What does anxiety look like? Physical manifestations of our anxious feelings
Anxiety is more easily recognized by its effects on our emotional wellbeing and is linked to symptoms such as: racing or obsessive thinking, constant worry, indecision, and jumping to the worst-case scenario. However, it can be hard to recognize how anxiety effects our physical bodies.
Anxiety does not only live in the mind.
As the mind and body are closely connected, emotional turmoil often manifests in physical symptoms such as upset stomach, dizziness, fatigue, increased heart rate, and panic attacks, among others.
Physical manifestations of anxiety can be disconcerting and lead people to worry about whether their physical health is in danger which, in turn, exacerbates the emotional symptoms of anxiety. Recognizing the connection between your anxiety and physical and emotional symptoms is the first step towards healing.
Below are some examples which illustrate possible physical manifestations of anxiety. The symptoms have been underlined, and anxiety triggers are listed below each example.
Example 1
You are preparing to give an important presentation at work and really want to do a good job. The CEO will be in attendance and you’re hoping to make a good impression. You’ve been working hard and, as presentation day approaches, you notice that every time you go to edit your presentation your heart starts to beat faster, maybe your hands get shaky and you start to feel dizzy. Or, when you walk past the conference room where your presentation will take place you notice your stomach cramps and suddenly you feel nauseas. For some reason, every time you pass the CEOs office or see them in the hallway you suddenly get hot start to sweat. You’re confused because you feel in good health at any other time in the day and worry there might be something physically wrong with you.
Triggers of anxiety here include: working on the presentation, the conference room where presentation will take place, seeing the CEO and their office.
Example 2
You’ve been having some relationship troubles with your partner and you’re worried they might be seeing someone else. Over time you start to notice that whenever you watch a tv show where someone is being unfaithful it’s suddenly hard to take a full, deep breath and you feel a tightness in your chest. When you see your partner checking messages on their phone a wave of panic washes over you and you get cold and worry that they might be messaging a new love interest. At night, you have a hard time sleeping and find yourself creating endless scenarios in your mind (rumination) where you find out your partner has been cheating or imagining the day they finally break up with you.
Triggers of anxiety here include: witnessing infidelity in the media, message alerts on your partner’s phone and perceiving them as being secretive about the messages.
If you’d like to learn more about physical and emotional manifestations of anxiety and speak to a professional in the Bay Area about how to manage them, contact us at Therapy Now SF to book a free consultation.