It is useful to understand what is happening within your body when anxiety strikes.
It’s ok I am not going to go all science and technical!
When we lived alongside dinosaurs our needs were very different to now. The body has an incredible ability to react to perceived danger and back then it was useful to avoid the odd roaming T-Rex or Pterodactyl. The brain would send a ‘threat’ signal to the body releasing at great speed a range of chemicals (adrenaline, cortisol,oxytocin and others) into the body. These chemicals serve to make the body faster, stronger enabling us to run away or fight. This is known as the fight or flight reaction.
In days gone by the response we made- fighting (if we were really hungry) or running away (sensible option) would disperse the chemicals released and the body would return to its original state.
In our modern world we don’t come across too many dinosaurs but we can come across a range of situations that cause the same response and chemical release. It may be sitting a school test, travelling by crowded bus or train, reading a social media post, falling out with friends. Running away or fighting in these situations is not generally a good response so mostly we are left with these powerful chemicals coursing through our body…this is anxiety and it feels rotten.
To stay healthy we need to form strategies and have access to a range of tools that we can deploy to avoid or disperse those powerful chemicals.
If you or your child is struggling with challenging anxiety I can help. Through a number of 121 sessions I can pass on a range of strategies and tools allowing you or your child to take back control.
Please message me for more details or visit www.aylesburytherapyforkids.co.uk or call me 07964 976711
