Why Anxiety Makes You Hate Your Body (and How to Reconnect with It)

When Anxiety Turns the Body into the Enemy

Anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind — it lives in your body.

Maybe you feel it as tightness in your chest, a racing heart, or that constant feeling of being “on edge.”

For many of us, especially after trauma, the body starts to feel like a threat instead of a home.

You might notice yourself saying things like:

“I wish I could just turn my brain off.”

“I feel uncomfortable in my own skin.”

“I hate that I can’t control how I feel.”

Anxiety can make you believe that your body is the problem — when in reality, your body is just trying to communicate that something needs care, not control.

How Anxiety and Body Image Are Connected

When you’ve lived in survival mode for a long time, the body can become hypersensitive. Every sensation — a racing heart, a stomach flutter, even breathing too fast — can trigger fear.

That fear can easily turn into self-criticism. You might start thinking:

“If I just looked different, I’d feel better.”

But body image struggles are often the surface layer of deeper anxiety and emotional dysregulation.

Your nervous system might still be holding onto messages like:

“I have to be perfect to be safe.”

“If I slow down, something bad will happen.”

“My needs don’t matter.”

When the nervous system is tense, self-compassion becomes hard — and self-criticism becomes automatic.

What EMDR Therapy Does Differently

Talk therapy can help you understand why you feel anxious, but EMDR therapy helps your body believe that you’re safe now.

Through bilateral stimulation — eye movements, tapping, or gentle sounds — EMDR helps the brain reprocess experiences that taught your body to stay in fight-or-flight mode.

As those memories lose their intensity, your body learns a new message:

“I’m allowed to rest. I’m allowed to breathe. I’m allowed to feel at peace.”

And when your body begins to trust safety again, self-acceptance naturally follows.

From Control to Connection

Anxiety often comes from trying to control the uncontrollable — your thoughts, your body, your feelings.

But real healing comes from connection, not control.

Here are three small ways to start reconnecting with your body today:

Notice without judging. Instead of saying, “My heart is racing — something’s wrong,” try, “My body is sending me information.”

Breathe through your body, not around it. Take slow breaths that expand your ribs and soften your shoulders.

Thank your body. It’s been protecting you all this time — even when it’s exhausted.

These are small steps, but over time, they help your body remember safety again.

Reclaiming Your Body as a Safe Place

You don’t have to fight your body anymore.

You can learn to understand it, soothe it, and rebuild trust one breath at a time.

If you’re tired of feeling disconnected from yourself, schedule a free consultation

to learn how EMDR therapy in Fairfax and Alexandria can help you heal anxiety from the inside out.