Fear or anxiety – what’s the difference?

They can feel almost identical: tight chest, racing heart, spinning thoughts, trouble focusing. But underneath the surface, they’re actually different.

🌱 Fear is your body reacting to something real and present. Think about a car swerving towards you as you cross the road. There is an actual threat in the present moment. And your body will automatically respond with a fight or flight response.

🌱 Anxiety is about what might happen in the future. It is often vague and can pop up even when there is no real threat. It is about predicting the future, in a catastrophising way.

Often we have anxiety that is looking for something to be anxious about. We find things environmentally that helps us identify: that’s what I’m afraid about. The generalised threat that comes with anxiety is really hard to manage and it is better to find something to be anxious about than to just become aware that this is part of person’s everyday’s state.

Reflection: Take a moment and think about all the things you catastrophised about that actually never happened.

Sometimes catastrophising can be a way to prevent something from happening. But when it becomes a chronic state and a behavioural and emotional reaction, it creates an ongoing suffering.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety, contrary to what we may think, is not an emotion. It is a signal of an emotion, and it often signals something deeper and more threatening. And often there is anger underneath that is not being recognised or expressed.

It can also be signal of other emotions or of needs that are off-limits. When we start to feel a need, or to feel touched, we start to feel anxious.

Anxiety is often not related to one particular theme, especially when it is chronic. It will jump from theme to theme. You may feel anxious about work and when that is resolved, about your relationship or something else. It is just looking for something to be anxious about, as the generalised threat that comes with anxiety is hard to manage.

It can be very destructive, as we trend to run away from it, through over-working, over-exercising, over-eating, or substance abuse.

Ways to address anxiety

Anxiety is a signal that lets us know that there is something happening inside of us, and maybe outside of us, that we are not addressing.

🌿 Knowing that it is a signal of something else that is going on, be curious about it.

🌿 As anger is often an underlying emotion – ask yourself what your relationship with anger is. Do you allow it? Do you tend to take it out on other(s) or turn it in on yourself?

🌿 Name it to tame it. Ask yourself:

“Am I actually in danger right now, or am I afraid something might happen?”

That tiny pause helps your nervous system settle. Steady breathing will ground you too.

You don’t have to fix anything in that moment—just noticing is enough.