Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety

Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety

We view anxiety as being all in our head, but if you have an anxiety disorder you know that anxiety can be very physical. I work with many clients  in my Akron, Ohio office who suffer from various anxiety symptoms, shortness of breath, insomnia and stomach aches. Some client’s can remember having terrible stomach aches or bathroom trouble as young as grade school. Looking back it was more than just an upset stomach is was anxiety. Below I talk about the physical ways anxiety can affect us and how to fight it.

Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

When thinking about anxiety disorder, you probably consider the normal signs — shortness of breath, racing heart, and constant overthinking. But physical symptoms of anxiety disorders are real, too. Anxiety is a complex mental illness that gives those who experience it a wide range of symptoms. It’s important to know and be mindful about the physical impact anxiety can have on people, because it can feel very scary when it happens to you. If you find yourself nodding along in response to the symptoms listed below, you should consider reaching out for mental health services. As a reminder, more than 30% of adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, so you are definitely not alone.

Muscle aches

Muscle aches aren’t always going caused by working out or heavy lifting; they could be a symptom of anxiety. Beth Salcedo, MD, the president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) said, “Anxiety is your brain’s way of protecting you — telling your muscles to get ready to get you out of a dangerous situation. When the brain misfires, it tells you to be anxious in situations that don’t typically warrant such an escape plan. Often it can be chronically misfiring, which leads to muscle tightness and therefore muscle aches.” This might be noticeable in places that you typically don’t get muscle aches.

Hot flashes and chills

You might think chills or hot flashes only come from illnesses like the common cold or flu, but that isn’t always the case. Anxiety can cause them as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, panic attacks can cause you to experience chills and hot flashes similar to those you might experience if you have a fever. But it’s not just when you’re in the midst of a panic attack. According to the University of Michigan, generalized anxiety disorder can also cause symptoms like sweating. This is where a deep breathing exercise or grounding technique can come in handy.

Tingly arms and legs

Experiencing tingling in your limbs can’t certainly be concerning, and can be a symptom of something serious. But it can also be caused by anxiety. Kathy HoganBruen, PhD, founder of the District Anxiety Center in Washington, D.C said “As early humans, our survival relied on our ability to either ward off danger or to run from it. If we saw our friend get eaten by a tiger, we got pretty good at fighting tigers, and running from them. Our bodies developed great automatic systems to keep us safe—they learned to turn it on quickly (but not off so easily!). Nowadays, we have awesome, big, complex brains to ponder life and death, and assess risk. But we never lost that primitive brain. So, bottom line is that we feel anxiety in our bodies—even if it’s about going to a party and not about survival. There are the more ways that happens—stress headaches, a rumbling stomach, clenched jaw, or a back ache. But it can just as easily be tingling arms or dizziness. It’s all part of the same system that keeps us safe. When your body says ‘danger,’ blood and oxygen rush to where they need to go so you can act quickly (fight or flight)—and you feel that!”

Fatigue

There is no doubt about it, anxiety disorders cause fatigue, which, for some people can be devastating. Salcedo clarified the reasons anxiety could affect a person’s energy level.“Being anxious is like working overtime. Your brain and body are working much harder than they need to, and this is exhausting,” she said. “On top of that, anxiety often leads to insomnia, sleep deprivation, and chronic exhaustion.”

Indigestion

It’s not uncommon for anxiety to worsen indigestion or other stomach conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Anxiety can make you feel like you need to go to the bathroom when maybe you otherwise wouldn’t have. It can be embarrassing and inconvenient when your stomach reacts this way. If this is something you experience it can be helpful to learn how to cope with your anxiety through therapy.

Headaches

We have all had a headache before, but often headaches from anxiety can be located in the front of the forehead or the base of the skull. Headaches and painful tension in the forehead are closely linked to anxiety disorder and emotional stress, and are one of the more common physical symptoms of anxiety, according to the ADAA. “A headache can be a physical symptom of anxiety as our bodies and minds are highly linked together.”

Therapy Techniques for Fighting Anxiety

  1. Deep breathing
  2. Grounding techniques
  3. Talk therapy
  4. Movement (walking, running, yoga)
  5. Healthy coping skills
  6. CBT rationalizations

The above are all things I typically cover with clients in my Akron therapy office if anxiety is the presenting concern. I love working with clients to lessen their anxiety and learn how they can best fight these physical symptoms and avoid panic or anxiety attacks. 

Therapist Akron, Ohio

I hope you found this blog post helpful! Please reach out to me if it seems like we could be a good fit, I am an Akron based therapist who is passionate about serving our community. I am a therapist who works primarily with young adults.  I have experience helping  young adults navigate the stressful college years and I very much enjoy counseling college students.  I see a variety of people in my Akron, Ohio counseling office. I treat people with depression, anxiety, religious trauma and gender dysphoria.  Still have questions? Get answers to common questions about counseling here or simply schedule a counseling session today to get started!