Health & Body

Every time Tom has a big presentation, his stomach hurts. Nausea, cramps, sometimes diarrhea. He worries something is medically wrong, but tests come back normal. The pattern is clear: stress triggers symptoms.

This is the gut-brain axis at work—your brain affects digestion and vice versa. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which diverts resources from digestion (not needed for immediate survival). Anticipatory anxiety worsens it. This is psychosomatic in the true sense—real physical symptoms with psychological triggers.

" Tom's body is responding appropriately to perceived threat. The issue isn't weakness; it's that his threat detection is overly sensitive. Solution: Addressing the anxiety (through therapy, breathing techniques, cognitive reframing) will reduce physical symptoms.

Understanding this mind-body connection also reduces worry about the symptoms themselves, creating a positive feedback loop.

Sara wakes up with a headache. "This could be serious," she thinks. " The results terrify her: brain tumor, aneurysm, stroke. Her anxiety spikes, which intensifies the headache.

More googling. Now she's convinced she's dying. This is the health anxiety spiral: normal body sensation → catastrophic interpretation → anxiety increases → body sensations intensify (anxiety creates physical symptoms) → more googling for reassurance → finding worst-case scenarios → more anxiety. "Cyberchondria" makes it worse—medical websites describe rare conditions matching common symptoms.

Reassurance-seeking provides temporary relief but maintains the cycle long-term. Truth? Most body sensations are benign. Health anxiety isn't about actual health—it's about intolerance of uncertainty.

Treatment: learn to tolerate uncertainty, redirect attention from body sensations, and see a doctor for concerning symptoms, then trust their assessment instead of constant checking.

For three years, Michael has had chronic back pain. He's seen specialists, had scans, tried medications. Doctors can't find a clear structural cause. " No.

Pain is always real, but it's processed by the brain, making it subject to psychological influence. Chronic pain involves nervous system changes—neurons become sensitized, firing with minimal input. Brain pain perception is affected by attention, mood, stress, and expectations. Depression and anxiety amplify pain.

Social isolation increases pain. This doesn't mean pain is imaginary—it means pain is complex, involving both biological and psychological factors. Solution: holistic treatment works best: physical therapy, pain medication when appropriate, AND psychological approaches (CBT, mindfulness, stress management, addressing depression/anxiety). Movement matters even when painful (gradual, gentle).

Social connection helps. Understanding pain as neuroplastic (changeable) provides hope and improves outcomes.