Is it a headache or an aneurysm? Chest tightness or a heart attack? A stomachache or stomach cancer?
Our bodies do the darndest things. Our bodies are the switchboard for our emotions; they respond to what’s happening within us. For example, when we are overly stressed, we may feel muscle tightness, eye strain, or headaches. When we are filled with anxiety and worry, we may feel our respiration quicken, our hearts palpitate, and our bladder and bowels loosen or tighten. But there is a complication: These normal physical stress responses often mimic more serious physical problems. In an anxious state, it is easy to draw incorrect conclusions about the underlying causes of these commonly experienced physical phenomena.
We don’t misinterpret these physical sensations because we are crazy, delusional, neurotic, or hypochondriac. We aren’t hopeless and irrational nervous nellies. We are, quite simply, deeply uncomfortable. And when we are uncomfortable, it is human nature to seek the reason why we feel off-kilter and then try to fix the problem. Therein lies the rub: If there is not an underlying problem, or at least not a medically diagnosable one that can be immediately fixed, then we are chasing a ghost.
When it comes to physical symptoms, we are often hunting invisible game. For instance, we experience a deeply uncomfortable physical sensation such as a migraine headache. Next, we begin to try to connect the dots: What is this feeling? Why am I experiencing it? What does it mean? What do I need to do about it? The more we fixate on the sensation, the more we worry about it, the more intense it feels, and the more urgent our solution-seeking becomes. When this cognitive process escalates, we can quickly cross into the realm of catastrophic thinking.
When catastrophic thinking becomes actionized, we may undertake behaviors that, ironically, worsen our fear rather than alleviate it. The person experiencing the migraine may bypass simple remedies such as rest, taking ibuprofen, or using a hot compress, and rush to medical care, scheduling doctor’s appointments and seeking tests, scans, and specialists. Or, equally unhelpful, they may undertake internet research on the symptoms, which often only serves to intensify the sense of worry and leave us to draw further catastrophic conclusions.
So, what can we do differently when we experience uncomfortable physical symptoms? First and foremost, we need to recognize that physical discomfort, while unpleasant, does not necessarily signal a deeper, catastrophic medical problem. We need to consider, too, what other situations are happening in our lives that may be affecting us physically. Are we stressed, worried, angry, overworked, burnt out, or fatigued? Any of these emotional responses to situations may impact how we feel physically—but may not signal a true medical problem that requires immediate attention.
Buddhist wisdom describes the difference between “disease” and “dis-ease.” Indeed, we often experience “dis-ease,” or unease. It is an unavoidable part of life. We simply will not always feel completely comfortable. But uneasiness does not necessarily signify disease or physical illness. When we struggle with illness-related anxiety, the first step to healing is to begin differentiating between true disease and more commonly experienced “dis-ease.” As we learn to do this, we begin to let go of automatic anxious assumptions and conclusions connected to physical sensations, we learn to live more peacefully, and we begin to experience a greater sense of equilibrium and harmony between our mind and body.