By Heather Caldwell, LPCC
This is part of our blog series on anxiety. In our previous blog post we covered the difference between stress and anxiety. (You can check that post out by clicking here.) While stress can be good in small doses and helps us evolve as a species, anxiety is chronic, can inhibit us from growth, and limits our ability to live our fullest lives. In other words, anxiety often makes our world smaller. We fear what might come (anxiety) rather than what is currently happening (stress). In this blog post we will discuss the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and anxiety as well as the physiological impact anxiety can have on us.
In 2017 a nationwide survey reported that roughly 19% of Americans experienced an anxiety disorder and by 2018 the rate jumped a whole 5%! The report showed that Americans’ anxiety rose more specifically around issues of safety, financial security, and health. If we fast forward to 2020-2021 - we can assume that the rate for those who could have or have diagnosable anxiety has skyrocketed with a global pandemic, economic unrest, political divide, and racial injustice. This is to say if you are living with anxiety - you are not alone!
ACES & Anxiety
In the blog series on Depression (check it out here), we discussed ACEs, the link to depression, and their lasting impacts on us in our adult lives. We discussed how ACEs don’t just impact us when we’re children. We carry the traumas with us throughout our life. The same is true for the link between ACEs and anxiety.
For example, a child whose parent is unpredictable and often insults them might learn to wait for the next verbal blow. The parent’s verbal assaults and unpredictable nature causes the child to respond in fear. Activating the flight, fight, freeze, fawn part of the brain - the child becomes hypervigilant and always on alert. The child, now an adult, might constantly anticipate being put down by everyone, not being able to believe in their self-worth, and quick to negatively respond to loud voices, leading to perfectionism & workaholism. This could impact their intimate relationships, their physical health, and their quality of life.
With each ACE a person has, the chance of living with anxiety grows.
Anxiety and Health
But anxiety doesn’t just impact our worldview, it impacts us down to the cellular level. On a broader level: anxiety impacts our heart health by increasing our resting heart rate, constricting our blood vessels, and increasing our blood pressure. When our blood vessels constrict and our muscles become tight, it can manifest as headaches, back problems, and TMJ issues. It can disrupt our gut health contributing to nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and cravings. It can spark addiction or relapse as a means to self medicate or help cope. Anxiety can also cause gain weight or excess fat storage, leads to hypertension, impact our memory, and even contribute to an addiction to feeling fear through risk-taking behaviors.
Anxiety and the Brain
On a deeper level, when we are anxious our body activates the oldest part of our brain. This is the part of our brain that is constantly looking for threats and danger. This part of our brain turns on the cortisol and adrenaline switch - flooding our bodies with these natural chemicals and hormones. In small doses, adrenaline and cortisol help us appropriately engage in the flight, fight, freeze, fawn response. But over the long term, an abundance of these in our system can wreak havoc.
When children experience ACEs that result in a fear response, the fear center of their brain activates their sympathetic nervous system and floods them with cortisol and adrenaline. This prepares them for the danger that is about to come - whether real or perceived. Over time, the brain doesn’t know how to turn this response off, and the child might be continually flooded with these hormones, and constantly scanning and preparing for an unknown danger. Because there is no “event” that let’s the brain know the danger is gone, it cannot access the parasympathetic system to down-regulate and relax. The build-up of the hormones and the anxiety response can build, going from mild anxiety, to moderate anxiety impacting one’s daily life, to severe anxiety leading to panic attacks.
Anxiety can also impact the thinking parts of our brains. When we are anxious and our fear response is triggered, the thinking part of the brain often goes offline. Our ability to make rational & logical decisions is greatly diminished, as is our ability to problem-solve. This can lead to erratic decision making and irrational thinking.
But all is not lost!
Though this might sound dire or like the impacts of anxiety are irreversible, that’s not true. We can actually rewire the brain in order to let it know the threat is gone and we are no longer our younger selves. We can employ tools to help manage and even alleviate triggers. We can grow to see the world as a safe and kind place. The therapists at Evolve in Nature use neuroscience, attachment theory, and body-centered therapy to support clients get the help they need. If you are living with anxiety, we hope you’ll reach out and get the support you need to start living your fullest and best life!