The autonomic nervous system is a part of the peripheral nervous system that controls physiological processes such as pulse, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. Sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems are all part of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system “controls ‘fight-or-fight' responses” (McCorry, 2007). "The parasympathetic system regulates rest and digest functions” (McCorry, 2007). A balance between these two systems is essential for our mental and physical health. Since the parasympathetic system slows down and relaxes everything and the sympathetic system speeds everything up, when one is active, the other is less engaged. An example of these systems being out of balance would be if the sympathetic system were constantly active at an excessive level. There would be a constant feeling of the fight or flight response even though there is no immediate danger. One way a therapist might help a patient activate the parasympathetic nervous system is by having the patient rub their fingers over their lips. “Parasympathetic fibers are spread throughout your lips so touching them stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system” (Bernhard, 2011). Toni Bernhard J.D. of Psychology Today states that is Toni’s go-to practice calming the mind and body and that it immediately calms someone down. Since both systems are correlated with someone's level of fear, when there is no balance, someone can develop an anxiety disorder.
“In recent years many prominent researchers have proposed a fundamental distinction between the fear and anxiety response pattern” (Hooley et al., 2019). Fear involves the fight or flight response originating from the sympathetic nervous system and it is an instant reaction to threat. For instance, someone taking a shower and suddenly they see a stranger in a mask standing by the shower holding a knife. The person in the shower will suddenly experience a fight or flight response thanks to the sympathetic nervous system. This is a normal fearful reaction to what is happening, and one that may help the person in the shower survive. Now if the showering person survives this incident, then they will have anxiety about taking another shower. The cognitive, which is subjective, the physiological, and the behavioral components of anxiety and fear are different. The person in the shower is thinking I am in immediate danger, and they are experiencing physical symptoms such as tachypnea, tachycardia, and diaphoresis. Their behavior will indicate a desire to run or escape. Now the subjective, physical, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety would be chronic worrying about what might happen, chronic muscle tension and wanting to avoid the situation or stressor, respectively. The DSM-5 recognizes anxiety as a disorder.
“Anxiety disorders are characterized by unrealistic or irrational fears or anxiety that cause significant distress and impairments in functioning” (Hooley et al., 2019). Generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobia anxiety disorder are two anxiety disorders mentioned in the DSM-5. With generalized anxiety disorder, the patient suffers from chronic worry about things that can go wrong with anything. These patients have some panic attacks, but they are not the focus of their anxiety. With a specific phobia, the patient experiences a major fight or flight response when introduced to the feared object or situation. Even the possibility of encountering the feared object or situation causes anxiety for these patients. Anxiety affects society. “During 2019, about one in six (15.6%) adults aged 18 and over experienced symptoms of anxiety in the past 2 weeks that were either mild (9.5%), moderate (3.4%), or severe (2.7%)” (Terlizzi & Villarroel, 2020). With these statistics in mind, anxiety has a close relationship with programmatic themes.
Emotional intelligence and self-care are essential when dealing with anxiety disorders. Emotional intelligence increases with the knowledge of the relationship between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and how they affect anxiety. Increased emotional intelligence allows people to approach anxiety disorders scientifically. Increases in emotional intelligence also contribute to everyone's awareness of self-care. Self-care is also essential in maintaining physical and mental health.
References
Bernhard, T. (2011, September 13). 4 Tips for Slowing Down to Reduce Stress. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/turning-straw-gold/201109/4-tips-slowing-down-reduce-stress
Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033
McCorry, L. K. (2007). Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 71(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/#:~:text=The%20sympathetic%20system%20controls%20%E2%80%9Cfight
Terlizzi, E., & Villarroel, M. (2020, September 21). Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults: United States, 2019. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db378.htm
