Anxiety is a strange feeling, sometimes we don’t even know where it comes from. It just seems to swallow you up from the inside all at once, and, all of a sudden - thinking or doing the simplest thing seems impossible.
I think that a fundamental element to forming a better and more knowledgeable relationship with the anxiety or stress we may feel comes from recognizing its physical effects. In doing so, we start from the physical sensations anxiety gives us, so that we learn how to counteract them with small, physical solutions.
This article is divided into six parts. Five sections will tackle different systems in our body that can be affected by feelings of anxiety; and the final section will discuss some ways in which we can physically alter our state of anxiety with the goal of calming our mind.
- The Nervous System
- The Digestive System
- Sleep & Energy
- Muscular Functions
- The Vascular System
- Combatting anxiety: Calming the mind by working with the body
- Effects on the nervous system
You’ve probably already heard that feelings of anxiety activate our fight-or-flight instinct… that function is connected to the autonomic nervous system, which regulates all the things we don’t think about but just do, such as our heart rate, our breathing, urination, and so on [1].
Let’s dive into our autonomic nervous system, shall we? It comprises two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The previously mentioned fight-or-flight instinct is actually connected to your SNS, to be more specific; while your PNS, on the other hand, takes care of restoring your body to a state of calm.
When the autonomic system is in stress, as it is when we experience anxiety, it wants to prepare us for the danger or potential threat it perceives through our nervousness-- that’s why we can can be prone to experience shortness of breath or a stomach ache when in an anxious state (we’ll talk more about these respective symptoms in the following sections).
We’ve already mentioned that anxiety puts the entire autonomic system under stress, but what’s especially important to note when we’re considering the effects of anxiety on the nervous system is that it creates an imbalance in activity between the SNS and the PNS: Yeah, you could probably guess it. When stressed or anxious, activity in your SNS increases, and can sometimes become overactive [2].
So, next time you feel your brain going into fight-or-flight mode in reaction to a stressful or overwhelming situation, you can say to yourself, SNS, don’t get too excited! Oh, if only we could talk to our brains like that.
- Effects on the digestive system
Our body does most of its digesting when it’s in a calm or resting state [2] - that’s why we get so tired after having eaten a big meal. And because stress and anxiety get us into an action state, that is, activating the SNS system and leaving the PNS system behind in the dust, the digestion process is blocked. That’s why we often experience stomach aches as a side effect of anxiety.
For individuals with severe anxiety disorder, repeated and frequent anxiety attacks leading to a consistent suppression of the digestive process may cause a loss of appetite and therefore also unwanted loss of weight.
- Sleep problems and exhaustion
You guessed it - sleep also falls into the PNS category of the autonomic nervous system (I mean, it is the most literal form of “rest”). That being said, it won’t come as a surprise that when you’re feeling anxious, it is difficult to fall asleep [2].
If you’re consistently losing sleep due to anxiety, that’s also a guaranteed way to weaken your body’s ability to cope with the effects you’re already experiencing from your anxiety, so it has a double-whammy effect [2]. Should this be your case, you can try tuning into Headspace’s Anxious Mind 5-Minute Deep Sleep Sleepcast or listening to Nothing Much Happens, a podcast in the form of bedtime stories ranging anywhere from 20-40 minutes. They’re a great way to take yourself out of your head and give your mind an opportunity to slowly lay itself to rest.
- Muscle Tension
You might notice that your body feels more tense when you’re under lots of stress or experiencing anxiety -- again, that’s because your brain is putting you in fight-or-flight mode, and trying to keep you hyper aware of that perceived danger. As a result, you may experience muscle aches lasting anywhere from a few minutes to days [2].
A good way to try and relieve this tension is by doing some yoga, stretching or going on a run [1] - we’ll talk more about moving your body to calm the mind in the last section of this article. Or, if you’re really not feeling up for any kind of movement, well, then you can also take a nice warm bubble bath… and anyways, that sounds nice under any circumstance.
- Wear and tear on your veins
Our blood pressure rises when we’re under stress or feeling anxious. Although this isn’t anything to be worried about in the short term, frequent exposure to anxiety attacks means constant higher blood pressure, which could wear veins down and even increase chances for cardiovascular disease [2].
Some of us may also turn to sweets or coffee when we’re feeling anxious, which, perversely, is possibly one of the worst things we could possibly do at that moment. Because both sugar and coffee causes momentary, but rapid spikes in your blood pressure, coupling that with stress or anxiety can increase your heart rate to non-normal levels and, in some cases, raise your blood pressure to a point that could cause a momentary black-out. In fact, even if you’re not naturally prone to anxiety, “caffeine use can mimic symptoms of anxiety,” according to Harvard Medical School [3].
The logical conclusion is: no matter how bad you might want it, try to avoid sugar and caffeine when feeling stressed or anxious-- your body is already dealing with high blood pressure as is!
- Combatting anxiety: Calming the mind by working with the body.
The most consistently proven methods to combat anxiety are meditation and exercise [1], hence underlining this intuitive notion that when your mind is moving too fast, the best thing you can do for yourself is get your body moving instead, almost as an attempt to distract yourself from the chaos up there in the brain-world.
According to Harvard Medical School, physical activity helps relieve mental tension [1]: whethe
r that be going for a walk, a run, doing some yoga, or simply meditating: all of these activities force you to focus on your breathing and return to the more mechanical functions of your body, rather than thinking about the complicated connections and commands that dictate your brain activity.
It seems so elementary, which might be precisely why we overlook these solutions while experiencing anxiety-- it’s quite difficult to think straight, even about not thinking, when we’re feeling that overwhelmed. But bringing the focus back to our body, not our mind, is always a good start, kind of like coming back down to planet earth after you’ve let yourself float for too long… space can feel so lonely at times. Literally and metaphorically, in times of anxiety, appreciate the air you’re breathing and the nature around you! You may just come to find that outside things bring you the most inner peace.
What helps you cope with anxiety? Do you experience any other physical effects not mentioned in this article that you’d like to share?
Sources
- Recognizing and easing the physical symptoms of anxiety | Harvard Medical School | https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/recognizing-and-easing-the-physical-symptoms-of-anxiety
- Video: 6 Things That Happen to Your Body When you Experience Anxiety | Psych2Go | Youtube
Does Caffeine Cause Anxiety? | Healthline | https://www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-and-anxiety