When Anxiety About Anxiety Becomes the Real Problem

Fear of fear arises when discomfort from anxiety becomes the feared experience itself. Hypervigilance about emotional and physiological responses turns anxiety sensations into perceived threats. Avoidance, distraction, self-blame, shame, and admonishment follow, strengthening neural pathways tied to automatic fear. Over time, people may avoid places, conversations, opportunities, social interactions, conflict, intimacy, uncertainty, and even joyful experiences because they fear how anxious they might feel rather than because situations are truly dangerous. The brain’s threat-detection system can misinterpret bodily discomfort as danger. After a panic attack, the brain can associate the original context with danger, layering fear through catastrophic thoughts about losing control or being unable to escape.

"Instead of simply feeling anxious in a stressful situation, we begin fearing the sensations of anxiety. Over time, the fear of these sensations can become more debilitating than the initial trigger. This perpetual cycle can dominate a person's life. Individuals begin avoiding places, conversations, opportunities, social interactions, conflict, intimacy, uncertainty, or even joyful experiences, not necessarily because those situations are dangerous, but because they fear how anxious they might feel in them."

"Because of the discomfort somatically and emotionally, it can lead to avoidance, distraction, self-blame, shame, and admonishment. This phenomenon, often called fear of the fear, occurs when we become hypervigilant about our own emotional and physiological responses. Over time, the fear of these sensations can become more debilitating than the initial trigger."

"We put time, energy, and effort into short-term ineffective strategies such as avoiding, denying, and distracting only to further strengthen those neural pathways and automatic responses. The Anxiety About the Anxiety Cycle The cycle often looks like this: A triggering situation"

"The brain is designed to protect us. The amygdala-the brain's alarm system-is constantly scanning for potential threats. Under stress, humans may fight, flee, freeze, appease (fawn), or shut down or collapse (flop) when threat feels overwhelming (Kozlowska et al., 2015). These responses are adaptive during genuine danger. However, the brain can also misinterpret discomfort as danger."

Read at Psychology Today