When I was asked to write this article, my heart started pounding, my hands started shaking, my mind went into overdrive, and I came up with a hundred reasons why, objectively, I couldn’t write it. New Scientist I rarely have the chance to write. But the truth is, I rarely write because I’m so anxious about writing. What if the person I contact doesn’t write me back? What if I write something stupid? What if I’m stupid? What if, what if, what if.
Obviously, I wanted to write this article partly because I’m stubborn and hate letting anxiety stop me from doing the things I enjoy, and partly because I’ve discovered that doing the things that make me anxious helps me overcome my anxiety (see 5 Scientific Ways to Reduce Anxiety). But my main motivation was to answer a question that has plagued me for years: What exactly is anxiety, and what is going on in my body and brain to trigger this feeling?
The first question is tricky to answer, because there’s more than one way to feel anxious. “I think there are as many different types of anxiety as there are people in the world,” says Oliver Robinson, director of the Anxiety Research Lab at University College London.
We know that everyone experiences anxiety. Anxiety helps prepare you for dangerous situations. Think about walking home alone in the dark.
