NEGATIVE EMOTIONS such as fear, sadness, shame and stress are all too common features of daily life. And when these “worrying emotions” become entrenched and persistent, they can develop into clinical anxiety.
Globally, it’s estimated that almost 285 million people have an anxiety disorder, and more than 8 million of those live here in the UK, where women are twice as likely to experience anxiety than their male British counterparts. In simplest terms, when left unchecked, these negative emotions make us sick both mentally and physically. From a psychological point of view, anxiety triggers our fight-or-flight response, diminishing focus, memory and mental flexibility. These sorts of emotions also have a biological impact, stimulating our proinflammatory cytokines, which can give rise to health issues, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, rheumatoid arthritis,…
