How Chronic Anxiety Triggers Panic
A Contributing Cause of Panic Disorder Is Cumulative Stress
Chronic stress over time can be unnoticed but it can build up and cause panic symptoms. Things like personality and thinking styles can be causing anxiety and panic.
Some events which cause stress are obvious and some are not. Even the more subtle ones can lead to anxiety and panic, and other symptoms of chronic anxiety, if they happen repeatedly over time. Here is an overview of some of the obvious, and not so obvious, chronic stressors.
Childhood Circumstances Can Cause Stress and an Overactive Fight or Flight Response
Any situations in childhood that cause chronic stress will continually activate the nervous system, possibly leading to Panic Disorder in sensitive people. For example, any trauma which leaves children feeling unsafe like abuse, neglect, or even the loss of a parent, can cause chronic activation of fight or flight and worry for children.
But even in very secure and uneventful childhoods, things like parenting styles can cause stress. When the expectations for children are very high, the children may continually worry about how they perform. Or if parents are overly nervous and fearful, they may convey to the children that the world is a dangerous place. The children may become stressed when they have to assert themselves or act independently.
Negative Thinking Can Cause Chronic Stress and Anxiety
As children grow into adults, stress can continue to play a role in their lives. It’s possible that they are besieged by many stressful life circumstances. But even if their lives are uneventful, people may have negative thinking styles which lead to chronic anxiety. Perfectionists often replay conversations or events in their minds that have already occurred because they can’t get over the mistakes they believe they made, or that they didn’t respond perfectly to the situation. Such individuals will likely be the best perfoming employees because they hate to fail, but they will probably be stressed out.
Another type of thinking that causes anxiety is catastrophic thinking. These thinkers are the ones seen as worriers or naysayers. They usually assume that the worst outcome will take place and the effect that it will have is imagined as being, perhaps, more awful than it actually is.
Again, the value of this type of thinking at times, cannot be dismissed. These people would be quite effective at babyproofing their homes prior to bringing a new baby home. They will be able to see every possible potential danger. Their advice would be sought whenever people were trying to plan for eventualities, and they would also be there picking up the pieces for those who were unprepared. But for these individuals, a good deal of personal stress results from their thinking, as they habitually anticipate the negative and worry often.
The Sensitive Nervous System Becomes Overstimulated before People Have a Chance to Notice
For those who have inherited a physiologically sensitive nervous system, chronic stressors constantly over-stimulate it. The person does not have the chance or the means to properly discharge these tensions, and in fact, may not even notice them as they may have built up very slowly over time. Finally, the nervous system reaches the breaking point. The slightest stimulus will trigger fight or flight. A first panic attack may occur and then for some, according to the National Institute for Mental Health, Panic Disorder may develop.
Emotionally and physically sensitive people may be the first to notice smells, the first to experience side effects of medication or climate. Their heart beats may speed up at the slightest stimulus, like taking a deep breath. They may be the first to be upset by a disturbing movie, or to spot an injustice being done. Emotional sensitivity can be a wonderful trait, indeed, the world would be in trouble without it. But it often goes hand in hand with physiological sensitivity which can make people more prone to panic and the symptoms of chronic anxiety.
This article is for general information purposes only. It is not intended to be, or to substitute for, personal, medical or mental health advice. People experiencing troubling symptoms should consult their physician or mental health professional.
