CH
	
APTER	ONE
Is	Anxiety	Running	Your	Life?
Why	We	Struggle	with	Anxiety
A	snake	on	a	hiking	trail,	or	a	gun	in	your	face,	or	any	direct	threat	to	your
well-being	will	trigger	your	fight-or-flight	response.	When	this	happens,	the
sympathetic	nervous	system	releases	a	cascade	of	hormones,	in	particular
adrenaline	and	epinephrine.	These	stress	hormones	very	rapidly	cause	a	series
of	changes	in	your	body,	including	increased	blood	pressure	and	heart	rate,
slowed	digestion,	tunnel	vision,	shaking,	and	increased	muscle	tension.	All
this	prepares	you	for	a	full-throttle	physical	response	to	the	danger.	These
changes	come	together	in	an	instant,	to	create	a	singular	focus	on	
survival
	
.
When	anxiety	is	appropriate—as	in	the	case	of	the	snake	or	the	gun—this
physiological	response	is	normal,	because	it	prepares	us	to	respond	to	the
potential	threat.	
Even
	
when	the	perceived	danger	
isn’t
	
life-threatening,	anxiety
can	still	be	helpful.	For	example,	a	student	might	need	to	achieve	a	certain
score	on	a	test	in	order	to	be	accepted	to	medical	school.	His	anxiety
motivates	him	to	study,	take	a	test	prep	course,	and	spend	considerable	time