Learn how anxiety is caused by biology: How your survival system is designed to scan for threats, why it misfires, and how understanding the biology of anxiety can immediately reduce shame and self-blame.

This episode helps you understand what’s happening in your body so anxiety stops feeling mysterious, scary, or personal.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Jessica breaks down the first and most foundational cause of anxiety: your biology. She explains how your survival system is designed to constantly scan for threats, anticipate danger, and react — and how that normal biological function gets misapplied to everyday situations like social interactions, decision-making, and difficult conversations.

Through clear explanations and relatable real-life examples, this episode helps you understand what’s really happening in your body when anxiety takes over — and why knowing this alone can start to quiet anxiety.

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Why anxiety isn’t mysterious — and what’s actually happening in your brain and body
• How your survival system creates physical, mental, and emotional anxiety symptoms
• Why anxiety often shows up before anything actually happens
• How understanding your biology removes shame and self-blame
• Why awareness is the first step toward calming anxiety (before any tools or techniques)

Key Moments from the Episode (Quotes)

“Not understanding your anxiety actually makes you anxious about having anxiety.”

“This is your biology — it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.”

“Your survival system is meant for real, in-the-moment threats… not farmers markets and difficult conversations.”

“When you can name what’s happening, it removes a layer of anxiety.”

“You’re not stuck in this when you know what’s going on.”

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for you if you:

• Feel confused by how intense your anxiety reactions are
• Experience physical symptoms like racing heart, nausea, tension, or panic
• Get anxious anticipating things like conversations, decisions, or social situations
• Have been told to “just calm down” or “think differently” — and felt invalidated
• Want to understand anxiety without shame or self-criticism

Main Takeaway

Your anxiety feels intense because your survival system is doing exactly what it was designed to do — scan for threat and keep you safe. The problem isn’t you; it’s that this biological system is reacting to everyday situations as if they’re dangerous.

When you understand what’s happening in your body, anxiety becomes less scary, less personal, and easier to work with. Awareness isn’t the final step — but it’s the foundation that makes real change possible.

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*Disclaimer* This show is for information and inspiration. It is not professional mental health counseling or medical advice. If you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health or medical professional.

Topics Covered in This Episode

• What anxiety really is
• Survival system and anxiety
• Fight, flight, freeze response explained
• Anxiety symptoms in the body
• Why anxiety feels overwhelming
• Anticipatory anxiety and overthinking
• Biology of anxiety
• Nervous system and anxiety
• Why anxiety isn’t your fault
• Understanding anxiety instead of fearing it