Should I Ask My PCP About Anxiety?

Written By Jennifer McClung

By Marla Lehmann, PA

Yes! More and more, we’re encouraging patients to talk with us about their mental health, especially anxiety and stress.

Why?

Because various research studies have shown that mental health has a direct impact on quality of life.

Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash

How Mental Health Can Impact Your Life         

Stress, anxiety, and depression can wreak havoc on your daily life. When your mental health isn’t cared for it can influence the way you think, feel, behave, react, and live your life. From feeling unfocused and exhausted, to struggling with being around friends, coworkers, or loved ones and to relax.

Mental health can impact various aspects of your life, hurting or helping your quality of life. Here are four ways anxiety specifically can impact your daily life.

  • Lead to sleep deprivation and insomnia. Anxiety can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle. Sleep is crucial to your body and brain to recover and perform its best. When anxiety comes in to play, that can lead to less sleep, poorer quality, and long-term sleep issues like insomnia. Moreover, because anxiety and sleep have a bidirectional relationship – if one gets worse, so does the other. 

  • Headaches, muscle tension and pain. You may think you need a massage, but it could actually be a sign you’re experiencing anxiety. Anxiety and stress often go hand-in-hand, and anxiety can trigger or worsen physical symptoms including headaches, muscle tension, cardiovascular problems, digestive problems, fatigue, and pain. [Read more about the physical signs of anxiety here.]

  • Cause serious stomach issues. Sometimes your gut isn’t upset because you had a scoop of ice cream or too much steak the other weekend. Sometimes it’s actually anxiety that’s creating indigestion, stomach pain, and gut problems. Anxiety and gut health are so closely related because of the gut-brain axis, which is a two-way communication system. This is why your gut can sometimes influence brain function and behavior too. Think about when you were last stressed or anxious? Do you recall how tight and cramped your gut felt? Or when you last had an upset stomach, and your mood was a bit edgy?

  • Anxiety and stress can trigger the nervous system’s  “fight or flight” mode, and that can translate to nausea, cramping, bloating, and diarrhea. Anxiety can also slow down digestion, making you more suspectable to pain and constipation. When chronic, anxiety and stress can also cause a microbiome imbalance (aka hurt the healthy bacteria in your gut). 

  • Less enjoyment from life.  Overthinking, excessive worrying, heightened fear, and increased stress responses. All of these are stemming from anxiety, and they can really make it hard to enjoy the daily aspect of your life. Some people with chronic anxiety will even start avoiding trying new things or start isolating away from people and activities they used to love.

Asking About Anxiety at Your Next Appointment

If you haven’t talked with us before about anxiety (or stress, or depression), please know we are here with open ears and arms. We firmly believe that your health and well-being involve both physical and mental elements, and we can help you identify when physical symptoms may actually be stemming from anxiety or stress. Major life experiences or disruptions like new jobs, divorce, moving homes, all of this can cause anxiety and resulting physical symptoms. Sometimes our body gets stuck in the “fight and flight” mode, (especially for women), and it’s hard to figure out how to regulate your nervous system back to normal.

We can help you identify where anxiety may be coming from, how to take the right next steps to support your mental and physical health, and even recommend some great mental health professionals.

If you’ve never asked us about anxiety or mental health before, here are some questions to ask yourself before we see you next to get started with so we can work together to help you live your best life.

  • Do I feel like I am worried about a lot of things each day?

  • When something changes in my life, do I feel worried, stressed, and even experience stomach issues?

  • Am I sleeping at least 8 hours each night?

  • Do I feel tired and irritable even after resting?

  • Does making plans with friends and loved ones make me nervous?

  • Do I feel like my relationships are struggling?

  • How often do I have stomach problems or pain?

Do you think you are struggling with anxiety? Schedule an appointment today.

Jennifer McClung