Why Am I Anxious?

​For some, the world can be a very unsafe place. Well, at least, that is how many people come to view their environment and even other people as they navigate the many scenarios and challenges life brings. For these people, anxiety may be very dominant in their psyche. This is not surprising, as fear is a strong primary emotion and anxiety is a common mental health condition reported worldwide. While anxiety may be triggered by a variety of things, this article explores anxiety in relation to physical security. We look at a few reasons why some people may feel fear or apprehension in their environment and what psychology has to say about this.

​As with everything else in our lives, behavior is learnt. One common notion posits that children are born as “blank slates” (tabula rasa) and their very early experiences shape the mold they fit into later on in life. Below are some examples of experiences which may induce anxiety and fear in someone relating to their security.

• Early childhood abandonment – children who may experience a parent or parents dying or leaving them within very vulnerable years of their life grow with a sense of fear of the unknown. This is because those who were supposed to protect them during their most vulnerable years failed to do so, and because of this, their elementary need of protection and security was not met. The consequence later on can sometimes manifest as anxiety related to protection whether from perceived threat or further abandonment by other figures in their lives.

• Trauma – At any age, the experience of trauma will certainly induce a sense of anxiety in victims. Rape, robbery, abuse, motor vehicle accidents or even being an eye-witness to similar traumas will induce a continuous anxiety in persons until they seek therapeutic resolution to these issues.

• Parenting – it is not common for parents with high levels of security related anxiety to pass these mindsets down to their children. Over-protective parents or parents who themselves are victims of trauma teach their children, unintentionally or otherwise, that fear and worry are mechanisms of protection rather than paralysis.

• Mental illness – several mental illnesses including paranoid personality disorder and schizophrenia may be responsible for inducing security related anxiety in persons. For these people, their suspicions and anxiety are openly voiced, constantly -almost obsessively – and can be a sign if accompanied by others that it is time to get help.

There are many various circumstances that may induce anxiety related to security in persons today - these are only a few. In ending we want to stress that it is important to seek help if the fear and anxiety which is being experienced begins to cripple or paralyze your loved one in their living or working environment. Feelings of anxiety are worthy of validation. That doesn't mean they have to stay with you forever!