What You Need to Know About The Anatomy of Anxiety | Dr. Ellen Vora

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Key Takeaways:

• You aren’t born with mental health issues. What you are born with, however, are the genetics that may play a part in the development of mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. The common misconception when it comes to the link between anxiety and genetics is that one’s genetics are what triggers anxiety. In reality, genetics do not do such a thing; they only pull the trigger when your physiology is already out of whack and under stress. Genetics only runs with what it is given. Thus, there is hope for those who may feel like they can’t escape what may feel like a never-ending cycle of anxiety. It’s only a question of pinpointing what environmental factors need to be adjusted.

• When we take a close look at what anxiety is, we can see that there are two different types. First, there is false anxiety. This is when the anxiety you are experiencing is due to a biological response to your physiology being affected by certain physical stressors that have been building up in your day-to-day. This could be an unstable sleep routine, overconsumption of caffeine, or overconsumption of sugar. Overall, you shouldn’t be experiencing this type of anxiety. The second type of anxiety is called true anxiety. This is the type of stress that you shouldn’t be pathologizing, suppressing, or can diet your way out of. It’s your true north, asking you to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening within you. There’s usually a call to action you need to act upon to go back into alignment with yourself.

• The modern approach to anxiety is not completely irrelevant. There are some advantages to taking prescription medication in some cases. However, modern-day medicine isn’t the best-suited place to turn to when you’re truly looking to get rid of exaggerated levels of anxiety as they often look to diagnose and treat rather than cure. What’s important to do is to look at your health from a holistic point of view, and work from the outside towards the inside, not the other way around.