anxiety · from angere, "to choke or strangle"
Every generation rediscovers the state of mind and body we call anxiety, and offers its own way of dealing with it. It is tempting to think of it as a recent phenomenon, but that would be a mistake: the Roman statesman Cicero classified it as an illness 2,000 years ago, inheriting a tradition going back to the Stoics and beyond.
The meaning we attach to the word, the anticipation of future threat, has not changed much. What has changed is that the pressures of the lives we lead today have caused a sharp rise in its occurrence. Medication, self-help, talking therapies, yoga or mindfulness work well for many, but there is no universal solution.
A better understanding is given to us by the word's origin: the classical Latin "angere", "to choke or strangle". There we have the direct connection between the inhibition of breathing and the physical symptoms of anxiety. Focusing on the emotional and cognitive components alone is only half the picture, learning to identify and relax the tense muscles that cause shallow breathing is an essential part of dealing with it.
"Worry" comes from the Old English "wyrgan", which, like "angere", also means "to strangle", so the forceful constriction of breathing is at its root too. A shadow of its ancient meaning survives when we talk of a dog "worrying" a bone.
Learning to recognise and ease anxiety is an important part of my self-awareness coaching. If any of this feels familiar and you would like to work through it, do get in touch, at richard@hilliardcoaching.com.