Why Anxiety Feels So Physical, And What to Do About It

Your body is not broken. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Here is why, and how to work with it instead of against it.

If you have ever wondered why anxiety shows up in your body, the racing heart, the tight chest, the shallow breathing, the stomach that won't settle, you are not alone. And you are not imagining it. What you are experiencing is one of the most powerful survival systems in the human body doing its job.

Anxiety is, at its core, a fear response. Your brain's job is to keep you safe. When it perceives a threat, whether that threat is a tiger in the woods or a difficult conversation at work, it sends a signal to your nervous system to prepare for action. Adrenaline and cortisol flood your bloodstream. Your heart speeds up to pump more blood to your muscles. Your breathing quickens to bring in more oxygen. Your digestion slows because digesting lunch is not a priority when you are running from danger.

The problem is that your brain cannot always tell the difference between a real physical threat and a perceived emotional one. So it responds to both with the same urgency.

What this means for you: The physical symptoms of anxiety are not a sign that something is wrong with you. They are a sign that your nervous system is working. The goal is not to eliminate the response, it is to teach your nervous system that you are safe, and to build the capacity to move through the response rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Three things that actually help:

First, name what is happening. When you feel physical anxiety symptoms, try saying to yourself: 'This is my nervous system responding to a perceived threat. I am not in danger. This will pass.' Naming the experience activates the prefrontal cortex, the thinking part of your brain, and begins to calm the alarm response.

Second, slow your exhale. Breathing exercises work because your exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your body's 'rest and digest' mode. Try breathing in for 4 counts, and out for 6 to 8 counts. The longer exhale is the key.

Third, move your body. Physical movement helps metabolize the adrenaline and cortisol that anxiety releases. Even a 5-minute walk can shift your body out of the alarm state.

You are not broken. Your body is doing its best to protect you. The work we do together is about teaching it a new way.

With love, Sheila