Research in neuroplasticity has shown that the brain is malleable, and can even be 'trained'. The same way exercise makes muscles stronger, you can also strengthen neural pathways with certain behaviors and thought patterns, and reduce the symptoms and frequency of anxiety.
Anxiety Therapy is one way to rewire the brain. It helps you build new neural pathways that are healthy and help control anxiety symptoms. Mindfulness is another way to rewire the anxious brain. Mindfulness helps retrain the brain through mindfulness meditation, which will effectively help with anxiety.
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. It's a human response that is vital for our survival. It helps us respond to emergencies or dangerous situations; for example, if there is a fire or we're being attacked.
Fear isn't just in your head
To say that watching a scary movie can sometimes feel like a physical activity may not be that far of a stretch, because it's not just your brain that reacts to being afraid. As you already know, it's your entire body. The gasp and the goosebumps. The widened eyes and pounding heart.
In addition to the physical symptoms of fear, people may experience psychological symptoms of being overwhelmed, upset, feeling out of control, or a sense of impending death.
At the root of all fear is simply the fear that you can't handle whatever life may bring you. We tell ourselves: 'I can't handle illness', 'I can't handle making a wrong decision', 'I can't handle rejection', etc. So, if you knew you could handle anything that came your way, what would you possibly have to fear?
Fight, flight, freeze, flop, friend
But the other three common reactions to fear and danger - freeze, flop and friend - are just as instinctive as fight or flight, and we don't get to choose which ones we experience in the moment.
Feeling afraid all the time is a common consequence of frequent stress responses. Anxiety also activates the stress response. Many overly anxious people have a heightened sense of being afraid all the time due to the combination of anxious behavior and the stress it creates.
Also known as Glossophobia, fear of public speaking is the world's number one phobia, believed to affect about 75% of people across the globe. For some people, this fear might manifest as a slight feeling of nervousness at the thought of speaking publicly, while others experience full-on fear and panic.
As soon as you recognize fear, your amygdala (small organ in the middle of your brain) goes to work. It alerts your nervous system, which sets your body's fear response into motion. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released.
Fear of death
The mother of all fears – and, as some theories suggest, the only true reason we fear anything at all.
Seniors may experience more anxiety-inducing situations than younger adults, and they may not have as many resources for support. Some people may notice that their anxious thoughts get stronger or more frequent with age, but anxiety is a treatable mental health disorder.
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder where you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear. Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety and panic at certain times. It's a natural response to stressful or dangerous situations.
Answer honestly, and avoid fabricating false stories
The best way to answer this question is with honesty. Talk about a real fear that you experience and in the rare case that you do not fear anything, take this opportunity to talk about a weakness that you think may be your Achilles' heel.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, “A threat stimulus, such as the sight of a predator, triggers a fear response in the amygdala, which activates areas involved in preparation for motor functions involved in fight or flight. It also triggers release of stress hormones and sympathetic nervous system.”
There is unskillful fear and there is skillful fear
In the strange and frightening forest, the Buddha found freedom from fear by facing it down and recognizing it as a temporary mind state. In other teachings, he makes the helpful distinction between unskillful fear and skillful fear.
Fear can ramp up nervous system activity in some potentially unhealthy ways, according to StatPearls. It's also closely associated with mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and may in some cases reinforce or even give rise to these mental health conditions, Davis says.
Fear is an emotional reaction to a specific, real danger, while anxiety is an excessive and unfocused fear that may be triggered by a variety of stimuli. Anxiety caused by stress may persist long after the trigger is removed or arise with no trigger at all.
Fear Homones
The adrenal gland is an endocrine gland that produces two fear hormones—adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are carried in the bloodstream to all parts of your body. Fear hormones are secreted by the adrenal gland, an endocrine gland located on top of your kidneys.