Anxiety as a concept may be further broken down into the intolerance of uncertainty and the cognitive avoidance aimed to prevent thinking about the uncertainty. It is common to think about anxiety as a response to specific triggers; for example, it is common to hear from people that flying gives them anxiety. What many fail to mention is that the uncertainty over what may and may not occur when flying. Thus, to repress and prevent negative emotions associated with the process of flying, a person will exhibit cognitive avoidance. Because the reasons for anxiety are not always well-defined or even understood by the person experiencing it, viewing it from a perspective of the intolerance to uncertainty could be beneficial for addressing the issue systematically rather than a combination of symptoms.
While it has been established that anxiety is a feeling of unease and fear associated with various triggers, it is crucial to break down the stereotype that it is the result of past trauma. This cliché is simply inaccurate; while for some people, anxiety can stem from trauma, it can be caused by multiple other things ranging from watching the news to speaking to a relative (Fielding). Understanding the reasons for anxiety’s occurrence is an individual matter that is usually addressed with the help of a skilled professional. Diminishing all reasons for anxiety to only one category could be counter-productive to its management and may be seen as simply disrespectful to individuals experiencing it. Instead of looking at anxiety as a mental response to trauma, it should be perceived as a challenge, the underlying triggers of which remain to be discovered for its improved management and mental well-being.
Work Cited
Fielding, Sarah. “7 Stereotypes About Anxiety — and Why They Don’t Apply to Everyone.” Healthline, 2021.