How Anxiety Shows Up in Your Body
Anxiety Shows Up in the Body—Even When You Seem Calm on the Outside.
You smile. You nod. You hold it together.
On the outside, you look composed—maybe even “fine.”
But inside? It feels like you’re pressing the gas and the brake at the same time.
When you’ve been living with chronic stress or underlying anxiety for a long time, it doesn’t always show up as obvious panic. It often shows up in much quieter, more physical ways—especially if you’re someone who tends to push through, stay in control, or prioritize being “the steady one.”
If you’ve ever wondered, “Why does my body feel like this when my life isn’t that bad?”—you’re not alone. Here are some of the most common ways anxiety can live in the body, even when it’s not visible on the surface:
1. Back Pain
Chronic muscle tension—especially in the upper back and shoulders—is a common physical response to emotional stress. When you're constantly in “fight or flight” mode, your body stays braced. Over time, that tightness can settle into soreness, stiffness, or even sharp pain.
2. Jaw Clenching or TMJ
Many people who appear calm externally carry their anxiety in their jaws—grinding their teeth at night, clenching during the day, or developing TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction). It’s a way the body tries to contain tension when there's no obvious outlet for release.
3. Tension Headaches
If you often feel a band of pressure around your forehead or at the base of your skull, it could be more than just a screen-time issue. Tension headaches are one of the body’s signals that it’s working too hard to hold everything in.
4. Trouble Sleeping
You’re exhausted. But the moment your head hits the pillow, your mind starts racing. Or maybe you fall asleep easily but wake up at 3am with a thudding heart and a brain that won’t stop looping. Anxiety often shows up when everything else goes quiet.
5. Gastrointestinal (GI) Distress
Our digestive system is closely connected to our emotional state—so much so that the gut is sometimes called our “second brain.” If you regularly experience stomachaches, bloating, or other digestive discomforts that don’t have a clear medical cause, anxiety might be part of the picture.
6. Rapid Heart Rate
A fast-beating heart can happen even when you're sitting still. For some, it shows up as a vague sense of unease. For others, it feels like something is wrong, even when nothing “bad” is happening. It's your nervous system staying on high alert—just in case.
What If It’s Not Just In Your Head?
The truth is: anxiety doesn't have to look like meltdowns or panic attacks. Especially for high-functioning, emotionally complex people, it can look like being capable. Quiet. Self-contained. Even calm.
But just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean it’s not real.
Your body has likely been adapting to stress for a long time. Therapy can help you tune into those deeper layers—so you're not just surviving or managing symptoms, but actually making sense of the patterns underneath.
Ready to Go Deeper?
If any of this feels familiar, you're not alone—and you don’t have to keep pushing through. I offer depth-oriented psychotherapy for adults who are ready to understand themselves more fully and feel more at home in their own bodies.
Reach out a book free 15 minute consultation if you’d like to explore working together.
