Anxiety comes in many forms, for example, you may have panic attacks, difficulty with sleeping and eating, or wake with sense of dread. Understanding how anxiety works can help take away some of its bite.
Your amygdala is a key part of how your brain processes anxiety, and its role is to interpret information coming from your senses and decide if a fear response is appropriate. The more often your brain produces fear, the more likely it is to do so in the future. In other words, your brain gets to expect it and reacts automatically, without conscious thought from you. This is how anxiety can increase over time. Neurodiversity complicates this further with an often-higher natural anxiety response.
This all means your increasing anxiety is a result of how your brain works rather than some weakness of character or a lack of personal determination. The first step to recovery is to show yourself some understanding, compassion and kindness. Letting go of harsh self-judgement removes some of what will be fuelling your anxiety, and allows your brain to begin the work of re-wiring its fearful response.
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