How Health Anxiety Affects the Mind & Body
Is Your Brain Keeping You Stuck in Pain? Let’s Talk About It.
Health anxiety is a sneaky little thing. It convinces you that every symptom means something terrible is happening. It keeps you up at night Googling symptoms, questioning every ache, and waiting for the other shoe to drop. And guess what? That constant fear is keeping your nervous system stuck in high alert mode, which only makes chronic pain, anxiety, and fatigue worse.
The good news? You can heal. It’s not about “just thinking positive” (ugh) or ignoring your symptoms. It’s about understanding that your brain and body are in a loop—and learning how to break out of it.
What Is Health Anxiety, Really?
It’s not just worrying about your health. It’s feeling trapped in a cycle of fear, frustration, and endless symptom-checking. You might:
⚡ Worry that your symptoms mean something serious
⚡ Feel frustrated that doctors can’t give you answers
⚡ Fear certain foods, activities, or environments will trigger pain
⚡ Constantly be on edge, waiting for symptoms to get worse
Sound familiar?
You’re not imagining it—your nervous system is wired for survival, and it’s working overtime to keep you “safe” (even when there’s no real danger).
The Pain-Fear Cycle: Why Your Symptoms Won’t Quit
Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ You experience pain, fatigue, or another symptom.
2️⃣ Your brain panics and labels it as dangerous.
3️⃣ Your nervous system ramps up, keeping you in a state of fear.
4️⃣ That fear sends more pain signals to your body.
5️⃣ Rinse and repeat.
This is why you can try all the diets, detoxes, and supplements in the world and still not feel better—because your nervous system is still stuck in survival mode.
But here’s the thing: You can rewire this. You can teach your brain and body that you’re safe. And when you do? Symptoms fade.
3 Ways to Start Healing Your Health Anxiety
1) Learn How the Mind-Body Connection Works
Your symptoms are real (I repeat: REAL). But if they keep coming and going in weird patterns, or show up during stress, they may not be physically rooted. Instead, they stem from a dysregulated nervous system.
Start here:
📖 Read The Way Out by Alan Gordon
📱 Try the Curable App for chronic pain therapy
2) Use Somatic Tracking to Calm Your Nervous System
Instead of reacting with fear every time a symptom pops up, observe it with curiosity. Your body is not the enemy—it’s just in high alert mode. I created a somatic tracking exercise to help you do this. Try it and notice how your symptoms shift when you stop fighting them.
3) Gather Evidence That Your Symptoms Are Nervous System-Based
Ask yourself:
❓ Does my pain/fatigue show up at random times?
❓ Does it get worse when I’m anxious, overwhelmed, or in certain environments?
❓ Have I tried every physical treatment with little relief?
If you said yes to any of these, your nervous system is likely playing a big role. And that means you can work with it—not against it—to heal.
How I Can Help You Heal
I’m Grace, a holistic psychotherapist, nervous system coach, and chronic pain specialist. I’ve healed from chronic fatigue, joint pain, and anxiety through mind-body healing, and now I help others do the same.
🚀 Ready to stop living in fear and start feeling like YOU again? Book a free 20-minute call and let’s figure out what’s keeping you stuck.
👉 Want structured guidance? Check out my Nervous System Reset Course—where I’ll walk you through mind-body healing strategies, journaling, meditations, and more.
