Why your body knows you are anxious before your brain does

Your body knows you are anxious before your brain has even formed the thought.

The tight jaw you wake up with that you only notice when it starts to ache, or your stomach that will not settle before a difficult conversation. Then your shoulders creep up towards your ears without you noticing. These are your nervous system responding to uncertainty.

When life feels unpredictable, your brain treats ambiguity as a potential threat.

Your body prepares for danger even when the danger is not actually there yet, or may never arrive at all. It is something your nervous system is doing automatically, trying to protect you.

The signs that are easy to miss

Most people do not connect physical symptoms to anxiety until they have been carrying them for a long time.

Some of the most common ones include poor sleep or waking in the night with your thoughts already running, headaches, jaw clenching, an unsettled stomach, fatigue that does not improve with rest, and a restless feeling that you just cannot shake.

If any of those sound familiar, your body has probably been trying to get your attention for a while.

What you can do about it today

Your body is your fastest route back to calm, and you do not need anything special to access it.

• Start with your breath. A longer out breath than in breath tells your nervous system it is safe to settle. Try breathing in for four counts and out for six. Do this for just two minutes and notice the difference.
• Body scanning is another really simple tool. Starting at the top of your head and working slowly down, just notice where you are holding tension. You do not need to fix it. Just noticing it begins to release it.
• Movement helps too. Even a short walk can shift the physical state your body is stuck in and interrupt the anxiety cycle before it builds.

Your body knows you are anxious, and now you can start listening back.

I recently recorded an episode of “Don’t get a therapist yet” all about uncertainty. You can listen to the full episode on the links below or watch the full video on my YouTube channel

For more on uncertainty, take a look at my blog page.

Apple

Spotify

Youtube