Understanding How Anxiety Affects Your Body and What You Can Do: Insights and Practical Tips
- Sep 17, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Anxiety is not just a mental experience. It has a very real and often uncomfortable physical component. Many people notice symptoms such as a racing heart, muscle tension, shallow breathing, dizziness, or gastrointestinal discomfort when they feel anxious. These physical sensations are common, and they reflect how closely the mind and body are linked.
When anxiety arises, the body responds to a perceived threat. Even when there is no immediate danger, the nervous system can activate as though there is. This response is commonly referred to as the fight-or-flight response. While this reaction is adaptive in genuinely threatening situations, it can become problematic when it is triggered by everyday stressors.
Why Anxiety Produces Physical Symptoms
The body does not reliably distinguish between real and imagined threats. When anxiety is triggered, brain systems involved in threat detection signal the nervous system to prepare for action. This results in increased heart rate, muscle tension, changes in breathing, and heightened alertness (Siegel, 2010).
From a psychological perspective, our interpretation of situations plays a significant role in this process. In Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), anxiety is understood as being maintained by patterns of thinking that overestimate danger or underestimate coping ability. When a situation is appraised as threatening, the body responds accordingly, even if the threat is not objectively present (Beck, 1976). Changing the way we think about a situation can, therefore, help reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety by preventing the brain from triggering a stress response.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approaches this differently. Rather than attempting to eliminate anxious thoughts or sensations, ACT focuses on changing how a person relates to them. Physical symptoms of anxiety often become more distressing when they are resisted or interpreted as dangerous. Learning to respond with openness and flexibility can reduce their impact over time (Harris, 2009).
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) highlights the role of mindfulness and physiological regulation. By noticing physical sensations without judgement and without acting on them impulsively, individuals can experience anxiety without it escalating or dictating behaviour (Linehan, 1993).
Practical Techniques to Manage Anxiety
While therapy provides the structure for longer-term change, there are also practical techniques that can help regulate the body during periods of heightened anxiety.
Breathing Exercises
One of the simplest and most effective ways to calm your body when anxiety strikes is through deep breathing. Try inhaling for four seconds, holding for four, and exhaling slowly for four. This simple breathing technique helps reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety, like a racing heart or shallow breathing. This is a technique recommended by many, including Harris (2009), who highlights how breathing exercises can activate the body’s relaxation response.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Anxiety is often accompanied by chronic muscle tension. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) involves systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups to reduce physical tension and increase bodily awareness. This technique can be particularly helpful for people who experience anxiety as restlessness or physical tightness.
Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques
Grounding strategies help anchor attention in the present moment, reducing the tendency for anxious escalation. Techniques such as the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise encourage engagement with the immediate environment through the senses. Within DBT, mindfulness is understood as a core skill for observing internal experiences without becoming overwhelmed by them (Linehan, 1993).
Working with a Psychologist
Psychological therapy is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety. Psychologists are trained to assess how cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioural factors interact to maintain anxiety, and to tailor interventions accordingly.
Evidence-based approaches such as CBT and ACT are recommended in clinical guidelines and by professional bodies including the Australian Psychological Society. Therapy may focus on reducing avoidance, improving emotional regulation, addressing unhelpful beliefs about anxiety symptoms, and building confidence in coping skills.
Working with a psychologist also provides space to explore the broader context of anxiety, including stressors, life transitions, health factors, and patterns developed over time.
Understanding Anxiety to Reduce Its Impact
The physical sensations associated with anxiety can be distressing, but they are not harmful. Understanding why they occur and learning how to respond to them differently can significantly reduce their intensity and influence. With the right strategies and support, anxiety becomes more manageable, and its impact on daily life can lessen over time.
If anxiety is interfering with your wellbeing, functioning, or quality of life, professional support can help you develop effective and sustainable ways to manage both the mental and physical aspects of anxiety.
References:
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.
