Sometimes, it can be really easy to tell when we are feeling anxious. Other times, it can be hard to tell when we are worried or afraid of something. Some signs of anxiety are pretty obvious, like screaming. However, sometimes anxiety can be very hard to notice!
We look at three clues that we are feeling anxious: how our body feels, what we think, and what we do. Our body signals can let us know when we are feeling anxious. It can be very helpful for you to watch out for some of these physical signs of anxiety:
- Blushing
- Shaky
- Fidgeting
- Heart beating fast
- Tense muscles
- Sweating
- Feels hard to breathe
- Choking feeling
- Stomachache
- Feeling too hot or too cold
Anxious thoughts can be very uncomfortable and/or scary and make us feel anxious. Usually, anxious thoughts are about thinking something bad will happen.
Let's take a look at what Sally thinks when she is in situations that make her feel anxious.
Since Sally is afraid of talking to other kids, she thinks that: "If I go up to that girl and say hi, she is going to think I am dumb.” Sally is also afraid of germs. She thinks that: “If I do not wash my hands perfectly for 1 minute, I will get sick.”
Now let’s look at Neil.
Neil is afraid of being away from his mom. He thinks that: “If I do not go with my mom while she drives to the grocery store, she will get into a car accident.” As we know, Neil is also afraid of being in the dark. He thinks that: “If I sleep alone in the dark, something will get me.”
Anxiety also shows up in the ways that we act. When we are in an anxious situation, we might look for ways to escape it. We might run away, hide, or even scream and cry. However, this is not the way to overcome your anxiety. Coming up, you will learn why it is unhelpful to avoid your fears.
For example, when Sally touches the front doorknob of her house, she immediately runs to the bathroom and washes her hands for a full minute. When Sally is at school but does not want to use the public restroom, she holds it until she gets home. Similarly, when Neil has to go to the astronaut academy in the morning, he kicks and screams because he is afraid to be away from his mom. When it is time for bed, Neil runs away from his dark bedroom to find his mom because he does not want to be in the dark by himself.
To summarize, there are 3 parts to an emotion:
- How our bodies feel, like bad feelings in our bellies or feeling really hot
- How we think, like thinking something bad will happen, and
- How we act, like when we run away from something that we think is dangerous.
By looking at these 3 things, we can tell when we are feeling anxious. Finally, we have more control over what we do when we are anxious than what we think or how our bodies feel. Because of that, we are going to focus mostly on learning how to change the way we act when we are anxious through LUNA.
