Fear is a natural response of the body’s central nervous system. It causes us to react to threatening situations, what is commonly known as the flight or fight response. To this we can also add the freeze response. These are reactions we share with many other animals species and has a very clear adaptive purpose: to keep us alive.

• Anxiety uses much of the same physiological reactions as fear, and in moderate quantities may also be useful. Performance anxiety for instance may increase our adrenaline output and hone our concentration to perform at a high level.
• When these reactions become more extreme and fail to dissipate after the event then they can begin to become anxiety disorders.
• Current research suggests that genetics, brain chemistry, personality and life events all contribute to the disorders. Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include - excessive worry; hyper-vigilance; avoidance; emotional distress and tension; faulty and irrational thinking; physical anxiety reactions.
• The thoughts and behaviours associated with an anxiety disorder are generally extreme or excessive versions of normal thoughts and behaviours.
• Many people with an anxiety disorder also suffer with depression, sleep disorders, and physical health problems that are related to stress.
• Anxiety disorders are treatable with psychological therapies, or medication, or both and with specialist treatment, education, support and self-management skills recovery is possible.