Anxiety Isn’t In Your Mind. It’s In Your Body.

“Just change how you think, and you’ll feel better” :/

Let me know if you’ve heard this before…

”It’s all in your mind”

”Just change your thoughts”

”Stop feeling like that”

”You just need to do talk therapy”

🙄

I’ve dedicated my life to studying mental health and honestly, after everything I’ve learned. As mind-blowing as it might seem, Anxiety is not your mind, it’s in your body.

We think our mind is the root of our problems. But, the issue isn’t the mind.

Our body is what feels our emotions and reacts in any given environment.

Our mind tracks and thinks of our body or it can be dissociated, ignore and not be mindful of our body.

The biggest issue with this is when you just use your mind, you can only find answers limited in the mind. When, part of releasing anxiety has to be done through your body, and not through your mind.

You can’t think your feelings.

A great example of this is your memories.

We often think our past is stored as a memory.

False, our past is stored inside of our body.

This is why we repeat the same behaviors day in and day out, regardless of what our mind thinks because our nervous system experiences the same biochemical release we will explain more below!

PS. Check out my full complete training program on how to rewire social anxiety to decrease stress & transform nervousness - here.

Mind <—> Body Anxiety Cycle

Step 1. Your Body's Nervous System automatically perceives a threat.

Keep in mind, this threat could be real or fake. By real or fake, I refer to your perception of what your mind thinks is a threat. For example - the real threat is a car barreling towards you at 55mph. A fake threat perceived by your nervous system is walking into a room and believing that you are about to get yelled out, or ridiculed, mocked, etc.

Step 2. Stress Hormones are released to help your body.

Your physiology shifts automatically to help your system get ready to fight or run from whatever threat is perceived. Similar to how if you ever face a life-threatening situation, you notice your body already knows what to do, run, dodge, avoid, etc.

Step 3. Your Body Responds Physically

This could mean you close your mouth. Sink into your chair and pretend you’re invisible or shy. You could leave the situation or get a drink to calm your nerves. Your nervous system literally forces you to change your state.

Step 4. Symptoms Subside Until Step 1 Again.

What was your mind trying to do this whole time?

Create a meaning.

Create a story based on what it thinks happened based on the feedback loops between your immune system, gut microbiome (ecosystem of trillions of bacteria that have existed long before us), stress, senses, past memories, cultural bias, etc….and it could be right or entirely wrong.

Example: You agree to catch up with your friends and go to a social gathering.

You go to the event, and the anxiety cycle starts…

Your body, nervous system, hormones, and chemicals are already being released. You start to not be present, too introspective in your mind, anxious, etc.

All of a sudden you see 2 friends of yours glance in your direction and laugh. Your nervous system instantly tells you, they just laughed because they are making fun of you. You could ask them, but instead, your anxiety makes your avoid the question.

This could be case, or what if they made a joke beforehand? What if someone said something funny and you weren’t paying attention?

What happens is your body primes your mind to be even more anxious & threatened.

Now, you leave the event, and even though it might have gone well and you had fun…

Social anxiety is now replaying that social interaction from the lens in which your friends made fun of you, they don’t respect you and don’t want to be friends with you.

Your brain, nervous system, physiology primed your system to be nervous, anxious, stressed, which immediately makes you overthink, be too much in your head and continue the cycle of anxiety.

Not having friends, or not being social, continues this cycle even more…

Conclusion

I hope you learned something :)

I enjoyed writing this and feel free to ask me any kind of question, share this on social media (tag me), send it to a friend or family member!

Can I help?

Over the last several years I’ve devoted my life to helping introverted, shy, socially anxious creators, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and professionals move these mental health obstacles out of their life so they can get busy being their real selves in front of anyone.

If you are interested in potentially inquiring about my consulting or coaching for yourself or someone else, please fill out this form below.

Next steps click here.

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PS. Check out my full complete training program on how to rewire social anxiety to decrease stress & transform nervousness - here.

PSS. I was recently on friend Josh's Playing Injured podcast. Check out our episode here.