«ANXIETY»

        Back in prehistory when our ancestors’ ancestors ran the everyday risk of being eaten by something large and ferocious, they were probably grateful that nature had seen fit to cunningly adapt their brains and bodies to process the dangers and to optimize their chances of survival. Thus as the dreaded foe loomed, adrenalin rushed to their rescue, speeding up the heart and dilating the blood-vessels in preparation for a swift flight or fight response.

Now all these millennia later our bodies continue to use these same techniques. However the “large and ferocious” of yesteryear may be a very different animal today. Thus the violinist standing in front of an audience; the student writing an exam or even the person standing in a supermarket queue, may suddenly feel their heart thumping into overdrive; their hands trembling; their palms sweating like leaky water-bottles and their head filled up with helium. The chances are they may be less than grateful for nature’s survival adaptations. Added to this, once these uncomfortable symptoms kick off, we make matters worse by opening up the throttle to “panic level”. We do this by tensing our muscles; going into rapid, shallow breathing (hyperventilating) and by a variety of panicky thoughts which all serve to undermine our cool and reduce us to a state of helpless agitation.

So next time we are scheduled to hunt and gather in the supermarket aisles, we need to prepare ourselves for the encounter. Slow deep breaths. We need to remind ourselves that should the adrenalin rush in, this is a natural phenomenon and not a near death experience. If we stand calmly and slow our breathing down, the light-headedness will pass of its own accord. We also need to catch those barely conscious thoughts which undermine our confidence and predict all forms of defeat, failure and public humiliation. These are our true enemies and they lurk within and not behind the potted plant under the neon light of the modern jungle.

Mind Matters is a regular Times column by Pamela Glyn, a Howick-based psychologist. Tel/Fax: 535-2224. Email: glynpsy@pl.net Web site: www.glyn-psychology.co.nz