Fear vs. Anxiety: Know the sheer difference between the two

What is Fear

Fear has always been the strongest emotion above all. It is the Fear which has created and destroyed monarchies. The Fear makes a creature a predator and another creature the hunted one. As said by Lewis Carroll, “It is better to be feared than to be loved,” in the book Alice in Wonderland.

Fear is the opposite of brevity; it is both essential and harmful. Fear always has a very strong effect on your mind and body. The Fear which gives you the thrill of winning something is essential, but then again, Fear which gives you panic attacks and freezes you in your tracks is dangerous.

Fear of the unknown has always been more prominent than the Fear of the dark, as mentioned by J.K Rowling in her book Harry Potter and Half-blood Prince. It is always the Fear that both drives us and makes us go to that extent where our functionalities become frozen.

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Fear and Anxiety

There is a very thin borderline between Fear and anxiety; if you are fearful, that will not make you feel frozen; or unable to function. However, Fear plays an important role in our life. Sometimes Fear creates hatred if you can overcome it with time.

The Fear in the extreme form - known as terror - that Adolf Hitler created over Europe to possibly sink his teeth into the common people’s flesh. The dictator's terror created amongst the people resulted in millions of deaths and World War II.

Fear is the only emotion that can create a series of strong signals as a response when we are in emergencies. For example, if we are caught in a fire or stuck in a cyclone, or are being ambushed and attacked, Fear plays an important role in saving ourselves and protecting ourselves where necessary. 

Fear and anxiety have a thin borderline; Fear is normal, but anxiety is something that needs medical attention. However, both Fear and anxiety can last for a short time and then pass, depending on the type of event, the age of the person, or even the psychological state of the person as a whole.

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The different forms of Fear

The Fear of death makes a person clutch onto dear life; it is the Fear that makes a dog run away if a stone is thrown at it. The Fear will make the pigeon sitting on your balcony’s railing fly away when you approach it.

But then again, the Fear of losing its eggs will make a male Ostrich attack a predator to save its offspring. Fear is everything; then again, not having Fear can also be dangerous.

A small baby does not know how to feel Fear, so they might put their hands into the fire or even try to touch and play with a cockroach. The baby's family members teach them what to fear and what not to fear.

A naked person will always have a fear of getting caught in public. Sometimes, Fear comes from the innermost feeling of shame and guilt. Fear is always blended with other emotions, which makes it difficult to handle.

Fear is a psychological factor that is subjective from person to person. What is fearful to you might not be fearful to another person. You might run away seeing a scurrying spider, whereas another person might try to catch it and throw it out of the window.

Even a popular children’s rhyme is based on the Fear of spiders - “Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her curd whey; then came a spider, sat beside her frightening Miss Muffet away.” So, Fear is a very subjective factor as maybe the spider wanted to make friends with Miss Muffet, but she ran away out of Fear that it might bite her.

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The different types of anxiety

Medical science can also call anxiety a psychological factor as people might feel anxious about some upcoming events in their life. The dread of not knowing what will occur in the future, the anxiety of finding a way that might have a dead end, and the anxiety of giving into your addiction, which you do not want to give in; are some of the examples of the feeling of anxiety having a connection with the psychological factors in our mind.

Fear also has an underlying effect when you are going to face non-dangerous events but are apprehensive to your core, such as giving exams, approaching a public speaking, starting a new job, going on the first date, or even going to a party where you don’t know more than half of the people. 

It’s a natural yet psychological response from the human mind to the threat that can be both perceived and real. Even the student cheating in the exam might feel the Fear of getting caught. But, some fears can be dangerous and might cross the limit of normal functionality.

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What is Anxiety

The Fear that prevents you from doing the normal things that might have been easy for others and makes you hide inside a closet is anxiety. Now, that is not something to be taken lightly.

Anxiety is a medical term that we use to define some types of Fear which might stop our regular functionalities on a day-to-day basis. Now, how does anxiety develop? Well, that’s a complicated question that one must address in many ways.

The moment when your mind might feel that you are in danger due to a previous trauma can set in the acute level of Fear: anxiety.

Anxiety usually has to do with the thought of an unwanted and unknown threat or the immense Fear of something going wrong in the future, rather than having the thought about the present situation.

Sometimes certain past trauma might create a lasting effect on our minds resulting in the Fear transforming into anxiety, and in such cases, they may also last much longer than expected, and you can get stuck with these feelings. 

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Anxiety and mental health issues

Anxiety is a very obvious feeling that has been a cause of mental health issues for many people worldwide. In some cases, anxiety can provoke panic attacks which can take over your life.

The mental health issue is a huge deal in the present scenario of our lifestyle and daily activities. So, it is a coin’s two sides. A fool will be the one who might be afraid of even small things, and a brave will be the one who will try to overcome the Fear.

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Side-effects of Anxiety

However, one needs to know the side effects of having Fear and anxiety to conquer Fear and anxiety. If you are going through constant Fear, it might be the symptoms of the early setting of the anxiety. In such cases, it might affect your ability to eat and sleep.

Appetite plays a very important role in case of Fear, let alone in case of anxiety. Sometimes children lose their appetite before an exam and even feel fidgety. Sleep might get disrupted in such a case since too much anxiety is making you stay awake at night.

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Overcome your Fear and anxiety

However, never let anxiety ruin your day-to-day activities like failing to keep concentration or barring you from traveling. Social anxiety plays a very significant role in stopping people from traveling or attending any specific event they otherwise might have enjoyed participating in the event.

Never let anxiety or Fear stop you from enjoying life or even leaving the house or going to work or school. It is a serious mental health issue that needs to be addressed with care and concern.

If you feel Fear for a long time and it is causing heart vibration, then it might make things difficult for you. These feelings can hold you back to such an extent that you might not be able to do certain things you want or need to do.

Fear shouldn’t stop you from achieving your goals, making you feel weak, or giving you cold feet. Fear should give your brain the necessary signals to act immediately or at the least make you understand that there is a way to solve the problem.

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The aspects of Fear

Anything which affects your health is not worth your time and should be given special attention by medical experts. Fear is a common aspect in human beings and helps us understand other emotions. 

Athletes feel fear every time they go on to give their best performance. Every diver and every surfer feels the Fear of either the water depth or the unruly waves. But, that doesn’t stop them from achieving their goals.

Even an infant trying to walk may fear falling, but that does not stop the baby from trying again. The thrill of walking and the curiosity to get closer to objects give the baby an intense excitement mixed with Fear. 

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The aspects of anxiety

Some people get overwhelmed with Fear to such an extent that they want to avoid those situations that might make them feel frightened so much that it might cross the line to anxiety. 

Sometimes it can become difficult for these people as breaking the cycle of anxiety and depression can be hard. Certain situations make us believe in things that might not happen, but the belief is enough to make us get overwhelmed and make the event unsolvable due to Fear of being unable to accomplish it.

However, there are many ways to overcome Fear or anxiety. It’s not easy to get rid of anxiety, but there is always somewhere to start, and you can start now. The little hurdle might feel like a big hill, but it is just your emotions telling you that you cannot cross it.

The way of telling your mind that you can conquer your emotions and your overwhelming thoughts due to anxiety is the way to cope with your Fear and find the power to logic with yourself.

There are ways in which you can learn to feel less fearful in a given situation and to cope with the Fear set in so that it doesn’t stop you from doing your daily activities or at least living your life.

Every day there are lots of things that might make us feel afraid. But, that Fear shouldn’t make you collapse to such an extent that you find it difficult to carry on with your daily activities or to cross past the issue. Trauma is real, and it causes panic attacks. But, getting control over it is the ultimate challenge.

We are all afraid of some things or others. Even animals are afraid of things like fires; however, their Fear keeps them safe. But, it won’t stop an animal from running away from a forest that has caught fire.

Similarly, fearing failure can make you try to do well in life, exams, or any given situation. However, if the Fear of failure stops you from doing well or even causing an obstacle in moving toward the task, you can conclude that your feeling is too strong.

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Being afraid is subjective

Various people consider the process of being afraid in different patterns. What you are afraid of is subjective; not all people react similarly in a situation of Fear and anxiety. How you act when you are afraid of something is much different from how the other person acts. However, the first step to understanding your issues is knowing what makes you afraid.

There are various ways to solve the problem that is causing Fear. However, there can be somewhere from which you can take the first step to sort out your problems regarding Fear.

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The chronic form of Fear

Well, any form of chronic Fear which stops you from functioning is anxiety, and because anxiety is an extreme form of Fear, it gives you the feeling of numbness, cold feet, and sometimes nervous breakdown. 

Sometimes any form of accident, violence, and exposure to physical and mental abuse can cause anxiety. These types of incidents might make it difficult for you to cope with any form of the event, which might remind you of the situation once and for all.

Anxiety is the medical term that health professionals often use when describing a persistent Fear of rupturing your daily functions. Anxiety is real, and it makes people feel helpless in a given situation; the Fear of the unknown or maybe the Fear of any underlying cause which you might not know can cause anxiety.

Anxiety is a combination of worry, Fear, and the feeling of hopelessness. Sometimes feeling lost or stuck in a bog and unable to find a way out might make you anxious.

However, when the feeling of Fear is nagging and persists over time and makes it uncomfortable for you, then it can be described by a medical expert as anxiety. Sometimes it might give you creeps when you fear something in the future and don’t know exactly how to go through it. 

A chilling spine with cold feet might also make you feel nervous enough to even perform in the right manner. The Fear is more about something going to happen rather than happening right now, and you are getting tensed about the future. 

Sometimes this anxiety can make you stand in a dark alley and feel lost on your way out of the alley. You might also feel that things are not in the right space anymore, so you cannot find the medium that might light up the dark alley.

How you feel when you’re frightened is much different than how you feel when you are anxious. Fear is the basic emotion, and it is common among every creature on earth; anxiety is something else that is too intense for even animals to suffer in a much more difficult manner. Anxiety is something that needs to be addressed and needs to be taken care of in the end.

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The different reactions to anxiety

Sometimes people may confuse Fear with anxiety even though both are different. Some people scream, shout, and yell when anxious, and some break things and throw stuff when anxious. At the same time, some people feel extremely uncomfortable when anxious about not being able to breathe properly.

When you feel frightened, you try to make a way out or way in; you usually do not collapse or freeze to the point of not being able to act correctly. However, when you are seriously anxious, your mind and body work quickly. You might start acting in a way that either creates destruction or obstruction.

Many people feel the pressure of an iron band suffocating their chest. However, others destroy everything around them due to their terrible pain and anxiety. Some other people feel manic under the influence of anxiety such that they have the excruciating experience of something clawing out from inside.

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The experiences with anxiety

However, the basic experiences of anxiety are as follows:

• Your heart beats faster than expected, and you may feel irregular heartbeats. 
• You will breathe very fast due to heart palpitations.
• Mind you, if you have run five kilometers, your heart will beat faster too, but anxiety makes your heart beat faster even though you are not running or making any fast movements.
• There might be a thought, vision, or something that might have triggered you to get anxious. 
• Your body muscles will start feeling weak and as if you do not have control over your limbs' movement.
• You would sweat a lot, especially cold sweats, which might make you feel clammy in your palms and feet.
• Your stomach will churn, and sometimes you might feel acute pain in your upper abdomen; this pain is also a reaction to the anxiety which has set in. As a result, your bowels will feel loose.
• You will find it difficult to register loads of things in your brain one at a time. You might also feel like you are losing your vision and collapsing. 
• You will find it hard to concentrate on anything else as it will become difficult for you even to think. Anxiety makes a person feel overwhelmed with thoughts and viewpoints.
• You might start feeling dizzy at that time and even give way to trying to get support while standing up or trying to walk.
• The most common reaction is that you will completely feel frozen to the spot. Due to the chemical imbalance, your brain will cut temporary connections with your limbs and might get confused about how to act. That is the reason you might freeze in your place.
• You will lose your appetite as you won’t be able to eat. The churning feeling in your stomach and the burning sensation in your chest will make it difficult even to put a morsel in your mouth.
• You might even get a dry mouth due to the anxiety setting in on you.
• As a result, you will feel very tense muscles in certain areas of your body, and in some other parts, you might feel numb.

These types of above feelings and reactions usually occur because your body senses fear and is trying harder to prepare you for an emergency that might occur in the future. 

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The actions and reactions of the body

The neurotransmitters in your brain make it difficult for you to register things in an organized manner, making your brain send emergency signals to your body. The blood flow in your veins to the muscles increases the blood sugar level. 

Your body tries harder to cope with the change of events and gives you the mental strength and ability to focus on what your body perceives as a threat. As a result, your anxiety might cause you disruption, but your brain functioning might try to find a way to cope.

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Know the difference

Now, you should not be casual with anxiety, as you may have other recurring symptoms in the longer term. Anxiety is not fear; it’s not something that gives you a thrill and acts like a driving force. It gives you the feeling of threat which acts as an alarm and might even make you feel that some danger lurks at the corner.

Sometimes what you are trying to focus on becomes difficult when you feel anxious. Anxiety is more than just a nagging sense of Fear; it’s always the dread that you might feel that you might not be able, to sum up with your set logic. 

This anxious feeling may make you more irritable and outraged, which is keeping the fact that you are not able to calm yourself down over simple things and feeling frustrated. 

Now, these types of frustrations will create trouble in your sleeping, and as a result, you might develop migraine headaches. Not only that, you will feel physically exhausted and might get disassociated from time to time. 

You might find it trouble getting on with your work and even lose focus and will not be able to plan for the future. Suddenly you might feel bogged down and completely confused about what you want and do not want right now.

You might also have problems having sex, as your libido will be affected, and you might lose self-confidence. Now, that is not what you should feel if you have a fear of something.

A simple fear will not stop you from going on with your daily life and will help you find the zeal to be better motivated. But, that is not what anxiety is going to do with you. So, always know the difference and if you feel that you are suffering from anxiety, get medical help.