How Psychological Distress Manifests as Physical Symptoms

Our minds and bodies are exceptionally sophisticated, everything is designed to act in harmony and with cohesion with each other.

The mind-body connection

Take the fight, flight, freeze response. Your mind perceives a threat, and your brain activates the sympathetic nervous system to respond in one of these ways, and your body will follow suit and either fight, flee, or freeze. The brain is at the centre of all of this, and it influences every aspect of our physiological functioning [1].

Our emotions affect our nervous system and vice versa [2], our nervous system influences our hormones, and our hormones influence the immune system [3].

The brain and the gut are intricately linked, where a troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a brain can send signals to your gut [4].

Due to these connections, it’s natural that our emotions have physical symptoms. When we feel anxious, our heart rate and breathing rate pick up, we may get hot and sweaty, and the feel of ‘butterflies in the stomach’.

When psychological distress manifests physically it can be difficult to control as both your mind and body seem to betray you. In these circumstances using physical calming strategies, aimed at calming the body down and allowing the mind to follow could be ideal.

How can you calm your sympathetic nervous system?

Breathing Exercises

A type of breathing exercise that is particularly good for anxiety and stress is alternate nostril breathing. When practicing this technique, it’s easier to be seated with good posture so it opens up your chest. Then, take your index and middle fingers of your hand and rest them next to each other between your eyebrows.

Now you are ready to practice alternate nostril breathing, let's do this together [5]:

1. Use your thumb to close the right-hand nostril and inhale slowly through only your left nostril.

2. Pinch your nose closed by bringing your ring finger to your left nostril. Temporarily hold your breath.

3. Open up your right nostril by removing your thumb and exhale.

4. Hold for a moment before inhaling again through the right nostril.

5. Pinch your nose closed again and hold your breath for a moment.

6. Now open up the left nostril and exhale. Again, wait a moment before you inhale.

Well done! You’ve completed one cycle of alternate nostril breathing, which can take up to one minute. Repeat this process for about 10 minutes or until you feel suitably calm.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

There are also stress-reducing techniques you can use such as progressive muscle relaxation. During this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This can help focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation and make you more aware of those bodily sensations.

In one method, you start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively work your way up to your neck and head. This technique is best practiced in a quiet area, without interruptions. You should tense your muscles for about five seconds and allow them to relax for 30 seconds then repeat [6].

A study conducted in 2020 also concluded that progressive muscle relaxation was useful during pregnancy, not only to decrease stress and anxiety but also to reduce the occurrence of postpartum complications, such as wound and body healing [7].