Hi and welcome PS;
You bring up a very important issue for sufferers of anxiety/panic/depression.
Apart from emotional triggers, the body has many ways of reproducing the same symptoms. Our blood sugar for instance, will spike or drop if we don't keep levels balanced by eating at appropriate times with a good combination of protein, carbs and especially fats.
I forget to eat some days which causes my blood sugar to plummet. When this happens, I get vague, forgetful and shaky. My brain interprets this as being 'at risk'. I say to myself; "God I've done it again; I'll have something really healthy for dinner" Uh huh...so much for that plan. I've learned not to panic from the symptoms though; it's just old habitual worry making it worse.
Another body cause is adrenaline; coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and even spicy food depending on our nervous systems. Anything that can 'stimulate' this gland actually. I get anxious when thinking about diet and lifestyle changes, but this is an emotional response as well as a physical one...addiction.
Physical exercise can trick the body into feeling at risk by all the running and muscle building. Ergo...fight, flight and freeze; that's our adrenal glands. The best way to treat this little monster, is to keep calm. Yeah...I know, easier said than done. Mindfulness is well worth doing, it changed my life and even lowered my metabolism, caused muscle loss and decreased dysfunctional hormone production.
Apparently, a lack of - jaw clenching, tensing up, sweating in bed and scrunched up shoulders, caused these changes.
My point is, our bodies are machines ideally fed on certain food groups and movements for optimum effect. Some research on the endocrine system, liver, heart and brain re physical workings, has given me a good grounding for determining if my responses are caused by mind or body.
This helps to create better coping strategies to manage my MH.
Hope I've helped hun...
Sara x
