When people think about anxiety, they think about worry. But many people who come to me do not start with a worry. They start with their body.
A tight chest. A stomach that closes before a meeting. Shoulders that never come down. Waking at four in the morning with a fast heart and no clear reason.
Why the body reacts
Anxiety is an alarm. When your mind sees a danger, your body gets ready to act. The heart beats faster, the breath gets shorter and the muscles tense. This is useful if there is a real danger in front of you.
The difficulty is that the body does not always know the difference between a real danger and a thought. An email, a memory or a conversation that has not happened yet can start the same alarm.
Common signs
Everyone is different. Some signs I hear often are tension in the jaw, neck or shoulders, a tight chest or short breath, stomach problems, trouble sleeping, restlessness, and feeling very tired for no clear reason.
These signs can also have physical causes. If they are new, strong or worrying, please speak to your doctor first.
What can help
The first step is often to notice. Where do you feel it? When does it start? What was happening just before? This sounds simple, and it is not always easy. Many of us learned to ignore the body and keep going.
In counselling we look at these signals together. We slow down and listen to what the body is saying, without judging it. Often the body noticed something before you had words for it.
Anxiety in the body is not a weakness. It is information. When you can read it, it becomes less frightening.
These reflections are general information. They do not replace personal counselling or medical advice.
