CAN ANXIETY CAUSE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS?

Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.

“Doctors see it all the time: patients with real pain or other symptoms, but nothing is physically wrong with them,” says Dr Arthur Barsky, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Patients may experience headaches, nausea, muscle pain, aches in different areas of the body, or an upset tummy.

It’s totally possible for your symptoms to be driven by emotions, not a physical illness.

Your autonomic nervous system is responsible for bodily functions such as breathing, urination, sexual function and heart rate – in other words, functions that are instinctive in nature. It’s also responsible for your fight-or-flight response. While the risk of its kicking into the highest gear to protect you from a bear attack is unlikely, nowadays doctors are seeing it in regular action, thanks to our high levels of stress and anxiety.

COVID-19 has been a major contributor to an increase in stress and anxiety.

So, how do you manage the physical symptoms of anxiety? The first step is getting to the “why”. You can easily get so fixated on the symptoms that you lose track of what is causing them. Become quiet and listen to what is going on in your body. Is there anything happening in your life, or in general, that is affecting your emotions, and causing you to stress or feel anxious?

Then focus on how you can actively calm your mind and get your thoughts off the source of the stress. Find something useful or calming to occupy your thoughts. You should soon find that the symptoms start to ease on their own. Walk the dog, build a puzzle, make a sandwich, water your plants, go for a workout, do breathing exercises, call a friend, enjoy a coffee.

“It’s good to build a repertoire of things that can distract you from your focus on your body. Look at a photo album. Do the laundry,” suggests Dr Barsky. “This can fairly reliably get you out of a cycle of increased anxiety and increased physical symptoms.”

Takeaway

In October, ICAS is running a mental health campaign, and you can participate in the ICAS 30-Day Mental Health Toolkit, which will help you to clean up your habits.

However, if you’ve been struggling with poor mental health, it may be time to seek professional help. Your doctor will be able to prescribe the appropriate treatment.

You and your immediate family have access to the ICAS EWP which provides an omnichannel point of access.

Written by LifeAssist