Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and panic disorder, can cause body aches and pains.

Use our instant one-minute results Test for Anxiety, Test for Anxiety Disorder, and Test for Hyperstimulation to determine if your anxiety may affect your symptoms.

The higher the score, the more likely it contributes to anxiety symptoms, including body aches.

This article discusses the relationship between anxiety, body pains, and aches.

Body Aches and Pains Anxiety Symptoms Description

• You feel pain throughout your body.

• You may feel bruised on your body in one or more spots.

• You feel achy all over.

• You may be experiencing pains and aches that are not easily explained.

• You may feel a sore spot, tender spots, or pain throughout your entire body.

• You feel like you've been hit by a truck.

• You may feel achy or painful in a spot or on your whole body.

• You feel like your entire body is aching.

Aches, pains, and tenderness can affect one, two, or multiple body parts. You may also feel that your whole body is tender or painful to touch.

Anxiety symptoms and body aches can affect only one area, or they can affect several areas. They can also migrate and affect multiple areas.

Body aches and Pains Anxiety Symptoms can occur rarely, frequently, or persistently. You may occasionally experience body aches or pains, on and off, or all the time.

Body aches and Pains Anxiety Symptoms can precede, accompany or follow the escalation of other anxiety sensations or symptoms. They may also occur on their own.

Body aches and Pains Anxiety symptoms can occur before, after, or in conjunction with an episode of nervousness or anxiety. They may also appear 'out-of-the blue' or for no apparent cause.

The intensity of anxiety symptoms and body aches can vary from mild to moderate to severe. It can come in waves. One moment it is strong, and the next, it eases.

Anxiety symptoms and body aches can vary from one day to the next or even from moment to minute.

All the combinations and variations above are common.

What causes body aches, pains, and anxiety symptoms?

Medical Advisory

Being anxious or stressed causes the body to respond. This response secretes hormones that travel to specific spots in the brain to cause physiological, psychological, and emotional changes. These changes enhance the body's ability to fight a potential threat or flee. 

This response causes several physiological changes, including the tightening of muscles. Tight muscles increase the body's resistance to attacks in dangerous situations.

Stress responses that are not frequent can be recovered relatively quickly by the body. Aches and pains can be temporary and seem not to be a problem.

Stress hormones can be stimulants, so when stress responses are too frequent and dramatic, the body may remain in an emergency state. We call this hyperstimulation of stress response. The body can remain in a state of hyperstimulation even after the threat has passed. Headaches, muscle pain and tension, stiff muscles, body aches, pains, and stiffness characterize hyperstimulation.

While the body is under stress, a muscle or group of muscles can be tight, causing chronic aches and discomfort.

Recent research shows that emotional and psychological stress can affect the body's ability to modulate pain. This can cause persistent body pains and aches.

How to eliminate body aches, pains, and anxiety symptoms?

Calming yourself will stop the stress response. This feeling will subside as your body recovers. It would help if you were back to your usual self. Remember that the body can take 20 minutes or longer to recover from major stress. This is not a problem and should not be considered an alarm sign.

It may take longer for the body's recovery to reach the point of no more body pains and aches.

When the body fully recovers from an active response to stress and hyperstimulation of the stress response, body aches, pains, and anxiety symptoms will completely subside. They are not a reason for alarm. Body aches, and discomforts are uncomfortable, painful, and even restricting. However, they do not pose a health risk. These symptoms are an indication that the body is overly stressed.

Reduce your stress levels, relax your body, increase your rest, and don't worry about the symptom. When your body recovers from stress, and prolonged stress, body aches, pains, and anxiety symptoms disappear.

If you want to eliminate body pains and anxiety symptoms, it is best to find the root causes. This will allow your body to reduce stress and recover fully (stress responses triggered by anxiety underlying issues that have not been identified and resolved can hinder recovery). The most effective way to address anxiety's root causes is by working with an anxiety disorder therapist or coach.