Unconscious Anxiety or Fear?

We have a prewired system in the brain which alerts us that something bad is about to happen. This can be triggered by an actual event but it can also be triggered by thoughts, feelings, or memories. The brain regulates psychosocial manifestations in the body.
Both anxiety and fear send alerts to this prewired system in the brain that something bad is about to happen.
Fear refers to an external threat or danger. For example, if a distracted driver almost runs you over, you experience the emotion of fear – your heart pounds, you may sweat, your muscles may tense up, etc.
Both fear and anxiety involve the activation of the body by the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
The somatic and autonomic nervous systems create symptoms e.g., a pounding heart, tension, sweating.
Fear is triggered by an objective (external) threat while anxiety is triggered (internally) by our feelings.
Anxiety refers to an internal experience of feelings which are experienced as threatening. That is, feelings from inside oneself that are experienced as threatening trigger anxiety.
Anxiety is experienced as bodily sensations which may include a pounding heart, muscle tension, sweaty palms, nausea, dry mouth, elevated breathing rates, and other symptoms.
Severe anxiety can be disabling. It can and does cause significant difficulties in a person’s life such as: social anxiety, agoraphobia, panic attacks, and somatic problems which often present like medical problems.
Severe anxiety is often a major reason for ER visits – by people whose severe anxiety may lead them to believe they are suffering from a medical problem. Severe anxiety is often mis-diagnosed and is often a cause for unnecessary treatments / surgeries.
To manage anxiety effectively it is necessary to learn how to manage the feelings that trigger anxiety.
Breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, and anxiety medications offer relief from anxiety however they do not resolve anxiety because they do not address the root cause of the anxiety. They miss a key component in helping people master their anxiety i.e., affect regulation.
Not everyone experiences anxiety in the same way. To address and gain mastery over anxiety it is important to understand the unique individual experiences that cause anxiety and the individual neurological pathways of anxiety discharge. Interventions must then be tailored based on unique individual needs.