How can symptoms be so real?

[Mariax]

What I don't understand is how all the symptoms we feel can be real, like real pain, when we are physically healthy? I often get odd pains and pressures in my head, sometimes quick sharp pains, sometimes dull pains, and my psychiatrist says it's a common anxiety symptom. But why? Why is the pain so real, if there isn't any illness inside our bodies, in my case, my head? Why is this happening, what does it have to do with our anxiety?

[Stormsky]

Stress causes illness... Constant worry causes illness ..anxiety is worrying, stressing, fearing... Panic causes adrenaline build up, this causes muscle tensions, aches, pains...
Mind and body are closely linked.

[TheScript]

One of the reasons is that when you're anxious you are so focused on how you're feeling wich makes you feel everything that's happening inside your body. Also breathing patterns can change during anxiety wich can cause pains in the body, dizziness etc. I think it's a combination of stress wich causes changes in your body and hyper awareness of everything that's going on inside your body, feeling every little thing. If your focus is on your head all day, and you notice everything you feel in your head - you're going to get some weird feelings

[Lilharry]

Stress, anxiety, bad eating habits etc cause imbalances in your body. When you have an imbalance of bacteria in your gut it can cause a range of terrifying symptoms, caused by the toxins let off by bad bacteria and yeast. Doctors won't treat you for this because they are focused on treating symptoms not addressing causes.

[Speranza]

If you think about it, everything we see is actually on a small screen at the back of our eyes and made into cinemascope in our brains. Yet we have no diffculty believing it is real.

We're just brilliantly complex! :)

[meche]

This is something that took me a long long time to get my head around. I couldn't believe that all the aches & pains I was experiencing was caused by anxiety which is why I searched & searched for an illness/disease that fitted in. Unfortunately there were a lot which is why I got myself in such a state. MS, tumours - there wasn't a lesser of 2 evils so I flipped between them. Reading up about anxiety symptoms & this site helped me understand better & eventually accept my symptoms for what they really were - a stressed body caused by a very stressed, anxious mind! xx

[EnoughAlready]

I was going to say - I find when I am anxious I am extremely hyper sensitive. Every little noise will make me jump - something ordinary that normally my mind would pass off subconsciously I will notice. Think its the same with pain and breathing - for example I have noticed in the last half an hour I am shallow breathing and this has made me notice it and dwell on it, this is a trigger for me to start feeling anxious. However I am about to go make a cup of tea and I have computer program to enhance at work and I guarentee I will have foprgotten about it by the time I revisit this thread later on. It's weird.

[Speranza]

I have been exactly the same all my life. Shortly after my birth nurses were concerned at how easily startled I was, after a really traumatic birth. it is AMAZING how much quieter the fridge has become since I went onto Prozac! ;)

[joelhall]

Adrenalin and noradrenalin are powerful neurotransmitters, which act on the autonomic nervous system. The symptoms you feel are quite real (not 'all in your head' as some believe), and due to higher circulating concentrations of these chemicals:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=137178