Can you "fear" anxiety??

I always thought anxiety issues that people claimed to have were a "crock" and an excuse not to participate in something, or just be lazy and opt out of life situations that make you uncomfortable or require effort. That turned out to be just another little thing I was wrong about during my little journey through life. Unbelievably (haha) this was not the first rude awakening i have had, nor will it be the last, I am sure.

Now to put it in perspective, i must differentiate between fear and anxiety. Any time you face what seems to be a serious threat to your well-being, you may react with the state of immediate alarm, known as FEAR. When you cannot pinpoint a specific cause for your alarm, but you feel tense and edgy, as if you EXPECT something unpleasant to happen - a sense of upcoming danger; that describes anxiety. The physiological features of fear and anxiety are very similar: increased breathing or a difficult time breathing, muscular tension, perspiration, increased heart rate... etc. The body responds the same to fear and anxiety, but they are definitely not the same.

I started having anxiety attacks about five years ago. I have slight ones frequently during the week... just a feeling that something is going to happen (which coincidentally, i am normally right - but that is a whole other topic to be discussed at a later date). I have only experienced a severe attack a few times - three to be exact. It can be crippling - the first time I truly thought I was having a heart attack.

In studying anxiety disorders i have found several interesting facts that i would like to share. According to Freud, children who were 'stifled' by their parents - not able to express themselves, or scared to misbehave due to particular consequences, may be at risk for adult anxiety. Think about it.. children experience realistic anxiety when they face actual danger as a young child, neurotic anxiety wen they are repeatedly prevented, by parents, or by circumstance, from expressing their id impulses, and moral anxiety when they are punished or threatened for expressing certain impulses. I have thought about this one frequently. My parents were very strict. We did not talk out of turn or discuss things of a sexual nature. We did not feel able to express our ideas freely, in my opinion. My parents are great, don't get me wrong, but certain generations are likely to grow up that exact same way: with manners, and proper behavior. Did having to leave the room all the time when our folks had company make us feel inferior? Not worthy of contributing to a conversation? Did not being able to express our anger during our teen years for fear of being in trouble.. or not being able to argue our points (wrong or right,.. isn't it important to be heard?)~ did these suppressed feelings lie in wait, -- stuffed deep down into our subconscious, waiting to creep out during our adult lives in the shape of adult anxiety?

Biological theorists believe that anxiety disorder is caused chiefly by biological factors - family pedigree. Researchers try to study how many people of the same pedigree have a tendency towards anxiety disorders. Like most studies, there are always studies to rebuke that - i mean,... if three of five children have anxiety disorders, is it because of their family genes, ... or (as i believe) because they were raised in the same atmosphere - raised by the same parents - thereby not really involving your physiological make-up at all .. but more like your immediate environment.

It is also argued that some children's ego defense mechanisms may simply be too weak to cope with even normal levels of anxiety. Overprotected children, shielded by their parents from all frustrations and threats, have little opportunity to develop effective defense mechanism. When they face the pressures of adult life, their defense mechanisms never matured, leaving them with certain anxiety as they face the world without having had those experiences, or developing that confidence that they can do it by themselves.

However the anxiety presented itself in a person's life, it is real. Until you have actually experienced it yourself, you may believe exactly as I did - "what a crock."
I normally do not agree with the way people raise their children these days,... letting them talk back... discuss things that in my day were not considered proper... letting them dress to express themselves.... things i didn't really agree with before,.... I am rethinking. I am here to learn .. understand ...change my perspective (as we all can) but more importantly, to regurgitate this information to anyone that will listen and maybe get them thinking?? :o) I believe letting your child speak up - talking to your child about REAL things.... letting them FEEL it's okay to express what they're thinking.. feeling.... may really be of more importance than just letting them win the argument about getting a Mohawk - or pink hair? Discuss with them "why" did they get so upset.. let them understand their emotions... "why" did you yell that at your sister? Bringing emotional behavior back to them, when they are calm,... will help them to 'own' it - understand it, and even better,... see that you are listening and WANT to KNOW how/why they felt a certain way. They want to be heard - understood - and it seems this generation is doing a better job of that than the era I grew up in. Perhaps they will feel empowered at a young age and not feel inferior or like they are not valued as much as others - thereby never letting that anxiety settle into their bodies waiting to attack them later. Nope. It will not have a chance.