Anxiety Is Rising — What If It’s Not Your Enemy?
Anxiety is on the rise. Many mental health organizations report increasing rates of anxiety disorders, especially since the global pandemic and ongoing social and economic uncertainty. Modern life moves quickly. We are constantly stimulated, connected, informed… and often overwhelmed.
Uncertainty alone does not create anxiety, but it creates fertile ground for it to grow.
Have you ever felt troubled by anxiety? That unsettled hum beneath your skin. The exhaustion. The looping thoughts. We often believe we gain control by blocking the feeling, tightening against it, pushing it down.
Some see anxiety as bad… a warning that something catastrophic is about to happen. A setback. A weakness.
But what if anxiety is not your enemy…
What if it is an intelligent, energetic force asking for your attention?
Understanding Anxiety: Fear, Threat & the Nervous System
At its core, anxiety is your nervous system reacting to perceived threat — real or imagined.
If a car swerves toward you, fear rises. That’s adaptive.
If you are lying safely in bed yet your heart is pounding and your mind is racing… that is anxiety.
Anxiety activates the sympathetic branch of the nervous system — your fight-or-flight response. The larger the internal activation, the more intense the symptoms. When this activation lingers, we can fall into shame, blame, procrastination, or isolation.
A few gentle facts:
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health concerns worldwide.
Chronic stress can dysregulate the nervous system, making anxiety more likely.
Breath patterns directly influence nervous system regulation.
Anxiety is highly treatable with therapy, somatic practices, and nervous system support.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety often announces itself through the body first.
Physical symptoms:
Trembling or muscle tension
Increased heart rate
Difficulty breathing
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Fatigue
Digestive disturbances
Easily startled response
Cognitive and emotional symptoms:
Excessive worrying
Repetitive or intrusive thoughts
Irritability
Trouble concentrating
Nervousness
Feeling out of control
A fear that something terrible is about to happen
When symptoms intensify, many people report feeling as though they might die… even when there is no actual danger present. This is the nervous system misinterpreting internal sensations as threat.
What If Anxiety Is a Threshold?
It’s curious that anxiety often appears when you’re about to expand.
You have a bold idea.
You consider speaking your truth.
You prepare to move beyond your comfort zone.
Your body hums. Your chest tightens. Your stomach flips.
By the time the activation passes, someone else has already said the thing you longed to say.
What if anxiety is not the problem… but a threshold?
The pounding heart. The tightening belly. The heat in the chest. These sensations may not mean “stop.” They may mean “attention.”
Instead of asking, When will this be over?
Try asking, What is this trying to show me?
Naming what you feel … “This is anxiety” …has been shown to reduce distress. Awareness creates space. Space creates choice.
Where Anxiety Comes From
Anxiety is usually shaped by a combination of factors:
Stress:
Major life events or the buildup of unresolved pressures — loss, work strain, relationship changes, pregnancy, illness, financial stress, relocation.
Trauma:
Childhood adversity, abuse, witnessing trauma, or intergenerational trauma can sensitize the nervous system.
Genetics:
A family history of anxiety can increase vulnerability.
Often, people feel anxious “for no reason.” Usually, the trigger is subtle or unconscious. The body remembers even when the mind does not.
Nervous System Regulation: Managing Anxiety Gently
Many symptoms of anxiety are amplified through breathing patterns.
When anxious, we tend to hold the breath or breathe rapidly and shallowly. This can create dizziness, tingling, and further alarm… reinforcing the anxiety cycle.
Breath is one of the simplest and most powerful tools for nervous system regulation.
1. Slow the Exhale
Longer exhalations stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system — the body’s rest-and-digest response.
Inhale gently.
Exhale slowly and fully.
Let the exhale be slightly longer than the inhale.
Even a few minutes can increase parasympathetic activity and reduce physiological arousal.
2. Equal Breathing
Close your eyes.
Inhale to a count of four.
Exhale to a count of four.
Repeat for several cycles.
This balanced breathing pattern can steady heart rate and bring your system toward equilibrium.
When the mind is calm enough to follow the breath, there is simply breathing… nothing to fix, nothing to control.
When to Seek Support
If anxiety is interfering with your sleep, work, relationships, or daily life — or if your fear feels uncontrollable… support matters.
Trauma-informed therapy, somatic therapy, and other evidence-based approaches can significantly reduce anxiety symptoms. You do not need to navigate this alone.
The nervous system can relearn safety.
Anxiety can feel frightening, overwhelming, even isolating.
But beneath it is a body trying to protect you.
Sometimes it signals unresolved stress.
Sometimes it points toward growth.
Sometimes it simply asks to be met with compassion instead of resistance.
Rather than pushing anxiety away, you might experiment with turning toward it… gently, curiously, one breath at a time.
There is wisdom in your body.
And with support, patience, and awareness, what once felt like an enemy may become a doorway into deeper resilience, self-trust, and embodied calm.
FAQ
What causes anxiety in the body?
Anxiety is often triggered by perceived threat, stress, trauma history, or chronic nervous system dysregulation.
Can breathwork help anxiety?
Yes. Slow breathing and prolonged exhalation stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping calm the fight-or-flight response.
Is anxiety treatable?
Yes. Anxiety is highly treatable with therapy, somatic practices, nervous system regulation tools, and lifestyle support.
