Anxiety and insecurity are like brother and sister. The voice of anxiety says, “What if this bad thing happens?” The voice of insecurity says, “I feel uncertain because my future is unknown.” Anxiety and insecurity can produce unwanted physical symptoms as well as create damage in personal relationships. Anxiety and insecurity are both rooted in an attachment to a specific set of results. Both can take the joy out of the present moment and replace it with feelings of despair about a grimly perceived future. To conquer these negative emotions, the person who is struggling with them must decide to release these strongly held attachments and embrace a more positive, flexible and healthy state of mind.

Emotional Signs of Anxiety

Anxiety can be described as feeling emotionally uncomfortable. It can often be expressed in preconditioned ways when a person feels that something unpleasant is going to happen to him. Anxiety is experienced as a strong feeling of nervousness and can be expressed through hasty or misjudged actions. Will you experience what you want to happen or that which you really don’t want to happen? When an individual is feeling anxious, this becomes the underlying dilemma.

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety can also be expressed by the body in negative ways. Breathing and chest symptoms include rapid or shallow breathing, gasping or shortness of breath and a choking sensation. Common skin reactions include sweating or itching, hot and cold spells, and a flushed face. Intestinal symptoms include nausea or vomiting, loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort and pain.

Strong feelings of anxiety can also cause a panic attack. Panic attacks can often strike for no apparent reason, creating a sudden episode of intense fear. A severe physical reaction may be result and may feel much like a heart attack. A person undergoing a panic attack may fear that he is dying as he experiences symptoms such as a shortness of breath or feeling faint, a racing heartbeat, chills or hot flashes, chest pain, abdominal cramping, or a tightness in the throat area.

Signs of Insecurity

Insecure feelings arise when an individual is not sure or confident about an issue that is personally important to him. Insecurity can also be expressed as feeling shaky or uncertain. Being insecure implies not feeling entirely stable or at ease in a situation.

An insecure person may be worried about the stability of his finances, for example, by holding a deep-seated fear of not having enough money or resources to get by.

A fear of change or an inability to take action toward a particular goal often reflects feelings of insecurity. Insecurity and low self-esteem often go hand in hand.

Insecurity in Relationships

Insecure feelings may also manifest jealousy in personal relationships, as fear of losing a friend or object of affection is mentally envisioned. The insecure person often does not feel worthy of his partner, and may feel that if his partner so much as talks to another person, the partner will discover someone who is better. Insecurity is often rooted in a deep-seated fear of being rejected.

A need to control or dominate is a sign of an insecure individual. Controlling partners often expect their mates to follow strict rules, as they have found a way of living which makes them feel safe and secure in their relationship.

Solution/Prevention

Building a healthy level of self-esteem is a necessary component of combating anxiety and insecurity. Raising your self-image is a goal that has positive implications in many areas of life. Here are a few ideas on how to accomplish that.

Setting small goals that you can accomplish every day is one way to gain confidence in your ability to achieve your desires. Try keeping a journal of compliments. Every time that someone pays you a compliment, write down what was said, who said it and when she said it. Reread this journal whenever you are feeling that you are unworthy, or simply not as good as another person and learn to notice and appreciate the positive qualities that are within yourself. Low self-esteem can be transformed through a love and appreciation for the beauty that exists within everyone, including yourself.

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