Too much anxiety is not so useful….

*** If our survival radar becomes too sensitive, our anxiety feelings are triggered when they don’t need to be.

*** We perceive a threat where none exists.

*** The chemicals are still in our bodies ready for action, but we don’t need them to keep us safe.

*** Instead, these chemicals make us feel anxious and fearful. They dictate how we think and behave. 

*******

Anxiety makes False Evidence Appear Real.

We are in your corner here at Parentline, to listen, support or advise. Please contact us Monday to Thursday 9am to 9pm, Friday 9am to 5pm or Saturdays 9am to 1pm

Our survival radar is located at the base (downstairs part) of our brains and is very well developed from birth. Our brain’s rational, thinking, decision making, frontal cortex (upstairs part), begins to develop during childhood.

 When we become overly anxious it means our ‘downstairs’ dinosaur brain has taken control and our clever ‘upstairs’ brain is not connecting… we have ‘flipped our lid’.

What anxiety can look like….

Behaviours

Distressed ** Tearful ** Clingy ** Overly helpful ** Quiet ** Withdrawn ** Refusing and avoiding ** Poor sleep ** Verbal/ physical angry outbursts ** Irritable ** Bossy ** Obsessive ** Controlling ** Critical ** Oppositional ** Stubborn ** Lying 

Behind the behaviours

Fear ** Inaccurate thinking but very real feelings ** Fatigue ** Headaches ** Nausea ** Sweating ** Aches ** Racing heart ** Fast/ difficult breathing ** Dizzy ** Restless ** Trembling

If we are overly anxious, our comfort zone tends to shrink. We find more situations stressful, we do less and less and our anxiety levels still continue to rise.

We are in your corner here t Parentline, to listen, support or advise. Please contact us Monday to Thursday 9am to 9pm, Friday 9am to 5pm or Saturdays 9am to 1pm.