“It’s just anxiety,” is a phrase many people hear when their symptoms don’t fit neatly into a medical box. While telling someone that what they’re feeling is just anxiety can sound like an explanation, but for many people it functions like dismissal, especially when physical symptoms keep happening and no one investigates further.
Heart palpitations. Dizziness. Brain fog. Shortness of breath. Muscle tension. GI issues. Exhaustion. When someone hears “It’s just anxiety” repeatedly, they may stop trusting their body altogether.
These experiences often get routed into an anxiety diagnosis without looking at why the body is signaling distress in the first place.
For some people, anxiety is part of the picture. For others, it’s a label placed on top of something unresolved.
Anxiety is a familiar diagnosis. It’s widely recognized, easy to code, and often used when test results don’t provide quick answers.
But nervous system symptoms can come from many places, including:
When symptoms don’t fit neatly into a box, anxiety becomes the box.
Anxiety is often thought of as a mental state. In reality, it’s a physiological response.
A dysregulated nervous system can create:
This doesn’t mean symptoms are imagined. It means the body is stuck in protection mode. Hearing “it’s just anxiety” repeatedly can cause people to stop trusting their own body.
When someone is repeatedly told their symptoms are psychological without investigation, it can create a feedback loop:
Over time, people may start doubting their own perceptions, which increases stress and reinforces symptoms.
This pattern is common in medical gaslighting and can feel deeply destabilizing.
(If this resonates, you may want to read my post on medical gaslighting and feeling dismissed by doctors, which explores this dynamic more deeply.)
Many clients try breathing exercises, mindfulness apps, or positive thinking and feel frustrated when nothing changes.
That’s because regulation isn’t about forcing calm. It’s about creating safety.
If the body doesn’t feel safe, it won’t settle — no matter how logical the mind is.
This is why an integrative approach that includes both emotional processing and nervous system support can be more effective than symptom-focused treatment alone.
Instead of asking, “Is this anxiety?”
A more useful question is: “What is my nervous system responding to?”
That shift opens the door to understanding symptoms as information rather than pathology.
Therapy can support people who feel stuck in this gray area by helping them:
This isn’t about convincing yourself nothing is wrong. It’s about listening differently.
If you’ve been told “it’s just anxiety” but something about that explanation never felt complete, you’re not alone — and you’re not broken.
Your body may be asking for understanding, not dismissal. If this sounds familiar, you may also relate to my article on medical gaslighting and feeling dismissed by doctors, which explores how invalidation impacts both physical and emotional health.
I offer virtual therapy focused on nervous system regulation, mind–body integration, and emotional clarity for people who feel unheard in traditional settings.
👉 Learn more or book a consultation at https://www.theintegrativehealing.com
