suits your life CH APTER ONE Is Anxiety Running Your Why We Struggle with Anxiety A snake on a hiking trail or a gun in your face or any direct threat to your will trigger your response When this happens the sympathetic nervous system releases a cascade of hormones in particular adrenaline and epinephrine These stress hormones very rapidly cause a series of changes in your body including increased blood pressure and heart rate slowed digestion tunnel vision shaking and increased muscle tension All this prepares you for a physical response to the danger These changes come together in an instant to create a singular focus on survival When anxiety is in the case of the snake or the physiological response is normal because it prepares us to respond to the potential threat Even when the perceived danger anxiety can still be helpful For example a student might need to achieve a certain score on a test in order to be accepted to medical school His anxiety motivates him to study take a test prep course and spend considerable time on practice exams The fear of failure can energize and focus him for the hard work ahead Or a person