Where does fear and anxiety come from? Fear vs anxiety?
Fear is not anxiety and anxiety is not fear. These two felt expressions are distinctly different from one another and it is important to engage with each differently.
Fear is rooted in our physical and emotional reactions that connects and heightens our senses to the world around us and seeks to solve the issue. This can be accomplished through fight, flight, or the freeze response when it is moving deeper towards anxiety.
Anxiety also has similar physical and emotional reactions but is DISCONNECTS us from our world. If you experience anxiety and it begins to build it feels vague and difficult to explain. It is an anxiety about your existence in the moment and the potential change that is coming.
In anxiety you look for grounding and a way to reconnect with your world to engage it on a different level. Anxiety is a way to change the way you see and make meaning in your world. This does not mean it is an easy journey, but it is a shared journey with everyone; you are not alone.
It is important to know the difference because if someone you care for is afraid; identify the fear and seek to solve the issue. If they are experiencing anxiety, sit with them, be present, and open the conversation of how they are engaging with their world right now.
Anxiety is not good or bad; let go of the labels and engage the evolving person.
For more information see Rollo May’s book The Meaning of Anxiety.
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For more information visit my website at www.holisticpathcounseling.com or email me at jason@holisticpathcounseling.com
This post does not replace professional therapeutic help or constitute advice, seek your own therapist today!
