When discussing anxiety, you will often read about trait as well as state anxiety. These are two very different types of anxiety that have very different effects on those who suffer from severe forms of anxiety. As humans we all have a natural reaction to certain situations which create anxiety naturally through preprogrammed reactions deep within our brains. Since I am learning about anxiety as I go, I first needed to understand the difference between the two types, because they are always the key feature of most articles. First an example of what each is.
Trait anxiety is a sense of fear or being over-concerned with things that are not of any threat. People with trait anxiety will live constantly with a sense of uneasiness about everything. They will have an inappropriate reaction to common situations such as walking onto a train or dealing with crowed areas or loud noises. They may feel like they are being threatened by these inanimate things and in some cases come to an almost debilitating state where they are frozen by fear or anxiety.
State anxiety is a rushing feeling of anxiety that most of us will face when given a certain situation. Everyone’s reactions are going to be different, but it is to what degree we react to the situation that is important. An example of when you might feel this, would be if a child ran out in front of you car. You would instantly feel a rush of emotions and adrenaline. This feeling will subside in a matter of time, and while this is normal, some people struggle to come back down from this heightened state which is a cause for concern.
This article looks at the correlations between state as well as trait anxiety and physical activity. It states the correlations between those engaging in physical activity and their barriers that they build when preparing to enter a new activity. It shows that anxiety elevated with those individuals who suffered from anxiety, which is to be expected because they are entering something that can potentially contain risks of injury. The article does state that state anxiety had a much more profound impact on activity, and that it should be considered when physicians are prescribing activity to their patients.