When most people think about anxiety, they think about worry, overthinking, or fear. But anxiety is far more than a mental or emotional experience. For many individuals, anxiety shows up physically — sometimes powerfully enough to disrupt daily routines, strain relationships, or mimic real medical problems. These physical symptoms of anxiety can be confusing, overwhelming, and hard to navigate, especially when they persist without a clear explanation.
Understanding the body’s response to anxiety is the first step toward healing. And with the right support — including anxiety therapy in London & St. Thomas, you can learn how to calm both your mind and your body.
The Body–Mind Connection: Why Anxiety Shows Up Physically
Anxiety is not “just in your head.” It activates your body’s built-in alarm system, known as the fight-or-flight response. This system is helpful when you're in actual danger, but when it becomes triggered by stress, worry, or prolonged emotional strain, it leads to physical reactions.
Your brain essentially sends a message that something is wrong — even if there is no real threat. The body responds by:
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Increasing heart rate
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Tightening muscles
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Releasing stress hormones
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Redirecting blood flow
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Heightening alertness
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Tensing the digestive system
Over time, this constant state of activation creates physical discomfort, and those physical sensations can fuel more anxiety, creating a frustrating loop.
Working with a trained anxiety counsellor in London & St Thomas can help you understand this connection and learn how to interrupt the cycle so your body can finally rest.
Common Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
Although anxiety affects everyone differently, many people experience similar physical symptoms. These symptoms can occur suddenly — like during a panic attack — or build slowly over time during stressful periods.
1. Muscle Tension and Stiffness
One of the most common physical responses to anxiety is muscle tension. You might notice tight shoulders, a stiff neck, jaw clenching, or tension headaches. Over time, this can lead to chronic pain and discomfort.
2. Rapid Heartbeat or Chest Tightness
Anxiety can cause heart palpitations or a pounding heartbeat. This sensation often feels alarming and can lead people to believe something is seriously wrong. While it’s a normal anxiety response, the fear it creates often intensifies symptoms.
3. Shortness of Breath
Shallow breathing or feeling like you can’t get a full breath are common anxiety symptoms. This can make regular tasks — walking, climbing stairs, or even sitting still — feel difficult or overwhelming.
4. Digestive Issues and Stomach Discomfort
The gut is highly sensitive to stress. Anxiety often leads to nausea, stomach aches, bloating, diarrhea, or appetite changes. Many people don’t realize anxiety is at the root of their digestive issues.
5. Fatigue and Low Energy
Constant stress wears down the body. Even without physical exertion, someone living with anxiety may feel exhausted, worn out, or unable to focus.
6. Dizziness or Lightheadedness
When breathing becomes shallow or rapid due to anxiety, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels shift, causing lightheadedness or dizziness.
7. Difficulty Sleeping
Insomnia is an extremely common symptom. Anxiety can make it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or achieve restful sleep, contributing to further exhaustion.
8. Tingling or Numbness
Changes in breathing and stress hormone levels can cause tingling in the hands, feet, or face. Many people find this sensation frightening, which can trigger more anxiety.
How Physical Anxiety Symptoms Affect Your Daily Life
You might assume anxiety is something you can simply “push through,” but these physical symptoms can significantly impact daily functioning. Over time, they can begin to interfere with your work, your relationships, and your overall quality of life.
1. Impact on Work and Productivity
Anxiety can make concentrating feel nearly impossible. When your body is in a heightened state, your brain naturally focuses on scanning for threats — not on completing tasks, engaging creatively, or managing responsibilities. Physical discomfort like tension headaches, stomach issues, or fatigue can slow down your performance and lead to frustration or burnout.
2. Strain on Personal Relationships
Physical anxiety symptoms often lead to irritability, overwhelm, or withdrawal. You may cancel plans because you don’t feel well, feel guilty for not being fully present, or avoid situations that make symptoms worse. This can create distance between you and the people you care about.
3. Increased Health Anxiety
When you don’t realize anxiety is the cause of your physical sensations, you may fear the worst — worrying that your chest tightness is a heart attack or your dizziness indicates something serious. This fear contributes to a vicious cycle: anxiety causes physical symptoms, and those physical symptoms create more anxiety.
4. Emotional Exhaustion
Living in a state of physical discomfort takes a toll on your emotional well-being. You may feel powerless, discouraged, or overwhelmed by the unpredictability of your symptoms.
5. Avoidance Behaviours
You might begin avoiding places, people, or experiences because you fear your symptoms will worsen. While avoidance creates temporary relief, it can deepen anxiety over time, shrinking your world little by little.
How Therapy Helps You Manage Physical Anxiety Symptoms
The good news is that you don’t have to continue living in this state. Therapy empowers you with tools, awareness, and long-term strategies to manage anxiety from the inside out.
Through anxiety therapy in London & St. Thomas, clients often learn:
1. How to Identify Triggers
Therapy helps you uncover what situations, thoughts, or experiences activate your anxiety. Understanding your triggers allows you to address them more effectively.
2. Breathing and Grounding Techniques
Simple techniques — when practiced consistently — can calm the nervous system and immediately reduce physical symptoms.
3. Cognitive-Behavioural Strategies
CBT and related therapies help you challenge anxious thoughts, reframe patterns, and reduce the intensity of anxiety’s physical manifestations.
4. Emotional Processing
Sometimes anxiety is rooted in unresolved stress, grief, conflict, or trauma. Counselling provides a safe space to explore and process these deeper issues.
5. Body Awareness and Relaxation Practices
Learning to listen to your body helps you intervene before symptoms escalate. Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, and grounding can reduce tension and help your body feel safer.
A skilled anxiety counsellor in London & St Thomas will tailor your sessions to your specific experience, helping you reconnect with your body, reduce stress, and rebuild a sense of steadiness.
Why Getting Support Matters
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges — and one of the most treatable. Unfortunately, many people wait far too long to seek help because they believe their symptoms are “not serious enough,” or they’re worried about being misunderstood.
But anxiety is real. Its symptoms are real. And they deserve real support.
Through anxiety counselling London & St. Thomas, you can learn to understand your symptoms, interrupt patterns that fuel anxiety, and build confidence in managing your physical responses.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
If you’re experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety, or living with ongoing stress and depression, reaching out for help at Darryl DeRoches MSW RSW Counselling Services can be one of the most empowering steps you take. You deserve to understand what your body is telling you — and to feel safe, supported, and grounded again.
Therapy offers that path. With the right tools and guidance, you can reduce anxiety symptoms, restore balance, and reclaim your daily life.
