The Truth Behind Anxiety

Written By: Ihsaan Alam and Laila Ibrahim

After a long day of work, you finally tuck yourself in half an hour earlier than usual, yet you find your mind shifting from awkward encounters, to missed deadlines, and future projects. You know you are safe, but your body disagrees. Why? 

This phenomenon that you have likely experienced, is known as anxiety, a stress response that goes far beyond a simple cognitive overload but can have lasting physiological impacts as well. The fight-or-flight response was evolutionary advantageous in earlier stages of our development as a species, but this seemingly obsolete bodily mechanism still has serious impacts on our lives in more contemporary times. Many notable research institutions have leaned towards understanding this from a medical perspective.  

According to the Harvard Medical School Health Blog, when your brain detects danger, even if it is psychological, the amygdala sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, activating the stress response. The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, which produces adrenaline and cortisol. Your pulse beats quicker, your breathing shortens and quickens, and glucose rushes your system, allowing you to respond immediately.

As McLean Hospital explains, anxiety becomes a condition when this defensive system fails to turn off effectively, causing the body to stay on high alert even when there is no genuine threat. Chronic activation of the stress response can lead to sleeplessness, intestinal issues, muscular tension, and poor attentiveness. According to Harvard Health, the persistent production of stress hormones might eventually damage the immune system and lead to high blood pressure. The brain's prefrontal cortex (responsible for thinking) attempts to calm the amygdala, but continuous stress can weaken this regulation, making the brain more sensitive to little stimuli. This aspect helps to explain why anxiety makes us feel as if things are out of control, even when we know we are secure.

Anxiety is not a personal weakness but a reflection of how exquisitely human the brain is—built to protect us, even when there is no danger to face. As Harvard Health explains, the same biological circuitry that once helped our ancestors survive physical threats now fires in response to emails, uncertainty, and self-doubt. McLean Hospital reminds us that when this stress response remains constantly engaged, it distorts our sense of safety and leaves the body trapped in a constant state of vigilance. Yet, understanding this mechanism can be very freeing. Once we recognize anxiety as a misfiring of an ancient system rather than a flaw within ourselves, we can begin to reclaim control of our mind and body. Through awareness, gentle discipline, and compassion for our biology, we can quiet the brain’s alarm and allow calm to become our default state once again. The work is not to silence anxiety entirely but to teach the mind that stillness, too, is a form of survival.

References:

LeWine, Howard E. “Understanding the Stress Response.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health Publishing, 3 Apr. 2024, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response. 

“Anxiety: What You Need to Know | McLean Hospital.” Www.mcleanhospital.org, 2024, www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/anxiety. 

“The Biology of Anxiety.” Psychology Today, 2025, www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/the-biology-of-anxiety/amp.