Does your anxiety give you physical symptoms?

[rustydog]

So I feel I have this ‘chicken or egg’ situation! I suffer from really bad, chronic anxiety but I also have physical symptoms. The more symptoms I have the more anxious I get but then it seems the more anxious I get, then I get more physical symptoms. But which comes first? It’s driving me insane. These are my physical symptoms, can anyone relate to these?

IBS type symptoms:- rumbling/grumbling, wind, burping, bloating etc

Weak, shaky, panicky feeling

Spaced out, unreal feeling

Aches and pains

Tension, especially upper body and jaws

Tired/knackered/exhausted a lot of the time

Visual disturbance, eye floaters/flashes etc

Never feel relaxed and always under some kind of tension somewhere in my body.

I eat well, exercise, try relaxation methods but nothing eases this ☹️

Can anyone relate to this at all?

[noemikahle]

Yeah I had and have all of these symptoms. I had to use meds and therapy to ease the anxiety. I still get the symptoms from time to time but I don’t get panic attacks because of them. My worst symptom is feeling spacy and dizzy. The problem is that I am not sure it’s from anxiety or my meds. Although at least now I can function and enjoy life again which is a definite plus.

[rustydog in reply to noemikahle]

I’ve put off meds for so long (worry about side effects, weight gain etc!) but I’m beginning to think that maybe I should give them a try, like you say at least you can enjoy life again, which is what I really want!

[Yuzy04]

It’s so crazy to read your post. For about a year and a half I’ve been dealing with terrible anxiety and the physical symptoms might be worse then the anxiety itself. Stomach, breathing, headaches, body aches and pains just anything you can think of I’ve felt. I think therapy is really the best bet, it’s better safe then sorry.

[rustydog in reply to Yuzy04]

Being caught in a vicious cycle is the worse thing, the physical symptoms just make the whole thing a million times worse.

[Yuzy04]

Like you said it’s just the worst. Especially when you worried about anxiety then you feel physical symptoms and worry about those. It’s just a never ending cycle. I hope you get better quickly !

[fauxartist]

It's a long understood proven fact that stress and anxiety will exacerbate actual existing physical ailments.