In order to establish what causes Anxiety, I am going to explain the difference between Stress and Anxiety. Stress is a common and natural reaction of the body to a trigger that can be positive or negative. When we feel under pressure, or perceive potential danger our body produces the hormones adrenaline, and cortisol which primes us to “fight” or “flight”, ie. take action or run away.
Examples of this include; sitting an exam, giving a presentation, doing an interview.
A certain level of stress in these situations can have an overall positive effect as it allows us to us to focus and perform the task.
It can also have a negative impact if we experience sleepless nights and feel overwhelmed, however after the event is over i.e. the exam – the person will feel relaxed again, and sleep will return to normal