Understanding Anxiety Sensitivity: When Fear of Anxiety Fuels Anxiety

Anxiety sensitivity is the fear of anxiety itself — the fear of the sensations that come with feeling anxious. It’s not just about worrying or overthinking; it’s about how our body’s normal reactions are interpreted. For example, when your heart races or you feel dizzy, you might assume something is wrong — that you’re losing control, having a heart attack, or about to faint.

What Anxiety Sensitivity Looks Like

Someone with high anxiety sensitivity may notice physical sensations like:

• A racing heart

• Shortness of breath

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Tingling sensations

• Feeling detached or unreal

Instead of seeing these as harmless signs of stress or adrenaline, the mind labels them as dangerous or bad. This interpretation increases fear, which then intensifies the physical sensations — creating a vicious cycle of anxiety, panic, and hyperawareness of bodily cues.

How It Develops

Anxiety sensitivity often develops when people experience physical sensations during anxiety and misinterpret them as a serious problem. Over time, they start to fear these sensations themselves, avoiding situations that might trigger them. This can make anxiety feel even more powerful and uncontrollable.

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is that anxiety sensitivity can be reduced through evidence-based treatments. Two key strategies are:

1. Reframing and Awareness

Learning to notice and reframe anxious thoughts helps break the connection between sensations and danger. Instead of thinking, “I’m going to pass out,” it’s reframed as, “My body is having a normal stress response — I can handle this.”With practice, this reduces fear and reactivity to bodily sensations.

2. Interoceptive Exposure

This technique helps retrain your body and brain to tolerate sensations differently. Interoceptive exposures intentionally bring on physical sensations that mimic anxiety — such as spinning in a chair to feel dizzy, running in place to raise your heart rate, or breathing through a straw to feel short of breath. The goal isn’t to feel calm right away, but to learn that these sensations are safe and temporary. Over time, this reduces the fear of anxiety itself.

The Takeaway

Anxiety sensitivity makes anxiety feel bigger than it is — but with the right approach, it’s completely treatable. By changing how you interpret your body’s sensations and learning to face them instead of fearing them, you can break free from the loop of anxiety and panic.