Blog #7 - Anxiety Research

 My project is going to have a lot to do with the topic of anxiety. When dealing with a topic very broad, I have read further into it to put the pieces together for how I want Colia to display her anxiety. There are many different types of anxiety. This including generalized, social, panic, separation, etc. After looking into many different types, including the ones listed, I have come up with death anxiety. This further known as Thanatophobia. Thanatophobia is an intense fear of death or the dying process. Being scared of dying is a normal thought for everyone, however, this specific anxiety is a bit more intense. The fear of it creates a lack of motivation along with loss of interest in things found interesting before. This due to the disruption it plays in our day to day lives. This anxiety creates a series of anxiety attacks. This often includes the heart racing, lightheaded / dizziness , loss of control, shortness of breath, shaking, etc. Anxiety attacks due to death anxiety will have specific triggers for something that has caused this fear. So, going through something involving death, near death, or witness of a death can cause this anxiety. This producing that fear as once a sound, smell, area, anything triggered that fear and that anxiety, it causes an anxiety attack.      

                      

I would like to try and film a scene of an anxiety attack. I am going to do my best to reenact one and make it realistic and accessible to film. Colia will experience a trigger of someone banging and she will think of how someone was trying to break in. She will begin heaving breathing along with shaking. Colia will then hold her head and say "No, no, no, no" or "Stop, stop stop" . Something in that range. To signify that she knows what's happening and has no feeling of control to stop it. I want my movie it be accurate and realistic so I can accurately display the life of dealing with anxiety. Everyone is different and experiences different anxiety along with a variety or treatments or self coping. The most recommended for death anxiety is exposure therapy and/or cognitive behavioral therapy. There will be a scene in my movie with Colia in a therapy where she will feel she doesn't need it.