Why Do We Scream?
- devabritow
- Oct 26
- 6 min read
I covered the first three articles of The Anti-Anxiety Handbook last week. The end of the third article included a short segment on spreading fear and how anxiety can extend to being a broader social affliction, and not just a personal one. The writer (Edoardo Albert) cites the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of widespread anxiety and how the people around us become triggers. However, the tagged-on segment on fear essentially serves as a segue to the magazine's next article, Fear Explained. Written by Jackie Snowden, the article breaks down what fear is, how the fight-or-flight response works, its impact on the brain, genetic factors, and tips for overcoming fear. It's another terrific addition to an already engaging magazine, and I wanted to cover it because I think it flows nicely from my previous post —another nice segue.
"SCARED TO DEATH"
"It's not just a figure of speech - it turns out you really can die of fright. The adrenaline released during the fight-or-flight response can be damaging in large amounts. This stress hormone encourages the heart muscle to contract, but if your body releases too much adrenaline, your heart is unable to relax again."
My resting heart rate continues to remain stable, with around a 20 - 30 point drop since I went through that rough patch earlier this year. It's pretty remarkable, actually, and earlier this week, another message popped up on my smartwatch saying that my walking heart rate had dropped too. I have done a bit more exercise this week (though not a huge amount), so it has become apparent to me that stress and anxiety can impact us in a way that negatively affects our physiology.
Back in February, when I had the panic attack, and much like the quote suggests, I essentially had heightened levels of adrenaline, and my heart struggled to regulate itself. The repeat performance in July was not fun in any way, shape or form.
"While not directly deadly, prolonged anxiety can have a significant negative impact on your health. The fight-or-flight response suppresses the immune system, leaving you vulnerable to illness. Going into survival mode on a regular basis can lead to digestive orders as this non-essential system is repressed. Long-term stress can also lead to weight issues by disrupting the metabolism; elevated levels of cortisol can make the body less sensitive to insulin. Muscles that are constantly tense and ready for action can cause headaches, stiffness and neck pain."
As the youngsters of today would say, I am shooketh. And that's not even the full extent of Snowden's quote. She throws in asthma, insomnia and cardiovascular issues as well. All in all, not a good situation to be in. Over the course of my life, I have experienced nearly all of these physical effects. I've written openly about the struggles with my weight, headaches have troubled me for years, and I have had bouts of insomnia. With consistent attention to habits and practices that counter the stress that leads to these physical ailments, I have seen improvement, but have struggled with regularity (i.e., habits). The yo-yo approach can never lead to long-term improvements, and I also think it doesn't just apply to dieting.
Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, involves repeatedly losing weight and then gaining it back, often on several occasions. The term "yo-yo" illustrates how a person's weight fluctuates, similar to a yo-yo moving up and down on a string. We all know about the biological impact of this, but I'm more interested in the psychological effects of the yo-yo approach to anything.
Continuous dieting can lead to a cycle of guilt, shame, and frustration. It often results in an unhealthy relationship with food, and this cycle frequently erodes self-trust, leading to feelings of failure. It's no different from the inconsistency of exercise or the effort it takes to maintain mental and emotional equilibrium. With the latter, particularly, there are fluctuations in progress, and I can feel guilty and frustrated one day and on top of the world the next. My saving grace in this area has been the steadfast churning out of a weekly post, no matter what, and this habit has increased my knowledge and strengthened my resolve. Exercise and diet remain a more challenging work in progress, but it is clear that I need to get a handle on this if I am ever to achieve that 'body, mind and soul' ideal my Dad encouraged. I can't do it, governed by fear, though.
Fear or Anxiety?
Fear and anxiety are related emotions, yet they are triggered by different factors and function differently. Over the course of this journey, gaining an understanding of their relationship shed light on why anxiety may sometimes resemble persistent fear.
Fear surfaces in response to a specific, immediate danger — such as encountering a snake on your path or hearing a sudden loud noise. This activates your body's fight–flight–freeze response, which serves to safeguard you. The brain area primarily involved is the amygdala, which initiates the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, heightening alertness, heart rate, and preparedness for action.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is an anticipatory fear. It arises when the threat is uncertain, far off, or imagined. Anxiety involves the anticipation of danger rather than a direct response to it. The same brain circuits (particularly the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus) are engaged, but they remain active for extended durations, leading to a chronic state of vigilance.
"Not many of us experience life-threatening situations day-to-day, so more often than not our fight-or-flight response is triggered by a false alarm... The fight-or-flight response automatically kicks in before the brain evaluates the situation, just in case."
I was scared of almost everything as a child. The younger version of me hated roundabouts as much as the adult-me hates rollercoasters. I wasn't nearly as adventurous as my siblings and, by and large, preferred to stay close to my parents. While I've established that I have a fear of authority, I'm still not sure why I struggled so much with fear overall. Looking back, most of what I worried about were false alarms... ungrounded fears, yet fears nonetheless. It's easy to see that the fearful child (not-so-gradually) morphed into an anxious adult who is now trying to get to the bottom of it.
"WHY DO WE SCREAM?"
Edvard Munch’s The Scream (1893) is one of the most emblematic and emotionally intense pieces in modern art. It is intensely personal yet universally impactful, encapsulating the core of human anxiety and existential dread. In his diary, Munch wrote:
“I was walking along the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish fjord. My friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety — and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.”
This quote highlights the painting's central theme: a moment of intense emotional and sensory experience in which Munch feels engulfed by the sheer intensity of existence. The figure conveys an inner scream — a universal symbol of psychological distress and isolation. The friends in the background keep walking, unconcerned; the screaming figure remains solitary, reflecting the sense of detachment in contemporary urban life. Much like the widespread anxiety caused by COVID-19, Munch's work depicts an omnipresent emotional contagion, too. Even the landscape appears to "scream", indicating that the emotion extends beyond the individual and permeates the surroundings.
"Screaming is an innate reflex; it's usually the first thing you do when you're born... it is most often a cry of distress... screams are a very effective method of communication in humans. They not only help convey danger, but also help make those who hear them more alert."
I loved the quote above (from a more extended passage in the article). When I feel anxious and scared, I am essentially screaming for help. The thing is, it's a silent scream—one that only I can hear.
A couple of years ago, I was gifted this mug by a wonderful woman who, despite being a fellow Aquarian, is entirely different from me. She's confident, self-assured and the life of any room she's in. The mug is one of my favourite possessions and sits on my desk at work, which is why the image is courtesy of the ITV website. It's so much more than a mug, though. Yes, the quote is hilarious and I always think of the giftor (with fondness) when I use it, but it actually says a lot about how there's largely still a firm lid on mental health issues. From as early as my second post, The Black Dog, I have written about the stigma that is sadly still attached to mental health struggles. While it has definitely improved, many people continue to suffer in silence, masking their agony and distress with painted-on smiles, while desperately wanting to scream - in release and/or in a cry for help.
If you know of anyone who is struggling with mental health issues, reach out. Refer them to your local mental health assistance centres. Break the stigma.
If you're interested in why so many people continue to suffer in silence, the High Focus treatment centers have a great article here.
Random Quote
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." (Nelson Mandela)
#anxiety #depression #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mindfulness #selfhelp #selfcare #wellness #youarenotalone #thereisnostigma
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