Can Worrying About An Anxiety Symptom Cause It To Come Back?

Video Transcript

I’ve had an anxiety symptom for a long time, and it finally went away. However, recently, I’ve been worrying about it coming back, and it did. My question is, can worrying about a specific anxiety symptom cause it to come back?

Yes, and no.

First, yes! Worrying about a specific anxiety symptom can cause it to return. That’s because worry stresses the body, and a body under stress can exhibit symptoms of stress. So, worrying about a specific anxiety symptom will increase your body’s stress, causing it to exhibit symptoms of stress.

And since each body responds to stress uniquely, an increase in stress could cause a past symptom to return because that’s how your body responds to stress.

So, again, yes! Worrying about a specific anxiety symptom can cause it to return because of the increased stress caused by worry and how your body responds to stress.

Second, also, yes! Being concerned about a specific anxiety symptom can have your attention focused on it. Increased focus can magnify its sensation, making the symptom seem stronger than it might normally be, which can make it seem like it has returned.

You will have to determine whether your symptom has truly returned or if it just seems like it has returned because you are focused on it. Sometimes the difference is subtle, so it can be difficult to discern.

And third, no! Worrying about a specific anxiety symptom doesn’t somehow tell your body or brain to bring it back.

A returning anxiety symptom is merely the body’s response to stress. It’s not because of some “subliminal message” you sent your body or brain by worrying about it.

That said, it’s important to remember that each body responds to stress uniquely. That also means it can change how it responds to stress.

For instance, just because you have a certain symptom set doesn’t mean that symptom set won’t change over time. Many factors can cause symptoms to change, such as the degree and duration of stress.

These factors can alter how your body normally responds to stress.

Consequently, if you get a new symptom or symptom set, don’t be surprised. It’s common for symptoms to change and shift, especially the longer the body is chronically stressed.