Positive emotions, on the other hand, help you relax, improve your sleep, and strengthen your immune system. That is why taking care of your emotional state is key to maintaining your physical health.

As a professional psychologist, I often see how much our internal state, mood, and emotions affect our physical health. Many of us have felt how stress can cause a headache, or how anxiety can tie your stomach in knots. This isn’t just “in your head”—these are real physiological reactions at the heart of what we call psychosomatics.

Mood and the body: an inseparable connection

Our body and mind do not exist separately; they are parts of a single, complex system. When we feel strong emotions—whether it’s joy, anger, sadness, or fear—our brain sends signals throughout the entire body. These signals kickstart various biological processes:

• The Nervous System: For instance, during stress, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in (our “fight or flight” response). This leads to a faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, muscle tension, a surge of sugar into the bloodstream, and other changes that get us ready for action. When this state becomes chronic, the body stays on high alert constantly, which drains its resources.
• The Hormonal System: The brain also affects the endocrine system, which produces hormones. For example, stress triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are vital in the short term, but having too much of them for a long time can suppress the immune system, mess with digestion, cause sleep problems, and affect metabolism.
• The Immune System: Our mood directly affects our ability to fight off illness. Chronic stress, depression, or constant anxiety can weaken your immunity, making you more vulnerable to infections, slowing down wound healing, and even playing a role in certain autoimmune diseases.

How psychosomatics occur

Psychosomatic disorders are physical symptoms or illnesses that are significantly worsened or even caused by psychological factors. It’s important to understand that this doesn’t mean the illness is “made up” or “fake.” On the contrary, the symptoms are completely real and felt. The psychological component is that emotional distress finds a way to express itself through the body.

Here are a few examples of how this happens:

• Stress and Digestion: Chronic stress often shows up as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastritis, or stomach ulcers. Emotional tension can change how the gut moves, affect stomach acidity, and even alter gut bacteria.
• Anxiety and the Heart: Constant worry, fear, and panic attacks can lead to tachycardia (racing heart), high blood pressure, and chest pain, which can be mistaken for heart problems. While there might not be physical damage at first, long-term exposure can lead to real cardiovascular disease.
• Depression and Pain: People struggling with depression often feel chronic back pain, muscle aches, headaches, or migraines. Emotional pain can “hide” as physical pain, or depression can make existing pain feel much worse due to changes in brain chemistry related to how we perceive pain.
• Emotions and the Skin: Stress can trigger flare-ups of skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, acne, or neurodermatitis. Emotional experiences affect the immune system and inflammatory processes, which then manifest on the skin.

What you can do about it

Understanding the link between your mood and your physical health is the first step toward feeling better. As a psychologist, I can help you:

1. Develop stress management skills: Learn to react effectively to stressful situations using relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, and mindfulness.
2. Process your emotions: Explore and understand the sources of your emotions—like anger, anxiety, or sadness—and learn healthy ways to express them.
3. Change negative thought patterns: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help identify and change destructive thoughts that exacerbate emotional distress.
4. Build a healthy lifestyle: Psychological support can help you return to healthy sleep, a balanced diet, and regular physical activity, which are the foundations of physical and mental well-being.

Keep in mind that seeing a psychologist for psychosomatic symptoms is not a substitute for medical consultation. Instead, it is an important addition to medical treatment that allows you to work on root causes and improve your overall quality of life. Your body speaks to you through symptoms; let’s learn to listen to and understand it together.