3 ms·

From the outside, it's easy to dismiss an anxious individuals fears as nothing more than thoughts in their head that are (sometimes, but not always) completely

From the outside, it's easy to dismiss an anxious individuals fears as nothing more than thoughts in their head that are (sometimes, but not always) completely removed from reality. But from the perspective of the anxious person whose sympathetic nervous system is causing elevated heart rates, shaky sweaty hands and feet, heart palpitations and chest pain, pressure headaches, and brain fog, the problem may seem a tad bit more serious than something that's "all in your mind". Look, I understand what you're trying to say, but as someone who deals with all of the physical symptoms of anxiety listed above and has been told by loved ones countless times "your problem isn't real, so just don't stress about it", it doesn't help, and it's frankly infuriating to hear.

kdmccormick 3y ago
Agreed, and I think GP mostly agrees with you too, their phrasing was just confusing. As a bipolar person I have come to semi-ironically embrace the "it's all in your mind" mindset, but with the understanding that literally EVERYTHING is in our minds, and there is no clean distinction between physical and mental symptoms. Mental and physical illness are one and the same, because our body feeds our brain and our brain runs our body. Simple example: a stomachache involves your brain noticing and reacting to something going on in your stomach. Is it your brain's fault for telling you your stomach is upset, or your stomach's fault for having the conditions to be upset, or your brain's fault for leading your stomach to have the conditions to be upset, or your stomach's fault for altering your brai chemistry so that it has the conditions to lead your stomach to.... etc, you can understand how fuzzy it all is.
Aeolun 3y ago
Yeah, sorry. My comment was meant to agree, but illustrate that to people without anxiety (or disinclined to trust the medical establishment) CBT might come across as little different from “it’s all in your head”. I suffer from the same, and after CBT, it’s actually kind of worse to hear “it isn’t real, so don’t worry”, because I know it (on the balance of probability) isn’t real, but somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.

kdmccormick 3y ago

Agreed, and I think GP mostly agrees with you too, their phrasing was just confusing. As a bipolar person I have come to semi-ironically embrace the "it's all in your mind" mindset, but with the understanding that literally EVERYTHING is in our minds, and there is no clean distinction between physical and mental symptoms. Mental and physical illness are one and the same, because our body feeds our brain and our brain runs our body. Simple example: a stomachache involves your brain noticing and reacting to something going on in your stomach. Is it your brain's fault for telling you your stomach is upset, or your stomach's fault for having the conditions to be upset, or your brain's fault for leading your stomach to have the conditions to be upset, or your stomach's fault for altering your brai chemistry so that it has the conditions to lead your stomach to.... etc, you can understand how fuzzy it all is.

Aeolun 3y ago

Yeah, sorry. My comment was meant to agree, but illustrate that to people without anxiety (or disinclined to trust the medical establishment) CBT might come across as little different from “it’s all in your head”. I suffer from the same, and after CBT, it’s actually kind of worse to hear “it isn’t real, so don’t worry”, because I know it (on the balance of probability) isn’t real, but somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.