Is anxiety always a negative emotion that requires treatment? Often, we think of the more maladaptive forms of anxiety—the kind that leads many to seek therapy and medication. We frequently associate that type of anxiety with excessive worry and (sometimes paralyzing) fear. It keeps us from doing what we need to do and sometimes results in panic.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms warranting attention include nervousness, restlessness, tension, a sense of impending danger or doom, difficulties with concentration or sleep, and avoidance of things that trigger anxiety. Physical symptoms include increased heart rate and respiration, hyperventilation, sweating, trembling, and gastrointestinal issues.
As with many conditions, it is always wise to see your physician first to be certain that the symptoms are not associated with a medical condition—many of which are easily treated. In the absence of a medical condition, psychotherapy is very effective. There are also various medications that can help manage the disruptive effects of an anxiety disorder.
So, when is anxiety not unhealthy? It is important to understand that anxiety is a normal human emotion. From an evolutionary standpoint, anxiety is our reaction to a perceived threat. In its most adaptive form, it prepares us to act, often triggering our fight or flight response. Anxiety can precede normal events, such as taking a test in school, a new job interview, or speaking before a crowd. It can often arise when the outcome is unknown. These reactions can be short-lived and do not interfere with our ability to lead an otherwise perfectly normal life.
How about anxiety as a motivator? Interesting research has shown that certain stress levels can act as motivation to help sustain us in our endeavor to reach a particular goal. Swiss neuroscientists have found that trait anxiety following exposure to stress can lead to sustained motivation. However, it is when the stress is too prolonged or intense that more maladaptive forms of anxiety can develop.
How do we harness stress and related anxiety and transition it from a potentially debilitating condition to one that is a motivator? For this, we can look to researchers at the University of Rochester who taught the adaptive benefits of stress. We suffer the negative consequences of stress and anxiety when we perceive our resources as insufficient to handle the stress. Rather than eliminating stress or engaging in relaxation techniques, students preparing for a math exam were trained to reappraise their resources to meet the math exam challenge. Not only did their maladaptive stress recede, but their positive response carried over into the next exam. As an added benefit, the researchers also found that the students who engaged in this reappraisal were also involved in less procrastination. This resulted in higher scores on their exams. A clear physiological benefit was also found. Students showed a decrease in cortisol, a hormone associated with negative responses, and an increase in testosterone, which has been associated with optimal performance.
This research suggests disconnecting stress from the anxiety reaction has positive results. Understanding that much of our daily stress is normal is the start of our reappraisal, and that we almost always have the coping resources we need. When we take a step back, assess the situation, and devise an adaptive response, our maladaptive stress response and debilitating anxiety can recede into the background. More importantly, we can turn our stress into a motivator to excel and meet daily challenges—large and small—more confidently.
Dr. Dan DaSilva is a neuropsychologist with specialties in aviation and pediatric neuropsychology. He earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a master’s of education in Counseling Psychology from The University of Massachusetts at Boston, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College. He completed specialized neuropsychology training through the Veteran’s Administration in a consortium with UMDNJ and University Hospital in Newark, NJ.
