Where Do You Feel Anxiety In Your Body?
In a previous post (find it here), I used my dogs as examples of how trauma can affect how the brain over-identifies “danger.” Another important part of understanding an anxious response is understanding the two-way communication between the brain and other organs or systems. I’m not a neuroscientist, so this is a basic explanation. Once the part of the brain that’s responsible for detecting danger identifies what it believes to be danger (not necessarily accurately), it and the “second brain,” the gut, send out the red-alert to the heart, lungs, & muscles as well as systems (like for circulation & digestion) to prepare for the fight-flight response. It goes like this:
BRAIN: Danger! Get ready to run or fight for your life!
LUNGS: 10-4, breathing faster!
CIRCULATION: Got it--targeting vital organs!
MUSCLES: Tense & ready for action!
HEART: Pumping hard!
Anxiety in the Body
I’ve heard a wide variety of symptoms attributed to anxiety, including a racing or pounding heart, breathlessness, nausea, muscle tension, feeling things aren't real (like in a dream), burping, tightness in the chest, indigestion, tension headaches, jaw tension or pain, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, crying, shaking, etc. If you stay in a state of anxiety, including chronic tension, your body never gets a complete break from this reaction. For example, if your circulation is nearly always accommodating the vital organs, digestion can slow and become dysfunctional. Tense muscles start to ache. You get the idea?
Relax...
This is why relaxation can be so important during times of stress and anxiety. It can undo the physical effects, like return circulation to normal and allow for stress hormones to decrease. Relaxation exercises, like meditation or deep-breathing, change the convo:
BRAIN: Danger! Get ready to run or fight for your life!
LUNGS: Nope, breathing slower and deeper…
MUSCLES: Actually, working towards relaxing.
HEART: Negative. Slowing down.
...or Don't!
Some clients have reported strongly disliking (hating?) relaxation when they are very anxious. (Of course regular exercise can be great for depression & anxiety in general, but I'm speaking of those spikes in anxious feelings.) I have to think it’s like picking an argument with that part of the brain. It is trying to keep us alive, after all. I encourage people to try a variety of relaxation techniques before giving up. I don’t know that intense exercise isn’t just as good in an anxious moment. You may find relief in sprinting or lifting weights. It seems sensible to try things & pay attention to how you feel during and afterwards—your heart rate, breath rate, muscle tension, etc.. If you’re feeling better and those symptoms are lessening, seems like a success!
Honestly, the earlier you catch your anxiety building up & work towards changing the convo, the better it will work. Practice, practice, practice being relaxed, however you do it.
See also: Understanding the Stress Response
**Please note: It is not my intention to plagiarize or take credit for information that is not mine! I have learned this info through the years from various trainings, articles, and videos. A few likely sources include Trauma-Focused CBT training with Alicia Meyer, Ph.D. and multiple school-based intervention trainings with Diana Browning Wright. I also enjoy Psychotherapy Networker articles. I honestly cannot give credit everywhere it is due. I’m also referencing legitimate sources of like information to validate what I’m sharing.