Anxiety can make your body feel like danger is everywhere.
Some people notice anxiety in their thoughts, as worry that won’t stop.
Others feel it first in their body, as a racing heart or a knot in their stomach.
Some don’t call it anxiety at all, just stress, nerves or being a worrier.
Maybe you feel:
- frozen
- jittery
- panicky
- wound up
Anxiety is your body’s alarm, and it’s trying to keep you safe.
Understanding your alarm can help you feel more at home in your body.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to danger or uncertainty.
It prepares you to act, by speeding up your heart, tensing your muscles and sharpening your focus.
Anxiety can be a real response to real insecurity, like money, housing or safety.
It can also stay switched on after danger has passed.
Almost everyone feels anxious sometimes, and for many people it lasts longer or feels bigger.
It can look different across ages and cultures, from stomachaches in kids to irritability in adults.
Anxiety can be helpful, and it can be what keeps you stuck.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety
Physical
- shallow breathing
- sore jaw
- stomach flips
- wired but tired
Mental
- double checking
- rehearsing
- second guessing
- trouble focusing
Emotional
- bracing
- dreading
- irritability
- sudden panic
Social
- avoiding calls
- leaving early
- needing reassurance
- overexplaining
What Causes Anxiety?
There’s rarely one cause of anxiety, and it usually comes from many things at once:
- Your body: some nervous systems are more sensitive, and genetics, hormones and health can play a part.
- Your experiences: loss, big changes, trauma or a frightening event can set off your alarm.
- Your relationships: growing up with unpredictable or critical people can teach your body to stay alert.
- Your circumstances: real insecurity, like money, housing or discrimination, can keep anxiety switched on.
You might not realize how the many small adjustments you've made to avoid anxiety have limited your life.
Avoiding can bring real relief, and it can make your world smaller.
Anxiety is your body doing its job, not a sign of weakness.
Anxiety and Your Nervous System
Anxiety is your nervous system sensing danger and getting you ready.
It can show up in your thoughts, your breath, your gut and your muscles all at once.
What your body treats as danger is shaped by what you've lived through.
One way to see this is through the electrical signals your body runs on.
Anxiety shifts your brain toward fast waves, which can feel like a buzz, a jolt or butterflies.
Your body can find calmer rhythms when it feels safe enough.
Anxiety and Trauma
What if your anxiety makes sense?
After trauma, your body can stay ready, scanning and bracing for anything that might hurt you again.
Reminders like a tone of voice, a smell or a date can set off your alarm before you know why.
That's part of why anxiety can seem to come out of nowhere.
Anxiety after trauma can look like watching other people's moods, planning for every outcome or finding it hard to rest.
Each of these once helped you stay safe.
Your alarm can learn to settle, at a pace your body can trust.
Ways to Care for Yourself
Roll with it
Feel the anxiety without trying to change it. Notice where it shows up, and follow it as it shifts.
Choose one
Pick one sense to focus on, like a nearby sound or the taste of something sweet, salty or sour.
Breathe
Let your breath be short, fast or shallow if that's how it comes. Any way you breathe is okay.
Find your feet
Feel your feet on the floor, or press them down a little. Let the ground hold you for a moment.
When to Get Help
You might tell yourself you’re just a worrier, or that you just need to relax.
But anxiety can slowly shrink your world.
It might be time to reach out if anxiety:
- keeps you from relaxing
- has you avoiding people or places
- leaves you exhausted from masking
- catches you off guard with panic
It doesn’t have to be extreme or diagnosed.
When you feel afraid, it’s time to get help.
Therapy can help you understand your anxiety and feel safer in your body.
Questions About Anxiety
Why can't I just relax?
Why do I always expect the worst?
Why do I feel anxious when things are good?
Why do small things set me off?
Why does my anxiety get worse at night?
Is this anxiety or my heart?
What do I do during a panic attack?
What is high-functioning anxiety?
Resources for Anxiety in Alberta
If you're in crisis, call or text 988 any time, day or night. For more crisis lines across Alberta, visit our crisis support page.
Support Lines
- Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642. Free support and referrals for anyone in Alberta, 24/7.
- 211 Alberta: Call or text 211, or chat online, to find local mental health services and community supports.
- Health Link: 811. Talk to a nurse any time about physical symptoms, like chest pain or a racing heart.
Learn and Practice
- MyHealth Alberta: Read about anxiety on Alberta's trusted health information site.
- MindShift: A free app with tools for worry, panic and everyday anxiety, on iPhone and Android.
- Togetherall: Free, anonymous online peer support, moderated around the clock, for Albertans 16 and older.
Related Topics in This Library
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