Should You Stop Listening to Your Body So Much? |
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Many people with anxiety tend to be overly aware of the sensations in their bodies.
This excessive focus can be a problem for many reasons and can ultimately make anxiety worse.
There are steps you can take to reduce hyperawareness of your body sensations and live a more meaningful life.
It’s always good to have a sense of what’s going on in your body and how things are feeling. Being totally checked out and completely dissociated from your body is certainly not a good thing.
However, if you tend to be anxious, you might be overly aware of your bodily sensations. This issue is particularly relevant for those who struggle with panic attacks or health anxiety.
Body Awareness and Anxiety
People with recurring panic attacks tend to be hyperaware of their body sensations because they are on the lookout for signs of an impending panic attack. Similarly, people who worry excessively about their health tend to be highly attuned to bodily sensations, looking for signs that something is wrong.
Both of these groups might also be tempted to use devices such as smartwatches, rings, and pulse oximeters to track their bodily sensations. Of note, often people with panic attacks will also have health anxiety and vice versa.
Other anxiety sufferers might also struggle with increased body awareness. For example, someone with public speaking anxiety might hyperfocus on........