WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL SIGNS OF ANXIETY? WHY YOUR BODY’S CUES MAY THROW YOU OFF – How we feel about what is going on with our bodies is not always correct.

Sarah Sloat, ‘WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL SIGNS OF ANXIETY? WHY YOUR BODY’S CUES MAY THROW YOU OFF – How we feel about what is going on with our bodies is not always correct.’, https://www-inverse-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.inverse.com/mind-body/anxiety-signs/amp, Inverse, BDG Media, Inc. (7.17.2022)

Perceiving a bodily state typically associated with anxiety — such as shortness of breath — can result in feeling anxious, even if there is no anxiety trigger. Furthermore, this study team found this “prediction error” is associated with specific patterns of brain activity in a region called the anterior insula, which is thought to be involved in assessing subjective feelings. (…) Individuals with greater anxiety levels are more likely to associate their body signals with negative emotions, the study finds. (…) They don’t tend to trust or feel safe in their bodies as much. (…) Rather than thinking of anxiety and breathlessness as an A-to-B situation — where one event leads to another — it can more helpful to think of the process as a cycle. Feeling breathless, breathing quickly, feeling anxious, and having worrying thoughts all generate a negative feedback loop.