Stress and Illness
| Creativity and Health
Anxiety and Phobia
Anxiety and phobia are related to fear
.
Anxiety
puts our mind in a state of permanent high alert, so we are constantly reminded of possible - even improbable - dangers. Worries play on our mind and disturb us both mentally and physically.
When suffering from anxiety, "threats" become blown up out of all proportion in our mind, even filling us with dread. Indeed, multiple "fear objects" can loom large in our mind.
Sometimes, anxiety can relate to the same perceived threat, so that in social anxiety, for example, we find ourselves anxious when around other people. The greater the associated distress, the more likely we are to avoid whatever might be the "fear object", and the more likely the disorder is to be recognised as severe, and "phobia"-like.
Take the example of agora-
phobia. Here, what fills us with fear are places outside the home ("agora" coming from the Greek word for "place of assembly"). Agoraphobia can see us so bullied by fear
that we can find ourselves literally under siege - and unable to set foot outside our house.
[Nb this website is not a replacement for professional help where needed.]