‘It’s all in your head,’ is something that we have either been told or we have been telling ourselves. Stress. Anxiety. What exactly happens inside of us that initiates physical symptoms from something that is ‘all in our head’?
The stress response is a physiological and primal function from our body that attempts to protect ourselves from harm or danger. Our nervous system is responsible for our reaction to outside stimuli, or as you know it, ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ response (Folk, 2022). Stress and anxiety have the same physiological responses. Anxiety can cause the same physiological symptoms because the body is sensing that there is danger amidst our environment.
When our stress response happens too often or the body is not able to properly recover and return to a normal state, this is called ‘hyperstimulation’ (Folk, 2021). This condition can cause chronic symptoms within the body including, but not limited to, shaking, headaches, feelings of choking, feeling hot and cold, pain, or even flu-like symptoms.
The sympathetic nervous system, or SNS, is responsible for the stress response. Once the threat or sense of danger has been perceived by the brain, the response is proportional to the level of threat. This also affects the recovery time of how long the body takes to return to a normal state – this is called, homeostasis. All of this takes place within seconds to several minutes (Folk, 2022). Grounding techniques can help to offset the physical and physiological symptoms of the stress response. Grounding techniques can help us stay present in the moment and keep us out of our heads too much when we feel anxious or in distress. Grounding helps us turn on the reasoning and rational thinking part of our brain. Sometimes we feel ‘out of our body’ or that we can no longer control what we experience (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). This is where grounding ourselves can prove to be really helpful. Muscle tension and release techniques, mindfulness, and deep breathing are a few grounding techniques.
So is anxiety or stress just all in your head? Nope! Stress has a physical and physiological response on our bodies. See the links below to learn more!
-Leslie Smith, Resident in Counseling
Cleveland Clinic. (2024). 13 Grounding Techniques for When you feel overwhelmed. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/grounding-techniques
Folk, J. (2021). Why Anxiety Can Make You Feel Physically Sick. Reviewed by: Folk, M. https://www.anxietycentre.com/faq/why-anxiety-can-make-you-feel-sick/
Folk, J. (2022). The Stress Response. Reviewed by: Liashko, V. https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/stress-response/
