“The Best Use of Creativity is Imagination. The Worst Use of Creativity is Anxiety” Deepak Chopra
This quote resonates with me because my anxiety is often about the worst-case scenarios that my imagination can create. It is so important to look at our thinking and how it fuels anxiety. But anxiety isn’t just faulty thinking: it can be a response to complex triggers and trauma. Perhaps the two single most important things about addressing fear and anxiety are understanding where they are coming from, and finding a process to work with them.
Fear and anxiety are at the root of my mental illness and I continue today to work on understanding, and finding ways to work with them both. Psychosis, in my experience, is a state of such incredible fear, so I think it is relevant to include it with the topic of anxiety and fear.
Fear, anxiety and anxiety disorders are related but have distinct meanings. Fear is an emotional response to something threatening, which activates the stress response in the body (Ankrom, 2023). When afraid, the amygdala initiates this stress response and heart rate increases, the brain becomes hyperalert, pupils dilate, breathing accelerates, and blood pressure rises (Ankrom, 2023). Stress hormones flood your body (Ankrom, 2023). Anxiety produces the same stress response but there isn’t necessarily a defined threat (Ankrom, 2023). For example, if I had been bitten by a dog as a child and developed a fear of all dogs, seeing a large dog might initiate an anxiety response even if this dog isn’t aggressive. Fear and anxiety can become more persistent and more frequent, evolving into an anxiety disorder.
Edmund Bourne’s insightful and practical book, Coping with Anxiety: Ten Simple Ways to Reduce Anxiety, Fear, and Worry, distinguishes general life anxiety with anxiety disorders saying that anxiety disorders are more intense, more frequently experienced and can lead to phobias (2016). Approximately 5% of Canadians meet the diagnosis for an anxiety disorder and this number increased from 3% in 2012 (Statistics Canada, 2022).
My story about fear and anxiety starts from early childhood. I worried about things and had a difficult time talking about these worries. I know I experienced social anxiety even though I had good friendships. I had a lot of fears that children might have such as fear of the dark, fear of getting in trouble, anxiety around grades and doing well in school. I also know that I had some challenging childhood events that contributed to my anxiety. I think because I internalized a lot of my fear and anxiety, it wasn’t always noticeable to other people, especially because I could also be talkative, playful, fun-loving, and adventurous. But looking back I’d say hiding my fear didn’t help because the fear deepened.
I remember how anxiety felt in my body before and during my first episode of bipolar. It was difficult to make sense of it and impossible to regulate. I didn’t even know the meaning of the word regulate in terms of my nervous system. It had become this constant, felt-sense experience in which I couldn’t calm myself down. My nervous system was extremely dysregulated, causing problems with sleep and appetite. My anxiety and exhaustion (plus past and present triggers) lead to paranoia and soon to full-blown psychosis. I had specific worries and stresses, but I also just felt this vague feeling of being under threat, of feeling self-conscious, and of overwhelm. It was almost as if my fear response was stuck in the “on” position and didn’t turn off.
Flash forward to me as a young adult. The most powerful fear I’ve experienced is psychosis. Every single fear that a human could face emerged for me in this state. Instead of being able to distinguish this as a fabrication of my brain in an extreme stress response, I experienced it as real. Examples of these fears are thinking I had a brain tumor, fearing that I would be assaulted, or fearing that loved ones were threatened. Because my experience was hearing voices, and since we rely on our sense to give us information about the world, I was convinced these terrible things were happening. These hallucinations were like being in a virtual reality game, which allows you to feel as if you are inside the world of the video game. I literally took all the scary parts of the world and believed they were happening to me and my loved ones. Certain conditions, such is not sleeping and not eating, contribute to the severity and length of this state. I couldn’t sleep because I was so anxious and probably because I wasn’t eating much. I wasn’t eating because I was anxious and because sometimes I thought my food was poisoned. It is hard to write about this and hard to imagine feeling so afraid when these things weren’t happening. I wish I completely understood how psychosis worked and how to prevent people from going through what can be an extremely traumatic experience. It can also be so frightening for people who are supporting those experiencing psychosis.
I believe that there is a connection between fear, anxiety disorders and psychosis because they activate the same brain structure the amygdala, which controls processing of emotions and learning, memories, and senses. A telltale sign of psychosis is that a person’s pupils will remain dilated through the experience. Literally the fear response is continual. Of course, not all people with anxiety disorders experience psychosis, and people who experience psychosis don’t necessarily have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. But I think an important piece of healing comes from knowing that the relationship between fear and the amygdala as it is important to keep one’s body as relaxed as possible and learn how to bring oneself down from a stress response. The less your body lives in an anxious, and fearful state, the less the amygdala will be activated.
Even though it has been 9 years since I experienced psychosis, I still experience fear and anxiety, although I don’t have the panic attacks I have once had. It is important to note that fear is a natural response. There is a balance between challenging oneself to overcome fears and knowing one’s own limits. Not everyone has to be fearless or go skydiving for example. However, overcoming fears related to life tasks, work, social interactions, and specific goals are important. It is easy with great anxiety, especially the anxiety that comes from trauma, to make our lives smaller to protect ourselves. If we really want to do something but are afraid, then we need to work with this fear. I speak this from experience: currently I am moving some edges of my fear back. It’s like unfurling a map and discovering there are places you haven’t seen and would like to experience.
Not only do people with mental illness experience potentially more fear or anxiety, but we also have a constellation of mental health specific fears (this is not an exhaustive list):
- having another episode (one of my greatest)
- going to the hospital
- letting friends and family down
- fears around the side effects of medications
- having to disclose mental illness, such as at work, or while dating
- putting oneself out there after an episode
- fear about how one acts when in an episode
It is so important to have support around these fears. When I look at this list, I can see ways in which we can work with these fears. Weaving a net of resources, people, activities, community support, and health care support, can help us manage our fears. I just want to take a moment to send out care and kindness to all those with mental illness and their supporters who are experiencing these fears. Living with these fears are hard.
Many of the tools that we have explored in earlier posts, specifically relaxation, grounding, and breathing techniques, are excellent tools for dealing with anxiety and fear in the body. As I said earlier, learning how to elicit the relaxation response to counter the stress response is key. The practice of mindfulness, which I will devote an entire post on later, is also very helpful for working with anxiety and fear.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is an evidence-based therapy that is helpful with fear, anxiety, and even psychosis. If you have habitual thoughts that cause fear, it can be helpful to replace them with less activating, more realistic thoughts. Although if anxiety has roots in trauma, then trauma therapies such as somatic and EMDR, are most effective. Art therapy with an art therapist can also be used to work with trauma.
Diet and lifestyle changes can positively impact anxiety. Caffeine, for example, can contribute to anxiety by activating the stress response so you need to be aware of your limit here. Getting enough sleep and exercise can significantly reduce anxiety. There are many good resources for anxiety and luckily many different tools for working with it so I encourage you to do some exploring.
How can art help with anxiety?
In the study, “The Effectiveness of Art Therapy for Anxiety in Adult Women: A Randomized Control Trial,” researchers found that art therapy reduced anxiety, and increased subjective quality of life (Abbing, Baars, de Sonneville, Ponstein and Swaab, 2019). Specifically, art therapy helped with acceptance of emotions and the goal-orientated actions associated with emotional regulation, resulting in lowered anxiety.
A PsychCentral article, “Does Art Therapy Help You Manage Anxiety Symptoms?,” refers to a study that conducted a systemic review of art therapy’s effectiveness on nonpsychotic mental illness, which found that art therapy may provide lasting positive benefits on mental health because it provides an additional means of expression and outlet for trauma (Cassata, 2021).
Okay, are you ready to dive into making some art?🎨
Therapeutic Arts Activity
I think it is important to have a visual representation of what helps you counteract fear around mental illness. A collage that represents comfort, inspiration, and reminders of self-care.
Instructions
This activity involves making a collage. Collect photos, objects, words, or any art that you have made that feels comforting and/or inspiring. Think of something you’d like to look at when you are experiencing anxiety. Photograph everything or make a copy of the items. Assemble a collage that represents your resilience. We all need reminders of our strengths. The beauty of this art activity is that the process of art making is regulating and the product, this resource collage, is also regulating. Use colours, textures, and photographs that evoke positive feelings for you.
Materials Needed
- Mixed media, construction or computer paper – you chose the size
- Photographs
- Found objects
- Quotes
- Words
- Glue Stick
- Scissors
Once you’ve completed this activity, here are some questions as guidelines for your personal explorations:
1. Reflect on how often you experience fear and anxiety. What are specific things that evoke fear?
2. Take each fear and explore its roots. Can you identify the causes of each fear?
3. Describe some strategies you’ve used to overcome your fears. What tools are most effective for you?
4. What does your wise self say about healing fear?
I used a red theme as it feels like it carries both the symbolism of the heart but also because it is bold, eye-grabbing, and holds a sense of positive power. I chose things that both inspired and comforted me. Looking at our child selves often elicits tenderness which is why I included a picture of myself around three years old. I included two specific instructions to myself if I am in a challenging time of my life: write poetry and reach out to my supporters.
If you are a supporter to a person with lived experience, it might be good to do this activity. Supporters need support too.
❤️❤️❤️With care and kindness, Meegan
In the spirit of creating a community of reflection and art making, your comments are welcome. If you choose to leave a comment, it is important to know I respect your privacy. Your information will not be given, lent, rented, or sold to anyone. However, when making a comment on the site, your IP address and browser user will be collected. Please see full Privacy details on my Privacy Policy Page Privacy Policy. If you are having a mental health emergency, please take care of yourself, and call 911 or take yourself to emergency at your closest hospital.
Sources:
Abbing A, Baars EW, de Sonneville L, Ponstein AS, Swaab H. The Effectiveness of Art Therapy for Anxiety in Adult Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Psychol. 2019 May 29;10:1203. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01203. PMID: 31191400; PMCID: PMC6549595.
Ankrom,S. (2023, September 25). The Different Between Anxiety and Fear. Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/fear-and-anxiety-differences-and-similarities-2584399
Bourne, E. (2016). Coping with Anxiety: Ten simple ways to relieve anxiety, fear and worry. New Harbinger Publications: Oakland, California.
Cassata, C. (2021, May 28). Does Art Therapy Help You Manage Anxiety Symptoms? PsychCentral. https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/art-therapy-for-anxiety-relief
Statistics Canada. (2022). Mental Disorders in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023053-eng.htm
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Your comment about the unfurling of your map reminds me of the nature of boundaries as the edge between the known and the unknown, between safety and risk. Defining a boundary as “a change point — a moment in space and time when what was no longer is, and a new state is emerging,” Allen writes:
Being alive in any meaningful sense is a balance of feeling and staying safe, and taking and overcoming risks. In safety, we have a vital place to rest, be comfortable and build the foundations of a life, and through risk we are expanded and grown… It is through taking risks that we expand our safety – widening the boundaries and limitations of our existence into ever-broadening and rich terrains… In therapy… pushing our psychological and emotional limits in creative ways. Real and effective trauma work is about carefully restoring the inner grounds of self-trust and trust-in-world, increasing our capacity for risk, not striving to make the world safe.”
~Ru
Hi Ru,
Thanks for the very thoughtful comment. I love the what Allen writes, “In therapy…pushing our psychological and emotional limits in creative ways. Real and effective trauma work is about carefully restoring our inner grounds of self-trust and trust-in-world, increasing our capacity for risk, not striving to make the world safe.” I see this in my own therapy process, this growing of this inner safety which allows me to navigate the unpredictable nature of living. It allows me to extend a little more, knowing that I have a the capacity to navigate new experiences without being paralized by fear.