Good Anxiety
Good Anxiety
In “Good Anxiety,” Dr Wendy Suzuki argues that having some anxiety is a good thing. By explaining the neurological differences between good and bad anxiety, Suzuki argues that people with anxiety can transform maladaptive responses to stress into positive ones by working on psychological resilience and developing healthy coping mechanisms. Suzuki further argues that anxiety (if utilized correctly) can unlock a state of flow, which is defined as a state of mind where “high skill / performance is accompanied by a seemingly relaxed almost effortless state of mind.”
Biologically speaking, anxiety is triggered when our body detects a threat. In response to a perceived threat, our bodies experience an accelerated heart rate, pupil dilation, and an activation of our muscles. At its core, anxiety and the reactions in our body that occur are our bodies' way of preparing us to respond to a threat or danger. But in today's day and age (which is emotionally, socially, and intellectually demanding) anxiety can overwhelm us. This is because anxiety remains a primitive biological response and cannot differentiate between real and perceived threats. As a result, particularly sensitive people sometimes suffer from prolonged states of generalized everyday anxiety caused by a continual release of cortisol, which is the stress hormone responsible for our bodies' fights/flight response. Many develop generalized anxiety disorder, which is a condition in which one's mind is filled with constant worry about different aspects of life. This disorder is also marked by a loss of perspective when it comes to the truthfulness of one's worries.
Clinical disorders related to anxiety include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Although all these disorders are characterized by different symptoms, they are all manifestations of anxiety gone awry. Anxiety disorders essentially stem from too much cortisol and lower levels of dopamine and serotonin (the main neurotransmitters responsible for making us feel peaceful and in charge). When the brain is in a chemically imbalanced state, those with anxiety disorders have more difficulty staying on task, feel more pessimistic, experience disruptive sleep cycles, and suffer a general decline in health. Maladaptive coping mechanisms often develop as a way of combating uncomfortable feelings stemming from a chemically imbalanced state. Maladaptive behaviors include resorting to drugs or alcohol, binging on food, or withdrawing from social situations.
Although stress that causes anxiety does not go away completely, there exists positive adaptations in response to anxiety. According to the author, one such adaptation is emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is described as the “process by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they express them.” In practice, emotional regulation begins when we reframe our anxious thoughts by removing perceived danger and think of anxiety more positively. More specifically, practicing emotional regulation allows us to eventually view anxiety as an opportunity to overcome a challenge.
There are multiple ways to practice developing anxiety management strategies. In attention deployment, a person can choose to focus on something other than an anxiety provoking situation. Another strategy is modifying a situation by making environmental changes. This act allows us to exert a level of control over our anxiety and thus lessen it. Another option is called cognitive change, in which a person “actively and consciously reappraises or reframes their mindset or attitude.” An example of this would be when we view an anxiety over an upcoming job interview as an opportunity to showcase our skill sets and knowledge about the job we're interested in. By rewiring our brains to cope with anxiety in a more positive way, proactive emotional regulation becomes more automatic and requires less conscious thought. Thus, our capacity and willingness to develop emotional regulation is directly tied to our ability to effectively manage anxiety.
The ultimate expression of our ability to utilize anxiety to our benefit is defined as flow. Flow is defined as a state of joy or satisfaction felt when engaging in deep states of focus. This type of state is often seen in masters of their respective fields. Examples that come to mind include Yoyoma or Michael Phelps. In order to achieve this state of mind, action must merge with awareness. This awareness is activated by a manageable state of arousal or anxiety. Anxiety (when properly appraised) can help us view difficult challenges as something to overcome. Thus, not enough arousal cannot activate a state of flow and too much arousal makes flow hard to maintain because it makes us feel overwhelmed. Ultimately, good anxiety can help us engage in states of flow where we reach new goals and overcome difficult tasks while experiencing joy and fulfillment at the same time. Flow is self-enforcing in this aspect because when we enjoy the act of achieving something difficult, we are more likely to want to take on more challenges in our day-to-day lives. Thus, the relationship between anxiety and performance can coexist and even act as a performance enhancer in our daily lives.