As we’ve mentioned in last week’s video, people experience anxiety in different ways, but we usually like to pay attention to three different parts of the experience of anxiety.
- Cognitions (our anxious thoughts)
- Physical reactions (how the body feels because of anxiety)
- Behaviors (the actions we perform as a result of our anxiety)
Let’s turn to Sally, who is afraid of germs. Sally thinks that when she touches a doorknob, the germs on its surface will transfer to her hand, contaminating her and making her sick (cognition). This thought of being “contaminated” makes her heart beat faster and her chest tighten (physical reaction). To alleviate this physical sensation and make the distressing thought go away, she washes her hands 5-6 times per hour, a full minute every time she touches a doorknob or a phone (behaviors). Sally’s example illustrates how thoughts, physical reactions, and behaviors interact to form anxiety. When Sally’s mom asks her why she feels so afraid of being contaminated, she can’t really say why. She does not know where the fear comes from. This is the case with a lot of fears, but with others, there is a clear reason for the child’s anxiety.
For example, Neil is afraid of being away from his mom. When he was 5 years old, he and his family went to an amusement park. During a parade, Neil got excited and rushed to the front of the crowd, but a few minutes later, he realized his family was not with him. Although the park employee was right next to Neil to help him find his family, Neil was too afraid to tell his name, so it took 30 minutes before he finally said his name and the park employee could help him reunite with his family. Ever since then, Neil has felt scared whenever he is separated from his mom. Whenever Neil must go to school or when his mom has to leave him at home to run errands, he thinks that he will never see her again (thoughts). When he is not with her, he will start to feel hot and get butterflies in his stomach, which causes him to shake and cry (physical reaction). Hence, Neil always tries to stay close to her (behavior). In this case, Neil’s past experience has shaped his current anxious thoughts, physical reactions, and behaviors. But no matter what causes anxiety, the most helpful thing for us to do is to address the thoughts and behaviors that are related to anxiety in the now, which will be the focus of LUNA.
