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Is it normal to feel physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety?

34 Answers
Last Updated: 08/24/2020 at 6:23pm
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Top Rated Answers
Jezko
June 17th, 2015 2:21pm
Is it normal to feel physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety? ‘Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.’ It is very natural response to danger, it triggers ‘fight or flight’ response to a change of the environment, though we all know that feeling extremely worry about tomorrow’s exam is not good. In order to understand mechanism behind of unhealthy anxiety we need to take psychiatric and psychological conditions, we are called anxiety disorder (I’m going to use ICD 10 classification and not DSM Four.) This list includes: phobic anxiety disorders and other anxiety disorders. Now what is the most memorable thing about being in danger? What does your body do when you are in danger? Your body gets ready for a fight or a flight, which means your muscles stretch, you become light-headed, your palms get sweaty, you are scared, you think of constant danger. Now that we have understand of basic mechanism behind general anxiety, let’s talk about specific disorders and how can they be linked to pain. 1) Panic disorder can be generally linked to pain, because of its major description – panic attacks. Panic attack is characterized by difficulty breathing, increased hart ratio, which can and most probably will lead to chest pain. 2) Generalized anxiety disorder, which is worrying too much, try stretching your muscles for five minutes time, do you feel pain after softening them? Now imagine stretching your muscles for six month period, which is diagnostic criteria minimum. 3) Speaking of specific phobias, I cannot link them to pain, but in overall process a person can cause damage to himself/herself after phobic attack. Is it normal to feel physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety? Yes, it is normal to feel physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety. My opinion is based on my general experience, studies of anxiety and definitions of anxiety disorders from ICD 10 classification and DSM TR IV.
insightfulNatural90
June 28th, 2016 7:29am
Yes. When you are depressed it is normal to feel weak and in pain. The only cure is to be relaxed and cheerfull. Hope it helps.
Surruh
August 28th, 2018 7:44pm
Yes! When I was at my worst with anxiety, I didn’t even know it was anxiety. I had chest pains, I couldn’t breathe, I had constant full body tremors, my hair fell out, I couldn’t eat, I was falling apart psychically and I got every medical test done to determine the cause but never found one until I had a full blown panic attack, which I truly thought was a heart attack, they broke the news to me and I still struggled to grasp the concept that anxiety could cause such severe physical issues. If we don’t control our mental health then our bodies decline. It all starts in the brain!
PinkElephantL
May 13th, 2015 6:54am
It is absolutely normal to feel physical pain when dealing with anxiety... and many other mental illnesses. The mind is a powerful thing and it controls the body. Not only does it control heart rate, blood pressure, migraines, and stomach tension; but it even can make us incredibly physically ill overtime. Like Morpheus said in the Matrix, "Your mind makes it real."
Anonymous
March 6th, 2018 2:18am
Anxiety can definitely affect a person's physical health by causing physical symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches and muscle tension.
CarinaNicole
January 12th, 2015 4:33am
Yes, it is perfectly normal. Often times when we are under a severe amount of stress, the body will trick itself into feeling worse. However, relaxing through physical activity, like yoga or going to the gym, can provide an outlet to help those weary muscles as well as your mind.
Anonymous
December 28th, 2015 2:12pm
Yes, absolutely it is normal to feel physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety for most of the people
ZenOwl
January 9th, 2017 2:17am
I think physical pain in the body and anxiety is related, yes. For instance, when I'm anxious I like to over-eat. But by over-eating it puts my body at risk for diabetes, heart-disease, and so many other preventable diseases. Being mindful of my thoughts and being sure I'm engaging in positive self-talk has helped over-eating to not be a go-to coping skill for anxiety any longer.
CoffeeTeaAndHonesty
March 27th, 2015 11:53pm
It is a very common symptom to experience physical pain in the body when suffering with anxiety; as the body responds to stress via the fight-or-flight response, it tenses up your muscles. Normally, this is a good thing as it prepares the body to react to some perceived threat, but it becomes an issue if your body is unable to come out of this state. It strains your muscles -- usually in the neck, shoulders, or back.
dxphne
March 26th, 2019 11:48am
Whenever I feel anxious I almost always suffer from physical pain/sickness. In my case I mainly suffer from pains in my stomache, nausea, being lightheaded/dizzy and headaches. I also get out of breath really quickly and a lot of the time my heart starts racing. I always try not to worry about the physical pain/sickness, because if you do it will just get worse and that's definitely not what you want. The pain will pass and so will the anxious feeling, it just takes some time. Something that helps me is going outside, maybe for a walk or even just sitting in the sun, getting some fresh air for a bit.
Anonymous
March 27th, 2018 12:13am
It is normal to feel physical pain in the body when you are suffering with anxiety because during one you feel shortage of breathes, pain in one part of your body because it's trying to relax while you are having one too.
Jelglu
December 4th, 2017 9:36pm
Yes, I have once had a panic attack to the point my arm's, fingers, and hands were stiff, I physically wouldn't be able to see out of my eyes and it would sound like a bomb has just gone off. It's normal, it's your body's fight and flight being set off and thats how humans naturally react to scary situations.
LoveNotHate
April 18th, 2017 6:40am
I believe it varies from person to person, however a common symptom of anxiety can be commonly described as a physical tightness in the chest area, or other physical pains (such as the brain/hands).
Anonymous
October 4th, 2016 1:26pm
It's normal and common. Some have stomach pains, others headaches. It comes in many forms. Crying can lessen anxiety and make you feel better, which is great.
Keebler
September 26th, 2016 6:46am
Yes many symptoms ate caused from anxiety such as fatigue,chest pains, labored breathing, and aches/pains from the body that we don't always realize until you have anxiety
Delicateangel48
January 19th, 2016 12:48am
Yes. It is perfectly normal and understandable. It's like being sick but only mentally and physically.
Anonymous
December 29th, 2015 7:22pm
Often anxiety doesn't just creat mental "symptoms" such as feeling panicked, but it can also give very real physical ones especially with bad anxiety as you have have panic attacks etc
caringSmiles20
January 16th, 2015 8:22am
You might feel physical pain due to anxiety. It is not abnormal. Not always physical pain is seen during anxiety. One should always confirm the reason of physical pain from doctor.
Anonymous
December 21st, 2015 10:55am
With my anxiety, the most painful part is my chest. I get the pain after a panic attack or when I'm feeling uncomfortable, it's normal, anxiety can do anything to you!
bambi74
December 14th, 2015 4:27pm
yes when you get anxiety attacks all the muscles tense up so there for you might feel some physical pain
Anonymous
November 9th, 2015 4:06am
Feeling anxious can definitely cause you to feel pain, and tightness in your body. It can also cause tingling, and other symptoms. If the symptoms are new to you, that might be a sign to see a physician.
Anonymous
September 16th, 2015 11:50am
Yes, a lot of the side affects have to do with suffering physically. (ex: stomach aches, migraines/headaches, ect.)
Leeozzz
September 14th, 2015 6:29pm
For me it's very normal. From what I understand the mind and the body have such a close connection that any really strong feeling or emotion will show in both.
Anonymous
August 31st, 2015 5:30pm
It's quite common to feel physical pain when suffering from anxiety such as heart palpitations. It's better to go to a professional to seek medical help and advise on how to manage it.
Anonymous
August 25th, 2015 4:56pm
Yes! Deep breathing and concentrated muscle tense/release exercises can help fight off the physical symptoms of anxiety!
PeaceOfMind22
June 29th, 2015 2:04pm
Our mind affects the body and vise versa....Having any sort of mental stress can affect the body.So yes, anxiety can cause body pain
ambershae
June 12th, 2015 1:06am
YES! Anxiety affects the whole body, not just the mind. Some of the general physical signs of anxiety are racing heart, difficulty breathing, and sweating. Some people have different symptoms. Anxiety affects everyone in different ways, so watch your own symptoms to see what is normal for you.
Gummysnacksandgatorade
April 29th, 2015 3:07am
A lot of people report chest pain when having a panic attack, which is why sometimes they confuse it for a heart attack. I had chest pain the first time I had a panic attack.
Lovekensa
April 11th, 2015 9:20am
Of course, your muscles tense up, you feel it after you begin to relax. Stomach camps are common too.
Anonymous
February 14th, 2015 1:08am
It differs from case to case. But we're not professionals so you must consult a doctor to address this issue.