What If Your Physical Symptoms Aren't a Problem?

For years, I was terrified of the physical symptoms that came with anxiety.

The racing heart, shaky hands, flushed skin, nausea, dizziness - they all felt like red alarms telling me something was wrong. I used to think, "Why is my body doing this to me? What if it never stops? What if there's something seriously wrong?" But now, I see those same symptoms very differently.

What if your body isn't failing you? What if it's just trying to help?

Your Body Speaks - Are You Listening?

When we hold on to anxious thinking, our brain reacts. Specifically, the part of the brain sometimes called the "lizard brain" - the primal bit responsible for keeping us safe - floods us with adrenaline.

It's like your internal A&E: it doesn’t ask questions, it just responds.

Here’s the catch: the brain doesn’t know the difference between a real threat and a scary thought about the future.

So if I’m imagining a disaster happening during a presentation next week, my body responds as if it’s happening now. Heart races. Palms sweat. Breath shortens. Not because I'm broken, but because my system is doing exactly what it's designed to do.

You Might Just Be Overthinking... Adrenaline

Here’s what often happens (and what used to happen to me all the time): we feel the physical symptoms of anxiety, then we start thinking about those symptoms.

"Why is my heart racing like that?"
"What if I faint?"
"What if I can't calm down?"

And guess what? That thinking sends more messages to the brain. It hears "danger" again and releases more adrenaline. It becomes a loop. The more I thought about my symptoms, the longer they stayed.

Adrenaline Isn’t Dangerous  - Just Disorientating

Adrenaline doesn’t last long. It reduces by half in about 4 minutes, and is mostly out of your body within 8. But when I didn’t understand what was happening, I fed the cycle all day long.

Understanding this changed everything. Now, when I feel my heart race, I don’t panic about the panic. I let the adrenaline pass like a wave.

Because that’s all it is. A wave. Temporary. Manageable.

Your Body’s Love Letters

I now think of physical symptoms as love letters from my body.

It’s not saying "you're in danger."
It’s saying, "Hey, lovely, you’re overthinking again. Let’s come back to now."

Our body is smart. It gives us early signs that we're off course - just like a plane that gets a tiny nudge when it's veering slightly. Not to scare us. To guide us.

Fear Comes from Uncertainty, Not the Present

Most fear is rooted in uncertainty, unpredictability, and the unknown.

Panic attacks, phobias, health anxiety - all stem from worrying about what might happen next. But in the moment itself, we’re usually coping just fine.

We don't need to rehearse disasters. We don’t need to practise panic. When real danger comes (which is rare), our system will kick in. Until then, we can stop misusing it.

You Are Designed to Reset

Your body is brilliant. It knows how to come back into balance. It heals. It recalibrates. It rebalances hormones. We don’t have to do that consciously. Just like we don’t have to remind our lungs to breathe or our heart to beat.

For years, I thought I had a hormone imbalance. And maybe I did - but not because I was faulty. Because I was constantly overproducing stress hormones. Once I stopped doing that, my whole body changed. I haven’t had a coldsore in over ten years. That’s not a coincidence.

The Message Isn’t to Panic. The Message Is to Pause.

If I could whisper one thing to the past version of me, curled up in bed afraid of her racing heart, it would be this:

Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s looking out for you. You’re safe.

And if you’re in that place now, I hope this offers even the tiniest bit of relief. You don’t need to fear your feelings. You just need to understand them.

This blog is based on the second video in my free 3-part series on anxiety and overwhelm. If this resonated with you, I think you’ll really love the full conversation.

👉 Watch all 3 free videos here

You are not broken. You're built to thrive.