Anxiety is an alarm condition that arises in response to a situation perceived as stressful or dangerous.
It is a dimension of fear: it is part of the 'defence' system and shares similar aspects with it from a physiological point of view. Anxiety, however, is different from fear because, while fear is an emotional reaction to a present, concrete and real danger, anxiety is an emotional reaction to a threat perceived as future, which we expect to happen.
Anxiety brings with it a set of unpleasant sensations, which are very varied, both on a cognitive and somatic level. On a cognitive level it can manifest itself in the following forms: nervousness, difficulty in concentrating, inability to relax, irritability, difficulty in falling asleep, apprehension, fear of dying, fear of losing control and going mad, fear of not being able to cope with situations. On a somatic level, it can often present itself in dyspnoea and a feeling of suffocation, palpitations, sweating, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea or other abdominal disorders, hot flushes, chills, tremors, muscle contractions.
Source: Approdi Association
