Pied Piper Adventures
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Step 1. Understanding anxiety/stress
Return to Nature Guide
Step 1.
Anxiety/Stress
What is it, and why is it a problem?
Anxiety is a fearful feeling triggered by the mind's anticipation of a threat to one's wellbeing. This anticipated threat can be conscious (learned) or unconscious (inherited).
Anxiety is a natural phenomenon essential to survival, triggering the body and mind to launch into a "fight or flight" state of being. The fearful body is sent into a state of physiological arousal with a surge in adrenaline and stress hormones. While the fearful mind becomes highly reactive and instinctual, focused only on survival (leaving very little capacity for conscious reasoning).
In nature when an animal is feeling anxiety this fight or flight response enables them to quickly escape any impending danger. Once the animal escapes a perceived threat, their body and mind will naturally return to their optimal state of balance and wellbeing (ease/peace). However, When an animal is unable to escape a feeling of anxiety, they become both physiologically and mentally "stressed". If an animal undergoes a long period of anxiety/stress they will progressively develop both physical and mental disease (dis-ease).
What commonly triggers Anxiety/Stress in our dogs?
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1. Fear of being Trapped "Inherent"
2. Fear of being Alone "Inherent"
3. Fear of Trauma "Learned"
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1. Fear of being Trapped "Inherent"
The inability to express ones natural behaviours can trigger an unconscious fear for one's wellbeing. Mental and physical frustration soon arises when attempts to escape fail. The mind will attempt to soothe its frustration by carrying out natural behaviours were possible (obsessive-compulsive behaviours). Although these behaviours do serve to temporarily distract the animal from their anxious/stressful state of being, they're in no way helpful to diffusing the situation, and may even contribute to anxiety "wind-up". Once the animal stops their compulsive behaviour and becomes fully aware of their stressful state of being, they can become even more anxious "wind-up". So we can think of these obsessive-compulsive behaviours attempts at escaping anxiety/stress, but in actual fact they are contributing to it's "wind-up".
2. Fear of Being Alone "Inherent"
Dog's like humans are have evolved to rely on the pack/tribe for security. Therefore it is natural for them to fear being alone. This fear typically manifests as separation distress, whereby the animal will frantically attempt to escape its solitude and seek out another animal/human to compulsively connect with. Like all obsessive-compulsive behaviours, this is not helpful and surely contributes to anxiety wind-up. It is clear to us that this inherent fear is no longer helpful for your common house dog left alone with sufficient shelter, a full belly, and plenty of fresh water. Therefore, like many inherent human fears, this has become obsolete, and with the right guidance, it can be unlearned.
3. Fear of Trauma "learned"
These fears are learned through a direct experience of threat to ones wellbeing. The animal will quickly learn to associate a feeling of anxiety/fear with anything related to a past threatening experience, helpfully triggering immediate action to preserve ones wellbeing. However this can become very un-helpful when the perceived threat is no-longer actually threatening, making it a "phobia". Phobia's can trigger extreme fearful behaviours, which like all other compulsive anxious behaviours are not helpful and contribute to anxiety wind-up. Therefore, it is best to avoid phobia triggers until the animals anxiety level is low enough to begin desensitisation (peaceful exposure) "if necessary".
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you