train our brains to run anytime someone even thinks of a bear. We want to help our brains learn to identify perceived threats (things that look like a bear- a brown horse, a black dog, etc) from an actual threat of an actual bear. So taking a test, for example, can be stressful, scary, and can feel like we are about to be attacked, but in all reality it is safe. So approaching vs avoiding is what is needed to survive and graduate from college if that is your desired goal.
Seek support: Most people who have anxiety benefit from having support when they are approaching a thing that feels terrifying. It’s instinctive and wise to seek support from people who can help. There are many types of support that help with anxiety. For some, talking aloud & externalizing the fear will move them forward. Others benefit from seeking therapy and or medication from a medical professional. There are varying types of therapy that can help with anxiety and learning to tame & tolerate your anxiety bear.
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Anxiety is hard enough, if you are struggling with anxiety about your anxiety, know that this is normal, we see you, we get it. We are here to help and are honored to offer support in Salt Lake City and across the state. Follow the steps below to get started on your self-care journey. If you're ready to get started, you can follow these simple steps:
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Other Therapy Services Offered with Inside Wellness
We understand that you may experience other concerns in addition to anxiety treatment. This is why Inside Wellness offers support with a variety of mental health services. Other services offered include body image counseling, eating disorders, and online Therapy in Utah. Feel free to visit our blog for more helpful information today!