In Chris Sherwood’s Article “Situations That Cause Anxiety” he outlines five most common situations that cause anxiety in people today. I believe we can each relate to one if not all of these “Five Frightening Factors” of anxiety and say we have felt some sort of degree of anxiety while in these various situations.
WHAT ARE THESE “FIVE FRIGHTENING FACTORS” OF ANXIETY?
- NEW SITUATIONS
- NEW PEOPLE
- FEARFUL SITUATIONS
- TRAUMA
- PAST MEMORIES
The first of these factors is NEW SITUATIONS. I am sure we can all relate to this whether it is moving to a new town, driving in a new area, or the first day of school. We get that feeling of butterflies in our stomach or start to shake before doing something that is unfamiliar to us. New situations can easily give us the feelings of anxiety and nervousness since you are facing something unknown and different to you.
The second factor is NEW PEOPLE. Anxiety from “new people” can happen in many different situations. This can be from talking one on one with someone you do not know or feel comfortable around or it can happen at a large social gathering where you feel uncomfortable and start to experience feelings of anxiety. According to the article, anxiety from “new people” is often the result of wanting to fit in and not wanting to embarrass yourself.
The third factor is FEARFUL SITUATIONS. It seems self explanatory that anxiety comes form fearful situations, but what these fearful situations are, differ drastically from person to person. Some people have an extreme fear of airplanes, others of hospitals and still others of spiders. What one person’s brain tells them is dangerous is very different than what another person’s brain says is dangerous. It is directly from the brain that we start to feel these physical feelings that come with anxiety
The fourth factor is TRAUMA. Anxiety oftentimes comes from experiencing and remembering tragic events in ones life time. Some tragic events that come to mind right away are war, family members passing away, or car accidents. Having this type of anxiety is more commonly referred to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can occur at any point in ones lifetime.
The fifth most common factor of anxiety is PAST MEMORIES. Anxiety from past memories is associated with the brain making connections between past experiences and negative feelings/ emotions. An example of this would be being in a serious car accident and then having anxiety anytime you are in a car following that accident. Anxiety from past memories can also be called PTSD and can be seen in forms of panic attacks and phobias.
These five factors according to Sherwoods article are the most common reasons that someone is experiencing anxiety!
Live in the moment and be YOU! -Emily Schmitz
Sherwood, Chris. “Situations That Cause Anxiety.” LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 21 May 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/128443-situations-cause-anxiety/>.