What Are the Physical Symptoms of Anxiety?
Have you ever experienced the feeling of sitting in class before giving a presentation and suddenly your heart races? Or have you ever been waiting for an important phone call and then your stomach starts to feel upset? Have you ever gotten headaches that seem to arise without warning and are hard to get rid of? Many people experience these kinds of situations and assume something physical is wrong, but in reality, it can be rooted in the way our body is responding to our emotional functioning. Anxiety often shows up in the body before we even recognize it!
When feeling anxious, the brain signals the body to prepare for a fight-or-flight response because it perceives a danger that it needs to protect us from. This is relevant and adaptive when a danger is real, but because our brains can perceive situations as dangerous even when they are not, this can cause our alarm system to work a little too hard, leaving our brains and bodies in a state of stress.
Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and that includes certain physical symptoms that can show up differently for each individual. There are many kinds of physical symptoms and sensations that are associated with anxiety. These can include a racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, sweating, shaking, muscle tension, headache, dry mouth, and more.
These symptoms occur because our body is preparing to respond to a potential threat; for example, the heart races to prepare the muscles for action, and faster breathing brings more oxygen to the muscles so the body is ready to react. The muscles tense to be prepared to run, and our stomach might feel uncomfortable in order to slow down digestion because survival becomes the priority. In these situations, the body isn’t malfunctioning; in fact, it’s trying to protect and assist us.
In many cases, people experience a trigger in their surroundings that makes them feel anxious, which, as we know, causes these physical sensations. In turn, these bodily responses can cause more anxiety; thoughts like “I might be having a heart attack!” then arise and can cause a stronger anxiety response and then even stronger physical symptoms. In these cases, the worries about the symptoms might become more distressing than the symptoms themselves. This is why many people can rush themselves to the hospital thinking they are having a life-threatening physical emergency, only to be told that it’s “just anxiety”. But anyone who has experienced true panic or anxiety can attest to the fact that the physical symptoms of anxiety are real and scary in the moment.
When someone begins to realize that their physical symptoms may be related to an emotional concern like anxiety, they are often referred to therapy to see if that can help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a research-supported therapy strategy that can help reduce and manage the physical symptoms of anxiety.¹ East Side CBT therapists specialize in helping clients better understand and respond to these symptoms, helping them feel more in control of their body's responses over time.
Instead of trying to eliminate the sensations immediately, CBT helps people to understand why these symptoms happen, notice our thoughts at the moment, question those thoughts, and learn that these sensations are uncomfortable but not necessarily harmful or dangerous. CBT incorporates practices like grounding techniques, exposure, breathing exercises, and muscle relaxation as useful tools that can help in times of distress.
Working with a trained clinician can help you learn these practical strategies to help manage the physical symptoms of anxiety. Over time, these skills can help you feel better and build confidence in your ability to cope with these symptoms on your own. Anxiety symptoms can feel frightening, but they are a common human experience. East Side CBT therapists will never try to teach you to ignore your body, but instead to understand it better and know how to respond to sensations that cause you distress. As we become less afraid of these sensations, they often become less intense and people are able to function better in their everyday lives without as much distress.
If you feel like you could benefit from learning to better understand and manage your bodily sensations and their connection to anxiety, East Side CBT can help! Reach out to us to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced therapists to learn more about how CBT can help.
At East Side CBT, we help children, adolescents, and adults understand the connection between anxiety, thoughts, and physical sensations using evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Whether you're seeking care in our Upper East Side or Bergen County office, we're here to help.
Schedule a consultation today to learn how CBT can help you feel more confident in responding to anxiety.
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Works Cited
¹ Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440.