Anxiety: Unpleasant but Helpful

The purpose of anxiety is to draw our attention to something and provide energy to solve a problem. Of course, most of us don’t like to feel it, but that’s the case with any negative emotion that motivates us to do something.

Let’s say we need to complete a complex task. We worry that we won’t be able to do it, we won’t meet the deadlines, but after the work is done, the anxiety disappears and does not appear until there is a need to draw attention to another important matter. It is like a meticulous parent who constantly reminds the child of what he must do, and stops insisting only when he has achieved his goal.

So, anxiety can motivate us, draw attention to important things, and ultimately contribute to effective learning and intellectual activity. Let’s see what is behind this emotion.

Fear is the main element of anxiety

Despite the fact that we experience anxiety quite often, it does not belong to the basic and basic emotions. It is based on a mixture of different emotions, and fear dominates among them. It “activates” in response to a threat that comes from a known source and prompts immediate self-defense. So, for example, we experience fear when we see that an uncontrolled car is rushing towards us.

Unlike fear, anxiety arises in response to an unknown threat and manifests itself as a prolonged state of nervousness and foreboding that makes one worry about possible future threats. For example, we are vigilant on the road, knowing that there is a risk of meeting a careless driver.

Mixing fear with other emotions creates different variations of anxiety: anger, disgust, shame, excitement and sadness can be present in this “bouquet”.

Fear + sadness

If we’re worried about having a lot to do and too little time, our anxiety is most likely rooted in fear and sadness. Sadness itself can include excitement, annoyance, tension and is constantly fed from various sources, external and internal. In addition, on its basis, a feeling of psychological tension inevitably arises.

Fear + excitement

Fear, coupled with excitement, gives rise to the kind of anxiety that allows you to perceive emotion as negative and positive at the same time. We feel this kind of anxiety on amusement park rides, during exciting sports, or when we see a person we care about. A mixture of fear and excitement often helps to focus on an interesting project and feel “on the beat”.

fear + anger

This explosive mixture often culminates in a state of agitation, furious persistence, discontent that motivates action. For example, if we rent an apartment and we are annoyed by neighbors who constantly turn on loud music and sort things out in a raised tone, we begin to act: either we try to get rid of the neighbors (if they are not owners, but the same tenants as we are), or we move ourselves .

Fear + disgust

The fusion of fear and disgust results in irritated anxiety. Disgust in itself is a good motivator: this is how we deny what categorically does not suit us, defend ourselves from what is unpleasant.

fear + shame

Mixing fear and shame creates a sense of conscience anxiety. This emotion is accompanied by thoughts of possible humiliation or failure and motivates us to do what will help us not lose face. Before a date or an important meeting, we put on what suits us, and the thought of the upcoming exam makes us diligently prepare.

It happens that at the peak of anxiety, we perceive real and potential threats too keenly. As a result, anxiety can lead to psychological imbalance. However, this emotion has an evolutionary protective function, which means that it is worth at least from time to time to think about it with gratitude.