The anxious personality
Anxiety is one of the major dimensions of the spectrum of “AS” disorders. This is why I believe it is essential to draw on the work of those who have offered effective solutions to ease this distress. People on the AS spectrum often feel deep anxiety, sometimes hidden from others… and even from themselves. This inner tension can also manifest as psychosomatic disorders: asthma attacks, chronic intestinal or gastric pain, and so on.
When we face our fears, step by step, we gain confidence and courage. We do not “cure” anxiety in the strict sense, but we learn to tame it so that we can move forward despite it.
Why does anxiety arise, and where does it come from?
● Protective function
Anxiety prepares us to respond to danger.
● Cognitive and physiological roots
1. Mentally: our mind anticipates the future, imagines negative scenarios and goes into a loop.
2. Physically: we secrete hormones (adrenaline, cortisol) that keep our attention on alert, sometimes at the expense of our well-being.
The role of adrenaline
Under stress, the body releases adrenaline to make us react faster, with “all-or-nothing” thinking. This binary vision (danger = yes or no) can reinforce anxiety: either everything is fine or everything is wrong. For example, we may mistakenly believe that “these people are laughing at me” as soon as a glance lingers a moment too long.
The role of cortisol
Cortisol, meanwhile, prevents us from relaxing and sleeping, keeping us in a state of hypervigilance.
How does the anxiety loop form?
1. An initial thought (worry, anticipation of a problem)
2. Other thoughts follow to assess the danger
3. Rumination sets in: we go round in circles mentally
4. The emotional atmosphere grows heavier, anxiety increases
These negative thoughts can paralyse us: we not only worry about what might happen, but also anticipate what others might think of us.
What approaches can help us break free?
● Accepting some social discomfort
To escape the “prison” of anxiety, we sometimes need to detach ourselves from other people’s judgement. Daring to be ourselves, even when uncomfortable, creates real breaths of freedom.
● Practising meditation
By bringing us back to the present moment, it slows the flow of future-oriented thoughts.
● Taking a holistic approach
○ Relaxation exercises and breathing techniques (physiological)
○ Cognitive therapies to identify and defuse irrational thoughts (psychological)
○ Understanding the brain mechanisms of anxiety (neuroscientific)
“Anxiety is our natural ability to anticipate future consequences so that we can adjust and protect ourselves.”
Some keys to understanding
● The self-centredness of anxiety
It draws its strength from our insecurities and sense of identity.
● Intolerance of uncertainty
The more reluctant we are to accept the unexpected, the more anxiety increases.
References and further reading
● Dr K. (Alok Kanojia), Boston, June 2021
● Tyrer, P. (1999). Anxiety: a multidisciplinary review.
● Krugers H.J., Karst H. & Joëls M. (2012). “Interactions between noradrenaline and corticosteroids in the brain: from electrical activity to cognitive performance”.